On May 17-19, 2022, twelve solemnly professed friars of the Province of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico gathered at the La Purísima Concepción Friary in Tlacoachistlahuaca, Guerrero, Mexico, for an intergenerational formation meeting. The meeting was for friars who have been solemnly professed for eight to seventeen years.
The objective of the meeting was to spend some time reflecting together within the context of ongoing formation in the Province. The theme of the meeting was “Human Maturity and Sexuality.” It offered guidelines to be meditated upon at the personal and community level. It also presented some of the challenges that are faced in consecrated life regarding this topic. In addition to being educational, the meeting was a time for fraternity and an opportunity for dialogue. Each friar was able to share his own personal journey and discuss the difficulties, challenges and hopes that arise in the consecrated and fraternal life. The Guardian and friars of the Tlacoachistlahuaca community were excellent hosts and helped the meeting run smoothly.
The natural setting surrounding the friary facilitated reflection. It reminded all the participants of Franciscan simplicity, which is discovered in the essentiality of life and in seeing each brother as a rich and precious gift. The meeting concluded with a community walk on the beach near the friary.
Friar Rubén MARTÍNEZ HERNÁNDEZ
