On June 27-29, 2025, the Friars Minor Friary of St. Francis of Assisi in Đa Kao, District 1 of Hồ Chí Minh City, the capitol city of Vietnam, hosted the elective Chapter of the National Fraternity of the Secular Franciscan Order (OFS) in Vietnam.
At 7:30 p.m., Friar Ștefan ACATRINEI, OFM Conv., presented a reflection entitled: “The Canticle of the Creatures: Praises Francis Sang to the Lord While He Was Ill.” Immediately after the reflection, the participants took part in a fraternal evening together.
The second day of the Chapter began with Mass at 5:00 a.m. The National Assistant, Friar Anthony NGUYỄN (Trung Trực), OFM, presided. The Chapter proceedings resumed at 7:30 a.m. and continued until lunch at 11:30 a.m. During that session, all the reports were presented. At 1:30 p.m. the elective session began. Francis PARK, the Delegate of the OFS Minister General, Tibor KAUSER, presided. Friar Ștefan ACATRINEI was also present, representing the Conference of General Spiritual Assistants (CAS). The fifty-one Capitulars with voting rights elected Joseph TRẦN (Như Kiên) as the National Minister for a second term, and Jerome NGUYỄN (Vĩnh Phát) as the International Councilor. Next, they elected the members of the National Council.
The last day of the Chapter, Sunday, June 29, began with Morning Prayer at 5:45 a.m. At 7:30 a.m., Friar Peter TRẦN (Ngọc Phú) OFM, the Spiritual Assistant for OFS Formation, presented the results of a study on the National OFS Fraternity in Vietnam. Building on the information provided, the Capitulars established priorities for the next three years. At 11:30 a.m., the OFM Minister Provincial, Friar Gioan Thiên Chúa NGUYỄN (Phước), presided over the closing Mass of the Chapter. During the Mass, a ceremony was conducted to install the members of the new National Council.
After three days of intense work and sharing their joys and challenges, the Capitulars left for their local fraternities after lunch.
The Chapter was celebrated in an atmosphere of peace and joy. The two representatives of the OFS International Council, Francis PARK and Friar Ștefan ACATRINEI, enjoyed the beautiful simplicity that characterized the Chapter. Simplicity is a strong trait of this OFS fraternity.
Friar Stefan ACATRINEI
