Throughout 1998, the universal Church is celebrating the second phase of its preparation for the Jubilee Year 2000, in the second year, dedicated to the Holy Spirit.

On 24 June this year, the Secular Franciscan Order will celebrate the twentieth anniversary of the approval of the Pauline Rule.

The two celebrations are a happy and appropriate coincidence. What Pope John Paul II has written about "Year Two: The Holy Spirit", in his Apostolic Letter, Tertio millennio adveniente, reads like a commentary on the SFO Rule, which is revealed all the more strikingly as a gift of the Holy Spirit that leads to God the Father.

Gift
The Pope describes the Holy Spirit as "the uncreated gift, who is the eternal source of every gift that comes from God in the order of creation ... The mystery of the Incarnation constitutes the climax of this giving" (TMA 44). Article 4 of the SFO Rule says: "Christ, the gift of the Father's love, is the way to him, the truth into which the Holy Spirit leads us, and the life which he has come to give abundantly."

"The primary tasks of the preparation for the Jubilee include a renewed appreciation of the presence and activity of the Spirit, who acts within the Church both in the Sacraments, especially in Confirmation, and in the variety of charisms, roles and ministries which he inspires for the good of the Church" (TMA 45). The Rule, in its first article, presents the Franciscan Family, "one among many spiritual families raised up by the Holy Spirit in the Church", whose members "intend to make present the charism of their common Seraphic Father in the life and mission of the Church."

Hope
The Pope calls all believers "to a renewed appreciation of the theological virtue of hope, which they have already heard proclaimed 'in the word of the truth, the Gospel' (Col 1:5)". The Secular Franciscans "pledge themselves to live the Gospel" by means of their Rule approved by the Church (Art. 2). "They should strive to bring joy and hope to others" (Art. 19).

The Pope calls Christians to prepare for the Great Jubilee "by renewing their hope in the definitive coming of the Kingdom of God, preparing for it daily in their hearts, in the Christian community to which they belong, in their particular social context, and in world history itself" (TMA 46).

The Secular Franciscans, "witnessing to the good yet to come and obliged to acquire purity of heart ... should set themselves free to love God and their brothers and sisters" (Art. 12). They "are called to build a more evangelical world so that the kingdom of God may be brought about more effectively" (Art. 14).

The Pope finds signs of hope in society in general and in the Church. His enumeration of these signs is a summary of the SFO Rule. I will include in the quoted text the appropriate references to the Rule in italics.

In society in general, "such signs of hope include: scientific, technological and especially medical progress in the service of human life (Art. 14: let them exercise their responsibilities competently in the Christian spirit of service); a greater awareness of our responsibility for the environment (Art. 18: they should respect all creatures, animate and inanimate); efforts to restore peace and justice wherever they have been violated (Art. 17: in their family they should cultivate the Franciscan spirit of peace; mindful that they are bearers of peace (Art. 19); Art 15: let them individually and collectively be in the forefront of promoting justice); a desire for reconciliation (cf. Art. 7) and solidarity among different peoples (Art. 13: accept all people as a gift of the Lord and an image of Christ)" (TMA 46).

In the Church, the signs of hope "include a greater attention to the voice of the Spirit through the acceptance of charisms (Art. 26: to promote fidelity to the charism) and the promotion of the laity (Art. 2: the brothers and sisters, led by the Spirit, strive for perfect charity in their own secular state), a deeper commitment to the cause of Christian unity and the increased interest in dialogue (Art. 19: they should seek out ways of unity and fraternal harmony through dialogue) with other religions and with contemporary culture ( Art. 19: trusting in the presence of the divine seed in everyone and in the transforming power of love and pardon)" (TMA 46).

Unity
The Pope focusses the reflection of the faithful in 1998 "particularly on the value of unity within the Church, to which the various gifts and charisms bestowed upon her by the Spirit are directed" (TMA 47).

The Rule reminds the Secular Franciscans that they are "bearers of peace which must be built up unceasingly. They should seek out ways of unity and fraternal harmony through dialogue" (Art. 19).

The Pope recalls Lumen gentium, 37, which emphasized that "the unity of the Body of Christ is founded on the activity of the Spirit, guaranteed by the Apostolic Ministry and sustained by mutual love" (TMA 47).

