The Under Ten Chapter concludes in Assisi with a call to begin again from fraternity

On Saturday, July 11, the brothers taking part in the VI Under Ten Chapter of Mats OFM concluded in Assisi the journey taken place during these days, marked by prayer, listening, discernment and the concrete experience of international fraternity. The day began with the departure for the Basilica of Saint Francis, where Br Massimo Fusarelli, OFM, Minister General, presided at the votive Eucharist of Saint Francis of Assisi. In that place, a living memorial of Francis’ Passover, the brothers were invited to reread the path of the Chapter in the light of the Gospel of the little ones, of the cross and of joy.

In his homily, the Minister General recalled that the Father reveals his things “to those who remain little”, and addressed this word to the friars in their first years, who had come from every continent. “You are those little ones of today”, he said, inviting them to care for that inner place where vocation does not rely on one’s own strength, but on trust in God. From the experience of Francis, who “did not understand the Gospel because he was wise”, but because “he became little”, Br Massimo pointed out that the path of the Order is not born of efficiency, but of a form of life embraced with humility.
The celebration in the Basilica made it possible to unite the itinerary of the Under Ten brothers with the VIII Centenary of the Passover of Saint Francis. In his reflection, the Minister General recalled that Francis “died poor, on the bare earth, calling death his sister”, and that he did not simply undergo the Lord’s Passover, but lived it. For this reason, celebrating the Eucharist at his tomb helped the brothers recognize that today too the cross remains the form of the Gospel life: “The yoke becomes easy not because it weighs less, but because we no longer carry it alone”. From this certainty, the brothers were called to begin again from littleness, the cross and joy.

After the Eucharist, the brothers took part in a guided visit to the Basilica, organized in language groups. The visit was led by the Conventual Friars Minor, who helped the participants discover the spiritual, historical and artistic richness narrated by its walls. Then, after returning to Domus Pacis, the morning continued with the approval of the proposals, prepared on Friday through group work and discussion in assembly. The work carried out in the groups thus found a common form to be entrusted to the Entities, the Conferences and the next General Chapter.

In the afternoon, the brothers voted on the final message and took part in the evaluation exercise; afterwards, they gathered again for the final greeting of the Minister General. Br Massimo began with a simple word: “Thank you”. He thanked God, the participants who had come from the five continents, the General Definitory, those who prepared and animated the meeting, the translators and the Seraphic Province that welcomed the Chapter. In the year of the VIII Centenary of the Passover of Saint Francis, he recognized that the friars had brought to Assisi “something of the freshness of the origins: brothers seated on mats, formed by the Gospel and with the joy of being together”.

The Minister General gathered the resonances of what had been heard during these days, beginning with the vocational stories of the participants. He recalled that in many of them the same thread appears: the encounter with an authentic and joyful friar, with a simple fraternity close to the people. “None of you was won over by a speech. You were attracted by a form of life”, he said, emphasizing that there is no more authentic vocational ministry than that of a friar who is happy in their vocation. Fragilities, fears and searches were also presented as places where one learns that God trusts each brother more than each one is able to trust themselves.

From the discernment of the groups, Br Massimo entrusted three orientations for the journey: to care for the center, to nuture fraternal bonds and to safeguard our humanity. Prayer was presented as the place that purifies motivations and brings one back to reality with a new gaze; fraternity, as a home where it is possible to speak of weariness, crises and wounds without fear of judgment; and our humanity, a task that is especially urgent in today’s digital culture. In the face of artificial intelligence and new technological languages, the Minister General recalled that “no algorithm will be able to replace time spent before the Lord, nor the concrete humanity of an encounter”.

One of the words that resonated in the concluding greeting was the internationality of the Order. Hearing prayer in so many languages, seeing brothers search for words to understand one another and sharing songs from different cultures. Br Massimo said he had contemplated “the face of the Order that is being born: an international, young and plural Order”. This reality, he said, is not a projection toward the future, but a gift already present, seated on the mats. For this reason, he invited the brothers to learn languages as a form of minority and communion, to go beyond the borders of their own Provinces, to feel as an Order and to welcome the different nuances of the charism.

The path of the Chapter thus opened toward the return to the fraternities. The Minister General asked the brothers not to let these days remain a beautiful memory, but to return as witnesses: “Do not bring programs; bring a style of life”. That style can begin with small and concrete gestures: a renewed way of living community prayer, a sincere word in the local Chapter, patient listening to an elderly brother, the daily study of a language. In each of these gestures, the possibility of making the Gospel present in ordinary life is expressed.

In the closing celebration, the reflection returned to the Gospel form of setting out: “without sack, without bread, without money”. Not as a deprivation, but as a freedom. The brothers were invited to return with open hands and burning hearts, carrying the joy of these days and a new fire to follow Christ in the spirit of Francis and Clare.

After the final prayer for the friars of the Order, the blessing of the Tau took place, a sign of salvation and a memorial of Saint Francis. The Tau crosses, made by a local carpenter with wood from Assisi, were given as a simple sign of belonging and mission. In the same spirit, gratitude was expressed to those who made the experience possible: facilitators, group secretaries, translators, the communications team, the preparatory commission and all those who helped create a family atmosphere.

With the official declaration of the closing of the VI Chapter of Mats Under Ten, the experience lived in Assisi reached its conclusion, but not its fruit. “Although our deliberations have ended, our work has only just begun”, it was recalled before the return to the Provinces, Custodies, Foundations and ministries. The words inspired by Saint Francis remained as a final mandate: “Brothers, let us begin to do good, because until now we have done little or nothing”. Under the gaze of the Poverello, the friars were called to continue their vocation in the Church and in the world with simplicity, minority and hope.
 

Read the Minister General’s homily

Read the Minister General’s concluding greeting

See all the photos of the meeting