On November 5-9, 2018, the Conventual Franciscan Province of St. Maximilian M. Kolbe in Poland (Gdańsk) celebrated its Extraordinary Provincial Chapter at the Center for Education and Formation in Koszalin, Poland.
The Chapter was presided over by the Minister Provincial, Friar Jan MACIEJOWSKI. Friar Jacek CIUPIŃSKI, the Assistant General for the Federatio Europae Mediae et Orientalis (FEMO) came from Rome to serve as the Delegate of the Minister General. Also participating were Friar Jerzy NOREL, the Vicar General of the Order; Friar Wojciech KULIG, the General Exactor; and, for the first two days, Friar Tadeusz ŚWIĄTKOWSKI, the Assistant General for the African Federation of Conventual Franciscans (AFCOF).
The Capitular deliberations were mainly about real estate and the use of immovable assets. Among the first decisions of the Chapter was a ruling on the activity in the restored friary in Vilnius, Lithuania. Then, matters regarding the Provincial Custody of St. Francis of Assisi in Kenya were dealt with. In fact, on the second day, the friars unanimously accepted the request to present a motion to establish the Province of Kenya.
Next, the Provincial Econom, Friar Leszek ŁUCZKANIN, presented development plans for some Provincial buildings, in particular the priorities connected with the friary in Gdynia, Poland. The discussions held in small groups, and those in the Chapter auditorium, clearly indicated that the friars are interested in the proper use of real estate.
One of the most discussed topics was the future of a place used by the Province of St. Maximilian, commonly called “St. Francis Island”. It lies within the borders of Gdańsk, near the Baltic Sea.
At the end of the Chapter, the Superiors of the Province met for their own annual fall meeting.
Fra Mateusz STACHOWSKI
