Over 90 years ago, the first Franciscan Friars Conventual left Italy to what we now know as Zambia.  Shortly after WWII, in 1945, the friars from Our Lady of Consolation would join the friars in the Copperbelt area to minister among the Bemba People. Their willingness to share the Gospel Life expanded their area of witness and came to include many people and collaborative partners.

Today, from Our Lady of Consolation Province, Brother Tony Droll is one of the few OLC friars who remain of this effort.  However, the friars from Zambia are readily ministering to their people and to some of our elderly brothers who gave their lives, hearts, and souls to the missions. Not only did the first friars plant the seeds of the Gospel Life, but they are also now teaching our brothers how to live and care for the elderly friars who made Zambia their home, while announcing and living the Gospel in creative ways and with sustainability, which is reflected throughout the friaries and ministries.

Two moments, half a century apart: A young Friar Tony Droll, laying the foundation of his lifelong commitment in Zambia, and Brother Tony, 50 years on, still unwavering in his devotion. A testament to enduring faith and dedication beyond borders and time.
Top photo is courtesy of Province Archives

The very first friars had grand visions and dreams for the local people. The structures they erected are many. The friars, providing buildings for both worship and education, were also spiritual architects, making a change in the lives of the people.

I was privileged in the summer of 2017, to guide a province retreat for our friars in Zambia and be a witness of an amazing experience of brotherhood with many of the friars.  The retreat focused on the theme, “Brotherhood of Belonging”, which centered on how we live gospel values that transcend faith, race, class, and varied identities— values that encounter “the other” to welcome and empower.

Thanks to the internet and social media, we as friars can already be connected in ways we have not been before.  However, do we allow these modern technologies to help us share our stories, challenges, gifts in a broader global context?

Amidst the harsh realities of poverty, health disparities, and unmet basic needs, the Zambian Friars serve their community with profound mercy and grace. Their enduring faith and unwavering love challenges us: Are we ready to welcome and mirror such impactful demonstrations of faith and love?

Can we come to appreciate how the Franciscan Charism is being lived out in Zambia, in the Southern Hemisphere, in tune with Creation? Friars there are actively seeking to decrease their carbon footprint and attain sustainability, all the while serving the poor and disenfranchised.  They are embracing mercy and are empowered just like Francis and Clare strived to put an emphasis on the present moment and the person before them, rather than worrying about the comforts of the future.

It was truly a breathtaking experience to see the efforts put forth by young, gifted friars who are striving to live the Gospel within their cultural context.  I absolutely loved hearing Chibemba echoing within the chapel, reflecting how our life is being lived in such a unique way.

The friars in Zambia are certainly flourishing within their call to be Franciscans, and the people they minister to are recipients of such a beautiful expression of the Gospel. Are we willing to receive it as well?

I am beginning to believe, that just as Latin America gave us the gift of Liberation Theology, our friars from the Southern Hemisphere can give us a new freedom on how to live and love our Franciscan heritage. Our friars can become our midwives, providing the Gospel the space to breathe and birth a renewal of our Franciscan life to a new generation of friars.

After all, Africa is the place where the wild has learned to be in community in order to thrive.  It is the place of our beginnings, that is, the birth of our humanity, where our species first stood upright on the savannah so long ago. Our brothers can teach us how not only to stand but to walk into the future.

We are called to trust and empower one another so that we can truly become a brotherhood of belonging. Pope Francis continually reminds us that it is through accompaniment, welcoming, active listening and empowering that we then truly become a community.