The Franciscan Provincial Synod Event, a weeklong process of synodal listening and discernment to shape the Province of Our Lady of Guadalupe’s future, has begun in Kansas City, Missouri.
Guided by the Holy Spirit, 200 Franciscans – friars from the province and their ministry partners – seek concrete answers to pivotal questions that will shape their future: how will they renew Franciscan life in the US and stand as witnesses to the Church and the world today?
Provincial Minister Br. Larry Hayes addresses the Franciscan Provincial Synod. (Photo courtesy of Br. Octavio Duran)
Seeking renewal
As he commissioned the synod, Provincial Minister Br. Larry Hayes, OFM, said synodality is more than addressing administrative or demographic changes — it is part of a process to renew Franciscan life and reform the Church.
Pope Francis “sees (synodality) not as just a momentary event, but rather a continuous journey,” Br. Larry said, “one in which the Church learns to understand herself better and discern the most effective ways to carry out her mission.”
Br. Larry expressed hope that the province could follow a similar learning plan and become a “reflection of the Church’s mission to be renewed by the Holy Spirit.”
This is not, he added, something that the friars can do alone. Addressing the nearly 100 Poor Clares, Franciscan sisters, and ministry partners in the room, Br. Larry emphasized the importance of their presence by citing the times when St. Francis asked St. Clare and Sylvester of Assisi for advice.
"He didn’t ask them for off-the-cuff advice. He asked them to pray about these options and then to offer him their counsel based on their prayer and knowledge of him,” he said. “You, friends of the friars, will be implicated in the result of this synod! We’ll need you to help us fulfill the outcomes we discern here.”
Bishop John Stowe, OFM Conv., on left, gave a Signs of the Times address to the synod. (Photo courtesy of Br. Octavio Duran)
Reading the ‘signs of the times’
To help those present identify how the Franciscans can address the realities of today’s world, Bishop John Stowe, OFM Conv., of the Diocese of Lexington, Kentucky, gave a keynote address: “Reading the Signs of the Times.” Among the points he made were:
— There is war and unrest happening around the world. If we are to be peacemakers in the tradition of St. Francis, we must pay attention to what is happening in those places. We are all brothers and sisters in a global fraternity.
— Climate change, war and migration are all connected. When local economies are destroyed by extreme weather or violence, people are forced to find a new place to live. Pope Francis’s encyclical “Laudato Si’” – inspired by St. Francis’s Canticle of Creation – calls Catholics to address the root causes of climate change, war and migration, and the Franciscan family is called to be leaders in preserving and caring for creation.
— In a deeply polarized society, we need reconciliation. Reconciliation cannot occur until the hard work of lament, seeking forgiveness and reparations has been undertaken. A lack of reparations leads to inequality and as Franciscans, we should be among the first to recognize those inequalities and address them.
— With the rise of Christian nationalism, we must be disciples of Jesus Christ. Franciscans should stand with Jews, Muslims and religious minorities, recognizing that for our Christianity to flourish, we must reject racism and recognize the good in all people.
He also emphasized that the current Franciscan papacy, with its focus on Catholic Social Teaching, missionary discipleship, climate change, migration, interfaith dialogue and promotion of nonviolence, is an opportunity for the Province of Our Lady of Guadalupe to renew the Franciscan charism and mission in the present moment of the U.S. Church.
“You have been doing the work Pope Francis has asked us to do to rebuild the Church,” Bishop Stowe told the synod. “It’s a providential time. This new province is being built with an incredibly strong legacy, oriented toward a future we don’t yet know. You’re doing the good work of discernment, discussion, reflection, prayer and openness to the Holy Spirit that is exactly what we should be doing.”
A penance liturgy gave the friars the opportunity to recommit themselves to serving God and his people. (Photo courtesy of Br. Octavio Duran)
Recommitting to service
As part of the event on Tuesday, friars held a penance liturgy during which the Provincial Council confessed the communal sins of the brothers, coming before God to be freed from what holds them back from his love, ministry to others and moving forward with the renewal process. Communal sins included lack of listening, complacency, privilege, indifference, selfishness, sin against poverty and individualism.
Washed clean in the waters of baptism, the friars recommitted themselves to serving God and his people, ready to receive the Spirit in the days ahead.
What is next?
Throughout the week, the group will discern answers to questions related to charism, mission and lifestyle. On Thursday, it will create a list of priorities and actions that will be included in a report that will be shared with the international Order in Rome and forge a future path for close to 700 Franciscan friars.
Scenes from Day 1 of the Franciscan Provincial Synod
