CCFMC News January 2009

Africa

The Franciscan Family in the region of the African Great Lakes

Something marvelous has been achieved in the Region of the Great Lakes. From December 1st to 6th Sisters and Brothers of the Franciscan Family in Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo met in Gitega in order to talk about consolidating peace and to discuss what contribution the Franciscan Family can make towards it. Those taking part were aware they first had to provide a structure in order to coordinate the necessary stages and to help and support each other. At the end of the meeting the 'Famille Franciscaine des Grand-Lacs' (FFRGL) [The Great Lakes Franciscan Family] was officially founded. Four coordinators from the four countries, a regional secretary, a treasurer and two counselors were elected to form the coordinating committee. The chairperson is Frčre Florent Rugigana OFM (Burundi). The Secretary, M. Avith Ntirimenyinda OSF, comes from Rwanda, and the treasurer is Jean-Francis Isia OFS from Congo.

Whoever knows anything about the most recent history of the Region of the Great Lakes will know how deep the wounds the terrible 1994 genocide in Rwanda has made, whoever is experiencing at first hand what is happening in the eastern parts of Congo will have to acknowledge that what the Franciscan Family has achieved is verging on a miracle. For they were all witnesses to the awful events that took place over ten years ago. There was scarcely one family that did not have murdered members to mourn. All have seen with their own eyes the torturing, the raping and the plundering. Even the religious orders and congregations were not spared the tidal wave of hate, the Hutu-versus-Tutsi 'tsunami', that swept over them. And in the east of Congo, all this is starting up again. Therefore it took a long time before the Brothers and the Sisters of that great peacemaker, Francis of Assisi, were able to risk taking this step. That was obvious in the course of this conference. First of all, the long silence and concealment had to be broken. Guilt had had to be forgiven, forgiveness had to be begged. And now a beginning had had to be made so as to let deeds follow upon words. In the course of these four days, what happened was a thing of the past, there was a focusing on the problems in all four countries, and visions and dreams as to how a feasible program of peace-making could be carried out were articulated. There were two people not directly affected who were largely instrumental in helping out here. Commissions were formed to deal with particular issues. Concrete actions were planned, for example the setting up of a joint internet platform, coordinated aid programs that bridged national borders, good-neighborly assistance programs for refugees in East Congo, social projects financed through local sources. Other themes were health, education, human rights, protecting the environment, dialogue between the religions. These themes were addressed, and the wish to put them into effect was unmistakably felt. The CCFMC will play an important role in this. Jean-Francis Isia, our Coordinator and colleague in Congo, has been preparing this meeting for a long time with great thoroughness and will now be taking on the responsibility of ensuring that Franciscan spirituality will become the main element of support for this new beginning.

One of the participants writes: 'We leave for home as friends, strengthened in the hope of a continuance of the Franciscan message. Francis has pacified the wicked wolf. Why should we not go out to the rebels and talk to them? Francis is a source of enthusiasm and provocation, through the way he leads his life he has changed church and state. Now 800 years later it is our task to change our own Region of the Great Lakes - with the same message as before.' 

We wish our Brothers and Sisters all good fortune and confidence in all they do.

The Democratic Republic of Congo

Ms Plaxede Kagabiri Nabintu wrote the following report on the Burundi meeting. It shows how difficult the situation is for women and children in Goma, in the Northern Kivu Province, and how urgently necessary the Franciscan Family's initiative is.

In earlier times people from the various ethnic groups used to live peaceably with one another. It was only after the war that the situation changed. Hatred among the members of different ethnicities is steadily increasing. This has a great many consequences and it is the innocent who are the principal sufferers.

Above all, women and children are the victims. Mercilessly, they are being slaughtered, cut to pieces with machetes, axes and knives. Children are being dragged away from their mothers to become child-soldiers. Mothers and young women are being systematically raped and then hauled off into the jungle to be used as sex slaves. Often they undergo severe physical damage in their genital area by the insertion of bayonets, rifle butts and other hard objects, they are being mutilated and later they will suffer from ulcerating lesions, fistulas and other incurable physical conditions and illnesses. After such degrading treatment and injuries many of these traumatized women become psychologically withdrawn or they run off and hide themselves away in secret shame to await death far from the public eye.

Increasingly, the economic situation is worsening. For fear of looting, many businessmen and traders have stopped restocking. Cash resources are being hoarded and as a result retailers are losing their livelihood. In remote areas agricultural land lies fallow and untilled, and so, inexorably, famine is spreading with all the humanitarian emergencies which follow. In the larger towns such as Goma and Bukavu food supplies have had to be imported from outside at great expense and only the rich can afford to buy them.

