Inter-Franciscan course for missionaries in the Amazon

From June 7 to August 4, 2024, the annual inter-Franciscan course for missionaries was held in our St. Lawrence of Brindisi International Fraternity located in Benjamin Constant, Brazil. It was organized by the three missionary secretariats of the OFM, OFMConv and OFMCap. Until 2020, the course was held in Bruselles, Belgium. Since the pandemic, it has been held in a different continent each year: in 2022, in Uganda (Africa), in 2023 in the Philippines (Asia and Oceania), and this year in the Amazon (Latin America and the Caribbean). 

This year, 16 brothers (6 OFMCap, 6 OFM, 3 OFMConv and 1 TOR) participated. All of them are already missionaries in Latin America and the Caribbean, or are preparing to leave on one of these missions. The Capuchins present were: Br. Warley de Oliveira, Brazilian missionary in Cuba; Br. Cesar Panca, Peruvian, missionary in Bolivia; Br. Golak Singh, Indian, missionary in Argentina; Br. Adan Gomez, Mexican, missionary in the Amazon-Colombia; and Br. Antonio Marcos Andrada, Brazilian who is preparing for mission in Chile. In addition, there was our own Br. Clézio Menezes, former Minister Provincial of Central Brazil and former missionary in Northern Mexico, who helped us as group coordinator, along with a Conventual and a Minor. 

In each week the participants studied and reflected on one of the topics relevant to the mission with the help of a Latin American friar from one of the Orders who is an expert in that topic. The main topics were: History of Mission in Latin America; Missionary Basics (biblical, theological, Franciscan); Mission and Inculturation; Mission, Dialogue and Synodality; Mission and Economics; and the Great Challenges of Today’s Evangelization in Latin America.

The participants traveled each weekend to a missionary location of that triple frontier: Porto Nariño (Colombia); Islandia (Peru); Belém dos Solimões (Brazil); Leticia (Colombia); Narareth (Colombia); and some communities around Benjamin Constant Parish (the place of the meeting). Each missionary location presented its own story and its experience of evangelization.  

The opening Mass of the course was presided by Br. José Angel Torres Rivera, our Vicar General and the concluding Mass by Br. Carlos Trovarelli, General Minister of the Conventuals. In addition, the group was visited by the OFM's Latin America councilor, Br. Joaquin Echeverry, our General Minister, Br. Roberto Genuin with Br. Silvio do Socorro de Almeida Pereira, CCB councilor. The presence of so many indicates how much the Orders care about collaboration in missionary formation. The Missionary Secretaries of OFM, OFMConv and OFMCap were present throughout the first week in support of the launching of the course and joined in online throughout its progress, intervening as they felt it appropriate. 

The friars who participated expressed deep gratitude for this opportunity for missionary formation in a spirit of synodality among the four Franciscan Orders. For many of them it was the first time they had a fraternal and apostolic experience together with friars from other Franciscan families. We hope that all that was widely shared, received, experienced and that it will be passed on to other friars in their missions and will produce much fruit. 

We thank the local fraternity of Benjamin Constant for their hospitality and for everything they had prepared. We also thank the friars of the international fraternity of Leticia for their support in carrying out so many activities; the instructors, especially the Capuchins: Br. Justino Sánchez Durán (Mission and Economy) and Br. Luis Carlos Susin (Current Challenges for Evangelization in Latin America); and the

general ministers of the four Orders who each year offer the opportunity to live this inter-Franciscan missionary formation experience.