The importance of ecclesial obedience is thereby introduced into the subject of the unity of the Body of Christ. Obedience and dialogue are both stressed in Article 6 of the Rule: "Let them devote themselves energetically to living in full communion with the

pope, bishops and priests, fostering an open and trusting dialogue of apostolic effectiveness and creativity", "uniting themselves to the redemptive obedience of Jesus" (Art. 10).

Mary, woman of hope
It is the hallmark of the Pope's piety to conclude each section with a reference to the Blessed Virgin: "Mary, who conceived the Incarnate Word by the power of the Holy Spirit and then in the whole of her life allowed herself to be guided by his interior activity, ... the woman who was docile to the voice of the Spirit, a woman of silence and attentiveness, a woman of hope" (TMA 48).

The Rule says likewise, "The Virgin Mary, humble servant of the Lord, was open to his every word and call... The Secular Franciscans should express their ardent love for her by imitating her complete self-giving and by praying earnestly and confidently" (Art. 9).

Leading to the Father
This year, dedicated to the Holy Spirit, leads to 1999, the third and last year of immediate preparation, dedicated to God the Father.

This year is also dedicated to the SFO Rule, gratefully received twenty years ago as a gift of the Holy Spirit that leads to the Father.

The Rule itself addresses the Secular Franciscans in these terms: "Since they are immersed in the resurrection of Christ ... let them serenely tend toward the ultimate encounter with the Father" (Art. 19).

This is the sequel to an article I wrote five years ago, entitled, "The Pauline Rule - Fifteen Years After", which was published in The Cord, November 1993. I presuppose all that I wrote on that occasion, but will return to some of the questions and points that I raised in the last paragraphs.

This time, I will concentrate more on the state of the Secular Franciscan Order as I experience it twenty years after it received the Rule from Pope Paul VI in 1978. I hope to show to what extent the Pauline Rule is embodied in the SFO today.

Unity
As a consequence of the Rule of 1978, the Secular Franciscan Order has been restructured as a single Order in Fraternities at the local, regional, national and international levels.

The restructuring of the Order has been widely achieved but some National Fraternities are still in the process of achieving unity in their structure. Canada has worked consistently at its problem, which is almost resolved. In Italy, the problems are enormous and will take more time to resolve. Some want unity structured from above while others want to build up to national unity from below.

There are still unresolved problems in a number of other countries regarding unity in structure, especially at the level of regional fraternity. Often the problems are kept hidden and are not confronted. Some National Councils are composed of representatives belonging to the obediences of the friars. The old obediential Third Order Provinces are renamed "Regional Fraternities". This is not the restructuring of the SFO that the Rule and Constitutions call for.

"Provincial" is a structure that belongs properly to the religious Orders of friars, not to the SFO, but the term is still preferred in a few countries. The corresponding secular structure and term is "Regional Fraternity", which is usually not co-terminal with a particular Province of the friars.

Basic to genuine unity is unity of spirit. I am convinced that, in every country and at every level of Fraternity, even in those countries where structural unity has been achieved, much hard work has yet to be done in order to achieve unity of mind and heart.

National Fraternities
What strikes me, after making many visits, is that each country is different and so is the state of the SFO national fraternities. Generalizations can be misleading. One cannot speak about the Third World countries, or about the ex-Communist countries, as though they form a monolithic or homogeneous block.

The state of the SFO in Mexico is vastly different from the state of the SFO in Thailand, although both countries are classified as Third World. Mexico, with 33,000 members, is one of the largest National Fraternities after Italy (69,000). The Third Order has flourished in Mexico throughout its history of nearly five hundred years of evangelization. The Secular Franciscan Order has inherited its cultural expression and religious spirit, but now it is solidly based on the Vatican II model.

Thailand has one local Fraternity canonically established three years ago in Bangkok, with barely more than five professed members. Without a Franciscan history or tradition, all that it has in common with Mexico is that it too is solidly based on the Vatican II model.

The SFO exists in almost every country of Africa and in the islands to the east. There are recognized National Fraternities in Zambia, South Africa, Madagascar and Mauritius. But there are thirteen National Fraternities in formation and six countries with local Fraternities in formation. The state of these Fraternities various from vibrant to embryonic.

