The Province of the Immaculate Conception of Brazil celebrates the Chapter of Mats

From the 3rd to the 6th August 2026, the Province of the Immaculate Conception of Brazil celebrated its Mat Chapter at the Santo Antônio Seminary in Agudos, in the State of São Paulo (Brazil). The meeting brought together about 200 participants—friars, men and women religious of the Franciscan Family, lay people, people in vocational discernment, postulants, novices, friars at the various stages of formation, and collaborators of the Province—including Br. Paulo Roberto Pereira, OFM, Minister Provincial, and Br. César Külkamp, OFM, Definitor General. 

The theme of the Chapter of Mats was "The Love That Does not Die" and was held in the context of the celebrations for the 350th anniversary of the Province, in harmony with the Jubilee of the Eighth Centenary of the transitus of St. Francis of Assisi. The meeting was an opportunity to retrace the history of the entity, discern the current challenges of Franciscan life and renew the commitment to the charism received.  

It was a meeting under the banner of communion and the renewal of Franciscan identity. Inspired by the tradition of the meetings of the first friars, which were held on straw mats, the event invited the fraternity to retrace its history and to discern new paths for its mission. 

Over the course of four days, the participants took part in a program characterised by community prayer, liturgical celebrations, moments of formation and opportunities for dialogue between the different vocations of the Franciscan Family. During these activities, the 350th anniversary of the Province was presented as a living heritage that not only animates the mission in the present but also paves the way for future generations of Franciscan friars. The reflections that emerged from the meeting underlined the importance of fraternity and "minority" (humble service) as ways through which the Province can continue to respond to the challenges that challenge the Church and contemporary society. 

The opening programme saw the celebration of the Transitus of St. Francis of Assisi, organised to commemorate the eighth centenary of the death of the "Poverello"-Poor Man of Assisi. Inspired by the theme "The love that does not die", the ceremony was presided over by the Minister Provincial. During the celebration, some symbols of Franciscan spirituality — such as the Crucifix of San Damiano, the Gospel, the habit of St. Francis and the mat of rushes — helped to evoke the legacy left by the Seraphic Father. 

"May we experience the radical nature of fraternity. The Mat Chapter helps us to actualise St Francis' words for our time and to renew the joy of living the Gospel. The same Spirit that guided the friars in the past continues to be the source of our mission today," the Minister Provincial reflected during the Chapter. 

Amongst the highlights are the pilgrimage to the cemetery of the Seminary of St Anthony – part of a commemorative route entitled "From dream to eternity" – and the message addressed for the occasion by the Minister General of the Order of Friars Minor, Br. Massimo Fusarelli. The event was also marked by the ceremony of the Solemn Profession of Br. Bruno de Mello, the preparations for the General Chapter of the Order in 2027 and the closing ceremony, which offered a splendid testimony of the Franciscan life of the friars celebrating their jubilee anniversaries. 

"May these 350 years make us even more attentive to evangelisation projects inspired by justice. May they revive in us the conviction that the poor are our teachers. May Francis continue to inspire us and always invite us to pursue the stubborn utopia of fraternity. May he make our 'yes' fruitful," said the Minister Provincial.