General Council 26th Meeting ........

The General Council meeting began this morning. After our January meeting, all the Councillors and General Minister were in various parts of the Order for visitation and celebration of the Provincial Chapters. Some of the councillors were attending the conference meetings in various parts of the Order. We also had a common meeting with the provinces of South Asia in Indonesia....some of us were out for more than two months.....I was out for two months in India, Srilanka and Indonesia....hectic visitation of North India....enormous distances.....but it was a joy to be with the friars in different parts of North India.....

This morning we began our council meeting with a beautiful prayer conducted by the Vicar General....it was followed by going through the minutes of the last council meeting.....it was passed and approved with some few corrections by the councillors.....

Then we took up the agenda......a long one as usual....the first part of the agenda we deal with canonical and constitutional cases.....which takes time....but the office of procura does a wonderful work....by going through each case minutely and then giving their opinion.......they make our work a little more light.......and easy......

Then we had two mid-term reports to be discussed.......the area councillor presented the report and then one more councillor is assigned to give his comments.....then it is open for discussion.....we get a good picture and idea of the Province, its administration and pastoral activities......a good way and medium to know the Province and custody........

I presented a report of the pastoral visitation which i conducted in India of St. Fidelis Province.....

We still have two weeks to go.......the secretaries are on their toes.....they do a lot of work.....