In Africa it is not difficult to find people to join local Fraternities, but it is difficult to give them a proper formation, and it is very difficult to find spiritual Assistants and Animators to accompany them all. Without proper accompaniment and formation, a Fraternity can easily develop into a sect.

The Third Order existed in the ex-Communist countries. Since 1989, the Secular Franciscan Order is coming into its inheritance. At present there are seven recognized National Fraternities (Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia), four National Fraternities in formation (Byelorussia, Latvia, Rumania, Ukraine) and three countries with local Fraternities in formation (Albania, Estonia, Russia). In many of these countries, since the very fabric of the human person has to be restored, formation in the SFO must begin there.

France, Germany and the Benelux countries since the 1970s have presented a particular problem regarding the acceptance of the Rule and General Constitutions, especially with regard to profession. It is not only that many members reject terminology that they consider to be proper to religious life. There has been a general reluctance to commit oneself to lifelong binding promises in both secular society and also in the priesthood and religious life.

In the past five years, there has been a marked improvement in dialogue between the National Fraternities of Europe. The National Council of France, in particular, has gone deeply into studying the Rule and General Constitutions. The voluntary and unofficial association of Secular Franciscans from Eastern and Western Europe at annual EUFRA-Meetings and EUFRA-Weeks has also helped the dialogue.

Acceptance of the Rule and General Constitutions has not been a problem for the SFO in the United States, which does not mean that the Secular Franciscans do not take their profession seriously or that they simply submit to a ritual. But in the United States as in Western Europe, a major problem is the advanced age of the members and the absence of younger people. I think that this is another aspect of the reluctance of people to commit themselves to joining a group with obligations to fulfil.

International Fraternity
International government has been emphasized. The present Presidency of the International Council, elected in 1996, includes three men and six women from eight different countries, and four General Assistants from three more different countries.

The Minister General, Emanuela De Nunzio, from Italy, is into her second term. The Vice Minister General, Encarnación Del Pozo, is from Spain. The Presidency Councillors are: Jean Pierre Rossi (French Area) from France; Emerenziana Rossato (Italian Area) from Italy; Marianne Powell (English Area) from Denmark; Rosalvo Mota (Portuguese Area) from Brazil; Alicia Gallardo (Spanish Area) from Chile; Wilhelmina Visser-Pelsma (German Area) from the Netherlands; Pedro Nuno da Silva Coelho (Franciscan Youth) from Portugal.

Until 1998, the four General Assistants were: Fr Ben Brevoort OFMCap, President of the Conference of General Assistants; Fr Zvonimir Brusac TOR, Secretary; Fr Valentín Redondo OFMConv; Fr Carl Schafer OFM. We come from Indonesia, Croatia, Spain and Australia, respectively.

Fr Ben was reconfirmed in November 1996 and is into his second six-year term. Fr Zvonimir was appointed in September 1995. Fr Valentín took up his appointment in October 1996. In January 1998, I will be replaced as General Assistant, having held that office since July 1985, for twelve years, which is the maximum permitted by the Statutes for Assistance, Art.11. Fr Nils Thompson OFM, from U.S.A., is my successor.

The SFO Minister General happens to be Italian and living in Rome, and the four General Assistants reside in Rome. But the Presidency makes a conscious effort to avoid central government and government from Rome. Not all the National Councils would agree that the government is in fact decentralized or free of excessive Roman influence. Some are allergic to anything that comes out of Rome.

Autonomy
On paper (in the Rule and General Constitutions), the SFO is autonomous. But it will not be autonomous in fact until it is united as a single Order in every Regional and National Fraternity, until the Councils at the various levels are capable of governing the Fraternities, and until it is self-sufficient financially.

However, autonomous government of the Fraternities on the part of elected secular Ministers and Councillors has made considerable progress.

Certainly, restructuring and autonomy have borne fruit for the vitality of secular Franciscan life, as is generally attested in the United States of America, where the restructuring into Regional Fraternities was recently completed.

