On November 5-9, 2018, a meeting of the International Commission for Formation (CIF) of the Order of Friars Minor Conventual, was held at the Seraphicum in Rome.

As it was last year, this year’s meeting was dedicated to updating the main documents relating to the formation of the friars.
During the meeting, the Commission, along with the members of the General Secretariat for Formation (SGF), worked on the new draft of the Ratio Studiorum Generalis, which concerns the intellectual formation of the friars. This work was preceded by some reflection on the current state of formation in the various Federations of the Order.
The meeting continued in a fraternal atmosphere with the members working as a team and following a precise methodology. As a result, a revised and updated version of the Ratio Studiorum was drafted, which now takes into account the various changes that have taken place in recent years in our Order, the Church and society.
On the first day, the Minister General, Friar Marco TASCA, together with the Assistant General for the Federation of Asian Minors Conventual (FAMC), Friar Benedict BAEK, took part in the work session and made some interesting and valuable observations.
The members took a break to visit the Abbey of Montecassino, where they prayed, some for the first time, at the tomb of Saints Benedict and Scholastica.
Those participating in the meeting included: Friar Louis PANTHIRUVELIL (SGF Secretary General); Friar Franklin Antonio DURÁN ZAMBRANO (SGF member); Friar Zbigniew WÓJCIK (SGF member); Friar Emanuele RIMOLI (SGF member); Friar Joseph KACHELEWA (AFCOF Federation representative); Friar Josef FISCHER (CEF Federation representative); Friar Piotr SZCZEPAŃSKI (FEMO Federation representative); Friar James CIARAMITARO (CFF Federation representative); Friar Alessandro PERISSINOTTO (FIMP Federation representative); and Friar Mattia Moonki CHOI (FAMC Federation representative).

Friar Zbigniew WÓJCIK