LORD, MAKE US INSTRUMENTS OF YOUR PEACE...

Our community of Büyükada in recent months has had the joy of sharing together with the OFM friars of the Istanbul fraternity, the visit of the Minister General, Fr. Massimo Fusarelli.

From 26 to 28 October, returning from his visit to the Holy Land, the Minister General Fr. Massimo Fusarelli wanted to visit his friars in Istanbul and he also reached the community of friars in Smyrne in a single day.

For us it has been a great joy as fmsc to meet him again and to greet him! Fr Eleuthere Makuta, guardian of the fraternity, immediately included us in all the preparations for the welcome and also informed us of the agenda and the visits of the Minister General, as always we felt part of a large Franciscan family.

On his arrival, Father Massimo recognized us immediately, because in the past we participated in some courses or retreats he had done in the Generalate house in Rome; and then when he saw us he told us: “Here are the Franciscan Missionaries of the Sacred Heart always with a smile!”

Time was really short and therefore the most important thing for him was to get to know and see his brothers and so, he met them personally and in community but we had the opportunity to speak with him in a fraternal and personal way.

Father Massimo asked us about our presence and our work in this land, and it was Fr. Eleuthere who underlined the fraternal journey as a Franciscan family that has always characterized us: we are one fraternity!

And this is a beautiful witness in the Church today!

We are always present on every occasion and we try to walk with the local church and with the parish, giving a hand in everything that is needed!

We also had the opportunity to talk about the celebration of the bicentenary of our founder, Father Gregorio Fioravanti, because Fr. Massimo remembered well the invitation made by our mother general, and therefore he said he will be there with great pleasure!

On the occasion of the visit of the Minister General, we had the opportunity to celebrate the day of "The Spirit of Assisi" on October 27, because for two years and due to the pandemic, we have not had the opportunity to celebrate it.

Therefore, in the evening, we had a small prayer meeting with the dervishes of Istanbul, the Dede and some members of the group arrived, who met the Minister and talked about the journey made together with the friars of Santa Maria, also remembering our dear bishop Monsignor Rúben Tierrablanca for the enormous contribution he has made in interreligious dialogue.

After the meeting, the fraternity organized a dinner with some members of the parish community and with all the people of the Saint Pacifico Project.

It was an opportunity to present the project and the people to Fr. Massimo. Then, Sr Miriam presented the journey that has been made and each of the young people who were present; they thanked in the person of the Minister General, all those who offer them help, for the support of the Catholic Church in Turkey and for the opening of Franciscan convents to date. “You have given us a new opportunity and you have believed in us! For this we thank you ”, were some of the words spoken to the Minister General by the youth and Fr. Massimo, with his excellent Spanish, wanted to know and listen to some stories, and in turn thank them because they are certainly the ones who teach us what it means to be Franciscans today!

Community of Büyükada