On October 29, 2024, the Franciscan Mission Center in Rome held a meeting with the novices of the Sacred Convent in Assisi, as part of the Center’s mission animation program for young men in formation who reside in the formation houses of the Federazione Intermediterranea Ministri Provinciali (FIMP).
After Midday Prayer in the chapel, the nine young novices met with the Director of the FIMP Franciscan Missionary Center, Friar Paolo FIASCONARO. He gave them a presentation on some aspects and initiatives of mission activity among the friars and the laity.
During the meeting, Friar Paolo addressed various topics with the young men, to deepen their commitment to consider, over the course of their novitiate year, the possibility of doing missionary work.
Starting with Pope Francis’ Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii gaudium, Friar Paolo highlighted the key concepts in the pope’s guiding document, namely, to be a Church which goes forth, to the existential peripheries, to be close to those that society throws away, and thus take on the “smell of the sheep.”
He explained what the Mission Center does within the FIMP Federation and the Order, and the missionary animation initiatives carried out by Provincial animators.
He also reflected on the history and journey of the Order over the past century in terms of its missionary work, particularly regarding the upcoming 100th anniversary of the opening of the Order’s first mission in China (1925-2025). This event marked the beginning of a significant shift in missionary efforts following the unfortunate Napoleonic suppression, the suppression under the Kingdom of Italy and the effects of World War I, which drastically reduced the number of Conventual Franciscans from 25,000 at the start of the 1800s to just 1,481. From the prophetic insight of those first eight friars who ventured to the Far East, the Order found the strength to rise again. After a century, the Order now has active missions in forty countries around the world.
At the conclusion of the meeting, Friar Paolo showed a video about one of our missions in Asia. However, the novices were particularly excited by a short video that featured the Center’s ten years of “summer mission” along the banks of the Tiber River in the midst of Rome’s vibrant nightlife. The meeting inspired all the young men to approach their formation journey with a more open mindset toward a dedicated and fruitful missionary life.
Friar Paolo FIASCONARO, Director of the Missionary Center
