On Friday, November 29, 2024, the Feast of All Saints of the Seraphic Order, four lay members of the Secular Franciscan Fraternity of the Risen One, part of the Frontier Community, became the first members of the Fraternity to profess temporary vows. The event took place in the Lower Church of the Basilica of St. Francis in Assisi. The newly professed are: Alessandro AMATO, Carmela MONTEFORTE, Concetta VINCI and Samuele DESERTO.
This new expression of secular fraternal and consecrated life, was founded by Friar Giuseppe DE STEFANO of the Province of St. Nicholas and St. Angelo in Italy (Puglia). The Order and the Church have recognized its foundational charism, leading to its affiliation within the charism of the Order itself. The fraternity engages in apostolic work in Mola di Bari, Italy, at the City of the Young, assisting minors and youth who are dealing with hardship and behavioral issues.
October 22, 2022, Pope Francis acknowledged the fraternity’s Franciscan charism and its mission to guide minors and youth from the darkness of their wounds to the light of life in Christ.
On November 17-23, 2024, prior to professing their temporary vows, and having completed their canonical novitiate year, the candidates attended a rich and fraternal spiritual retreat in Ajaccio, France, on the theme of “Paschal Fraternity.” The retreat was led by His Eminence Cardinal François BUSTILLO, OFM Conv.
On the evening of November 28, 2024, in preparation for their secular consecration the next day, the candidates attended a prayer vigil in the Lower Church of the Basilica of St. Francis in Assisi, presided over by the Most Reverend Roberto CARBONI, OFM Conv., Archbishop of Oristano and Ales Terralba, Italy. Archbishop CARBONI traced the stages of vocational discernment, from the baptismal font, to life’s circumstances, which come together like a rope spun from many fibers, giving the rope its strength. Moreover, there is a red thread running through that rope, holding it together, namely, the Word of God, the source of all vocations.
On November 29, a Mass of Consecration was celebrated, presided over by the Most Reverend Dominique Joseph MATHIEU, OFM Conv., Archbishop of Teheran-Ispahan, Iran, who was later made a cardinal on December 7, 2024. Those concelebrating included Archbishop CARBONI; the Most Reverend Marco TASCA, Archbishop of Genoa, Italy, who guided Friar Giuseppe and the Frontier Community for twelve years, and continues to guide them today; the Procurator General, Friar Maurizio DI PAOLO; the General Econom, Friar Nicola ROSA; the Pastor of St. Peter’s Basilica, Friar Agnello STOIA, the President of the Federazione Inter-mediterranea Ministri Provinciali (FIMP), Friar Gaspare LA BARBERA; the Minister Provincial of the Province of Puglia, Friar Daniele MAIORANO; and friars from Puglia and Assisi. Some priests and a deacon from the Archdiocese of Bari-Bitonto, Italy, also participated.
The Minister Provincial, Friar Daniele MAIORANO, started the celebration by tracing the twenty-year discernment journey of Friar Giuseppe and the Frontier Community, discussing how it began in the Order, in full communion with the General and Provincial government, the recognition of its founding charism, its erection as a Public Association of the Faithful and how it gave rise to the Secular Franciscan Fraternity of the Risen One, which is affiliated with the Order.
In his homily, Archbishop MATHIEU talked about the uniqueness of secular consecration: “Secular consecration, while deeply rooted in the heart of the Church, is a vocation that often escapes the attention of most. This form of Christian life has a special beauty, because it lives in the world, but is not of the world; it is immersed in everyday realities, but it bears a message of holiness.”
The Mass was enhanced by the choir of the parish church in Anzio (Rome) under the direction of Maria Regina PUCCILLO. The Pastor of the church is Friar Paolo CIRINA, OFM Conv. One hundred and fifty Frontier Community members attended along with the families of the newly consecrated.
The Secular Franciscan Fraternity of the Risen One
Read here: The Greeting of the Minister General, Friar Carlos TROVARELLI >>>
Read here: The Homily of Archbishop Dominique J. MATHIEU, OFM Conv. >>>
Read here: The Greeting of the Minister Provincial, Friar Daniele MAIORANO >>>