The social situation is alarming. Great numbers of displaced persons are fleeing towards Goma. Some are finding refuge among members of their families who themselves have scarcely any surplus to share, while others find accommodation in refugee camps. The majority of the homeless must spend the nights in the open even though it is in the middle of the rainy season. The injured receive little or no medical assistance. Children who have lost both parents are living on the streets. Widows must try to survive without any help.

No one really understands the reasons for this unjust war, which is being forced upon an innocent and helpless population. MONUC, the observer mission sent by the United Nations, is powerless in face of this tragic situation. A speedy solution must be found soon so that people can live again in harmony as they once did. In war, 'each becomes the enemy of the other'.

 

Latin America

The Second Continental Assembly on Franciscan Mission Charism (Brasilia, October 14th - 18th, 2008)

Those attending were the National Coordinators from Peru, Uruguay, Ecuador, Paraguay, Brazil, Cuba, Argentina, Colombia, the Dominican Republic and Mexico. In addition, P. Andreas Müller and Ms Patricia Hoffmann from Germany were present and so there were 28 people in all at the Assembly.

Keynote address by P. Andreas Müller

In his address on the theme 'Francis of Assisi - a radical alternative in a globalize world', which served to start the discussion and debate, P. Andreas emphasized the revolutionary change of direction in the spiritual history of the Church, a change which Francis initiated. His model was no longer the rigid structures of the monastic orders: it was Jesus Himself. Like his model Francis wanted to wander through the highways and byways and proclaim the liberating Gospel of the Kingdom of God. Whoever wants to take this up and proclaim the Good News to the poor, must also be poor, must not be permanently rooted in one place, but must be free to move untrammeled and unburdened through the land. Mobility, poverty, and non-violence are the characteristics of the brotherhoods that are seeking to make the liberating message of the Gospel something that can be felt once again.

Recalling the beginnings of the Franciscan Movement is a challenge for us today. We are living in a period of an all-embracing globalization. The present financial crisis that is shaking the whole world exemplifies this. The logic of the neo-liberal market is being put to the test. What Francis teaches us is to look upon money, the market, power and the environment from a completely different perspective and this we must make effective today through the way we live and the way we behave and ensure that it is included in the debate.

Group contributions at the full assembly in the afternoon

The participants, divided into groups, discussed the ideas engendered by the keynote address. As usually happens when Latin Americans debate, the socio-political context was very evident in their discussions. Their critical feedbacks show that they do recognize the claim and the reality of the Franciscan presence in Latin America fully and comprehensively and can identify these. This can serve as a good example of how we can take up the challenges offered us by the 800th anniversary celebrations and ponder the consequences.

Here are the conclusions reached in these group-discussions:

·   How can we meet the demands that Francis and Clare are making of us and attain a way of life that conforms to the Gospel? We must make ourselves aware what it means to be poor and wherever we are, we must work for justice and the commonwealth. We have erected institutions that we should not possess. We set aside those prescriptions in the Rule that deal with owning property. We must not continue to behave like colonizers but we must direct our attention towards the less fortunate and the weak. The wealth that evangelization contains consists in furthering growth towards autonomy and not in erecting structures of subordination. It is more important to lead the poor along the path to autonomy and to be with them in their struggle than to give them alms.

·   We must cultivate the capacity to listen to the poor and to learn from them. In the company of the poor we can begin to understand the spirit of the Gospel: Francis learnt what poverty is when he began to share the poverty of others. Today many people are living in utter destitution. The exclusion of the poor from the economic mainstream and the exploitation they suffer is an appeal for help for our age. Many people are clamoring for work, for education, for health, nothing less - and we must be with them in this. Then we shall be able to see the 'media' are deliberately avoiding dealing with hard reality and when they are making their judgments, they do so mostly from the perspectives of the wealthy and powerful.

·   The Church does not always succeed in finding solutions to these problems because She is often living in a parallel universe, one in which the poor have no place. We must re-think our attitudes and become more critical. To do this we must start dealing seriously with social, economic and religious analyses and begin to move ourselves closer towards the world of the young. Otherwise we will be worrying more about our own affairs than about those of the marginalized.

·   What can we learn from Francis? Well then, the starting point is our 'reality', and from here we should start to live the Gospel in such a manner that the structures will not be able hinder us anymore from experiencing true brotherliness-sisterliness and the joys of renunciation. What this means is to experience Christ in the poor. To attain this state of mysticism we must initiate a conversion of heart, both as individual religious and as religious communities. Then the Gospel will become a model for leading a life with God at its centre. We must hold on to this vision at all costs.

