Rome, September 1, 1999

Prot. N. 088614

Francis tells us in the Rule: "And each one [all the Brothers] should confidently make known his needs to the other , so that he might find what he needs and minister it to him." (Rnb 9,10) I, in the name of the whole Definitorium, am approaching you, Ministers and Custodes, with a fraternal and confident heart in order to place before you several urgent needs of our universal Fraternity.

The General Chapter of 1997 asked us to develop and give a new impetus to the Office for Development in the Order. We immediately set about the task, and, after various consultations with Friars and lay people from every continent, we today believe that it is important and indispensable to launch an appeal of solidarity to all the provinces and custodies of the Order, small and large, rich or not so rich, realizing that none is so poor that it cannot give something.

We are talking about beginning here in the General Curia a "Fund for Formation and Evangelization" to help our Brothers who live in those geographical areas where the Order is being implanted, and those who require solidarity and help from all the brothers. If this commitment to generosity on the one hand expresses the unity and sharing at the core of our fraternity, on the other, especially on the occasion of the Jubilee Year 2000, it awakens and stimulates a sense of belonging to the same family guaranteeing the future of the Order in these two very important areas. This initiative unifies and continues what has already been begun by previous "governments" of the Order.

We speak of a one time donation - as conspicuous as possible - for the sake of our Brothers in serious need. We will call it the "Jubilee Fund." It is a supplement to the ordinary and annual contributions generously sent by the provinces. This fund will be regulated by very exact norms, verifiable by the conferences and used exclusively for the purposes indicated above. This contribution from you will constitute the beginning of a fund which will continue to form and grow with other voluntary contributions coming from persons or organizations outside the Order through the efforts of the Office for Development in the General Curia. The ministers and custodes will receive detailed information regarding its progress.

Why this "Jubilee Fund"? The General Chapter of 1997 reminds us: "The culture of solidarity and collaboration ... has made significant progress in our Order in recent years. Still, we have become aware that this needs to be affirmed even more in our universal Brotherhood, in the conferences and entities." (Memory and Prophecy, 39).

During the past twenty years there have been profound demographic, economic and structural changes in the Order. We have made significant decisions regarding evangelization and formation. A considerable effort has been expended for the growth of the Order in those regions where it was not present before, as directed by article 116 of our General Constitutions. This has resulted in the increase of independent "implantations" which are no longer linked to a "mother-province" and in the number of friars in the poorer countries, while the entities in the industrialized countries are shrinking. It has become increasingly more difficult in certain areas to support this fraternal journey of evangelization and formation. Besides the contributions offered generously by the provinces each year to the two General Secretariates for Formation and Evangelization are, and always will be, less than sufficient to meet the needs which are arising. That is not all: these contributors who, for the major part, reside in the northern hemisphere of the planet are consistently decreasing in number of friars. Rather soon they will not succeed in confronting the ordinary necessary expenses.

Dear Brothers, the Lord will reward your generosity, that great concrete sign of fraternity and solidarity. Francis continues to remind us that "alms are a legacy and a just right due to the poor which our Lord Jesus Christ acquired for us." (Rnb 9,8).

The Lord bless you!

Post script: When you are sending your contribution, do not forget to state as the reason for the transfer "Jubilee Fund".