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Na, ano te pai, ano te ahuareka o te nohoanga o nga teina, o nga tuakana I runga I te whakaaro kotahi!
How very good and pleasant it is when kindred live together in unity. (Ps 133:1)

Kia Ora (Greetings) from The Land Beneath the Clouds!

As part of my Franciscan formation, I have taken this year off from my seminary studies at the SFX Major Seminary in Singapore to do a course in Auckland, New Zealand. The “Clinical Pastoral Experience” (CPE) course is 17 weeks long and, after that, I will continue my Franciscan year in New Zealand assisting in the retreat house as well as at a parish administered by the Franciscan Friars.

I currently live in St Francis Friary and Retreat Centre, with friars from New Zealand, Australia and India.  I arrived on 28 February, and the experience so far has been great!

The weather has been pretty cool considering it is supposed to be summer. I expect the coming months to be much colder as one retreatant over the weekend told me – “If you think today was warm, this is the warmest it will ever get. From now on, the temperature will continue falling as winter draws near!”  The country has been experiencing a drought for the last five weeks but it finally rained on 3 March, my first Sunday. Let’s pray that the rain continues to fall on this country to help the farmers with their crops!

It may be dry and cold outside in Auckland but not inside the house, with the community. Since my arrival, the brothers here have been so great and wonderful in offering their hospitality.  It has been a truly heart warming experience as it has made me feel part of this place.  Feeling welcome is a great remedy for homesickness. This is the reason I chose to begin my sharing with Psalm 133:1 (written in Maori).  It is truly good and pleasant when there is unity and a sense of brotherhood and community. The Maori term for this is Kotahitanga (Coming together as one). This must have been what Francis meant when he call on the brothers to “be brothers to each other”.

Already in the short time I have been here, the experience has helped me to see, experience and appreciate the internationality of the Order with my own eyes. I have heard about this many times but now, I am blessed with this opportunity to see, experience and appreciate for myself how the Franciscan Friars are not just a group exclusive to a particular race, nationality or background but rather one that is inclusive and international.

It is truly a beautiful experience to do my Franciscan Year in New Zealand and as I journey through my CPE course (beginning from 4 March), I ask that you keep me in your prayers as I also keep you in mine. I take this opportunity to wish you all a Blessed and Holy Easter!

Ma te wa! (Bye for now)

When I saw Jerusalem after the long flight from Singapore, I could not help remembering Psalm 122:

I was glad when they said to me,
“Let us go to the house of the Lord!”
Our feet are standing within your gates,
O Jerusalem.

I was finally here in the Holy City – the house of one God, the capital of two people, the temple of three religions and the only city to exist in heaven and on earth.

I have come for a year long mission exposure which will only strengthen my Franciscan formation.  When I arrived at St Saviour’s monastery, I was welcomed with open arms and warm embraces by friars from all over the world who are serving in a city where everything stays the same yet nothing stays still.

The Franciscan Order has always considered the Holy Land as first among its provinces.  This is probably because from the time of St Francis, the Franciscans have never departed from the Terra Sancta.  All the main shrines of this universal city are now under the care of the Franciscans who are the official Custodians in the name of the Catholic Church.

The brotherhood of St Francis was clearly evident when we marched through the streets escorted by Turkish guards for the weekly solemn mass during Lent and as 100 Friars processed into the Sepulchre of Christ, I realised, like the centurion, that “In truth this man was the Son of God”.

I felt an inner joy in knowing that I was entering a place which has witnessed the greatest sign of Love.

“Do not be afraid, you are looking for Christ, the Crucified – he is not here, he has been raised, exactly as he promised.”

I could almost smell the fragrance brought by Mary Magdalene, I imagined John running towards the empty tomb and Peter coming in to behold the truth of the Resurrection – the empty tomb of Christ!  I forgot the worries of the world as I kissed the tomb, a symbol of the baptismal font in which I am born anew to life with Christ.

A year of serving in all the holy shrines, helping the neediest children who live within and outside the Apartheid Wall, tending to the needs of the marginalized families in Bethlehem, attending biblical courses at the Studium Biblicum Franciscanum, pastoral work with migrants in Israel and experiencing the work of the Friars in Jordan and Cyprus seems overwhelming, but there is no doubt in my mind that I will return to Singapore with the sweet taste of this land where milk and honey flow.
Shalom & Chag Pascha Same’ach (Peace & Happy Easter)

As the parish church of St Theresa in Masai, Johor, celebrates its 75^th Anniversary and the Order of Friars Minor marks five years in the Melaka-Johor Diocese, the Friars continue to dedicate themselves to formation.

Ongoing formation of Friars is one of the emphases of the Order, and every two months, the Friary community of St James of the Marches has a Day of Recollection. Animated in turn by members of the community, these exercises comprise prayer, input, quiet personal reflection, fraternal sharing, Eucharist, and a communal meal.

