On Monday, February 8, 2021, the friars of the Province of St. Joseph in Slovenia met for their traditional Province Day, which coincides with Slovenia’s national festival of culture. Province Days are usually dedicated to the ongoing formation of the friars and such was the case this year.
Due to the pandemic, the meeting took place through video conferencing. Choosing a theme for this year was not difficult, since the Slovenian translation of the Constitutions was recently published. It seemed more than opportune to present both the content and the work of the translation to the friars.
The Minister Provincial, Friar Igor SALMIČ, a participant in the 2018 Extraordinary General Chapter, presented the structure of the text and some important content. He highlighted the richness of the spiritual introductions which were taken mainly from the writings of St. Francis of Assisi, and he pointed out various articles that have been renewed or are completely new. He focused in particular on Chapter III, entitled “Fraternal Life in Communion.”
Afterwards, Friar Janez KURBUS presented Chapter V, which covers the formation of the friars. Friar Janez himself was a member of the International Commission for the Revision of the Constitutions (CIRC) and is well acquainted with the whole process that led to the drafting of the revised text.
At the end, the Provincial Secretary, Friar Danilo HOLC, briefly presented the project and the procedure behind the revision of the Constitutions, a process which lasted several years and involved all the communities of the Order. At the same time, he revealed some secrets involved in making the Slovenian language translation and pointed out other interesting details, as well.
The friars were invited to refer the Constitutions frequently and thus allow the Holy Spirit to shape their personal journey of ongoing formation.
Friar Danilo HOLC, Provincial Secretary
