On April 29-30, 2024, the Province of St. Jerome in Croatia conducted an Extraordinary Chapter at its Holy Spirit Friary in Zagreb, Croatia. The Minister Provincial, Friar Miljenko HONTIĆ, presided over the Chapter, which was attended by twenty-five friar Delegates and the Assistant General for the Centralis Europae Foederatio (CEF), Friar Igor SALMIČ.
This Extraordinary Chapter was conducted at the midpoint of the current four-year term. It was a wonderful time for meeting and discerning together. The Chapter focused on the revision of the Provincial Statutes and examined other important topics for the life of the Province.
The first day began with a prayer of invocation to the Holy Spirit. The proceedings of the Chapter followed and the day concluded with Mass at the local Basilica of St. Anthony of Padua, with the Minister Provincial presiding. In his homily, he stressed the link between the feast days of St. Catherine of Siena and St. Francis of Assisi:
“We are to be responsible for our brothers and take great care of them, committing ourselves to their formation, education and the development of their human qualities as well as their intellectual and psycho-physical abilities. However, in all of this, one must never forget the encounter with the Word of God, with the Lord Himself, who reveals His wisdom and glory. This is exactly what St. Francis and St. Catherine experienced. I would particularly like to point out the example of St. Francis since we are currently celebrating the 800th anniversary of his receiving the stigmata. We know that Francis often went to solitary places to be alone with the Lord, to be in His company, to think back on the path traveled so far, and look forward to what lay ahead. He renewed himself in these places and allowed God to transform and mold him into the image of Jesus Christ. Exactly eight hundred years ago, at Mount La Verna, he had one of those transformational meetings. This is what we really need today. We are caught up in activities; we are caught up in a routine where we think we are in control. However, when we are in the midst of crowds, noise and restlessness, we have difficulty hearing the voice of God. It is then that we need to stop and return to the Lord, because only in this way do we remain as little children, open to His will.”
The second day of the Chapter began with Morning Prayer and a discussion on important themes in the life of the Province. The expert jurist, Marko ANDRIJANIĆ, was an important voice in this discussion, as he explained some points of civil law to the Capitulars with regard to some problems the Jurisdiction is facing.
One important decision the Extraordinary Chapter made was to temporarily suppress the St. Jerome Friary in Vis, Croatia, and annex it to the St. Francis Friary in Split (Croatia), in order to better organize and improve the quality of fraternal life there.
The Chapter concluded with a Mass dedicated to St. Anthony of Padua. Friar Igor SALMIČ presided.
Afterwards, the Capitulars took part in a fraternal gathering where they enjoyed each other’s company and looked forward to implementing new and important projects for the future of the Province in light of the newly revised Provincial Statues.
Friar Zlatko VLAHEK, Provincial Secretary