Finances
Financial autonomy has a long way to go, as I said five years ago. The idea that everything must come cost-free is still strong, not only in those countries where foreign missionaries provided everything free of charge, but also in the rest of the world where the friars often provided for the slight financial requirements of the local Fraternities.

Few Secular Franciscans, even in the "rich" countries, such as Germany and the United States, are themselves rich. The majority belongs to the middle bracket, and many are economically poor. St Francis did not attract many rich people to follow him, and so it is today. In fact, he attracted many marginal people. There would be something seriously out of order if the SFO attracted mainly rich people and gave a slight welcome to poor and unimportant people.

I believe that the Minister General and Presidency have stated a sound principle: that even the poorest member can contribute something to the financial support of the Fraternity. If every single one of the (half-million?) members contributed a minimal something, the SFO would be much better off financially than it is at present.

The response of the National Councils to the International Secretariat's appeal to contribute to the support of the Order at the general level has improved over the past ten years, but it is still not general and is far from adequate. In 1986, only fourteen contributed. In 1996, thirty-two out of eighty-eight national entities contributed, but not all these contributors were National Councils. There are forty-nine National Councils. This would seem to indicate that many National Councils do not receive financial support from their own base.

The response of a number of National Councils to the Presidency's appeal for funds for the promotion of the SFO in Eastern Europe and Northern Asia has been very generous. The same National Councils already send their annual contribution to the International Secretariat.

Statistics
The most recent statistics of the Secular Franciscan Order were prepared before the General Chapter in 1996. Briefly, they are as follows:

According to continents:
Europe: 195,839; Latin America: 170,786; North America: 36,353; Asia: 24,451; Africa: 13,908; Oceania: 1,500. Total: 442,837.

According to language areas:
Spanish: 165,856; Italian: 126,098; English: 72,616; German: 34,586; Portuguese: 24,813; French: 18,868 (includes French-speaking Canada). Total: 442,837.

General Constitutions
Implanting the General Constitutions has depended on having them translated into many languages besides the official ones (English, French, Italian, Spanish). The work of translation is still going on, seven years after their promulgation in 1990. Because many Secular Franciscans have not yet received a text that they can understand, the Presidency asked for a prorogation of the definitive approval of the General Constitutions, to give the Order time to experience them.

The Constitutions have been put to use particularly in national elective Chapters, where the Minister General or her delegate, together with the General Assistant, has insisted on following the Constitutions. It would seem that this has been the first time that many of the National Councils have had to take the General Constitutions seriously. If one can make a general judgment from these encounters, it would seem that the General Constitutions are not well known.

They were long awaited, since 1978, and have been most welcome almost universally. The National Council of France has submitted a re-organized text for consideration when the General Constitutions are to be definitively approved at the General Chapter in 1999. At that Chapter, the work on the final draft of the General Constitutions will be completed for definitive approval by the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life.

The secular dimension
The General Chapter held in Mexico in 1993 concentrated on the secular dimension of the Secular Franciscan vocation. In my opinion, the secular dimension is best understood and lived by some in the secularized societies of Western Europe, of Asia and Oceania, and particularly in the United States.

Eastern European Catholics are sick of atheistic secularization and many find it hard to understand the concept and the practice of Christian secularity. They yearn for a return to the church-life that they knew before the Second World War and before the Second Vatican Council. Some are deeply resentful of the changes brought in by Vatican II and stress that they had no part in making those decisions.

Africans and Latin Americans want to sacralize their secular life, for example, especially in Africa, by wearing a religious habit, and, especially in Latin America, by intense devotion to the Blessed Virgin and the saints. Thereby, they create a holy space to live in and isolate themselves from secular life.

Evangelization
Some Fraternities have turned the corner from being inward-looking, devotional sodalities, unknown outside the four walls of the church, to being both prayerful and actively evangelizing. Italy, Vietnam, Korea, the United States of America and Brazil are examples of large-scale evangelizing National Fraternities.

The mission of the SFO is the same everywhere, as is the secular Franciscan vocation and charism. The vocation is to follow Christ in the footsteps of St Francis of Assisi (cf. Rule 1). The charism is to live in fraternity (cf. Gen.Const. 100.3). The mission is to "Rebuild my Church" (cf. Gen.Const. 100.1). Just how the mission is to be accomplished must be discerned by the people in the place. There is still a lot of discernment to be done by many National Councils.

