On October 24-28, 2018, members of the General Secretariat for Missionary Animation (SGAM) visited the friar fraternities of Lebanon and Turkey.

Friar Jarosław WYSOCZAŃSKI focused on issues relating to the “Mission Together” formation project, missionary spirituality and the missionary status of the Friars Minor Conventual. There was plenty of discussion about the latest Blessed in the Order, namely Friars Miguel TOMASZEK and Zbigniew STRZAŁKOWSKI.
Then, they visited various fraternities: Beirut, Lebanon, which currently has seven friars; Zahle, Lebanon, a formation community, vocations center and postulate, which has two friars and a candidate; and Istanbul, Turkey, which has seven friars.
The Conventuals in Lebanon and Turkey carry out various initiatives: working with the elderly and young people in the field of inter-religious dialogue and helping refugees and the poor. Our churches welcome the faithful for daily prayer and provide pastoral service to various groups. The friars are laying solid foundations on which to build an inclusive, plural and democratic society. They invest in culture through their encounter with others, opening paths of peace and acceptance, without excluding anyone.
On October 28, joining with the universal Church in Istanbul and Adampol, Turkey, they offered prayer for persecuted Christians.

Friar Jarosław WYSOCZAŃSKI, SGAM Secretary General