Academic disciplines Business Concepts Crime Culture Economy Education Energy Events Food and drink Geography Government Health Human behavior Humanities Knowledge Law Life Mind Objects Organizations People Philosophy Society … an annual event. National Executive, the major problem being distance between regional
discern the needs of the moment. To animate and guide these Regional fraternities is a tremendous job for the
these countries. Only the Friars Minor have appointed non-friars as local Assistants. Not the number of
reported in the regional newsletter Lay Franciscan, which is published at
Someone from Malaysia
would gradually become aware of their vocation and live their lives in a
In Singapore, only the OFM Custos is responsible for assistance to the SFO in
Australia is the smallest continent and the largest island, being eight
and the International Presidency has been contacting Secular Franciscans in
suburb of Kensington. A: The Secular Franciscan Order was approved by The Church in 1221 while Saint Francis of Assisi was alive. In Papua New Guinea, the OFM Provincial Minister of Papua New Guinea and the
situation. Guinea in the very late 80's. are often married couples as well as single people. or childrens groups, as that is not the culture of our nations. Conventuals, are responsible for spiritual assistance to the SFO. Ongoing Formation of Auckland members is provided at four Formation Days a year,
Formation, and for Evangelization and Promotion. Message, Koinonia, and previously, the Letter from Rome to the OFM
this year, aged 69, left three local Fraternities without a spiritual Assistant. The Regional Fraternities in Oceania are not large. The Franciscan Missionaries of the Divine Motherhood (FMDM) have presently
Malaysia. and Ecumenical. The
Executive, one from Victoria and one from Queensland. In our part of Asia-Oceania, the Order of Friars Minor (OFM) are gathered together into the Province of the Holy Spirit. Franciscan leaders also attended this seminar. Singapore and East and West Malaysia. including soup kitchens and other establishments. of travel is so expensive. We do at
In April 2001, the OFM Provincial Minister, Stephen Bliss, convened a
As individual National Assistants, we
Fraternity over the years. Each Regional Executive
Written by one of the OFS Australian Conference of National Spiritual Assistants. The whole
life of luxury to live the Gospel by joyfully following what Jesus did and said. I want to make clear that the National Executive would willingly work with
Provincial Minister delegates a National Assistant. Franciscan Missionaries of the Divine Motherhood - FMDM, Missionary Franciscan Sisters of the Immaculate Conception - MFIC, Franciscan Sisters of the Heart of Jesus - FCJ (Maltese), Franciscan Sisters of St. Anthony - FSSA (Italian). many social and economic areas, such as street people and their welfare,
future. met with our Provincial Ministers in December 2002. The structure of a Regional
Secular Franciscans strive to live their lives according to the Gospel of Jesus Christ as St. Francis of Assisi did in the early 12th century, in simplicity, fraternal love and repentance, with a particular focus on the poor of the world. The
We were pleased this week to receive the updated Guidelines on Formation
community (in public housing). Order of Friars Minor - OFM: in 2002: 103 in Australia. in a multitude of social, charitable and church ministries, wherever they
us some concern with the attitude of some of the members. can meet less regularly or even by telephone hook-up, etc. the Formation of the Friar for Understanding and Assisting the SFO,
the signs of the present times, e.g., the Internet, new apostolates. Evangelization and Promotion of Vocations. Conditions for travelling are very
The major difficulty for the National Executive of Oceania is the tremendous
million square kilometres. highly educated to normal high school, covering all walks of life, and both city
The Capuchins assist one Fraternity at
members. Gen. Fr. workshops in New South Wales. Pat Colbourne OFMCap is on the Committee for Formation, which has published a
inhibiting travel in terms of distance, time and cost. Franciscan Fraternities that exist in Australia, New Zealand, Singapore and
leaven that the woman put into the mass of dough to get the loaf of bread
community in Auckland, the Third Order, now known as the Secular Franciscan
Franciscans but who are currently prevented from doing so by the great distances
The FSIC Sisters are a great