Many would still think of Africa, or Latin America, as a region of the missions. But we are inclined nowadays to consider the whole world as "the region of the missions", and the entire Church itself as a missionary region.

The ideals and the theory have been worked out in the Rule and General Constitutions, which stress strongly that the members are first to be evangelized and then to be evangelizers. What remains to be done in most National Fraternities is to put the ideals and the theory into practice. The old Third Order model of privatized spirituality is still rather prevalent. Today's Secular Franciscans have to change the inherited image of pious but ineffectual Tertiaries.

Spiritual Assistance
The religious major Superiors and the spiritual Assistants at all levels need to know the SFO General Constitutions better, so that they can help the Secular Franciscans to be more aware of their need to be evangelized and to evangelize.

The Franciscan religious can help the secular Franciscans most of all by their example in being evangelized themselves and then in being the evangelizers of others. I am convinced that the friars could do much more to ensure that they live "in life-giving union" with the seculars (cf. Rule SFO 1).

The Statutes for Spiritual and Pastoral Assistance to the SFO, published in 1992, have yet to be applied to each national and regional Fraternity. Like the Rule and General Constitutions that they are based on, they can be applied only to those national Fraternities where the Secular Franciscan Order has achieved unity at both the regional and the national levels.

Conferences of General Assistants, National Assistants and Regional Assistants have been formed on the basis of collegial activity. They cannot function without the collaboration between the Ministers General, the Assistants General, the Ministers Provincial, the National Assistants, and the Regional Assistants.

To the extent that the Statutes for Assistance have been put into effect, the collaboration between the different obediences has been greatly strengthened. However, there is a great variation in collaboration, from none to total, depending often on the personalities of particular friars and on their formation.

Franciscan Youth
The collaboration between the SFO and Franciscan Youth has been greatly strengthened in the past five years.

The documents on Franciscan Youth, published by the Presidency of the SFO International Council in 1996, clarified the identity of the Franciscan Youth Movement, and have strengthened the collaboration between the SFO and Franciscan Youth in those places where they have been applied.

More National Councils, including the United States of America, are actively promoting the Franciscan Youth Movement and also the Franciscan Children. The Presidency is working on making the Franciscan Children an international movement.

Challenges and priorities
The General Chapter, held in July 1996, did not propose priorities but it published its conclusions in the Bullettin CIOFS, 1996 n.2. Under the headings, "Animate", "Guide", and "Coordinate", the Chapter indicated what it expected of the Presidency and the National Councils. From this, one can ascertain the Chapter's priorities: promote specialized formation; apply the principle of subsidiarity; stimulate communication.

The SFO is a cross-section of the local Church and of the universal Church. It is like the Church in miniature. Its challenges and priorities are the same as those of the universal and local Church. Articles 98 to 103 of the SFO General Constitutions make this point implicitly but strongly.

The SFO Fraternities at all levels will need to follow closely the statements delivered or written by the Pope and the Roman Congregations and by their local bishop or Bishops' Conference in order to discern their challenges and priorities in view of the Third Millennium. The Presidency of the SFO

International Council intends to communicate regularly with all the Fraternities, in order to call them to reflect on the Church's priorities and to act with initiative.

Recommendations
Reviewing the Pauline Rule twenty years after and in view of the present situation of the Secular Franciscan Order, which exists in almost every country of the world, I would like to make some recommendations.

At the local level:

The local Fraternity is where the Secular Franciscan enters the Order, follows his vocation and is formed initially and for the rest of his life.

The initial formation is most important. I would recommend that greater effort be put into it, both by the candidates and by the Fraternity Councils, especially the Formators and the Assistants.

The Fraternity Councils need a lot of strengthening. I would recommend that the members receive a specialized formation, so that they may be able to govern the Fraternity effectively and carry out the responsibility of deciding on the admission and profession of the candidates.

At the regional level:
The Regional Fraternity is the key to the unity of the SFO in any national fraternity.

Often, the friars belonging to the different Orders who assist the local Fraternities are the main obstacle to the unity of the Regional Fraternity. I would recommend that the friars cooperate by working in Conferences of National Assistants and in Conferences of Regional Assistants so as to give a collegial assistance to the Regional Fraternity and Council.

