Fr. Jeff meets Pope Francis
Provincial Minister Fr. Jeff Scheeler, OFM, greets Pope Francis. Photo: ©L'Osservatore Romano
“Thank you, Holy Father, for the hope that you give us."
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Fr. Jeff with General Minister Fr. Michael Perry, OFM
The General Chapter of the Order began in Assisi on Sunday, May 10 and ended on June 7. Leadership of the Provinces and Custodies gathered to assess the current state of the Order and set a course for the next six years. Friars voted on proposed changes to the Constitutions and Statutes and re-elected Minister General, Fr. Michael Perry, OFM.
The General Chapter of the Order began with a real experience of poverty, and mendicancy for Fr. Jeff. A momentary power outage at the Cincinnati airport caused havoc for all the baggage in the airport. After an hour of trying to sort it out, the pilot finally decided they had to leave. The delay caused Jeff to miss his connection in Paris but folks there assured him that his baggage was on the flight he was assigned. Once in Paris, Fr. Jeff found out this was not true. It was a long 5 days before his first bag arrived. He survived on the generosity of fellow friars for his basic needs.
Fr. Jeff is happy to finally get his lost luggage and return his borrowed habit that is much too short! Photo: ©capitulumgenerale2015
Fr. Jeff writes:
"The Chapter began with a very powerful opening moment. All the delegates gathered on the plaza in front of St Mary of the Angels.
We processed in and kissed the book of the Gospels held by the General Minister, the successor of St Francis, before walking through the Portiuncula chapel. I touched the very stone that Francis used to rebuild the chapel, and was quite moved by this brief ceremony.
There’s no doubt that the highlight of the General Chapter was the audience with Pope Francis. Pope Francis spoke in Italian, so I only understood it when I read it later on.
Our General Minister Michael Perry stood next to the Pope and told him our names and country. (I was pretty amazed at that, given that there are about 160 of us!)
I said to Pope Francis, “Thank you, Holy Father, for the hope that you give us.
He did not speak in return; I was not sure if he understood me. To be honest, I did not realize he smiled so broadly until I saw the picture from the OFM website."
Fr. Jeff was privileged to preside at Mass at the Porziuncola, one of the churches that St. Francis restored after he heard God's voice say to him from the San Damiano Cross, "Francis, Francis, go and repair My house which, as you can see, is falling into ruins". Fr. Jeff's homily reflects his personal time of prayer before the same cross just the day before.
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Follow each day of the General Chapter at the Order's website beginning with 'What does celebrating a chapter mean?'
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Read a synopsis of the Pope's message to the Franciscans from Catholic News Service.
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Weekly updates from Fr. Jeff can be read on our Province website's newsletter, SJB News Notes
160 Franciscan Provincials from around the globe pose for a photo with Pope Francis. Photo: ©L'Osservatore Romano
Posted in: News, Prayer, Saint Clare, Saint Francis, Vocations
