Participating in the Easter Triduum in Germany last week as a non German speaker served to make me more conscious of the visual expression of the liturgies, particularly the symbols associated with each day.  During the Holy Thursday evening service the simplicity of the meal Jesus ate with his disciples highlighted that what really matters is not the food served but the love and friendship shared among those participating in any meal.  On Good Friday, for the veneration of the cross we were invited to light a small candle and place it at the foot of the cross. This small gesture connected everyone in the church symbolically with the horror and ‘glory’ of the crucifixion of Jesus.

Celebrating the Vigil at six o’clock on Easter morning meant we began the service in the cold of a dark night; yet as the final strains of the sung Exultet faded away, the first glimpse of the new dawn beamed through the church windows. He is risen!  The Father and the Son have triumphed over death and darkness!  What symbol could reflect better the ministry of Franciscans International, than light dispelling the darkness and new life triumphing over pain and suffering? We wish each one the blessings of Easter hope and courage......

Sr. Denise Boyle fmdm

Executive Director

“A Franciscan Approach to Ecology and Sustainable Development” was the theme of a workshop for SFO in Lyon, France, on March 24th. The Lyon JPIC invited Sr. Odile Coirier fmm, Environmental Advocacy Officer, to give a presentation about her preparatory work with other Franciscans for the forthcoming Rio+20 international conference on sustainable development and the work of FI at the grassroots and the UN. Over fifty participants shared their own concerns about the environment and other issues of injustice. Franciscans in France are currently working to submit a report for the country’s second Universal Periodic Review (UPR) in 2013. The participants were keen to collaborate with FI and participate in more workshops.

In commemoration of the 19th anniversary of the UN General Assembly’s proclamation declaring March 22nd as World Water day, FI’s New York office held an event entitled ‘H2 Uh O: The Rights and Wrongs of Water in Rio+20’ on March 22nd. The interactive discussion centered around the Zero Draft of the Rio+20 negotiations which will take place in June 2012 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The discussion was geared towards the issue of water within the context of the Zero Draft and emphasised the need for this document to explicitly express the inherent and inalienable nature of the human right to water.

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Directors and postulants of the Capuchin Franciscan Province of St. Mary and the Conventual Provinces of St. Anthony and the Immaculate Conception joined FI’s New York office in the celebration of World Water Day. The Franciscan participants attended the FI Water Day event ‘H2 Uh O: The Rights and Wrongs of Water in Rio+20’ which was open to all members of the community, and also took part in several events and activities prepared for the Franciscan Family and other guests of FI.

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The Sisters of Saint Francis at Assisi Heights in Rochester, Minnesota, USA, have been involved with the work of FI since 1988. At present, the sisters are working on a variety of issues including immigration reform, human trafficking, and the abolition of nuclear weapons. To mark World Water Day and its main theme for 2012, Water and Food Security, the sisters’ FI Earth Cluster Group have put on an educational exhibit in Assisi Heights’ Community Center which will remain on display until April 23rd.

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At the end of March, FI participated in the UPR pre-session meetings organised by UPR Info, a Geneva-based NGO which monitors and promotes the UPR process. The purpose of these meetings was to bring together civil society organisations (CSOs) and UN member state representatives to discuss the human rights situation of the countries under review in the upcoming UPR session in May. For organisations like FI, these meetings served as a forum from which to voice our human rights concerns to several member state delegations at once and to share information with other NGOs working on the same issues.

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