Competent secular leaders are often lacking at the regional level. Consequently, the National Council often tends to do the work proper to the Regional Council, such as providing for the canonical establishment of local Fraternities. I would recommend that, instead of doing the work of the Regional Councils, the National Councils teach the Regional Ministers and Councillors how to do their job and to be patient with them until they succeed in learning.

I recommend that the National Councils also provide courses for the formation of the regional leaders, and that the Regional Councils be made competent to provide courses for the formation of the local leaders.

Lebanon
From 21 to 27 May, Emanuela De Nunzio and Fr Ben Brevoort OFMCap carried out the first phase of the fraternal and pastoral visit to the SFO in Lebanon. The visitors had four meetings with the Assembly of the Councils of all the local Fraternities. The Assembly set three goals: formation of the formators; meetings for formation, spirituality and sharing, open to all members; preparation of the regulations of the national elective Chapter. The local Fraternities are dynamic: they hold frequent, even weekly, meetings and lead an intense life of prayer; they are committed to charitable works and to helping the members in difficulty; they do not lack new vocations. Any weaknesses are due mainly to the adverse conditions that they have had to suffer during the war. The second phase of the visit will take place in 1998.

Canada
Carl Schafer OFM spent a week visiting Quebec Province before attending the National Elective Chapter in Ottawa, 23-25 May 1997. Accompanied by two National Assistants, Henri Ethier OFM and André Chicoine OFMCap, he met Fraternities in Montréal, Trois-Rivières, Lac Bouchette, and Chicoutimi, and visited "Urgence Vie" in St. Hyacinthe. He spoke with Jacques Bélanger OFMCap, Minister Provincial, and with the Assistants in Montréal. Laura Haukaas, International Councillor USA, presided over the elective Chapter where Françoise Malboeuf was re-elected National Minister. Much effort is being made to achieve the unity of the National Fraternity. Three Regional Fraternities are already functioning.

Brazil
Fr Ben made the pastoral visit to the National Fraternity of Brazil from 13 to 27 July, and visited the Fraternities in San Paulo, Salvador (Bahia), Petropolis and Rio de Janeiro. On 15 July, he met the National Council of the Franciscan Youth at Campo Grande, and, at Brasilia on 16 July, the Conference of National Spiritual Assistants, who elected Diogo Fuiten OFMConv as President. He was present as witness at the national elective Chapter held in Brasilia from 17 to 20 July. The theme of the Chapter was "The Spirit of Service". Alicia Gallardo presided at the elections when Maria Aparecida Crepaldi was elected National Minister. The National Fraternity is alive, well organized, efficiently structured and important for the life of the regional and local Fraternities. The relation between the SFO and the Franciscan Youth is excellent.

Ireland
Fr Valentín Redondo OFMConv, General Assistant, was present and Emanuela De Nunzio, Minister General SFO, presided at the National elective Chapter of the SFO in Ireland, celebrated at Multifarnham, from 22 to 24 August. Maura Noone was reelected National Minister.

Great Britain
Fr Valentín was present and Emanuela presided also at the National elective Chapter of the SFO in Great Britain, celebrated at Birmingham, from 5 to 7 September. Merle O'Driscoll was reelected National Minister.

Ukraine
From 20 to 29 September 1997, Fr Ben visited the SFO in the Ukraine. He met two bishops, the Secular Franciscans of about fifteen local Fraternities, many friars of three Orders and the Custos of the Capuchins. He was present at the formation of the Western Ukraine Regional Council and participated in the first meeting of the provisional National Council of the SFO in the Ukraine. The Conference of National Assistants, consists of three members (OFM, OFMCap, OFMConv). The visit has also been useful for the preparation of the Seminar to be held in the Ukraine in September 1998 and for the publication of the basic texts of the SFO in Ukrainian. The Ukrainian Franciscans need texts in their language for their programmes of initial and ongoing formation.

