On August 30, 2025, the Provincial Custody of St. Bonaventure in France-Belgium, of the Italian Province of St. Anthony of Padua (Northern Italy), was delighted to welcome the Minister General, Friar Carlos A. TROVARELLI, and the Vicar General, Friar Igor SALMIČ, to Cholet, France, for the solemn profession of Friar Clément BERTHAUD. The profession took place at the local Church of Saint-Pierre.
The Minister General received the solemn vows of our confrere during the celebration of Mass. Those attending were mainly parishioners, friends of the friars, and members of the Secular Franciscan Order. Friar Clément’s friends and family members were also present; some of them came from Italy. After the Mass, the celebration continued in the courtyard of the friary, where everyone gathered to spend some fraternal time together. Most of the friars of the Custody participated, despite the distances, making this event a true family reunion. Once Friar Clément finishes his formation in the Custody, and later in Padua, he will move to Madrid to continue his studies in dogmatic theology.
The next week, September 1-6, the temporarily professed friars gathered in Cholet, as is traditional, at the invitation of the Custos, Friar Jean-François Marie AUCLAIR, for a few days of fraternity. It was wonderful to be reunited with the community after an intensive summer of conducting pastoral activities, youth camps, the pilgrimage on foot from Brive-la-Gaillarde to Padua, and many other initiatives. The week’s program included a visit to a “Tiers Lieu Monade” (“Third Place”: a shared community space that integrates social, cultural, and spiritual dimensions), the Château d’Angers with its famous 15th century Apocalypse tapestry, and a day at Puy du Fou, an important French historical park. There was also some manual labor to be done at the friary. Four future novices were participating in the activities, sharing their experiences and helping to build the fraternity of tomorrow.
Finally, between September 8-13, all the friars of the Custody, including the temporarily professed, gathered in Lourdes for a working session on the Custodial Statutes. This was conducted as part of a Custodial Assembly. It was also carried out in a fraternal atmosphere and included an outing to the mountains. On September 12, Friar Emmanuel ROUX, who is studying in Rome and is currently in his fourth year of a five-year philosophy-theology program, renewed his temporary vows.
Friar Jean-François Marie AUCLAIR