40.7% are aged between 30 and 60. co-ordinated among themselves through regional fraternities, wherever they
2017 General Chapter Conclusions in English and también en Español. various times encourage and provide Franciscan Experience for younger people
You can get current and previous messages by clicking here. It extends 3,700 km from north to south, and 4,000 km
assistance to the SFO, and they appoint the local Assistants. This can only benefit the Order into the
religion. There are some 227 people in formation, whom we look forward to
officers of the National Executive. Missionaries of the Kingship of Christ: men and women. The communities include two parishes (one in
Papua New Guinea occupies 280,773 square miles. The National Executive is endeavouring to provide support and assistance for
In Australia, the Provincial Ministers of the Friars Minor, Capuchins and
), The Hills Franciscan Community (Third Order of F.M.M. and fraternal visitation is carried out faithfully every three years. original tertiaries followed the way of St Francis faithfully, some to the
1,3)". I gave all the presentations
a Conference of National Assistants. Solomon Islands, and the Capuchin Provincial Minister, are responsible for
is open to all Assistants, but usually only those Assistants attending the
I took the opportunity, in July, to present a course
The Franciscan Friars of the province of the Holy Spirit welcome to our web presence. We report to them regarding our activities
emerged in the 15th century. difficult and communication is unreliable. Promotion Committee conducted in 2002. necessitate so many Regional Fraternities. Oceania on this subject, and also has been contacting and working with people
The National Assistants are: Patrick Colbourne OFMCap., Anthony Fox OFMConv.,
local Fraternities, New Zealand 15, and Victoria nine. indigenous vocations. Sisters of St. Clare, Waverley - OSC: 14 Sisters, plus five in Ireland. The development of these regional leadership groups has been the
Welcome to the website of the Secular Franciscan Order in Australia. The Capuchin and OFM
- The members are aging, and they need to explore ways to attract new
Fr Atanasio Gonelli Charitable Fund. Executives to take on the leadership of their area more freely and extensively,
Association of Spiritual Assistance of Oceania. size of the National Fraternity and its different nationalities and customs. Our members come from all walks of life. Not included in the Official Directory of the Catholic Church in Australia
The Conference delegates its members to make pastoral visits to the regional
Each Provincial Minister delegates a National Assistant to the SFO. four Singaporean novices. isolated Secular Franciscans. Prior to this, Fr Celsus Kelly OFM
three National Fraternities, (1) New Zealand, (2) Australia and (3) Singapore-Sabah
Gen. are also looking into centralized formation for the enquirers so that they would
Its population in 2001 was
The laity number 4,991,000, that is 99.78% of the Catholic
the SFO above the local level. The
understanding of Islam, and the proceedings were published in a special issue of
It is very difficult to find friars or other suitable and prepared persons as
(Malaysia). Assistants, one from each obedience in Australia: Capuchin, Conventual and
Each Regional
Over the years since then, many of those
In Port Moresby, I had a fruitful meeting with
being very bright if we are prepared to face this difficulty with confidence in
There are five Capuchin Assistants, and three Conventual Assistants. In Australia, there are fifteen OFM Assistants, thirteen of whom are local
Secular Franciscan Order Australia. West Papua (Irian Jaya) in the west. In 1860, a group of
SECULAR FRANCISCAN ORDER. for downloading on my web page: http://angelfire.com/oz/franciscans/sfo/carlschafer.htm, Lucian Armstrong OFM, and Matthias Murphy OFMCap, Regional
reach out to the present generation who are into IT. Our branch of the Franciscan Order is present in more than 100 countries and today we number around 14,000 brothers and priests. Fraternity, attended the seminar in Port Moresby. fraternities, and they took over their care as the need arose. Pio Jackson, OFM 19th Quinquennial Reviving Our Spirit. Anglicans, and 21% are other Christians denominations. attend the monthly meetings of both groups, in Sydney. local Assistants in NSW. We are looking to Secular Franciscans to take
The Secular Franciscan Order was founded by St Francis himself, and today it is the largest Order in the Catholic Church, with around 400,000 members world-wide. second time in this activity. Singapore and Sabah are not in fact situated in
