Today roughly 600 Franciscans - mostly Secular Franciscans, but friars, sisters, and others as well - gathered in a hotel in Skokie, Illinois, for five days together. We hold these conferences every five years, and each one I've attended (this is my fourth) has been very different; this too promises to be a new experience. This first afternoon of arrival and evening with dinner and Mass celebrated by Auxiliary Bishop Rojas was most notable for me because of all the people who greeted me. Our National Ministers who have served for the past twenty-one years are all present. Our Minister and Vice Minister General are present. Many current and past regional ministers are here as well, along with most of our current national executive council, all four members of the Conference of National Spiritual Assistants, one of our general spiritual assistants, ...
However, beyond that, I've run into people I met at the Formation Workshop in Belleville last year, people I met at the weekend conference in Loretto, PA, last year, members of my own regional fraternity whom I've never met before...so many people that it's rather overwhelming, but in a good way.
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