From Feb. 18 to March 4, 2025, Friar Dariusz MAZUREK, the Secretary General for the General Secretariat for Mission Animation (SGAM) and Friar Piotr STANISŁAWCZYK, the Secretary General for the General Secretariat for Formation (SGF) visited formation communities in the United States, in Chicago, and Washington D.C. They also visited the friars and volunteers who run the Refugee Assistance Center in El Paso, Texas.
The meetings they conducted were aimed at friars in initial and continuing formation, as well as lay people who live Franciscan spirituality and are involved in the charitable activities that the friars carry out.
Friar Piotr gave a lecture entitled: “Formation – A Challenge?” He highlighted the fundamental ideas in the Order’s current Franciscan Discipleship and Ratio studiorum documents, which are particularly relevant to the Franciscan experience of formation. Friar Dariusz talked about missiology and Conventual Franciscan mission activities, showcasing the real faces and places of our missions.
At the Holy Family Center for Migrants in El Paso, Friar Dariusz presided over Mass and gave the homily. Friar Piotr gave a talk on the topic of ecology and migration in the context of the encyclical Laudato si’ and the current jubilee of St. Francis composing the Canticle of the Creatures.
We sincerely thank the friars of the communities we visited for their kindness and fraternal openness. We also thank our confreres in Algonquin and Marytown, Illinois, for their hospitality and wonderful meetings. We carry them all in our hearts and entrust them to the Lord in prayer.
Friar Dariusz MAZUREK, SGAM Secretary General
Friar Piotr STANISŁAWCZYK, SGF Secretary General
