Wednesday, November 22, 2017

ITE VOS - Concluding celebration in Vatican with Private Audience with Holy Father Tomorrow

Tomorrow 400 friars from four Franciscan families will conclude the Celebration of Fifth Centenary year of Ite Vos......a good program has been organised by the Vicar Generals of four families. Our Vicar General Br. Stefan has been very enthusiastic about the celebration.....all the Generals and councillors will participate....from each family about 100 friars will take part.....at 12 noon we meet the Holy Father.....then we have a Eucharist which being organised by the Friars from Four Families in Umbria.....they began these celebrations in 2015......
The two important anniversaries in Franciscan history that are coming up, the 800th anniversary of the “Pardon of Assisi” – which was celebrated on August 2 of this year, and the Fifth Centenary of the Bull of Pope Leo X Ite vos of 1517, also called Bolla unionis but which instead produced our separation, gave further impetus to the desire to walk together and grow in our common vocation and mission.

 This year the journey continued with a sort of “Synod” of the Franciscan Families. From May 29 to June 2, 2017, there was a “Generalissimo” Chapter to symbolically fulfil, 500 years from Ite vos, the convocation of the chapter – never celebrated – contained in the 1517 letter of Pope Leo X.


Franciscan Friars in Chapter was jointly created to prepare for and re-experience the centuries-old events that led to the Pardon of Assisi (celebrating its 800th Anniversary in 2016) and the Papal Bull “Ite vos” (celebrating its 500th Anniversary in 2017), with the goal of planning an even more significant future together.

This initiative was accepted and disseminated by the four Ministers General of the Order. It is being proposed simply as a possible pilot experience for friars who might want to organize similar courses around the world.


We are now at point where we hope everyone is convinced that an authentic and profound reconciliation between the Franciscan families will let us more powerfully and clearly give witness to the charism of Francis and Clare.

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