Mexico City, MEXICO – On Monday, May 11, 2026, during an online session held under the theme “Memory, Identity, and Prophecy,” the Capuchin friars from across the Americas officially launched the preparatory process for the Third Pan-American Meeting (EPAN).
The meeting was attended by approximately 236 brothers from the three Capuchin conferences of the Americas (NAPCC, CCH, CCB); also participating via video link were the General Minister Br. Roberto Genuin, and various monasteries of the Capuchin Poor Clares from the five federations present in the Americas. In his opening remarks, the General Minister himself expressed great satisfaction with the methodology, emphasizing that the path being taken is not “an initiative imposed as a directive from above, but the fruit of the collaboration of all the brothers.” According to the General Minister, this dynamic reflects how the Capuchins should interact in the world today: “The Church speaks of synodality, but we are realizing it in our own way, which is the way of fraternity and sharing.” Recalling the thought of Pope Francis, he also noted that true value does not lie exclusively in the final result we seek to achieve, but “in the journey we undertake.” A journey that, while bringing to light diverse ideas and sensibilities, allows us to walk united toward what the Lord desires for the Order.
This session marked the beginning of a series of six online meetings open to all friars, which will take place throughout 2026 and into early 2027, during which various themes will be reflected upon in preparation for the in-person meeting to be held in Mexico City from May 23 to June 2, 2027, where the superiors of the circumscriptions of the Americas, the General Minister, and other friars are expected to participate. During the presentation of the program, the friars described this initiative as a true “shared journey,” created with the aim of revitalizing the Capuchin charism across the Americas.
The organization has clarified that the meeting has already begun. It is a comprehensive process designed to avoid improvisation, ensuring the genuine and active participation of all the friars in their local fraternities, and not just a group of delegates. The goal is to give depth to the future in-person celebration.
To guide this year of preparation and keep the spotlight on the upcoming event, the organizers have structured the process around three verbs:
- Enlighten: provide tools and insights grounded in the Gospel.
- Sensitize: allow ourselves to be challenged by the current reality and the historic crossroads the Americas are facing.
- Motivate: Keep enthusiasm and motivation high.
The entire process is characterized by active listening on the part of all the brothers. This will allow for careful discernment to understand which aspects of Capuchin life today require a process of change or conversion, ultimately leading to a synthesis of this extensive exchange among the friars of the Americas. Starting in July, all communities will begin to discuss—through online meetings—five core themes essential to the Capuchins: the grace of our origins and our way of life, mental prayer and contemplation, fraternity and minority (service and humility), evangelical preaching, and the promotion of peace and justice.
This entire process represents an important step in the reflection leading up to the celebrations marking the 500th anniversary of the Capuchin Reform. The friars are called to live their charism amid the extreme diversity found in the Americas, valuing the cultures of North, Central, Caribbean, and South America. All the work carried out in the online sessions and by the local fraternities, then summarized at the circumscription level, will converge at the meeting in Mexico, where the future of the Capuchin Order’s mission in the Americas will be outlined and explored with renewed hope and a spirit of collaboration.