Provincial Gram... August6, 2008
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Who are we? Where are we? Where are we going?
Back when he was a professor at the Seraphicum, (Miguel Angel Lopes dates it 1990) Phil Blaine made an important contribution to the Order. On the occasion of the 100 anniversary of the Seraphicum, he and Lorenzo DiFonzo raised the question “What is the Intellectual Tradition of the Conventual Franciscans?” This is the basic theme which has occupied the minds of a number of Conventual theologians, historians, philosophers, anthropologists and other men who ask the fundamental questions.
At a recently concluded meeting sponsored by the Federation de America Latina Conventual ( FALC ) a group of friars met to exchange research and dialogue. The original title of such groups was ‘The Intellectual Tradition.’ As one of the participants explained, “In all modesty we scaled the working title back to ‘The Ministry of Reflection.’ They chose well. They worked to answer three questions: “Who are we?” Where are we?” and ‘Where are we going?”. They met at the Pastoral Center of the friars in Alajuela. The participants were seven in number, from Mexico, Costa Rica, Venezuela, Colombia, Brazil, Uruguay and Argentina. Miguel Angel Lopez celebrated his thirty-fifth anniversary of Ordination on the feast of Saint Bonaventure, everyone else was quite a bit younger.
For the past year they had studied and wrote on previously agreed-upon themes. They brought their efforts to the meeting, shared them with the other friars and the war was on! The interchange was always posited in very positive terms, but the challenge was toward sharpening the positions taken, the implications of such positions, and well-thought-out differences of opinion.
The focus was always on a Conventual analysis of an historical moment, eg:the beginnings of a missionary foundation in a given country with the implications of the country of origin, the narrow focus of the founding friars concentration on taking parishes, the distancing of the pioneers from the concept of real Conventual life, (the friars of the community). Not everything was looking at the past.
There were stimulating papers presented on the phycho-theological connection through the work of Jung, Conventualism and Saint Theresa of Avila. Another paper analyzed the import of Francis and the leper. Aparacedia, last year’s Papal gathering of Latin America’s faithful and the resulting documents was criticized for the sparse attention given to Religious Life. The role of Martyrdom in Latin America came in for a vigorous examination, a critical analysis of the differences of the circumstances of the death of the Polish friars in Peru, the death of the earliest martyr in Argentina and that of Casimir Cypher in Honduras.
The group worked for six hours every day, and the concentration required soon took its toll on even the most dedicated sage. Spirits were drooping until the General dropped in. His energy was contagious, the results were amazing. The group met at 7:00 p.m. He had arrived in Costa Rica two hours earlier. He began by stating that this Reflection Group is unique in the Order and it is the model for the implementation for the priority he gives to on-going education. He then stated that all the study and groups and reflections in the Order means nothing if it is not based on our love of Jesus Christ and the Pascal Mystery. He talked about the problem of over-emphasis on parish ministry, that our community life, “We are the friars of the Community…” is the basic tool for evangelization. He then took to the white-board to share a few dreams with the group, his conceptual plan for formation… “We put a great deal of importance on initial formation, but then, what?...” No doubt the friars of the Order will hear more about his ideas; the man is a communicator. Keep your ears and eyes open!
Phil Kelly
Joint Assembly
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