New Wine in New Wineskins

It is with a sense of gratitude and joy that I present to you the Final Document of the Plenary Council of the Order, which took place in Konstancin-Jeziorna, Poland, from November 17-30, 2013.  Forty-three friars with active voice participated in this meeting, which took for its inspiration the challenge issued by Jesus to his disciples and to us, “New Wine, New Wineskins” (cf. Mt. 9, 17).  This theme challenges us as an Order to seek always the voice of the Lord Jesus at work in our fraternities, which have as their central responsibility to build centers of fraternal communion so that both the individual friar and the fraternity might become living witnesses to the goodness and mercy of God at work in our midst, going about the world as lesser brothers of the Gospel.