United States of America
Doug Clorey, from Canada, was delegated to preside at the elections during the National Chapter of the SFO, held in St Louis, Missouri, 15-19 October 1997. Fr Carl attended as witness. The Chapter constituted the thirty-first Regional Fraternity, completing the process of regionalization that had taken seven years. The 38 voters followed an amendment to the National Statutes whereby the conditions required in the election of the Minister (cf. GC SFO 78.1) were applied to all elections. William Wicks was elected National Minister.

Presidency of International Council
29 May - 4 June: All the members were present at Monte Cucco, Rome, where they examined the work done by the Commission for the revision of the General Constitutions, represented by Francisco Cortéz. They also reviewed the progress of eight projects for which a member of the Presidency is responsible. Claudio Cerfoglia addressed the meeting on communications. Guzmán Carriquiry, Undersecretary of the Pontifical Council for the Laity, spoke about what the Church expects from the secular Orders. The National Statutes of Hungary were approved. Other points discussed were: the Bulletin CIOFS, a permanent seat for the Secretariat, the financial situation, the unity of national fraternities, and relations with other Third Orders.

Conference of General Assistants
13 June 1997: The four Assistants met at the General Curia OFMConv. They reviewed the recent meeting of the Presidency and continued to plan for next year's Seminar in the Ukraine and for the Seminars for Provincial Assistants. They delegated one among themselves or another Assistant to attend elective Chapters and to make pastoral visits during the rest of the year and in 1998. Fr Carl reported on his visit to Canada. The Conference celebrated St Anthony's feast day with the curial community.

11 September 1997: At the OFM General Curia, the four Assistants chose the themes to be treated in Koinonia in 1998, planned the Seminar in 1998 for Assistants in the Slav countries requested by the Capuchin Minister General, reported on the World Day of Youth which Frs Ben and Zvonimir attended in Paris, and on visits made in summer to Brazil (Fr Ben) and to Ireland and Great Britain (Fr Valentín).

They made remote preparations for the World Day of

Youth in Rome in the year 2000.

7 October 1997: While Fr Ben was in Africa, the other three Assistants met at the OFM General Curia. Fr Ben had communicated a report on his visit to the Ukraine and also details about the Seminar for Slav Assistants, at Frascati in 1998. Fr Carl submitted the translation into English of the revised Indications for the Formation of the Friars for Understanding and Assisting the SFO. He informed the Conference of the appointment of Fr Nils Thompson OFM as General Assistant. The list of presence at national elective Chapters and pastoral visits was updated.

International Franciscan Youth Meeting
19-22 August 1997: On the occasion of the World Day of Youth 1997, an international meeting of Franciscan Youth was held in Paris, in two distinct moments. First, there was the meeting of the national delegates, then the open meeting for Franciscan Youth. Theme of the meeting was the same as that of the World Day but with a Franciscan emphasis, namely, "What are you looking for?", "Master, where do you live?", "Come and See". The meeting was a project of the Presidency of the SFO International Council, coordinated by Fr Ben and by Pedro Nuno Coelho, representative of Franciscan Youth in the Presidency, and helped by Fr Zvonimir Brusac TOR. The SFO National Council of France made a team of young SFO members responsible for the preparations, coordinated by Jocelyne Collin, Filippe Pelet e Pascal Correc. At the meeting of delegates, 67 were present from 17 nations (eight from Europe, seven from the Americas and two from Asia). At the open meetings more than a thousand participated, from the dioceses of France and from overseas. About half were members of Franciscan Youth. The rest were interested in St Francis and St Clare.

Nils Francis Thompson OFM was born in 1935, in Galveston, Texas, U.S.A. He is a member of the Province of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Albuquerque, New Mexico. His father was from Norway (Nils Torkelson Seland), and his mother's family, Myers, from Labasheeda, Co. Clare, Ireland. Since his ordination in 1963, Fr Nils has been involved in the preaching ministry and in the parochial ministry, and has served a number of Secular Franciscan Fraterni-ties as spiritual Assistant. He has been Provincial Spiritual Assistant since 1988, and was active in forming the new SFO Regional Fraternity of Our Lady of Guadalupe, in New Mexico and West Texas, of which he was Regional Spiritual Assistant. Fr Nils was appointed General Assistant on 1 October, 1997. He arrived in Rome on 31 December and assumed full responsibility on 1 January, 1998.