The assembly convened for the last day of Chapter. We started with Mid-Day Prayer, followed by roll call and the approval of the Minutes of 3rd May. The latter were approved unanimously by a show of hands.
The Assembly mandated the Capitular Congress to approve today’s Minutes through a vote by a show of hands. We thus passed on to the reading and approval of the Chapter decisions. A total of 13 decisions were voted upon through a show of hands.
Votation came to an end at 10:10 and a break was given. We resumed at 10:37, with the concluding speech of the Minister Provincial. He thanked the Minister General, Br Massimo Fusarelli, who has sacrificed precious time to be with us as our minister and servant. He thanked Br Jimmy for accompanying him. The Provincial exhorted us to “reconcile ourselves with our past, accept with faith our present and move on with courage towards our future.” We need to embark on our mission with gratitude, being careful to let nothing hinder or separate us from our service to the Lord.
Br Jimmy Zammit said that he found himself as a brother amongst brothers. He shared with us some of the tasks as a General Definitor, particularly that of trying to envisage a future for the Order where the presences are few and physical distances are large. Significant changes are happening on the level of Provinces and Conferences and a rethinking is going on regards the structure that can keep us together is tomorrow’s reality. He expressed gratitude at the friars who encouraged him in his work.
The Minister General, Br Massimo Fusarelli, noted that it is an extraordinary thing that a Minister General celebrates a Provincial Chapter, even though he has done it already in a number of occasions. He held that we need do take gradual decisions together to preserve our charism and our future. We should not live our vocation with the thought of declining numbers or a sterile future. Our focus should be on living our life in an authentic way. We should ask ourselves: “What does the Lord want from the brothers in Malta?” We need to cherish our charism and live it, without losing hope. He exhorted us to be generous when the Minister Provincial approaches us and asks of us a ministry. The Minister Provincial thanked once again Br Massimo Fusarelli for being with us during our Chapter.
At 11:10 we passed on the reading and approval of the Final document by a show of hands. The Secretary projected the minutes of 4th May and they were approved by a show of hands.
The Minister General officially declared that the Provincial Chapter was not closed. We were given a 20 min break and then we concluded our gathering with the celebration of the Eucharist at 11:45 followed by lunch.
