Statistica Ordinis Fratrum Minorum - OFM

Friar in his heart. His last call was: Try to
save your cultural character!
In the afternoon, in a visit of homage to
the tomb of the founder of the Vietnamese
OFM Province, Br Maurice Bertin, he invited
us to care for this place because it is
our root. This tomb was an unique souvenir
left us by the government, after the confiscation
of all our properties.
In the evening, the MG and the DG, accompanied
by the MP, the Vicar and the
guardian of Vinh Phuoc, paid a visit to Msgr
Paul Nguyen Van Hoa, Bishop of Nha
Trang and President of the Episcopal Conference
of Vietnam, and his coadjutor, Msgr
Jos Vo Duc Minh. From the Bishop’s
house, we went to the Major Seminary of
three dioceses to have a general view of the
formative centre.
February 28th. The last day of the visit
was the most frantic. During the Eucharist
at the FMM novitiate, the MG exhorted the
Sisters to walk behind the Lord heartedly.
After that, he began the itinerary to the airport
with four halts: at the Cu Thinh community,
at Suoi Dau, at Dong Dai and at Dat
Set. At Cu Thinh, he encouraged the community
of three friars, the oldest of whom is
90, to become the yeast in the dough which
is the parish where they are serving. At Suoi
Dau, where there is an OFM friary beside a
FMM community, the MG affirmed the value
of fraternal collaboration, especially in
the service of ethnic minorities, and the importance
of Eucharistic adoration as source
of vitality. At Dong Dai, he recalled: Be
near the people; be ready to serve the people,
especially the minorities. Finally, at Dat
Set parish, during the meeting with the Friars
and a group of believers in the parish
church, he encouraged them to make their
living by manual work, to have peace and
goodness thanks to life in the country, in the
midst of the nature. Before lunch, the MG
together with the DG met the Provincial,
the Vicar and the two Definitors of the region
to give a general view and some concluding
directives. From there, after lunch,
the group of visitors went to the Cam Ranh
airport and arrived at the Provincial Curia at
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06:00 pm. A quick dinner, last words of
good-bye and the departure at 07:00 pm. On
behalf of the Province and of the whole
Franciscan Family, the Provincial Phi
Khanh Vuong Dinh Khoi thanked the MG
and the DG for the visit considered blessed
by the Lord. “We are edified by your words
which are simple, convinced and convincing,
authentic words which made a deep
mark in the Franciscan Family of Vietnam
and helped us to prepare ourselves to celebrate
the following Chapters, which are the
Extraordinary General Chapter 2006, the
Extraordinary Provincial Chapter 2007 and
the elective Provincial Chapter 2008.
During the concluding meeting at Dat
Set, the MG thanked God for the successful
visit, expressed his satisfaction for the fraternal
and family reception and for the organization
of the visit. He then highlighted
some important points concerning the Franciscan
life:
Positive elements
• A living and growing Province: numerous
vocations.
• A well structured Province, both on the
formative level and on that of life in fraternity.
• A working Province: in the pastoral
field, in evangelization and in social
works.
• An united Province with a spirit of collaboration
and communion in the Definitory,
especially between the MP and his
Vicar.
• A nice collaboration with the Franciscan
Family and with the Bishops.
Some challenges
• To highlight the quality of life instead of
the number; to be aware of the importance
of the visits paid to the individuals
and to the friaries.
• To continue to maintain this style of life,
that is, in poverty, but not in misery.
• To give priority to life in fraternity.
• To give priority to the life of prayer.
• To confront formation as the biggest
challenge of the Province (formation of
formators; ongoing formation; forma-