I Shall Walk in Your Presence Forever
From July 23 to August 20, 2023, the Federazione Inter-mediterranea Ministri Provinciali (FIMP) hosted its annual month-long second novitiate experience in Rivotorto – Assisi. Fifteen friars from the FIMP Federation and other Federations participated in this formation event.
The group of post-novices were guided by a formation team comprised of Friar Bernardino HOSPITAL POSADA from the Province of Our Lady of Monserrat in Spain and Friar Etienne GILSON from the Province of St. Paul the Apostle in Malta. Both have been involved in this service for several years.
This year’s group of participating friars was very diverse. They represented various origins, ages and experiences. They also had a brotherly characteristic and were open to sharing and integrating. This fostered a good fraternal and jovial atmosphere. The second novitiate participants were Friar Emanuele ANTINORI from the Italian Province of St. Francis of Assisi (Central Italy); Friar Grégoire LEFÈVRE from the Provincial Custody of St. Bonaventure in France-Belgium; Friar Michael GRECH from the Province of St. Paul the Apostle in Malta; Friars Alessandro BOSIO and Roby ZANZI from the Italian Province of St. Anthony of Padua (Northern Italy); Friars André GHANAAT RAHBAR, Moses FIDELIS and Naim TOUMA from the Provincial Custody of the Orient and the Holy Land; Friar Tomás ZEBALLO CABALLERO from the Provincial Delegation in Paraguay; Friars Cezar DĂMĂTĂR, Răzvan-Emanuel PETRUȚ and Sergiu-Lucian CIMPOEȘU from the Province of St. Joseph, Spouse of the B.V.M. in Romania; Friars Alberto BARBARO and Carmelo MARIA from the Province of St. Agatha and St. Lucy in Italy (Sicily); and Friar Vladyslav PASHAYEV from the Provincial Custody of the Holy Cross in Ukraine.
The topics covered over the four weeks included prayer, consecrated life in Sacred Scripture, the following of Christ and the Later Rule. There were academic-didactic presentations based on the lectures of certain theologians in order to deepen some of the topics. In addition, the participants visited many significant places associated with Franciscan spirituality. They also encountered some of the charitable and spiritual realities of the Order through the testimony of friars engaged in new ventures, such as living in inter-obediential communities or communities for rehabilitation.
The participants also gained more insight into certain realities of the Order through meetings with the FIMP Assistant General, Friar Giovanni VOLTAN; and the General Custos of the Sacred Convent of Assisi, Friar Marco MORONI. The Minister Provincial of Central Italy, Friar Francesco LENTI, gave the participants an update on various projects and spoke about the fragility and the potential of certain areas where the friars have been called to lend their services. There was an unexpected meeting with the Minister General, Friar Carlos TROVARELLI, which enriched the second novitiate experience even more. Friar Carlos offered his global assessment of the Order and the new challenges, dreams and fragility of our being Friars Minor Conventual in the world.
We thank the Lord for this time of special grace and for all the friars who made it concretely possible. We also thank the community of friars of Rivotorto for their hospitality and the formators who helped us experience the beauty of fragility.
Friar Alessandro BOSIO
