The fourth day of the Provincial Chapter of the Maltese Franciscan Province started at 0900 with initial prayers, the roll call, and the reading of the minutes of the previous day.  The President of the Chapter, Fr. Austin McCormack offered the initial input for the discussions in the workshops, which focused on the issue of minority and poverty understood according to the Franciscan Rule, chapter 6: “Let the friars appropriate nothing for themselves, neither house nor place, nor any thing”, and according to the General Constitutions of the Franciscan Order, article 79, paragraph 2: “As remuneration for their work the friars are to accept what is necessary, and they are to do this humbly.  However, whatever they acquire by their personal labour, or on behalf of the Order, or whatever comes to them in any way through a pension, grant or insurance is acquired by the fraternity.”

The friars were asked to go into 4 workshops to discuss these themes within the present context of the life in the Franciscan province, and come up with suggestions as to how to be faithful to these grave obligations of the Franciscan life, in order to be credible witnesses in the Church and society.