{"id":56753,"date":"2023-06-16T13:17:22","date_gmt":"2023-06-16T11:17:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ofmconv.net\/presenza-missionaria-ofmconv-nel-mondo-xix\/"},"modified":"2023-06-16T13:19:21","modified_gmt":"2023-06-16T11:19:21","slug":"presenza-missionaria-ofmconv-nel-mondo-xix","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ofmconv.net\/en\/presenza-missionaria-ofmconv-nel-mondo-xix\/","title":{"rendered":"Conventual Franciscan Mission Presences around the World – XIX"},"content":{"rendered":"

Provincial Custody of St. Francis in Bolivia 
\n<\/strong>Mother Province: St. Anthony and Bl. James of Strepar in Poland (Cracow) <\/p>\n

Because of a great shortage of clergy that was threatening the life of the Church in Bolivia, the Bishop of Santa Cruz de la Sierra to the Order for help. In 1976, Friars Jan KOSZEWSKI, Szymon CHAPI\u0143SKI and Rufin ORECKI, departed Poland for Bolivia. The bishop rented a house for them in Montero. In October of 1986, the mission in Bolivia became a Custody by decision of the Provincial Chapter of Cracow. Today, the Jurisdiction has seventeen solemnly professed friars, two simply professed friars and six friaries.<\/p>\n

Montero: Nuestra Se\u00f1ora de las Mercedes Friary and Parish (1977)
\n<\/em><\/strong>The parish has some well-organized medical clinics, schools and institutes. The friars run five pastoral centers and a youth center. Some friars serve as prison chaplains while others perform pastoral and social ministries. There are a number of different religious communities in the parish. The friars also lead various large, traditional festivals.<\/p>\n

Sucre: San Francisco de As\u00eds Friary and Basilica (1985)
\n<\/em><\/strong>In 1985, the Bishop of Sucre asked the Conventual Franciscan friars to take over the pastoral ministry a church that had formerly been run by the Friar\u2019s Minor. Since then, the church has been proclaimed a basilica and is listed as a national monument. When the friars began, the parish territory was notably extensive and in addition to the city area, it also included about twenty \u201cpueblos\u201d in the mountains around the city, inhabited by poor \u201ccampesinos.\u201d The San Francisco Basilica is the only church that is open all day in Sucre and the friars are available for confession every day. The friars in Sucre stand out for the intense charitable work they do in collaboration with the St. Anthony\u2019s Bread organization. They work together to assist street children, shoe shiners and beggars. Currently, the friary in Sucre also functions as a postulancy house.<\/p>\n

Cochabamba-Quintanilla: Nuestra Se\u00f1ora del Carmen y San Maximiliano Kolbe Friary and Parish (1979)
\n<\/em><\/strong>The friars came to the Quintanilla area and began their ministry at a small chapel dedicated to the Virgin of Carmel. Today the friars do parish ministry at the church. Besides the main church, they serve thirteen outlying chapels located throughout the territory. The friars provide catechetical courses, pastoral meetings with families and with members of Franciscan Youth, serve as chaplains at the convents of women\u2019s religious, etc.<\/p>\n

Cochabamba-Chacacollo: Beato Juan Duns Escoto Friary and Seminary (1988)
\n<\/em><\/strong>This friary used to be a formation house for future friars and was home to the Beato Juan Duns Escoto Seminary. The presence is currently closed.<\/p>\n

Santa Cruz: Santa Maria Assunta Friary and Parish (1986)
\n<\/em><\/strong>Since the friars first arrived here, the parish territory has become more densely populated. Currently there are fifty to sixty thousand inhabitants, six pastoral areas, and dozens of parish groups, such as, the Secular Franciscans, the Militia of the Immaculata, Franciscan Youth, the Neocatechumenal Way, the Communion and Liberation Movement, the Christian Family Movement, etc. The parish is always evolving in its attempt to respond to the complexity of the pastoral activities that the country requires.<\/p>\n

Cochabamba-Alalay: San Juan Bautista de Alalay Friary and Parish (2016)
\n<\/em><\/strong>This parish was previously run by the Friars Minor, who originally had a presence on the outskirts of the city of Cochabamba. Social action has been at the heart of the pastoral ministry done here. Thanks to a commitment made in 2016 by Friar Ronald R. ARMIJO ZELADA, the Friars Minor transferred their assets, and the administration of those assets, from their Missionary Province of St. Anthony to the Conventual Franciscans. The assets included the friary, the parish church, chapels, etc., and made a Filial House out of the friary in Quintanilla. After evaluating some of the problems it faced at the beginning, and after better defining and consolidating the presence, the 2020 Extraordinary Custodial Chapter approved its canonical erection as a friary.<\/p>\n

Franciscan Missionary Center
\nGeneral Secretariat for Mission Animation<\/p>\n