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PROVINCIAL CHAPTER -A TIME OF GRACE

It was indeed a time of grace. There were about 121 friars gathered for this event. 104 friars were solemnly professed, and 17 of them were representatives of simple professed brothers. Besides, these two friars from our mother province, the Netherlands, namely Theo Van Adrichem and Jan Ter Maat, came as friar observers. Friar Noel Muscat was the president of the chapter. Friar Michael D. Cruz was the assistant visitator General of the chapter. From November 14th to November 19th, 2022, the NBCLC provided excellent food and accommodations. These five days were packed with a busy schedule with various topics.

We could consider this chapter having two phases in it. In the first, the readings of the report were read from different responsibilities, like being a provincial, bursar, project coordinator, and so on. Later, we had the process of election of the new provincial and its definitors. The newly elected provincial was friar Xavier Durairaj, and the vicar provincial was friar Saji Mathew. The friars who have been elected as the provincial definitors are Tommy T.J., Simon A., Bhaskar, and Christy. 
In the second phase, all the friars were divided into ten groups and given ten themes to discuss by the minister general. Then all of us brought out concrete ways of living the Franciscan way of life in its different dimensions. The spirit of prayer and devotion, fraternal life, JPIC, vocation promotion, education ministry, safeguarding minor abuses, foreign mission, and so on were all themes that were brought to life in the chapter. 

The theme was "renewing our vision and embracing our future." Then the day went by with many recommendations prescribed by the chapter. After the individual proposals by friars were discussed and passed in the chapter, The second phase ended with mutual thanksgiving and the honoring of the new team and president of the chapter.

It was our privilege and joy that we were learning the Franciscan way of life from our elder brothers. It is really a mystery how God called each friar in a unique way. It just reminds us of the call of Abraham in Genesis 12. Many of the friars we met for the first time Even for the elder friars, seeing each other after such a long time was a joyous and special occasion. When we listened to some of the friars' vocation stories, it was really inspiring. The spirit of brotherhood had prevailed throughout the gathering. "We are all brothers" is the epitome of the chapter. It was really an enriching experience to listen to different friars' missions, ministries, and lives in their respective places. Thus,It's a clear occasion where God reveals Himself through deeds and words in the lives of Friars Minor.

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