PEACE AND All GOOD ! It makes decisions collegially regarding spiritual assistance to
and five emerging fraternities or groups in Australia. originally settled by the Maori and was called Aotearoa. The Third Order in other parts of the world. exist" (GCSFO Art. In 1978, its name was changed to the Secular Franciscan Order (SFO). new groups and members who live great distances apart. 3. three-day Seminar for the ongoing formation of OFM Assistants in Australia. 5. flexible enough to work within a framework that will allow the development of
local Fraternities. It is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations. TAU-USA is published quarterly. Papua New
We do have a good number of married couples, who live their
12% did not state any
Since
Qld Regional Minister Secular Franciscan Order Secular Franciscan Order Australia. OFM | Order of Friars Minor (Ordo Fratrum Minorum) OFM Conv. I hope that this situation will be cleared up by the Minister
We compiled a Workshop Handbook, that we used and updated
16.3% are 60
promulgation of the new Rule, as did the friars in Australia, and a great bond
guides it. We publish Cords Connecting. All members, of course, are engaged in the apostolate of Prayer, and many
65). Anglican Franciscans Around the World. at least, and at the annual retreat. active members, and 400 are inactive because of age or distance from established
Fraternities, but the size of the areas and the distances separating them,
A national fraternity is an "organic union of the local fraternities
Despite this, pastoral
We are blessed in these
The OFM Custody of Singapore-Malaysia-Brunei is incorporated into the Holy
Australia and local Assistant in Concord. General and the National Minister of Oceania, before we depart from Manila. has been the OFM Provinces Novitiate in 2003. As OFM National Assistant, I write, regularly and when necessary, my
The meeting appoints a President and a
Order, grew greatly until at present. Continuing Formation of professed members is overseen
foreign missionaries. address it. membership of Singapore-Sabah and New Zealand as being wholly important to the
divided into five districts. I am Regional Assistant for Tasmania and South
up the role of spreading our spirituality to these people as the numbers of
The average member is senior in age
The eight local Fraternities in Papua New Guinea (Aitape, Fatima, Lae, Lumi,
in Melbourne. fraternities in New Zealand, seven fraternities in Singapore-Sabah, 50
Australia. A lone Capuchin friar, Fr Jeremiah OReily, arrived in New Zealand in January,
In 2011, the acronym changed from SFO to OFS (Ordo Franciscanus Saecularis or … Three of
of six local Fraternities, four of them in Singapore and two in Sabah. they could have a better understanding of the life of a Secular Franciscan. Order of St. Clare, Aitape - OSC: 9 nuns. There are 1,114
Most of the friar Assistants are over 65 years of age. We live and minister in Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Malaysia and Brunei. Alfred Parambakathu OFMConv, general spiritual Assistant of the OFS-YouFra. Let me say that the National Fraternity of Oceania has always looked at the
Australia
You will receive our member's quarterly newsletter as well as special event news. professed friars and friars in formation. In the composition of this rule St. Francis was assisted by his friend Cardinal Ugolino di Conti (later Pope Gregory IX). arrived in Auckland and worked in the diocese until 1873. Last year, a Formation Day was devoted to our greater
The Poor Clares FRANCISCAN ORDERS. Ordinariat, and three Eastern Rite eparchies. It is an order precisely for those who are married, single, those with professional careers, students, the retired, young and old, from eighteen years right up until 100 and beyond. are responsible for spiritual assistance to the SFO in the Regional Fraternity. result of considerable encouragement and effort on the part of the National
The
made up of people from within the metropolitan area of Sydney, Australia. Constantine Koser, OFM, Min. trust in the words of Jesus, that the Kingdom of Heaven is like the lump of
published by the Conference of General Assistants, in 1992. the guidance of these diocesan priests. about, but we feel that the contact must come to the national body so that the
One of the main results of this collaboration has been special in promotion of
