THE PROVINCIAL CHAPTER 2008

A Province meets in Chapter every three years to take stock of its present position, renew its vision and plan for the future. So during the Chapter all office-holders give a report of their work over the past three years and are open to questions about it, and their good work is affirmed by the assembled brethren. The Chapter heard reports from the Minister Provincial, each Guardian of a local fraternity, the Prayer Commission, Communications, Formation in all its stages (for which the four Irish members of the joint Formation Secretariat joined the Chapter), the Franciscan International Study Centre in Canterbury, Franciscan Youth (YouFra), the Franciscan Missionary Union, the Commissariat of the Holy Land, the Finance Office, the Animator for Justice, Peace and the Integrity of Creation, the Child Protection Team, the Religious Assistant to the Poor Clares, the National Assistant to the Secular Franciscan Order (SFO), and others.


Above: the Minister Provincial gives his report		The assembly listens

Above: the Joint Formation Team reports

The assembled friars of the Province then debated their vision of the future in the form of propositions which, if adopted, became resolutions to guide the future administration in leading the Province towards its goals.


.		.

.		. . . . . . . . . The Minute Secretaries

Whenever a Province celebrates its triennial Chapter, all offices fall vacant and new appointments or re-appointments have to be made. The only exceptions are the Minister and Vicar Provincial who are elected for six years, with the possibility of being re-elected for a further three years only. At this Chapter there was no election of a Provincial or Vicar Provincial, but all the Definitors had to be elected or re-elected, which can be done up to a maximum period of nine years. To be elected, a candidate must receive an absolute majority (more than half) of the votes of all those present and entitled to vote. On this occasion, all five vacancies were filled on the first ballot, something rather unusual.


Counting the votes		Each newly elected Definitor swears on the Gospel to carry out his duties faithfully and is given the Definitor's seal

The daily round of prayer was an important element of the Chapter:

As were fraternal conversations ...

And of course recreations ...

. Above the whole group of friars assembled in the Chapter of 2008

THE CAPITULAR CONGRESS

This is the name given to the meeting together for the first time of the newly elected Definitory immediately following the end of the Chapter. It has the task of drawing up the table of fraternities in the Province, electing new Guardians and making all other appointments for the next triennium. This took place from Monday, 21st July until Thursday, 24th July 2008 with a break for consultations from Tuesday afternoon to Wednesday. The results were published on Friday, 25th July 2008 to come into effect by 1st October 2008.

To return to the "News" page click here