SECULAR FRANCISCANS AS SPIRITUAL ASSISTANTS

Carl Schafer OFM

The General Constitutions of the SFO state, in Article 89.4:

"When it is not possible to give such a spiritual assistant to the fraternity, the competent major superior can entrust the service of spiritual assistance to:

a. religious brothers or sisters of other Franciscan institutes;

b. diocesan clerics or other persons, specially prepared for such service, who are members of the SFO;

c. other diocesan clerics or non-Franciscan religious."

Persons other than friars, specially prepared for such service, who are members of the SFO are professed Secular Franciscans. The Constitutions underline the importance of training them for the purpose of giving spiritual assistance to a fraternity.

Some may not see how a Secular Franciscan can be a witness of the fraternal affection of the religious towards the secular Franciscans and a bond of communion between the First Order and the SFO (cf. Gen.Const. 89.3). However, the Secular Franciscan, like any other spiritual assistant, must be designated and appointed by a major superior of the First Order to carry out this service for a specific fraternity of the SFO (cf. Gen.Const. 89.2).

It is understood that the Secular Franciscan spiritual assistant is not a member of the local fraternity that is to be assisted. It is vitally important that the Secular Franciscan spiritual assistant understands the role of a spiritual assistant, including the stipulation that he or she does not have the right to vote in the elections or in financial matters.

During the Asian-Oceania Congress, held in Manila in 2003, one National Assistant suggested that, since all fraternities must have a spiritual assistant, and not enough friars are interested in being spiritual assistants, we should impose a moratorium and not promote the SFO or canonically establish any more new fraternities.

Fr Valentin Redondo OFMConv , General Spiritual Assistant to the SFO disagreed with this suggestion, as well he might. He said that, instead of thinking in that way, we should think about preparing spiritual assistants by motivating the friars and instructing them about the SFO already during their years of formation.

Fr Valentin referred also to Article 89 of the General Constitutions and to the Statutes for Spiritual and Pastoral Assistance, Article 15.4, which repeat the series of options, including Secular Franciscans as spiritual assistants.

Fr Agapito Diez OFM, former National Assistant to the SFO in the Philippines wrote that in January 2005 the SFO in the Philippines had twenty emerging fraternities. The only requirement missing in fifteen of them was the availability and appointment of a spiritual assistant. Consequently, members professed for five or more years and full of enthusiasm lost hope of ever being an established fraternity and became demoralized.

The expansion of the Secular Franciscan Order should not be hampered by a lack of spiritual assistants, neither should any viable local fraternity be deprived of a spiritual assistant and consequently of canonical establishment.

The National Assistants are the only persons authorized by their respective Provincial Minister to establish local fraternities canonically. It is their duty also to ensure that spiritual assistants are properly trained. For this purpose, they need to call upon the expertise of professional people as well as that of qualified friars and Secular Franciscan formators and leaders.

Fr Agapito added, "I am happy to tell you that, particularly in the last five years, many lay Franciscans, after constant seminars, are quite well prepared to take on the responsibility of spiritual assistants."

Towards the end of 2006, the Conference of National Assistants to the SFO in Oceania intends to hold a weekend workshop for the training of young people to become Secular Franciscan leaders in Australia. "Young" may mean persons aged from 18 to 38.

In 2008, the Conference intends to conduct a seminar for spiritual Assistants appointed in Australia since 2003. Both the 2006 workshop and the 2008 seminar have already been approved by the Provincial Ministers in Australia. Perhaps, the participation in the seminar could be extended to professed Secular Franciscans who would be designated by the Provincials as candidates for spiritual assistants. We would need to have the approval of the Provincial Ministers who are financing the seminar, to extend the participation.

The First Order and the SFO in the National Fraternity of Oceania, but outside Australia, are welcome to participate in either the workshop in 2006 or the seminar in 2008. However, they would need to make their own arrangements for covering the costs of travel and accommodation.