Rome, ITALY – An Inter-Franciscan Missionary Course was held in Africa during the summer; it was sponsored by the mission secretariats of the three Franciscan Orders: OFMConv, OFM and OFMCap. The course took place in Kampala, Uganda and ran from June 12 to August 10, 2025, with 14 friars attending (6 Conventuals, 5 Friar Minors and 3 Capuchins), as well as 3 facilitators – one from each Order.
The friars attended weekday lectures with expert presenters on mission-relevant topics. On Saturdays, they visited missionary sites related to the topics covered during the week, as direct contact with real-life examples; and on Sundays, in addition to collaborating in some pastoral activities at their host shrine, they devoted themselves to time for personal reflection.
The General Secretaries of the Missions of the three Orders were present at the beginning of the course to motivate the participants and define some organizational aspects for the smooth running of the program. Br. Carlos Trovarelli, General Minister of the Conventuals, attended the final meeting, representing the three General Ministers.
The evaluation of the course was very positive: the friars appreciated both the formative content and the lived experiences, the value of the shared journey among the three Franciscan Orders and the richness of fraternal coexistence. They thanked the General Ministers for the opportunity and the Mission Secretaries for the organization.
In 2026, the course will be implemented for the Asian continent, from May 29 to July 26. We Capuchins will have to select five missionary brothers to participate.
Similarly, a missionary course with lived experience was held for post novices in the Amazon. Seven Capuchin confreres from six different circumscriptions in Latin America gathered to have a concrete mission experience and receive specific formation in the missionary field. This is now the third such missionary course for post-novices, taking place from the end of July to the beginning of October.
The friars spent four weeks in the fraternity of Leticia, Colombia, then moved to Belém dos Solimões, Brazil by a more than three-hour boat trip along the Amazon River. They stayed at an indigenous parish served by the Capuchins for a week, visiting small communities and lived as guests with indigenous families.
Afterwards, they went for another five weeks to Benjamin Constant, Brazil, where they concluded the journey with the celebration of the feast of St. Francis, which is observed attentively in the city. The fraternities of Leticia and Benjamin Constant are part of the international Saint Lawrence of Brindisi Fraternities Project (FSL).
Each week included a formation session facilitated by one of the brothers from the host fraternity. Weekends, however, included participation in pastoral activities or missionary experiences in local communities. The goal of the course was to live mission in the style of our charism: in fraternity, in minority and in prayer.
Br. Harold Pérez, General Councilor and overseer of the FSL, and Br. Mariosvaldo Florentino, general secretary for evangelization and missions, attended the last week of the course to evaluate the experience together with the fraternities and post-novices.
Both the host fraternities and post-novices said they were very satisfied with the program, which generated enthusiasm and a desire to continue this activity in the coming years, while recognizing some aspects that need improvement.