·   What does the 'Option for the Poor' mean for us today in practical terms? Who are the poor really in each of our countries, in the field of our apostolate? Many people are living in extreme poverty because they are marginalized and economically, politically and socially excluded. But people who are economically secure and wealthy are also poor because they lack identity and have no values, because they are worried more about appearances than about reality.

·   It is the poor at the gates that matter, therefore. We must be concerned about them, about people who are unemployed, without any prospects of training or education, without any health-care provisions. Above all else, these people need to be recognized as people, otherwise they will slip ever deeper into destitution, discrimination, persecution and despair, especially as they have no advocates for their cause in the 'mass media'. And as far as our governments are concerned, all they have to offer is often merely palliatives according to the old adage 'bread and circuses', things which do not really help people out of their misery, but are intended to keep the poor pacified and humbly grateful. But, in effect, that leads inevitably to social anesthesia, because it weakens the people's will to free themselves by their own efforts. The rescue packets governments have proposed during the current financial crisis show the narrowness of their one-sided view: the banks are being helped; the old, who have worked all during their life, are having their pensions reduced. And so it happens that the vast majority of the population can see no hope nor any chance of progress and so they let themselves slide towards dangerous alternatives, namely robbery, prostitution and violence within and outside the family. The environmental contamination, genetic manipulation and the misuse of water resources and the natural wealth of the earth are further factors that are the root-causes of poverty and destitution.

·   How can the voice of God be heard in this world? And how should it be heard as an answer in the sense the Gospels give it? And can those without a voice of their own be given a voice just as Francis gave it to them in his time and place? For today, too, sees power and wealth in an unholy alliance, just as it did then. And it seems that the Church and the clergy are not aware of this nowadays just as they were unaware then. Of course, there are exceptions: above all, in the grassroots communities, the non-governmental organizations, food banks and so on. The clergy is divided: the greater part are standing on the side of the wealthy, the smaller part on the side of the marginalized. And where is the Franciscan Family standing?

·   If we want to face up to this challenge, we will need to take a whole series of measures: set up courses where the real causes and interconnections can be analyzed, on-site confrontations with realities so that we can experience at first hand the sufferings and the outrage of the People of God. Just as Francis did: we must be committed to establishing the Kingdom of God while remaining firmly rooted in the Church, loyal to Her, not passively but attentively and actively. Our focus should be directed, above, to the young who are being neglected by their parents, sometimes because the latter are exhausted from long hours of work, lack the necessary educational background or merely uninterested. These parents have little or no sense of family, no identity and they are bereft of ideals and values. It is almost inevitable that they will adopt the values promulgated by the consumer-ridden society around them. The Church is not offering them sufficient room for them to develop nor is it providing advisors and partners who are able to assist them in this development.

·   We must rapidly pass from the stage of criticizing to the stage of acting: we have to offer ideals and propose feasible courses of action. Young people should also have their share in the task of evangelization. Youth is the heart beat of any society and the most striking sign of its true state of health. What is done for the good of young people is done for the good of the whole. Our task is to make young people aware of the desperate plight of the poor, the needs of the environment, we must be there with them in their suffering, but we must also encourage and further their commitment to preserving the created world of nature, to supporting and saving life and to assisting the most needy in their communities.

·   Therefore, we need groups of experts, psychologists, sociologists and educators who will be able to advise young people in their parishes and communities, helping them to tackle their problems such as worries, fears, loneliness. They should look up to Francis as the example to be followed. The lepers opened his eyes. And because of that experience, he wanted his Brothers to learn from them by being with them. Similarly, young people should be informed of the hard realities in the lives of the people around them, and they should be enabled to engage themselves actively in support of the poor, of the indigenous peoples, of women and of the forgotten members of society. If they do this, then they will experience the joys of having done something worthwhile and useful. In short, tools are to be handed out to these young people so that they may be able to make changes and to proclaim to the world that the glaring contradictions that exist between those who are wealthy and those who are destitute, between despair and satiety, between death and life: all these contradictions do not correspond to God's plan. The God of the Bible is the God of Life, and all should be able to share in this life.

Summary

Néstor Ganduglia from Uruguay, a lay-brother, not a Franciscan but an admirer of Francis, commented after the Full Assembly on the results of the working parties. He expressed the deep dissatisfaction over the inability of the institutions to deal with the transformation of the world of the poor. An institution, he says, concentrates upon itself. On the one hand, any institution that is far removed from the world's realities will have difficulties is dealing with the world and its realities. On the other side, it is obvious that people are frustrated with the results of the efforts done for the poor and with their help.

