LETTER TO MARK THE 800TH ANNIVERSARY OF  THE COMING  OF THE FRIARS MINOR TO BRITAIN.

To the Brothers of the Province, especially to those from Britain

May the Lord give you peace.

"This  is what I want, this is what I seek, this is what I long for with all my heart" (I Celano 22). With these enthusiastic words, St Francis responded to the Gospel of the sending out of the disciples when it was read at Mass in the little chapel of the Porziuncola. After that, he set about designing a habit for himself and tried to put into practice what he had heard in the Gospel. Shortly thereafter, he was joined by the first brothers  and  began  to sketch  out the primitive  Rule which  was approved  by Pope Innocent  III  in  1209.  Among  the  early  brothers,  one  of  those  captivated  by  the enthusiasm  of Francis for living the Gospel way of life was one Agnellus of Pisa. In

1212 we are told that he received the habit of the Order from St Francis himself.

As is clear from the early sources, this was a time of great enthusiasm and growth for the Order in Europe. Agnellus ofPisa was first of all sent to Paris where he established a friary. On his return to Italy, Agnellus was sent by Francis, along with eight other brothers to establish  the Order in England. They arrived in Dover on 1Qth  September

1224, as recorded by Thomas ofEcclestone in his De adventu Minorum in Angliam.

From that small beginning, there grew the large and influential Province of England. It has given to the Church great thinkers like Robert Grosseteste, Roger Bacon, John Duns Scotus, William of Ockham, as well as martyrs such as John Forest, John Jones and John Wall. In later centuries, due to persecution, it was not possible to live the religious life  openly  or  to  minister  as  a  Catholic  priest.  Numbers  dwindled.  However,  the Province was revived again thanks to the arrival of friars from other Provinces. Well into the middle of the twentieth century, the friars of the Province maintained a strong missionary presence in India and in South Africa.

However, as with many other parts of the world, those entering the Order in recent decades have become very few, numbers have decreased rapidly, the median age is high and energy levels are low. It would be easy to view this reality solely in negative terms. Yet perhaps it is time to recall once more the words of St Francis as recorded by Thomas of Celano: "Concerned about poverty, the man of God feared large numbers: they give the appearance,  if not the reality, of wealth. Because of this, he used to say: 'Oh, if it were possible,  I wish the world would only rarely get to see the Lesser Brothers and should be surprised at their small number"'  (II Celano 70).

These words were quoted in the year 2000 by the late Giacomo Bini in The Order today: reflections  and prospects. His first remark after the citation is: "That  day has come!" Even 24 years ago, he could see that the Order was facing the challenge of reduced numbers and the need to restructure but his was not an attitude of despair. Rather he wrote: "It is certain that it is the Lord who calls whom he wills, as he wills and when he wills. Our part is to ask, pray, welcome and accompany on the gospel path those who are called, by the witness of our life and by our words".

Francis did not consider reduced numbers a failure, nor did he consider large numbers a success. What he was interested in was a sincere effort on the part of the brothers to live a Gospel way of life. In our day, in spite ofthe challenges, that is still possible and there are signs that new things are still possible, that the story of the Friars Minor in Britain is not over:

With great generosity on the part of the Custody, Antony Jukes moved to Killarney to be novice-master in a novitiate that was international and inter-provincial. Later, a new outreach to migrants was established when Kieran Fitzsimons moved to Birmingham where he is now living and working with Gianfrancesco Sisto from the Province of St Michael the Archangel in Italy.

This year, a new international  fraternity appointed by the Minister General will move into Stratford, composed initially of Yusuf Bagh from Pakistan, Reu Galoy from the Philippines,  Desire Niyonkuru  from Burundi, and Mariusz Linik from Poland.

And, after the last Definitory meeting, two Irish friars moved to live and work in Glasgow: Caoimhin Ó Laoide and Niall O'Connell.

The Franciscan way of life has not yet died out in Britain: there are signs oflife- praise God! Writing in 1996, Pope StJohn Paul II stated: "You have not only a glorious history to remember and to recount, but also a great history still to be accomplished! Look to the future, where the Spirit is sending you in order to do even greater things" (Vita consecrata 110). He was speaking to all members of institutes of consecrated life. But his words are relevant to us today.

As we celebrate the eighth centenary of the arrival of the Friars Minor in Britain, let us be grateful for what is past, let us be hopeful for what is to come, and let us all be committed and enthusiastic for the present, remembering the words of Francis: "This is what I want, this is what I seek, this is what I long for with all my heart".

Fraternally,

Aidan McGrath  FMU Minister Provincial

30th August 2024