On January 6-8, 2025, twenty friars of the Provincial Custody of Our Lady of Coromoto in Venezuela conducted a fraternal Custodial Assembly to analyze and evaluate the Custody’s presence in the Lídice barrio of Caracas, Venezuela. The Assembly was held at the Catechetical Center in the La Parángula barrio of the city of Barinitas, State of Barinas, Venezuela.
Over the three-day event, the friars met in an atmosphere of fraternity and joy to share, discuss and wish each other a happy new year in 2025.
The main topic of this fraternal and consultative meeting was the growth and well-being of the confreres in Venezuela, especially those in Lídice. After reviewing all the presences in Venezuela with gratitude and compassion and listening to the friars’ joys, successes, and their commitment to God’s calling, they gave thanks together through prayer, song, discussion, shared meals, and recreation.
In evaluating their presence in Lídice, and acknowledging the challenges faced at the friary, the friars decided to propose suspending their presence there. They concluded by thanking God for their twenty-three years of mission work at the St. Francis Xavier Church and Friary in Lídice. They reflected on their successes and failures, joys and sorrows, pastoral support, and community life with a sense of nostalgia, while reaffirming their commitment to living in community and fraternity.
Friar Carlos R. ORTÍZ ROJAS, Custodial Secretary