On the evening of October 26, 2019, the friars of the General Houses of Rome gathered at the Basilica of the Twelve Holy Apostles to celebrate together the conclusion of the Extraordinary Missionary Month. The gathering took place in three stages.

The first stage of the gathering was held before the tomb of the Holy Apostles Philip and James, the friars prayed and meditated on the vocation to the missio ad gentes. All of the baptized, especially we Franciscans, are called to bring the Gospel to the ends of the world. We must always invoke the Holy Spirit to sustain our strength.
The second stage took place at the Basilica’s Support Center for the Poor, where the friars listened to a reflection about service, especially service to the most needy. The Church and the world always need people who are willing to offer their time and freely share their talents with their brothers.
The third stage took place in the Immaculate Conception Hall, where the Minister General, Friar Carlos TROVARELLI provided testimony about our confrere Blessed Martyr Carlos de Dios MURIAS of Argentina. The Minister General is a native of Argentina and personally understands the suffering and aspiration of the local people for whom Friar Carlos de Dios gave his life.
The event concluded with a collection taken to benefit our mission fraternities. It was followed by a fraternal agape meal called a “hunger dinner” (a little bread and canned tuna).
The event was a very simple. It featured some intense moments of participatory prayer, reflection and fraternal sharing. All of this helped everyone to, as Pope Francis would say, awaken a deeper missionary awareness of the missio ad gentes.

Friar Enzo GALLI