Dear friends,
The Franciscan Centenary culminates this year with the 800th anniversary of the Transitus of St Francis of Assisi on 3 October. In Singapore, we will celebrate this on 3 October at 8pm at the Church of St Mary of the Angels.
What a journey we have been through! Five events celebrated within four years by the entire Franciscan Family – Friars, Poor Clares, Franciscan Sisters and Secular Franciscans.
We celebrated the Rule written by Francis for the Order and approved by the Pope in 1223. That same year, Francis enacted the Nativity scene at Greccio, inspiring the practice of processing the baby Jesus at Christmas midnight Mass.
The following year, in 1224, in poor health and burdened by tensions within the Order, Francis ascended Mount Alvernia (La Verna) with the question “Who are you, O God and Who am I?” The reply came in the form of a vision of the Christ crucified appearing as a Seraph, the burning angel of love, and not long after, the marks of the Christ crucified – the Sacred Stigmata – appeared on his body.
Despite profound suffering, including near blindness, his spiritual vision was illumined by faith. He came to behold all creation as a gift and all creatures as brothers and sisters, deeply interconnected with one another and with God. From the depths of this vision and a grateful heart arose a hymn of praise – the Canticle of Creatures.
Finally in 1226, on the evening of 3 October, Francis returned to the place where he found his vocation, the little chapel of St Mary of the Angels of the Portiuncula, and there in the midst of the fraternity he had lovingly built up, he welcomed and embraced Sister Death and transited into paradise.
We pray that by reflecting on these episodes from Francis’ life, we gain a deeper understanding of our own spiritual journeys and our call to make God real for others.
In this light, our Franciscan Calendar 2027, which features the artwork of Joseph Ng and Susan Toh, invites us into an encounter with our incarnate Lord. Perhaps once a month, we can set aside a Desert Day for this purpose – take a few hours, even the whole day to just be with our Beloved, meditating upon the month’s image and the accompanying reflection written by the artists. And if we find this practice life-giving, then let us not be shy to share the experience with someone the Lord brings into our life.
This is precisely the aim of our Franciscan Fraternal Life. As friars, we seek to be attentive to one another’s needs and emotions, and to build one another up with the joy that is already in our hearts. This is at the heart of the ministry of our Guardians, the Superiors of our communities. Accordingly, this year’s Training of Guardians focussed on how we can build one another up within the community, especially through empathic listening and fraternal care.
As this is our final issue of St Anthony’s Bread for the year, I would like to take this opportunity to thank you all for your continued support of our Franciscan life and mission. It is a challenge to raise the funds needed each year to sustain the entire Custody in Malaysia and Singapore. Without your prayers, kindness and generosity, we would not be able to carry out our pastoral and ministerial duties effectively, especially as many of our friars are aging and increasingly require medical care. Every dollar is a gift and a blessing to us, and we are grateful.
On behalf of all the friars of the Custody, and through the intercession of St Francis, St Clare, St Anthony and Blessed Allegra, may our Lord and our Lady bless and keep you and your loved ones in their care and protection, today and every day!
Peace and all Good,
Friar Derrick Yap OFM
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