In addition, the Friars regularly attend the Clergy Monthly Recollection (CMR) of the Melaka-Johor Diocese. The CMR is a two-day meeting organised by the Diocese that provides ministry updates as well as spiritual and intellectual ongoing formation for priests and deacons.

Our commitment to formation also leads us to contribute actively and tangibly towards formation within the local Church.

Once a year, the Diocese invites Religious sisters and brothers to join the priests and deacons in their CMR for combined days of formation. At this year’s expanded CMR in June, Brother John Wong conducted five sessions on the Theology and Spirituality of the Environment, based on the Franciscan Intellectual Tradition.

The Friars also contributed to the August CMR by having Brother John-Paul Tan travel from Singapore to conduct a programme for the Clergy Formation sessions. He spoke on the documents and spirit of the Second Vatican Council, based on his expertise as a Canon lawyer.

Within the parish, the Friars seek to provide formation at various levels – for families, youth, parish ministries, language-based communities and neighbourhood groups known as Basic Ecclesial Communities (BECs). The parish team invited resource persons from around Malaysia and overseas to conduct some of these programmes. These resource persons were Clergy, Religious or Secular laypersons, all of whom are highly trained and experienced in their respective fields.

In March, Mr and Mrs Anthony Lazarus from the Penang Diocese formation team were brought in for parish pastoral formation. The full-day session for BEC leaders and members of parish committees and ministries was conducted in English, Bahasa Malaysia and Tamil.

Fr Benny Richard from the Kottar Diocese in India provided a five-night post-Easter formation programme for the English and Tamil-speaking BECs. Themed Jesus the Saviour is Risen, the sessions focused on how Catholics are called to live the Resurrection in their daily lives as individuals, families and communities.

In early August, a lay delegation of trainers from the Kuching Archdiocese came to conduct a two-day family seminar, themed Discipleship towards Mission, as a follow-up to a very well-attended family seminar that the same team had conducted last year.

In late August, Brothers Arul and Oliver, together with Sister Anna from the parish, led a parish delegation of 16 young people to Sabah Youth Day. The five-day long series of celebrations, community exposure and input sessions was held in Tambunan in the Keningau Diocese of Sabah. Based on Colossians 2:7, the youth were led to discover the meaning of being more firmly rooted in Christ, building their lives on Him, and remaining steadfast in faith amidst the challenges of the world.

Sabah Youth Day was an inspiring experience for the St Theresa parish delegates, who were from East Malaysia as well as Peninsula Malaysia, most of whom had never been in this eastern-most Malaysian state before. They experienced for the first time the incredible energy of being together with 3,200 faith-filled youth, celebrating a greater reality of Church. The delegates returned spiritually refreshed and renewed, ready to live their reality as Church with greater dedication.

Leading up to the Parish Feastday, Fr Moses Rayappan of the Melaka-Johor Diocese was invited to lead a special Triduum of prayer and preaching, which included inspiring sermons on the relevance of St Theresa as model of faithfulness and as patroness of missions.

Formation is not only for Friars in their initial stages of training for full-time ministry. It is a life-long process – for friars and all the faithful. Brother Derrick Yap reflects on ongoing Formation and the commitment of the Friars to this process in their lives and in their service of God’s people.

Formation never ends.  After years of Initial Formation, a friar professes his Solemn Vows and, if he has discerned that he is called to the Priesthood, ordained.  Many think that this is the end, that the friar has finally graduated.  But no.  As long as he is alive, he must continue to grow spiritually and strive to be in greater union with the Lord. This is the goal of ongoing Formation for the friars.

Franciscan communities vary in their programmes and methods for ongoing Formation.  At San Damiano Friary where three of the four parish friars live, ongoing Formation takes place on several levels.

As a Franciscan brotherhood, the three of us devote one afternoon every two months to a period of recollection.  Last year, we reflected on questions given to us by our Franciscan headquarters in Rome – questions on prayer, ministry, community living and witnessing.  We express our reflections very openly, confident that our brothers accept us for who we are, and are willing to listen to what we hold dear in our hearts.  Very often, we find ourselves holding the same ideals and dreams and facing the same struggles and difficulties.  At times we edify one another with bold, prophetic words.  At others, we marvel at a brother’s creativity and vision.  These shared moments help us to grow not only individually but also as a brotherhood.  We know that we walk this road together.

Since this brotherhood ministers in a parish setting, we are also intimately connected to a wider community.  Our formation and spiritual growth continue with this community on two levels – with our full-time lay collaborators and with the parish as whole.

Every year, we set aside three days for a Parish Staff Retreat during which the 20 of us – friars and full-time lay workers – gather to discover more about ourselves and one another.  We have explored our working styles, our thinking and behaviour attributes, and this year we will be discerning our charisms, through the ‘Called and Gifted Programme’.  I have enjoyed these retreats tremendously as we have prayed, played and grown together.

With the parish community, there is a parish-wide retreat, usually 3 evenings plus a whole day.  This year being the Year of Faith and also 50 years since the beginning of the Second Vatican Council, our parish retreat will focus on Discipleship.

