SECULAR FRANCISCAN ORDER - Five Franciscan Martyrs Region

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Date: ____________________
SECULAR FRANCISCAN ORDER
Five Franciscan Martyrs Region
Florida, South Georgia, Lower Alabama
www.franciscan-SFO.org
Dear Fraternity Minister: _______________, OFS, Minister, _______________ Fraternity, (city)_________
Peace and All Good! With this cover letter are materials to help your Fraternity Council prepare for your Pastoral and
Fraternal Visitation, which is scheduled for:
(Day, Date & Time) but time and place to be confirmed (see below). **
The Visitation Team members will be:
Pastoral Visitor
Fraternal Visitor.
Other members may also be present for the Visitation.
The local fraternity “should be the privileged place for developing a sense of Church and the Franciscan vocation and
for enlivening the apostolic life of its members” cf. OFS Rule, Article 22. “The purpose of both the pastoral and
fraternal visits is to revive the evangelical Franciscan spirit, to assure fidelity to the charism and to the Rule, to offer
help to fraternity life, to reinforce the bond of the unity of the Order, and to promote its most effective insertion into the
Franciscan family and the Church” cf. OFS General Constitutions, Title VI, Article 92.1.
The primary purpose of the Visitation is to:
♥ “verify” fraternity life;
♥ revive the evangelical (gospel) spirit;
♥ assure fidelity to the charism of our OFS Rule;
♥ offer help to deepen and/or improve fraternity life;
♥ reinforce the bond of unity of the Order, i.e., to deepen the fraternity’s dialogue and cooperation with the Region;
♥ promote and/or deepen dialogue and collaboration with the fraternity Council and the individual members.
A Fraternal/Pastoral Visitation normally takes place in three stages:
Preparation: The Council and members should thoughtfully and prayerfully conduct a self-evaluation to assist them in
completing the forms necessary in advance of the visitation. These forms include a “Visitation Preparation Cover Letter,”
the “Previsitation Questionnaire #1 to be Completed by the Entire Council,” and finally the “Previsitation Questionnaire #2
to be Completed by Each Individual Council Member.” These Questionnaires are not meant to be burdensome but will
serve to assist the Fraternity Council and the Visitors in their efforts “to revive the evangelical Franciscan spirit, to assure
fidelity to the charism and to the Rule, to offer help to fraternity life, to reinforce the bond of the unity of the Order, and
to promote its most effective insertion into the Franciscan family and the Church.” cf. OFS Rule, Article 26. Copies of
completed Questionnaires #1 and #2 should be emailed (or sent by US Mail) to the Pastoral Visitor, to the Fraternal Visitor,
and to the Area Councilor at least two to three weeks prior to the scheduled visitation. (Paper copies should be double-sided
to preserve our trees.) These included forms have been modified for use in our Region.

Day of the Visitation: The Visitors will follow the guidelines found in the Handbook for Spiritual Assistance to the OFS,
revised in 2005, Section B pages 6-7 and the OFS General Constitutions Article 92-95.
Final Visitation Report: The Visitors will prepare written reports which will provide the fraternity with their observations
and recommendations. Copies of the reports will be sent as follows: one to the fraternity Minister (to be shared with the
Council members first and then all Fraternity members); one to the Fraternity Spiritual Assistant (if there is one); one to the
Provincial Spiritual Assistant of the Province to which the fraternity is canonically bonded; one to the Regional Minister for
his/her file; and one for the Regional files.
A Fraternal/Pastoral Visitation is meant to be “a privileged moment of communion with the Region, the First Order or the
TOR. It is carried out in the name of the Church and serves to guarantee and promote the observance of the Rule and
Constitutions and fidelity to the Franciscan charism” cf. CNSA Handbook, Revised 2005, Section B, page 6. It is hoped
that it will be experienced as a moment of grace whereby through the assistance and recommendations of the Visitors, the
fraternity will grow in its faithfulness to its vocation, and its members challenged to deepen their fraternal life.
Please Note:
The Visitation process will take about two hours:
One hour will be dedicated to the entire fraternity;
One hour will be devoted to meeting separately with the fraternity Council.
Plan a very shortened form of your regular fraternity monthly gathering that the Visitors may observe. The Visitation
replaces the fraternity’s regular ongoing formation program.
There are special prayers in the OFS Ritual, page 50, used during the actual Visitation and led by both Pastoral and
Fraternal Visitors. Both the Pastoral and the Fraternal Visitors also will address the fraternity and try to answer any
questions that arise. The Divine Office (Liturgy of the Hours) may be prayed as part of the Visitation if there is no
fraternity Mass planned.
If you wish to have the Pastoral Visitor celebrate or con-celebrate Mass or take an active part in the Divine Office,
arrangements must be make through the Area Councilor.
The time arranged for your Council members to meet with the Visitors may be either before or after the Visitation with all
the fraternity members.
Any fraternity member who wishes to speak privately with one or more members of the Visitation Team should be afforded
the opportunity to do so.
Fraternally in the Lord and St. Francis,
Marie ** Please confirm the date, place, and time
Marie Thomas, OFS
Regional Vice Minister
(941) 355-8684
mariemt@verizon.net