The day started with the usual time for personal prayer. Then the roll call was held and was followed by the reading of yesterday’s minutes. These were read and approved. To the pleasure of all the assembled Province, this particular day, had as a guest and speaker, the Mother Abbess: Sister Rose Ellis OSC.

Her speech was based on the fact that it is through the Gospel – the word of God – that we were given the gift of our vocation. She stressed how important it is for us to touch the hearts of those we evangelise. She depicts Jesus Christ as being a river while we are small ponds from which we have to acknowledge that we are limited sources; and that thus we need to constantly live, and sustain our lives from the living water that flows continuously from this ever flowing river.

She added that we can understand the word of God and that it is through this same Gospel that we have to be ready to open our hearts. The Gospel is the measurement of how available we are to the Spirit of God, and how inspired we are to be touched by the Spirit and be ready to realise whether our dispositiion is not interfering by whom we are. She then referred to the journey that Saint Francis undertook and believed in from the very first moment of his vocation; and the importance that our personal journey would be the route based on prayer and the Eucharist. She concluded her talk by stressing the importance that we and the Poor Clares have in continuing to work together because we both need each other.

At the end of her lecture, the Provincial Minister thanked her for her time, disponability, and her preparation that was evident by the way she delivered the talk. He promised her that we will continue to work together as the Poor Clares serve the Franciscan Friars in the same way that fuel is indispensable to motor cars.

A short break was given, after which all the friars gathered to form the four workshops to discuss the various questions that the Mother Abbess had prepared for each group. When the groups returned to the general assembly, they shared their views and expressed what their conclusions were.

The session came to an end at 12.30pm.