On February 2-6, 2025, the Province of St. Joseph in Slovenia conducted its annual continuing formation week for its senior friars. The event took place at the Blessed Anton Martin Slomšek Friary in Olimje, Slovenia.
Having studied the Constitutions of the Order during last year’s continuing formation week, this year, the friars spent mornings reading, studying and commenting on the General and Provincial Statutes. In the afternoon, Friar Anton BOROVNJAK, a doctoral student of liturgy in Rome, spoke about liturgical topics, in particular, the sacraments of initiation.
On February 6, the last day of the formation week, the friars celebrated their Province Day. Almost every friar in the Province came together and attended an interesting lecture by the Assistant General for the Centralis Europae Foederatio (CEF), Friar Igor SALMIČ on the topic: “The Liturgy of the Hours among the Franciscan Friars, Yesterday and Today.” Afterwards, the friars worked in groups to examine how the community prayer of the breviary is celebrated in our friaries today. They discussed what could be done to revitalize it and how the prayer of the breviary could be brought closer to the faithful. As Franciscan friars, the Rule and other texts of St. Francis invite us to practice community prayer with deep faith, joy and perseverance and thus, pray and appeal to Christ on behalf of the earthly Church. The Minister Provincial, Friar Milan KOS, gave an encouraging and important homily during the final Mass, saying, “We Franciscan friars are a sign of hope for this world only when we live our consecration as a celebration and our faith as the greatest happiness.”
Friar Janez ŠAMPERL, Vicar Provincial