Characteristic features of the institutions to which we belong must be checked and tested. Often we are betrayed by our own authoritarian attitudes when it comes to dealing with other people. Francis and Clare would have managed to bring about a renewal without ever having to ask permission to do so. They would have dropped everything and embraced the poor. We will have to work out a new way of understanding the Gospel: it is important, he says, that what we do for others is not 'charity' - not a 'good feeling' exercise, but we must understand the Gospel mission as a state of readiness to be open to learn, we must be receptive to evangelization that takes place through others, we must listen more - and speak less. The poor, the lowly and the humble can teach us a great deal, for they have their own special hard-earned insights.

There is, he says, two forms of doing missionising: one is linked to violence and domination when the missionaries are allied to the colonizers in order to impose on others our kind of spirituality; the other seeks out the way of dialogue, without pressure, and this way will enable each individual to develop his or her spirituality in accord with his or her ability.

NOTE All were agreed that the CCFMC is the means best suited to starting off this process of learning. Why is this so? Firstly, the CCFMC is the result of a lengthy intercultural and inter-Franciscan dialogue; secondly, it sees modern issues from a Franciscan perspective; thirdly, it is designed to embrace contributions from local sources and to incorporate new topics.

 

Asia

The Birth of the CCFMC on Mainland China

For the first time in their own country, members of the Franciscan Family in the People's Republic of China have held a seminar on Franciscan Mission Charism, and have therefore planted the germinating seed of the CCFMC.

The seminar took place in the village of Tao-Li, Sanyuan county, in the province of Shaanxi from October 26th to 31st. Shaanxi Province is a place where the Franciscan missionaries first brought the Good News into China, which is why most Franciscan Brothers and Sisters are to be found here nowadays. The diocesan parish priest, Father Ma Yonglu, invited us to hold the seminar in the village of Tao Li. There are about 800 parishioners of whom 70 are members of the SFO.  

Over the years the Franciscans in China had practically no access to Franciscan formation. They have been bewailing the fact that they know very little about the spirituality of St Francis and St Clare. Sister Jeanne Luyun SFIC, the CCFMC Continental Coordinator, informed the Franciscans in the People's Republic of China about the CCFMC and the courses it offers and invited them to take part in the International Program of the CCFMC that was taking place in Bangkok, the capital of Thailand. Five Franciscan Sisters and Brothers were able to accept the invitation and came to the Retreat-Seminar. Inspired by the spirituality of Francis and Clare that they encountered there and inspired by what they had experienced at this seminar, the Brothers and Sisters from China developed a three-year plan of action. A CCFMC core group was formed to implement it.

Together with Father Leonard Chen Pingcang OFM, who had been appointed to the office of CCFMC National Coordinator for China, the core group organized, in just five months after the Bangkok meeting, the first assembly of the Franciscan Family in mainland China.

The theme was 'The Beginning of the Franciscan Mission Charism' and the objective was to have an overview of the Franciscan Family and the lives of St Francis and St Clare, and to study Franciscan history, spirituality and the Franciscan Mission Charism. The organizers felt that there was a need to have a more in-depth study and reflection so as to reach a comprehensive knowledge of the structures, contents and methodology of the CCFMC. The lectures served, therefore, as an introduction to the CCFMC course as a whole.

Taking part in the Seminar were 52 Brothers and Sisters from the OFM, the Third Order Regular of the Franciscan Sisters, the Secular Franciscans, members of YOUFRA as well as Friends of St Francis and St Clare. They came from ten provinces of Mainland China and one from Hong Kong. The liturgical prayers were prepared by Brother William WU OFM from Taiwan.

The seminar commenced with a welcome address after which Father Joseph Song OFM gave a first-day introductory lecture on the life of St Francis and St Clare. On the second and the third day, Father Joseph Ha OFM from Hong Kong spoke about the writings of St Francis, the history of the Franciscan Family and the history of the Franciscan Mission in China. On the last day of the seminar, Father Leonard Chen OFM gave the input on the CCFMC Lesson-units 7 and 9: 'The Franciscan Mission in the Early Sources' and 'The Franciscan Mission according to Modern Sources'.