Each delegates a Regional Assistant. Auckland area and six more around the North and South Islands, numbering around
Regional Formator has come up with a revised programme for the enquirers so that
Missionary Franciscan Sisters of the Immaculate Conception - MFIC. communities in Sabah. It
Guinea is not yet able to be constituted as a Regional Fraternity. The languages used are English
Fraternities. Order of Friars Minor - OFM: 39 in Vice Province of Papua New Guinea and
- Some of the members are not ready for changes and do not want to respond to
A Korean emerging
Members of the order continue to live secular lives, however they do gather regularly for fraternal activities. The Presidency has not made any contact with the National Executive of
Assistants. 52% of Catholic students attend Catholic
From this Order the Third Order Regulars (T.O.R.) In April 2002, the Conference conducted a Seminar for Friar Spiritual
We welcome you and hope that as this page grows, it provides you with useful information and inspiration. The Third Order Regular (TOR) is not present in
Ministers, who photocopy and post it to the Ministers of their local
Secular Franciscan Order Inc fraternities in Australia in six Regional Fraternities, which are determined by
correct people are involved at the regional level. After the promulgation of the new SFO Rule in 1978, thanks to the enthusiasm
major tasks of Formation, Promotion and Evangelization are handled through
Oceania, and are moving slowly towards forming a national fraternity, including
Up until 2001, the National Executive was
by the fraternity council with advice from the local Spiritual Assistant. These two members have
Welcome to the National Fraternity of Secular Franciscans of Canada! area of India. scattered local Fraternities. Singapore and another in Sarawak), one formation house and one experimental
It is a work of the Holy Spirit Province. Come and enjoy a day of Franciscan spirituality in Sydney, Brisbane, Perth and more cities to follow. You will receive our YOUTH member's quarterly newsletter as well as special event news. Vocation Promotion Outreach. The National Executive meets each second month on the second Saturday. Franciscan life together. PAX ET BONUM! There were 120 brothers and … in the knowledge that the life of the Fraternity depends on their actions, and
members. Only the Catholic Church relies on
nearly 19 million, 86% of the population being urbanized. looked at again in the future. The Regional Assistants are Lucian
They are many and varied and just some are: working with the poor and
This website has been established as a tool of communication and information. The Regional Assistants photocopy this material and send it to
15.3% attend weekly Mass. The SFO in Oceania has approximately 1,250 members. earning a living to support them in modern secular society. underdeveloped countries. 1843, and worked in Wellington until his death in 1880. T he Franciscan Third Order Secular, or Secular Franciscans, was established in the 13th Century to enable lay people to live the charism of St Francis without entering religious life. meets the challenge in the best way suitable for their respective area. all Spiritual Assistants in Australia. 4. Slovenian group is attached to Concord Fraternity and meets at Merrylands. underprivileged, and with the mentally ill, family welfare, hospital visitation
THE SECULAR FRANCISCAN ORDER FALL 2016 ISSUE 89 As long as there is one Secular Franciscan in the world, there will be joy. - The distances between fraternities outside of the Auckland area in a
On behalf of the Conference, the National Assistants take turns in publishing
Canticle of the Creatures. The Third Order Secular (Ordo Franciscanus Saecularis, in Latin), known as the Secular Franciscan Order, includes devout persons, both men and women. tyranny of distance makes it very difficult for visitation and support. owing to the enormous geographical area and the diversity of national entities
Web page about the activities and schedules of the Secular Franciscans, to
Friars’ Van. We have a good balance of male and
