Visit of the Minister General to Olsztyn, Poland

As part of the celebrations for the 100th anniversary of the presence of the OFM in the Zatorze district of Olsztyn, Poland, the fraternity of Friars Minor welcomed the Minister General, Br. Massimo Fusarelli, from the 27th to 29th June 2026, accompanied by the Definitor General of the area, Br. Konrad Cholewa and Br. Franco Mirri, Director of the OFM Fraternitas Foundation.

The central moment of the visit was the Celebration of a Solemn Mass on Sunday, the 28th June, in the church of Christ the King, presided over by the Minister General. At the beginning of his homily, Br. Massimo emphasised that a jubilee is not simply the memory of past events, but above all a time of thanksgiving for the work that God continues to do in the life of the community. "One hundred years of the parish is not an anniversary to be remembered from afar. They are a thank you to be pronounced today: for the Gospel received, for the broken bread, the Eucharist and charity, for the people accompanied by God over a century." Referring to the Sunday Gospel, he invited the faithful not to be afraid to give their lives to Christ through daily service to their brothers and sisters. He recalled that hospitality, welcoming, and care for the smallest and most fragile are concrete expressions of the Franciscan charism and of a lived faith.

Concluding his homily, Br. Massimo left the community with words that can become a programme for the years to come: "Do not be afraid of the charity you live. Here, the truth of the Gospel shines forth and takes flesh."

At the end of the celebration, the Minister General blessed the new Family Counselling Centre, met with the team of psychologists and psychotherapists, and learned about the activities of this new work, which will be at the service of families and inhabitants of Olsztyn.

He then visited the spaces intended for social activities, recently renovated thanks to the support of the OFM Fraternitas Foundation. The renovated rooms now host educational, training, and charitable activities promoted by the friars together with the numerous communities that work at the friary.

The visit coincided with the Zatorze Festival of Families, officially inaugurated by the Minister General. In an atmosphere of simplicity and authentic Franciscan joy, he met the parishioners, the neighbourhood's inhabitants, and the volunteers, also sharing moments of celebration with them and naturally participating in the dances.

The day ended with the open-air show "The Jester of God", inspired by the life and spirituality of Francis of Assisi. The performance recalled how the message of the Poverello, the Poor Man of Assisi, remains relevant today and continues to inspire the construction of a world based on the Gospel, peace and fraternity.

The visit of the Minister General was one of the most significant moments of the centenary celebrations of the Franciscan presence in Zatorze. It was an occasion of fraternal communion, of renewed missionary zeal, and of encouragement to continue proclaiming the Gospel through prayer, fraternity, and service to every person, responding courageously to the challenges of our time.