Today, August 29, 2024, the Eucharistic liturgy commemorated the martyrdom of St. John the Baptist, martyr of truth. The Mass was celebrated in Spanish by Fr. Jorge Luis, Custos of the Dominican Republic, who recalled some essentials of fraternal coexistence, such as transparency and truth in the management of life. The day’s program focused on the Economic Report prepared by the General Bursar, Br. Justino Sánchez Durán, from the Custody of Mexico and Texas, and presented in the Aula Magna.
Before giving the floor to the General Bursar, Br. Matthew Siro, moderator of the Chapter, reminded the assembly that “the economic and management aspect of fraternal life is the practical (and material) side of our living the vow of poverty”. The economy, he explained, is like a playground where in our life of poverty and minority fidelity to the Gospel and the charism are played out. With this introduction, Br. Matthew invited the capitulars “not to let yourselves be distracted by the many data, but keep the gaze of faith upon its reading and see through the numbers, as if they were watermarks, to perceive the action of divine providence, the true artificer of our fraternal and communion economy.” Starting from this perspective in his introduction, Br. Justino drew on the Constitutions to remind us that “in order to safeguard the observance of poverty and minority, which is our choice as the family of Saint Francis, let us also administer the resources entrusted to our care in a responsible, correct, and prudent manner.” (Const. 75:1).
Br. Justino’s report was a brief summary of just 12 pages, presented in PowerPoint, full of data and detailed information on the economic life of the Order over the past 6 years. It is structured in 6 parts describing: (I) the organization, (II) the system of accounting, (III) the management of the General Bursar’s Office, (IV) the relevant economic and administrative facts of the 2018-2024 sexennium, (V) recommendations for the coming years, and (VI) words of thanks. Using pictures, numbers and graphs, Br. Justino illustrated the dynamic (and not always predictable) path that has characterized the Order’s economic situation, in a sexennium that has seen the decline of some numbers due to the pandemic, wars and the consequent economic recession that has affected the world.
In the midst of such situations, Br. Justino reiterated how much divine providence has never failed to assist us even in the most difficult times. Among the challenges that have marked the Order, Br. Justino identified the issue of transparency. In this line, during the sexennium, the Curia organized a course entitled “Fraternal Economy” to ensure the formation of bursars, hoping that this initiative could be imitated by the conferences and the various circumscriptions of the Order. In the conclusion of the report, the General Bursar thoughtfully left some recommendations to promote better economic management in our friaries and facilities. Among these we emphasize the training of the circumscription bursars to ensure greater transparency and prudence in the management of the Order’s assets; economic visits to the circumscriptions to promote greater transparency and accompaniment in the management of fraternal goods.
Finally, Br. Justino spoke about the promotion of self-sustainability, especially in the face of decreasing contributions from many circumscriptions and supporting organizations to the Order; he appealed to the capitulars to think about, and initiate where necessary, economic reorganization in order to one day achieve the desired self-sustainability. In the afternoon, the capitulars gathered in their conference groups to discuss the Economic Report; they then met again in the Aula Magna for the sharing of the groups’ reflections and for some questions directed to the General Bursar.
