THE
ROLE OF THE SPIRITUAL ASSISTANT
In
the Local Fraternity
Fr. Irudaya Samy, OFMCap
1. Introduction
Francis and his brothers felt led by the Spirit to serve the penitents,
who for their part looked more and more to the friars for guidance and spiritual
animation. Francis’ Letter to All the Faithful is a remarkable witness to the teaching
and spiritual direction that he provided for the laity. The evidence of Celano,
the Anonymous of Perugia, St.
Bonaventure, the Legend of Three
Companions, Pope Gregory IX and others, proves that from the beginning ‘the
lay people desired to associate themselves with the Franciscan movement, to
share in the charism of the Poverello while leading their own life as laity in
the world.’[1] Inspired by the Holy
Spirit, Francis responded to the appeal of the crucifix of St. Damian by
bringing forth an evangelical way of life which, lived by his friars, sisters
and the laity ‘rebuilt’ the Church and must still carry on with its
restoration.
The ministry to the SFO is truly ‘assistance’ and not control of the
SFO. This responsibility, which is clearly accentuated in the Statutes for Spiritual and Pastoral
Assistance to the Secular Franciscan Order, is already referred to by Pope
Benedict XIII. In his Bull Paternae Sedis Apostolicae, he reminds
the Minister General that ‘as successor of St. Francis he has the duty of
rendering spiritual assistance to the Third Order.’[2]
The renewed legislation of the Secular Franciscan Order places the
spiritual Assistant in a new light, very different from that of the past, i.e.,
it places him in his true dimension. If the work of the Assistant seems reduced
as regards direction and organization, it acquires greater depth in the area of
spiritual accompaniment and in the formation of the brothers and sisters.
However, these changes must not harden the heart of the Assistant so that he
adopts a passive approach, but rather they should lead him to an attitude of
greater responsibility and commitment.
II. The Spiritual Assistant as Animator
‘Assistant’
comes from the Latin verb ‘adsistere,’ meaning: to stand next to, to help
through one’s own active participation, to protect, to favour. The Assistant is
the one called because of his competence to assist the SFO.[3]
The General Constitutions also
provide for the person of the Animator. ‘Animator’ from ‘animare’ means: to
plant life, to give courage, to promote, to give expression, movement and
warmth, to invigorate, to transfigure. The Animator is the one who inspires and
promotes intellectual life; he is the spiritual guide of a movement.
From article 13 of the Statutes
for Spiritual and Pastoral Assistance to the SFO, we come to know clearly
the role of the Spiritual Assistant:
1. The
principal task of the assistant is to foster a deeper insight into Franciscan
spirituality and to cooperate in the initial and continuing formation of the
secular Franciscans.
2. In
the Council of the fraternity and in elective and ordinary Chapters, the
assistant will be respectful of the responsibilities and role of the secular
Franciscans, giving them priority with regard to the guidance, coordination,
and animation of the fraternity.
3. The
assistant participates actively and votes in the discussions and decisions
taken by the Council or by the Chapter. He or she is specifically responsible
for the animation of liturgical celebrations and spiritual reflections during
the meetings of the council or of the chapter.[4]
The Spiritual Assistant should have the ability to develop in the SFO an
authentic Franciscan spirit, so that all SFO brothers and sisters can carry
that spirit into the world. Hence, it is necessary to help the laity grow in
dialogue with the world, to offer secular Franciscans a way to view the world
differently, and to inculturate the faith truly in a Franciscan way. The assistant plays a pivotal (central) role
in the pastoral care entrusted by the Church to the First Order and the TOR in
relation to the SFO. It is a special responsibility. The Spiritual Assistant is
a symbol of the unity and collaboration of the Franciscan Family because by his
mere presence with the secular Franciscans he expresses that we are one and
complementary, that we are together striving for the same goals, come from the
same roots, are motivated by the same charism, and are shaped by the same
legacies and traditions..
On the role of the assistant, Pope John Paul II says: ‘the mission of
the ecclesiastical assistant is directed toward educating in the faith and
promoting growth in the interior life… in such a way that the laity respond
joyfully and generously to the call to holiness and to their specific mission
according to the Gospel… The mission of the Assistant then achieves its goal in
the promotion among the members of the Fraternity of their particular lay
vocation in all its implications and specific nature… Your action, your
specific apostolate, your mission as spiritual fathers and educators in the
faith for individual people, are fundamental elements for the formation of all
members, including leaders and animators.’[5]
III. The Spiritual Assistant to a
Fraternity
The Assistant is by right a member of the Council; his role consists in
being the privileged formator of the entire Fraternity. He must be entirely
aware of this fact if he is to convey widely his understanding of ‘things
Franciscan’, with the presence and the competence required of him. He also
participates in the meetings of the Fraternity, being actively present and
alert to the dynamics of the group.
