“Six, see if you’re interested in joining next year’s AFFT. If you’re open, Crispus and you can enrol.” That was the simple invitation from our Custos, Derrick, to me in November 2024.
I immediately thought: “Am I going to be a formator?” I had never heard any suggestion that I might be heading in that direction. Still, trying to remain open to God’s prompting – and knowing that Crispus would be journeying alongside me – I agreed.
When I shared my intention with my Bishop and parish priest, they expressed some concern, given my responsibilities in the Diocese of Malacca-Johore. I explained to them that this was something I genuinely desired to undertake as part of my personal growth, particularly in my effort to journey more deeply with the people entrusted to my care. With that, they gave me the green light to proceed.
The training required a great deal of effort and commitment. It was not always easy to understand the lectures and participate meaningfully in the Friday Zoom sessions, and I stayed up past midnight on many nights to watch the video lessons. Often, after watching them once, I would read the transcripts to gain a clearer and deeper understanding. The presenters – friars and lay experts from across the globe – were truly the best of the best, and I did not want to take their sharing lightly.
Over the course of ten months, the lectures helped me become more aware of the different generations and how each views life and faith. I learned about formation realities in various Franciscan entities across different countries, as well as the Franciscan approach to formation and its strong biblical and ecclesial roots. Each lesson was so rich, I often found myself drawing from what I had learnt and weaving it into my Sunday homilies.
Beyond the learning and meaningful exchanges with fellow participants, I received something I did not expect: a renewed sense of fraternity. It is not that I had lost my love for community life. However, since moving out of our formation house at Chestnut Drive, I have been living in a smaller community of three – a life that brings its own joys and challenges.
For the first half of the programme, we met only through Zoom, before finally coming together for an in-person residency in Manila, and another at the end of the programme, this time in Singapore. Though we came from seven countries, we connected almost immediately. It felt as if we had grown together for years. For me, this was God’s quiet but powerful way of rekindling and strengthening my fraternal spirit.
The question still lingers: “Am I going to be a formator?” This time, however, I ask it with greater peace and confidence. If I am called to this path, I know I will not walk it alone. I have a community of brothers who will journey with me, as I journey with them, in forming persons to become who God calls them to be – following in the footsteps of our holy founder, Francis of Assisi.
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