From 26-28 April 2023, in the Friary of St Mary of the Angels on the island of Visovac in Croatia, the Secretary General for Missions and Evangelisation, the Secretary General for Formation and Studies and the General Office for Justice, Peace and the Integrity of Creation, in collaboration with the President of the Conference, Br Marko Mrše, and in the presence of the General Definitor responsible for this Conference, Br Konrad Cholewa, organised the meeting of all the respective offices of the Provinces of this Conference.
On the first day, after the greetings of the President of the Conference and the General Definitor on behalf of the Minister General, the Secretary General for Formation and Studies, Br Darko Tepert, presented the work of his Secretariat. He spoke about the preparation of the Meetings of Lay Friars in the Conferences, the preparation of the European Meeting of the Temporarily Professed Friars and the preparation of the Congress of the Franciscan Study Centres. Next, the General Secretary for Missions and Evangelisation, Br Francisco Gómez Vargas, presented the structure of his Secretariat and the responsibilities of the individual components. He also informed the participants of the point reached in preparing the Ratio evangelizationis of our Order. Furthermore, he underlined the importance of the Secretariat’s work concerning new forms of life and evangelisation in Europe. Finally, the Director of the General Office for Justice, Peace and the Integrity of Creation, Br Daniel Rodríguez Blanco, presented various commitments of his Office, emphasising the importance the Order gives to the Franciscan Network of Migrants in Latin America and the Franciscan Network of the Mediterranean.
In a brief discussion, the participants reflected on the topics presented. Then, in the afternoon part of the first day, the individual Provincial Secretaries for Formation and Studies and for Missions and Evangelisation, as well as the Provincial Animators for Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation, presented the work of their respective offices and provinces in their respective fields and the challenges they face in this work.
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