The Statutes for Spiritual and
Pastoral Assistance to the SFO clearly state:
1. The
Spiritual Assistant is the person designated by the competent major superior to
carry out this service for a specific fraternity of the SFO and of the
Franciscan Youth.
2. In
order to be a witness of Franciscan spirituality and of the fraternal affection
of the religious towards the secular Franciscans, and to be a bond of communion
between his Order and the SFO, the spiritual assistant should preferably be a
Franciscan religious, a member of the First Order or the TOR.
3. The
Spiritual Assistant is by right a voting member of the council and of the
chapter of the fraternity to which he or she gives assistance and collaborates
with it in all activities. Only in
economic matters and in elections at any level does he or she not enjoy the
right to vote.[6]
As regards the role of each, he concerns himself with pastoral and
spiritual formation as well as with the liturgical and sacramental life of the
Fraternity. He is the guarantor of the biblical-theological content of
formation: he speaks of God and is sensitive to such spiritual aspects as
prayer, listening to the Word and spiritual direction. As witness to fraternal
life, he becomes the bond of unity within the Fraternity, with the community of
the friars, with the other Franciscan religious communities to be found in the
area, and with the ecclesial community. He is on the look-out that the
Fraternity does not close in on itself and become a ‘parish group’; he enlivens
the Fraternity's interest in the life of the local Church, through
collaboration in diocesan and parochial initiatives. In being the spiritual and
‘prophetic’ counsellor of the government of the Fraternity, it falls to him to
encourage all towards ‘unity in charity’ and the sensus ecclesiae.
The Assistant is not to be the ‘director’ or the ‘factotum’; but he is
not simply a chaplain or a priest, according to the terminology used by some
Church groups, who limit his presence to celebrating the Eucharist and
administering the sacraments. Like all the members of the Council, he has the
duty to ‘serve’ as best he can, as the Rule
requires. He is pastor, guide and teacher; he must get to know the members of
the Fraternity, one by one, and form them by harmonizing the education and
abilities of each so that no one remains isolated or on the periphery. I am
talking about a profound work that is carried out discreetly and quietly, yet
very effectively for the growth of the Fraternity in all its members. The
Assistant often has to make people feel that they belong to a fraternity and
that above all their own talents are given rein. At times some spiritual
Assistants underrate the members of the SFO. Many of our brothers and sisters
have special gifts and capacities which often they do not see and realize; at
times it is enough to encourage them and give them the chance.[7]
IV. The Spiritual Assistant in
the formation team
In the General Constitutions
we find:
- ‘the
spiritual Assistant is a member of the Council of the Fraternity to which he
gives assistance, and collaborates with it in all its activities. It is the
particular task of the Assistant to cooperate in the initial and continuing
formation of the brothers and sisters’ (Const. 90: 1, 2,);
- the
Assistant is responsible for formation as spiritual guide (cf. Const.
37,2);
- before
admitting someone to profession, the Council must listen to the Formator and
the Assistant (cf. Const. 41,1);
- in
the pastoral visits, the Assistant ‘will give special attention to programs,
methods and experiences of formation’ (Const. 95,4).
On the role of the Assistant as educator, we have an authoritative
comment by Pope John Paul II: ‘For those who have specific responsibilities in
the Secular Franciscan Order, I hope for unity of purpose and identity of
determination, so that they can be enlightened animators and guides, by leading
the way for the brothers and sisters in the love of the Gospel and fidelity to
the Church... I thank the Father Assistants who are your teachers and guides’.[8]
The Assistant’s task is to give witness to the authenticity of the
charism and to be a safe and enlightened guide. Therefore he neither commands
nor directs, neither administrates nor organizes. Rather he gives witness to
the Word of God of which he is the representative and signpost.
Spiritual Assistants assist the seculars in maintaining a healthy idea
of Church, Gospel, the role of theology, the integration of gospel and life,
and honesty in challenging people to new growth and life. Reasonable care and
consistent reflection on Gospel ideals and values are more important than
looking for ‘what’s wrong.’ A spiritual Assistant who fights with seculars will
not be a blessing to the Franciscan family. There is no need to dominate and
become dictatorial in serving the Franciscan family. The authority of a
spiritual Assistant is a servant authority. Jesus was clear on this when he
washed the feet of the disciples at the last supper (Jn
As a member of the formation team, the Assistant is not the only leader
nor should he behave as if he were: there is also the Formator, and even though
they are not present, the Minister and the Council with their guidelines.