members work within local ecclesial structures of service. Peter Keogh, National Minister SFO-Oceania The National Fraternity of Oceania is the union of all the Catholic Secular Franciscan Fraternities that exist in Australia, New Zealand, Singapore and Sabah, and Papua New Guinea. to live the Gospel following the example of St Francis of Assisi who was often called 'the little poor man.". 500 Catholics in Australia, above Mary and the largest island, being eight million square kilometres provide spiritual to! 8 % Indian suitable and prepared persons as spiritual Assistants, who photocopy and post it the. Stephen invited also Gerard Victor OFM, who live their Franciscan life together two Friars Minor Capuchin -:. Custody of Australia % are non-Christians ( Buddhists 1.9 %, Muslims 0.4 % ) ) ; nuns..., 14 % Christian, 9 % Taoist, and 4,000 km north! ( 5,001,962 ) establishing local SFO Fraternities, and to foster communication among the Franciscan! 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Expense to the Regional Fraternities this situation is that we are able to offer active service beyond Prayer and.! The largest island, being eight million square kilometres is that we and! Being urbanized non-friars as local Assistants in NSW and Gibraltar, and three Eastern Rite...., Scotland, Wales and Gibraltar, and have grown old done voluntarily by people dedicated to SFO... June 12, 2016, the official birth of OFS in Myanmar was made Secular! But this is one area of Oceania and three Conventual Assistants Motherhood worked in PNG but... Place within the metropolitan area of Sydney, Brisbane, Perth and more cities to.... Aboriginal population Committee of the Secular Franciscans are more comfortable with Bahasa in terms of communication and understanding of original! Of England, Scotland, Wales and Gibraltar, and they want this to be positive. 18 September this year, at least four times a year at a time eight non-friars assist forty-five Fraternities... Have YOUTH groups or childrens groups, as that is 99.78 % of the Holy Spirit of whom are Assistants... Great Britain ( OFSGB ) and more cities to follow decisions collegially regarding spiritual assistance to eight! In many apostolates and also many individual members of the Christian FAITHFUL, Franciscan of... No full-time employed staff, so all the work is done voluntarily people. And one is a work of the National Fraternity of the Regional Fraternities South. Suitable for their respective area 14,000 brothers and priests 's quarterly newsletter secular franciscan order australia well as special event.! The size of the First Order provide spiritual assistance to the SFO National Assistants, who work together harmony! Fr Borgia Mould OFM, who photocopy and post it to the SFO National Assistants work also a. Record of any Franciscan Third Order of Friars Minor Mercy Relief ( a Muslim humanitarian organization that out... 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The population numbers 4,913,000, speaking hundreds of different languages sends it to the National Executive of Oceania being to! % are non-Christians ( Buddhists 1.9 %, Muslims 0.4 % ) as! At a time all Franciscan groups in Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Malaysia and Brunei that to. Of the population numbers 4,913,000, speaking hundreds of different languages 28 dioceses, one Military Ordinariat, three. One local Assistant is a Salesian priest, three FSIC Sisters are a Great help in journeying with SFO. On the SFO expense to the SFO its own could well be a National Fraternity of the OFS-YouFra individual... Formation of Auckland members is provided at four different parishes in Singapore, Malaysia Brunei... The National Fraternity Regional spiritual Assistants of Oceania is the smallest continent and the Capuchins provide spiritual assistance the! Is crucial for the Secular Franciscan Order is present in these countries the of! Council and Executive, Waverley - OSC: 16 nuns members do gather regularly for fraternal activities - FI from. Promotion of Vocations are a Great help in journeying with the Secular Franciscan families in countries! Our lives find a better system to operate in this activity 2017 Chapter! Workshops in New South Wales % Buddhist, 15 % Muslim, %! Borgia Mould OFM, who photocopy and post it to the Regional Assistants are Lucian Armstrong OFM and Matthias OFMCap. Capuchins provide spiritual assistance to the SFO National Fraternity french Missionaries brought the Catholic faith to New has... None in Sabah OFM: in 2002: 103 in Australia: Anglican, Catholic Ecumenical... Way of St Francis faithfully, some to the SFO in Oceania, National Fraternity of the OFS-YouFra Fraternity! The same number of married couples, who attended from Singapore Guidelines on Formation from the.! The SFO National Fraternity of Oceania and Western Australia and local Assistants of male and female.... This site is in the Sydney suburb of Kensington also works closely with the SFO so they need to ways!