Lively and intense discussion followed each talk. It is worth noting that most of the participants resolved to lead a Gospel life like Francis and Clare in the context of present situation in China. Although there is no complete freedom yet, they will try to do their best to introduce their neighbors to Jesus Christ by word and deed. From many of the participants came suggestions on how to make improvements for the next seminar. The CCFMC Team has not had enough experience yet in organizing and conducting such seminars.

Sri Lanka

Franciscans in Sri Lanka celebrate the Jubilee

In October 2008 Marlene Perera FMM, as a representative from Sri Lanka, attended the Anniversary of the Franciscan Movement.  

On October 25th 2008, about 100 Franciscans gathered together at ‘Good News” Ashram, near Colombo, to celebrate the 800^th anniversary of the Franciscan Movement. Members from several Franciscan families came: OFM, OFMCap, FMM, FMCK, TOR, Holy Cross. This was organized by the CCFMC national coordinating team. This was the first time that such a large number of Franciscans had gathered together as one big family here in Sri Lanka.

The day commenced with getting to know one another over a cup of tea. Then Father Bennie OFM gave us an inspiring talk on the “Radical Message and Challenge of the Franciscan Movement to Society and Church at the time of Francis.” The focal point of his message was that it was the experience of God deep within himself that led Francis to opt for poverty and the penitential way of life, living among the lepers. He did not opt for poverty for poverty’s sake but as an outpouring of the love that he had experienced and to share his life with the lowly and the humble. Though he did not intend to be a challenge to society, his example led others to follow him and so this prophetic movement was born, itself a challenging message to Church and society.

After a short time for reflection, Father William, OFMCap. spoke to us on the “Radical Challenge of the Franciscan Charism to Franciscans in today’s global society.” He placed before his listeners the fact that today's all-pervading money-based culture, the consumer spirit, the thirst for power, fame, prestige and so on was resulting in the creation of excluded people marginalized and exploited. What we are experiencing now is a new version of a society dominated by commerce but with drastic consequences with money reigning supreme. So we are called to face the same challenges, following in the footsteps of our Father St Francis; we have to act lovingly and creatively, discerning the Spirit that leads us to respond to the challenges of our Franciscan calling.

After the celebration of Mass we had a festive lunch, and then we began the discussions. Two questions: St Francis identified the problems of his time, and God led him to give a creative response to them by launching the Franciscan Movement.

1. How do you understand the present context in Sri Lanka? Identify three important issues.

2. What response could we bring to them?

• as the Franciscan Family?
• as Franciscan communities?
• as individuals?  

In the open forum, the findings of the 5 five groups were shared and discussed. The issues highlighted were: war and violence with its dire consequences with a brutalizing of culture; suffering women and children; money becoming all important in life; unemployment; increasing poverty; injustice, the exploitation of women; problems of youth (drug abuse and anti-social behavior.

As a Franciscan family we need to meet at least twice a year to get to know one another better, to share one another’s struggles, pains, ministry, to be in solidarity and support one another.  

 

Reports in short

Retreats in Auckland- to mark the Francis Jubilee

To mark the 800th anniversary of the Franciscan Movement that began in 2008/2009 the St Francis Retreat Centre in Auckland New Zealand has offered three special retreat courses. The house superior, Father Bernie Thomas wants to place Franciscan spirituality at the focal point. The CCFMC Course is to form the basis. He emphasizes that the lesson-units are especially suitable for encouraging us to think more profoundly on our missionary vocation.

Further information can be found on the website: www.stfrancisretreatcenre.org.nz  Link to Retreats 2009.

800th Anniversary Celebrations in Sarajevo

In preparation for the 800th anniversary of our Franciscan Charism to be celebrated in Bosnia-Herzgovina and in Croatia, we offered the Franciscan Family an opportunity to deepen its Franciscan spirituality. During the period 2007 - 2008 there were 18 weekend seminars on the theme To live the Gospel In the Franciscan Way for the Sarajevo, Dubrovnik, and Zagreb Sisters .

From September to December 2008 there were eleven seminars for Franciscan Sisters of the Bosnian-Croatian Province (Sarajevo). The team of animators - Sister Mihaljević FSS, Sister Karad˛a FSS, Brother Marinko Pejić OFM and Brother Pero Vrebac OFM - presented a selection of lesson units suitable for deepening our ideas on Franciscan identity, values and slidarity so that we could share these with others in church and state.

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Note:  The column Anton Rotzetter OFMCap Charisma 2008 / 2009 - Ideas Exchange and Impulses has come to an end, but you can download all the published reflections under the following address:

http://www.ccfmc.net/wEnglish/ccfmc/bibliothek/charisma_2008/2007_Charisma_impuls.shtml?navid=109