Ongoing Formation is not just for the friars and, for the laity, not just in tandem with the friars.  Besides the parish retreat, the Adult Faith Formation office organises several sessions throughout the year to nourish the faithful spiritually and help them to become more committed and passionate disciples.

As Franciscan friars, we believe that when we are able to walk together along the road, filled with faith and love, those who see us will desire to join us on our journey.  And still more others!

We’d like to invite you to be part of our All Souls’ Day Eucharistic celebration, to be held at the Church of St Mary of Angels on Wednesday, 2 Nov, at 8pm.

This day is set aside by the Church for the faithful to come together to praise and thank God for the gift of our loved ones who have gone before us. We gather to offer our prayers for them and to reconnect ourselves with them in a special and universal way. On this day the Franciscan Friars will also be organising a special liturgical service for the deceased in our Columbarium. Therefore we are inviting our families and friends to be part of our celebration.

All Soul’s Day Mass will be at 8pm; and right after that, there will be a Blessing of the Franciscan Columbarium and Niches at 9pm.

The Remembrance of the Desire of the Soul – This was the theme of this year Transitus of St. Francis. ‘Transitus’ is a Latin word meaning ‘crossing over’, and in the Franciscan Tradition it marks the death of Francis (also of Clare). The Transitus of Francis is celebrated on the eve of the Feast of St Francis (4 October). During the Transitus the last moment of Francis is recalled.

This year the Transitus celebration was organised by the Novitiate housed at St Anthony Friary. Br Mike Goh, the Novice Director designed the celebration with the three novices and several friars, seculars, and Franciscan sisters involving at the different stages.

The celebration, held at the Church of St Mary of the Angels, was setup with four standing posters denoting the four corners of the earth represented by Fire, Water, Air, and Earth. The compass points were significant not only that they represented Francis’ Canticle of the Creatures but the universality of relationship: all are brothers and sisters.

The Celebration began with the procession of the four elements represented by a candle, a vase of water, a pot of burned incense sticks, and a pot of plant. These were borne by a friar, a Secular Franciscan, an FMM Sister, and an FMDM Sister. Br Mike, who presided over the event, followed behind the four, bearing the Friars’ Rule of 1223.

During the Celebration the novices chanted in choir Psalm 142. Buns were blessed and a larger bread, specially baked by Br Mike, was broken.

At the segment marking the point of the Francis’ death, Br Mike sprinkled ashes on to the habit that was superimposed on to the San Damiano Crucifix. He then lighted the paschal candle with some difficulty, motivating Br Mike to remark to the congregation that “Francis just refuses to die!”, prompting laughter all around.

The celebration lasted about 40 minutes ended with the distribution of the buns and light refreshment on the Piazza. There were almost 300 in attendance.

It is tradition with the Franciscans here that on the Sunday closest to the Feast of St Francis of Assisi, the friars would like to share God’s blessings with all creation, especially with the animals in our care. We invite you to bring your pets for a special blessing, and to enjoy the brotherhood of all God’s creatures!

Sunday, 2 Oct 2011, 3.30pm at the Piazza of the Church of St Mary of the Angels.

Do join us in commemorating the Transitus (death) of Francis of Assisi on Monday, 3 Oct, 8pm, at the Church of St Mary of the Angels.

The OFM Custody of St Anthony is organising the Franciscan Seminar 2011: Dialogue, Human Dignity and the Process of Peace. All events will be held in the evenings of 24-27 Oct, at the Church of St Mary of the Angels (5 Bukit Batok East Ave 2, Singapore 659918). It is open to all men and women of goodwill, and persons of all faiths and traditions.

1. Human Trafficking and Singapore
Mon 24 Oct, 2011 (8-10pm, St Clare Centre)
Lead presenter: Vincent Wijeyasinghe from TWC2
A panel of local NGOs discusses the realities of modern-day slavery in our midst

2. The United Nations and Universal Periodic Review (Part 1)
Tue 25 Oct, 2011 (8-10pm, St Clare Centre)
Presented by: Franciscans International, the Franciscan NGO at the UN
A workshop specially for NGOs, church workers, religious, lay collaborators, and all who wish for dialogue and human dignity

3. The United Nations and Universal Periodic Review (Part 2)
Wed 26 Oct, 2011 (8-10pm, St Clare Centre)
Presented by: Franciscans International, the Franciscan NGO at the UN
A workshop specially for NGOs, church workers, religious, lay collaborators, and all who wish for dialogue and human dignity

4. 25th Anniversary of the Spirit of Assisi: Inter-Faith Prayers for Peace
Thu 27 Oct, 2011 (8-10pm, Piazza)
Led by: OFM-JPIC, Inter-Religious Organisation of Singapore, and friends
An evening of prayer, reflection and song to celebrate our hopes and prayers for Peace in our lives, homes and world

To help us with our planning, kindly register by sending an email to parish@stmary.sg or contact the front desk of the Church of St Mary of the Angels (Tel +65 6567 3866).

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