He must collaborate in the formation of all, especially in initial and
ongoing formation. How he is to exercise his role of formator, he will find out
in meetings of the Council, in assemblies, in spiritual direction, in
celebrations and when he animates the prayer, if he keeps the following factors
in mind:[9]
Objectives
- to help new members prepare themselves
for the definitive ‘proposal’;
- to accompany the professed in
persevering and entering more fully into their commitment.
Method
- By
the example and witness of one who lives as a Franciscan;
- By
collaborating as a member with the formation group, without imposing his own
ideas; rather by forming the group itself, helping it particularly in dealing with
subjects which are often unfamiliar to the seculars;
- By
evaluating together the progress already achieved and that still remaining;
- By
proffering support through what he has to say and what preparations he makes.
Period of Initiation
The Assistant has the principal duty of:
Counsellor: he enters into personal dialogue and, if
requested, sacramental dialogue with the aspirant. He helps the aspirants
clarify their own vocation, purifying it and bringing it to greater clarity. He
offers them service as a spiritual guide, in prayer and in the journey of
conversion. He accompanies them along the way of living the Gospel.
Guide: together with the Council, he organizes the
course of formation which he, together with the Formator, will help develop and
make faithful to the Franciscan charism. Naturally he will enter into dialogue
with the aspirants so as to introduce them progressively and methodically to a
deepening of the truths of faith and the knowledge of Franciscan spirituality.
Ongoing Formation
The Assistant will seek to collaborate with the Minister and Council by
giving his support as a person of education and experience, so as to provide
the brothers and sisters with a programme of ongoing formation:
- as a help and accompaniment to the continual conversion requested by
the Gospel;
- to form all in bringing them to the completion of their proper mission
in the Church and society by means of witness and evangelization;
- to educate the Fraternity in learning how to discern the signs of the
times.
In everything suggested by the
Constitutions (cf. Const. 44) and in all initiatives of a formative
nature taken by the Council, he should be present and should lend as much
support as will be required of him.[10]
V. Conclusion
Spiritual Assistants should never forget that the SFO is a secular Order
and that this quality constitutes its contribution and specific gift to the
Franciscan Family, to the Church and to the world. Assistants therefore should
always be conscious of this essential element of the life of the SFO in its
totality. To safeguard the secular nature of the SFO, a basic mentality and
orientation is required of all those who give this service of assistance. The
Franciscan fraternity is one. Our pastoral service must not be an obstacle to
unity. It should support and develop this unity. The diversity of obedience
must be a source of richness and not a hindrance to our pastoral care of the
secular Fraternity. We spiritual Assistants must renew our understanding of the
Secular Fraternity, with a serenity and confidence. The most outstanding
positive sign is the perennial vitality of the message of St. Francis of
Spiritual assistance is a special vocation and the spiritual Assistant
is a sign of the charism lived in the First Order and TOR and passed on as a
stimulus to the laity of the SFO. Therefore, I would like to make a direct plea
to the Ministers Provincial that they encourage their own religious to
specialize in Franciscanism and that they facilitate the sending of local
assistants for courses in Franciscanism.
Above all, in our theological seminaries there must be courses on the
history and spirituality of the SFO that are lively and formative. It is time
for giving a new thrust that will unite the strength of the First Order and TOR
to the prayers of the Second Order and to the help of the SFO in order to
review and reestablish our own Franciscan apostolate. This is the special
service for the SFO and a special vocation for Spiritual Assistants. The degree
of vitality of the secular fraternities will be a reflection of our own
vitality. We progress or grow TOGETHER.
[1] O. Schmucki, ‘II Terz’Ordine Francescano nelle biografie di san
Francesco,’ Collectanea Francescana
43, 1973, p. 139; K. Esser, ‘Un documento dell’inizio del Duecento sui
Penitenti’ in I Frati penitenti di san Francesco nella Società del due e trecento,
Roma, 1977, p. 95.
[2] Handbook for Spiritual Assistance, Conference of
National Spiritual Assistants
[3] Ibidem, p. 178.
[4] Statutes for the Spiritual and Pastoral Assistance to the Secular
Franciscan Order,
[5] Discourse of
[6] Statutes for the Spiritual and Pastoral Assistance
to the Secular Franciscan Order,
Art.12.
[7] Handbook for Spiritual
Assistance, Conference of National Spiritual Assistants
[8] Discourse of
[9] Handbook for Spiritual Assistance, Conference of
National Spiritual Assistants
[10] Handbook for Spiritual Assistance to the Secular Franciscan Order. Conference
of National Spiritual Assistants USA, 1996, p.181-182.