ROME — Proclaiming the “joy of encounter,” Secular Franciscans from around the globe kicked off their General Chapter at the Seraphicum Nov. 9 with Holy Mass.
“We have longed to come together,” Franciscan Friar Ștefan Acatrinei, OFM Conv., the celebrant, told the 103 attendees. “And now we are happy to be together.”
It’s a “joy of encounter” that “would not have been possible if we had not first met St. Francis.”
Franciscans are overflowing with joy because Francis himself had been “overflowing with joy” after encountering Christ and the words of the Gospel that propelled him on his journey of faith.
Pointing to the chapter’s theme of “You Are Love,” Father Ștefan said: “There is no doubt that we came here driven by love.” It’s a reflection of God’s mercy and salvation through Christ – which “is nothing but the fruit of God’s pure love for us.”
Friar Ștefan is a general spiritual assistant to the worldwide Secular Franciscan Order, serving on the international executive council, or Presidency.
The General Chapter, held every three years, runs from Nov. 9 to 16.
