Frascati, ROME — From April 15 to 27, the Capuchin friary in Frascati, Rome, hosted the assembly of the Presidents of the Federations and Associations of the Capuchin Poor Clares. This international gathering brought together representatives from across the entire order for the final review of their Constitutions.
About 28 sisters attended the Assembly, including presidents, secretaries, delegates, and logistics coordinators. Also present at the event were the General Minister’s Delegate for the Capuchin Poor Clares, Br. Clézio Menézes Dos Santos, and the former Delegate, Br. Leonardo Ariel Gonzalez Ruilópez.
This was the third meeting of its kind, the main purpose of which was to take the final step in the joint revision of the new Constitutions. Once agreed upon, the new text will be sent to the Dicastery for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life for the necessary approval.
A long work in progress
The process of revising the Constitutions of the Capuchin Poor Clares began in 2016, and the project is now finally being finalized before approval. This process marks an important milestone, as it is the second revision and renewal of the Constitutions since the Second Vatican Council. The previous update was carried out in 1986, following an extensive period of reflection, thereby responding to the explicit guidelines provided by the Council through the decree Perfectae Caritatis.
Hard work and fraternity
The assembly’s agenda was marked by intensive and in-depth work on the revision and approval of each chapter and article of the Constitutions. However, the meeting also offered meaningful moments of fellowship and spirituality:
- Pilgrimage to Assisi. On the occasion of the 800th anniversary of the death of St. Francis, the sisters made a pilgrimage to Assisi. There they had the opportunity to celebrate the Eucharist in the Sacro Convento and to visit sites of vital historical importance to their charism, such as the Protomonastery of St. Clare.
- Visit to Naples. The sisters also traveled to Naples to venerate the remains of Blessed Maria Lorenza Longo, which rest in the Monastery of Santa Maria in Gerusalemme (popularly known as the Monastery of the Thirty-Three), which holds historical significance as the first monastery of the Capuchin Poor Clares.
The Assembly of the Capuchin Poor Clares in Frascati marks the culmination of a process that has engaged the sisters over the course of a decade. This extended timeline has allowed all the sisters to contribute both in the early stages and, finally, in the lead-up to this final working session in Frascati. Underlying this is a renewed commitment to fidelity to the Second Vatican Council, whose teachings have been further enriched by subsequent guidance from the Magisterium of the Church regarding the cloistered vocation. Another enriching element is the coincidence of this work with the celebration of the Franciscan centenaries, which allowed the sisters to draw upon “updated” reflections on Franciscan and Clarissan spirituality. Symbolically, the reference to Franciscan roots was expressed through the aforementioned pilgrimages.
