Accepting the direction of the last General Chapter, the General Minister, together with his Council, decided to celebrate a new Plenary Council of the Order (PCO IX) in October 2026 to reflect on the themes of Mission, Fraternal Collaboration and the St. Lawrence Fraternities.
To organize PCO IX, the General Council, at its meeting in June 2025, appointed the Preparatory Commission composed of:
– Br. Harold Arles Pérez Hernández, General Councilor (President of the Commission);
– Br. Silvio do Socorro de Almeida Pereira, Vicar General;
– Br. Marek Miszczyński, General Councilor;
– Br. Mariosvaldo Florentino, General Secretary for Missionary Animation;
– Br. Luca Bianchi, President of the Franciscan Institute of Spirituality.
The commission immediately began its work by meeting for the first time on July 2 in Frascati, where it drew up a timetable for the preparation of material, with the aim of listening to the whole Order on the topics that will be addressed during PCO IX: Mission, Fraternal Collaboration and the St. Lawrence Fraternities.
In the second meeting, held on September 5, 2025, at the General Curia, the Commission members worked to refine the texts that will help the brothers understand the three themes. They also drafted some guiding questions meant to stimulate reflection within the fraternities and circumscriptions to bring out the Order’s sentiments in preparation for the materials that will be used during the Plenary Council.
We wish this Commission success so that the preparation for PCO IX may generate broad participation in the Order and help us discern what the Spirit is saying to us Capuchins today on these issues that are so significant for our life and mission.