In the land of "Karibu" 1 Aug 2013 | 08:15 pm

If you spend any time at all in Tanzania and never learn the word "Karibu", it probably means you are dead. Karibu, which is Swahili for "welcome", is the first word you hear as your plane is landing,...

New Ministers Meet to Learn 27 Jun 2013 | 03:11 pm

A new minister enlarging his horizons We are at the midway point of the annual New Ministers Meeting, at which the provincial ministers, vice provincial ministers and custodes elected during the past...

Chapters in a Franciscan Moment 8 Jun 2013 | 04:26 am

The 2013 Chapter season  has come to an end for me. I presided at the Chapter of the Mid-America (Saint Conrad) Province held on April 1-5 and at the Chapter of the Province of Central Canada (Mary, M...

"Let us protect Christ in our lives..." 24 Mar 2013 | 03:41 pm

Our General Minister, Br Mauro Jöhri, and most of the general councilors attended the Installation Mass of Pope Francis on Tuesday, 19 March 2013. Despite having spent a total of nearly seventeen year...

First Angelus of Pope Francis 17 Mar 2013 | 08:38 pm

Several of the brothers attended the first Angelus blessing of Pope Francis this morning. Saint Peter Square, as you can well imagine, was packed. We arrived around 10:30 and the square was already ha...

Freedom 3 Mar 2013 | 02:58 am

I am not sure if this is true of other cultures, but Americans are fond of saying how precious freedom is and that they would willingly fight to preserve it. Listening to the parable of the Prodigal ...

Fourth National Gathering of Capuchin Lay Brothers 9 Feb 2013 | 05:59 pm

This past week, I participated in the annual gathering of Brazilian lay brothers, held in Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul – land of the Brazilian gauchos. The group had also invited me in 2011 and, al...

Merry Christmas 25 Dec 2012 | 01:29 am

O sublime humility! O humble sublimity! That the Lord of the universe, God and the Son of God, so humbles Himself that for our salvation He hides Himself under the little form of bread! Look, brothers...

Untitled 27 Aug 2012 | 03:42 pm

Countdown to the Chapter 15 Aug 2012 | 11:36 pm

In a little over four days, the 84th Ordinary General Chapter of the Order will begin. The chapter secretaries have been hard at work for the past two and a half weeks preparing materials, setting up ...