The programming of the 2021 Pan-American Capuchin Conference concluded with the meeting of the young friars, those with up to 10 years of perpetual profession. With two sessions, the meeting was held in virtual mode on November 22nd and December 6th and, as is traditional, was attended by friars from all over the Americas.
In the first session, the friars benefited from the reflections of our brother, Cardinal Sean O Malley, and Br. Carlos Silva who in their presentations encouraged the friars to face the challenges of Capuchin life. Sean stressed that it is not possible to negotiate the non-negotiable aspects of our life, while Carlos encouraged us to discover the charism every day and not to be discouraged.
In preparation for the second session, the young friars worked in preparing proposals arranged in groups based on their languages. Then, they would be presented to the superiors at the official sessions of the Pan-American Meeting. Thus, on December 6th, the friars met again to discuss what had been proposed in the groups, covering the different dimensions of Capuchin life.
Other contributions
Br. Mariosvaldo Florentino, Secretary-General of the Missions, and Br. Ricardo Cubillos, who is a missionary in Equatorial Guinea, Africa. The speeches of these two friars aimed to encourage the young friars; especially, those working in the missionary fronts.
In addition to the mixture of languages and features, the Pan-American session of young friars stood out for the multiplicity of proposals on the most diverse aspects of the life of a Capuchin friar and should be of assistance during the reflections at the official session.
A final virtual meeting is planned for the year 2022, on March 7th, before the face-to-face session, scheduled for May and to be held in São Paulo (Brazil).
