May the Lord give you peace!

The Lord wanted that our former Minister General Br. Constantine Koser celebrates his birth in heaven during the novena of Christmas of this Holy Year. Our brother Constantine passed away in Petropolis on December 19th at 10.30 p.m. (1.30 am of December 20th European time). For some weeks his condition had deteriorated: in the past days he was in hospital where the possibility of a surgery was studied to stop an internal haemorrhage.

While I communicate to you this information, I wish to thank God from the depth of my heart for the great good that our brother Constantine did for our Order in the difficult and delicate years soon after Vatican Council, first as Definitor general then as Vicar and finally twice as Minister of all the Order.

We owe to him a great reform of our General Constitutions, adapted for the exigencies of Vatican Council II. He also held two elective chapters and two extraordinary chapters.

His deep theological sensibility, his deep conviction for the need of a certain and updated formation for our Friars, has marked his service and opened the Order to the great need of the Church and the world. The analysis of the situation of the Order which he caried out in the seventies made possible for a traumaticless adaptation for the post-conciliar needs and the elaboration of the present Constitutions.

After he finished his service as Minister general he retired to Petropolis among the professors and students of theology, amongst whom he found himself at ease apart form his heart problems which has marked his last ten years.

During my last visit to the Province of the Immaculate Conception in Brazil, this April, I had the opportunity to have a long discussion with Br Constantine and I ascertained myself about the love of Br. Constantine for the universal brotherhood while he vividly recounted some episodes of his ministry to all the Order. These really expressed his spirit of faithfulness and generous dedication to all the Friars.

I wish to thank the fraternity of the Province of the Immaculate Conception in Brazil for having donated to the Order, at the right time, this extraordinary man of God who did so much for the edification of the Church, and a renewed franciscanism. In this service he pledged all the generosity of his heart and the acuteness of his intelligence.

May the heavenly Father, who today gives his reward to the good and faithful servant, shed on us all the blessing of his beloved Son on this Christmas eve.

Brother Giacomo Bini, ofm
Minister general