For the first time, the Minister Provincial of the Province of St. Elizabeth in Germany, Friar Bernhardin M. SEITHER, invited all the Guardians residing in Germany to meet together in early February of 2019.
The Minister Provincial also invited the Guardians of the Provincial Custody of St. Leopold and St. Nicolas of Flüe in Austria-Switzerland and the Guardians of the Polish and Romanian friaries located in Germany.
The Minister Provincial of Germany was very pleased that the Ministers Provincial of Romania, Warsaw, Cracow and Gdansk were also present.
Thus, on February 4-6, 2019, about thirty friars met at the friary in Schwarzenberg, Germany. After a brief presentation about the friaries and on the current challenges facing the Provinces, the friars discussed issues concerning the rules on “privacy” and on the prevention of violence and abuse. There were also periods of prayer, adoration, celebration and fraternity.
The friars evaluated the meeting and agreed it should be repeated regularly. They also saw the meeting as the fruit of their efforts toward more intense collaboration and as a sign of vitality—despite the difficulties that exist.
Friar Andreas MURK, Provincial Secretary
