The 203rd Ordinary General Chapter of the Friars Minor Conventual began at the Seraphicum College in Rome with Mass at 6:45 p.m. The Minister General, Friar Carlos A. TROVARELLI, presided over the Mass, assisted by the Vicar General, Friar Jan MACIEJOWSKI, and the Rector of the Seraphicum, Friar Adam MĄCZKA.
In his homily, Friar Carlos pointed out that today’s Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord shows us the path that all consecrated persons must follow in order to reach the authentic goal of their existence: the Kingdom of God. Before ascending to heaven, the Risen One invited his followers to wait for the Holy Spirit, the power from on high, while remaining in the city, that is, while being brothers fully involved in the joys and challenges of the present world. As followers of St. Francis of Assisi, it is our duty to embody that calling wherever and whenever the Lord calls us, without denying our own struggles and vulnerabilities. The Minister General strongly affirmed that the General Chapter is a privileged time to live and witness our being Church, our being brothers in the most diverse ways. During the Chapter, guided by the Holy Spirit, each of us is called to be part of a Eucharistic fraternity, to live together and for one another, because that is our vocation, the gift that is still offered to us and bestowed upon us.
At the end of the Mass, the Minister General thanked all those who worked so hard to organize the Chapter, then imparted his solemn blessing on all the brothers in attendance.
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