In Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia, the assembly of the Franciscan Network for Peace and Integral Ecology of Asia was held from 5-11 October 2026. The event hosted by Br. Cosmas Francis OFM, the JPIC animator of Custody of St. Anthony (Singapore-Malaysia-Brunei), with the support of Franciscan Secular Order members from Kota Kinabalu-Malaysia. The assembly was attended by OFM JPIC animators from Asia, OFMCap JPIC Animators from Malaysia and Indonesia, Franciscan Religious Sisters from Sabah-Taiwan-Myanmar, Secular Franciscans, Professionals, Franciscans International, and the General Office for JPIC OFM in Rome.
Focusing on theme ‘Natural Disaster Management’, the participants began the meeting with a reflective question: What can our Franciscan Network do to prevent environmental destruction and reduce disaster risk? Presentations and insights from South Korea, Myanmar, West Papua and Flores Indonesia helped address this question alongside a deep discussion on a just energy transition led by Franciscans International. Later, they shared how local communities can strengthen their capacity to respond to environmental challenges. Examples included waste segregation in India, the Laudato Si’ Stations of the Cross in Boolitikon Sabah-Malaysia, sustainable gardens in Taiwan, advocacy for the rights to a healthy environment.
Realizing that fostering deep human awareness and sensitivity to care for Mother Earth is fundamental, the attendees deepened their reflection on how human choices contribute to the environmental crisis. They examined human error and the need for ecological conversion by asking what changes are required in their personal, community, and institutional ways of life. To address this reflective question, they deeply shared insights on organic farming in Indonesia, prioritizing care for creation over development in the Philippines, limiting production and consumption, and the reasons why the Franciscan way of life remains relevant today.
The participants also discussed quick response strategies for vulnerable community effected by disaster before, during, and after an emergency. They explored several key areas of humanitarian aid including how to establish an organized system and a well-prepared plan, collaborate with key actors and volunteers, and support affected communities through recovery, reconstruction, and resilience. Furthermore, they emphasized the importance of transitioning wisely from merely providing assistance to fostering empowerment, ensuring that they support victims effectively without reinforcing a cycle of victimization.
Ultimately, the reflection revealed strong appreciation for the network as a space for fraternity, learning, sharing, and international collaboration. The central message underscored a collective desire to transform the relationships, knowledge, and inspiration gained during the assemblies into sustained collaboration and concrete action.
The event concluded with an exposure trip, which included a visit to the Kuyungon Community in Kampung Tambungan, Sabah-Malaysia, where residents are building self-sufficient community in the spirit of “Living in Harmony with Nature”. The participants also visited the Mari-Mari Culture Village. where the people from Sabah preserve the forest and nature as a core part of their culture and identity. — OFM Website
Dogs, cats, rabbits, birds, fish and reptiles, including two African Sulcata tortoises, gathered at St. Anne’s Church in the Archdiocese of Kuching on October 4 as the parish marked the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi with its annual blessing of animals.
Franciscan friar Fr. Don Don Romero Ramirez blesses African Sulcata tortoises during the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi at St. Anne’s Church on October 4. (Photo Credit: Marilyn Madrod).
By Joseph Masilamany Dogs, cats, rabbits, birds, fish and reptiles, including two African Sulcata tortoises, gathered at St. Anne’s Church in the Archdiocese of Kuching on October 4 as the parish marked the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi with its annual blessing of animals.
Kuching is the capital of Sarawak, one of two Malaysian states on the island of Borneo. The parish’s annual blessing brought together pet owners and their animals for a celebration that linked Catholic faith with care for creation.
The blessing was held at 2 p.m. after the parish’s Sunday morning Masses. Parishioners brought their pets to the church grounds, where they were blessed by Franciscan friars Fr. Don Don Romero Ramerez and Fr. Joseph Lee.
The parish is administered by Franciscan friars, whose spiritual tradition is closely associated with St. Francis of Assisi and his reverence for creation.
Among those who brought their pets were Keegan Rompet, his wife Liana Delailah and their 10-year-old daughter Kathleen Keegan. Kathleen told Radio Veritas Asia that she was excited to have her pet poodle, Derdle, blessed for the first time at the parish event.
The gathering also featured an unusual pair of visitors when sisters Saint Hermione Patrick and Anne Patrick arrived carrying two African Sulcata tortoises.
The large reptiles, native to Africa, attracted the attention of parishioners as they gathered around to see them. Friar Ramerez also blessed the tortoises.
Saint Hermione said she acquired the tortoises from a local pet shop when they were hatchlings. The male, Heng Heng, was seven years old, while the female, Chaisen, was six.
“Heng Heng’s name has a story of its own. I named him Heng Heng after the Hokkien expression associated with blessings, good fortune and prosperity, because I came into some unexpected good fortune after I purchased the reptiles,” she said.
The annual blessing of animals is held in many Catholic and other Christian communities around the world on or around Oct. 4, the feast day of St. Francis, who is widely associated with love for animals and creation.
The observance also coincides with World Animal Day, an international observance that promotes animal welfare and greater respect for animals.
For Catholic pet owners, the blessing is an opportunity to give thanks for animals that have become part of their households while reflecting on the responsibility of caring for them.
The tradition is closely linked to St. Francis’ understanding of creation as pointing to its Creator. His legacy has also influenced the Catholic Church’s contemporary teaching on environmental responsibility.
Pope Francis took the saint’s name and dedicated his 2015 encyclical Laudato Si’ to care for “our common home,” calling attention to the relationship between human beings, other creatures and the environment.
At St. Anne’s, the annual blessing brought that tradition into a parish setting, reminding Catholics that care for creation also includes compassion for animals and responsible stewardship of the natural world.—Radio Veritas Asia
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!
Francis of Assisi, 1226–2026: eight hundredth anniversary of the death of St Francis.
In contemporary society, we rarely think about death, not only because it reminds us that we are limited creatures, but also because it exposes the false security we get from believing that we are masters over time and life. Francis of Assisi, on the other hand, welcomed Sister Death with song, because he understood that death is not the termination of everything but the end that allows us to enter into full communion with God. Indeed, life is a gift that must be given back: “Hold back nothing of yourselves for yourselves, that He Who gives Himself totally to you may receive you totally!” (Letter to the Entire Order 29, FF 221).
At the end of his days, Francis contemplated his life and discovered the presence and action of the Lord everywhere. Thus, in his Testament he repeats, like a refrain: “The Lord gave me, Brother Francis… The Lord gave me such faith in churches… The Lord gave me, and gives me still, such faith… And after the Lord gave me some brothers, no one showed me what I had to do, but the Most High Himself revealed to me that I should live according to the pattern of the Holy Gospel” (Testament 1-14, FF 110-116). This is the same attitude shown by Clare of Assisi when she wrote her Testament, in the last days of her life. In fact, she, too, recognised God as the Divine Giver, to whom thanks must be given for all the gifts he bestows, especially the gift of her vocation (cf. Testament of St Clare 1-2, FF 2823).
The celebration of the 800th anniversary of the Easter of Francis of Assisi invites us to contemplate our life, both personally and as a Franciscan Family, with the eyes of faith, and by doing so, perceive the divine presence and action in everything, even in the difficult and dramatic situations we have experienced or are experiencing now.
It is an opportunity to thank God for all the gifts he has bestowed on us, particularly for the gift of Francis of Assisi and his evangelical life, which has become our charism, articulated in different nuances of discipleship and apostolate, and which today still has the strength to call out to women and men of all cultures, both inside and outside the Catholic Church.
As his passing drew near, Francis said to his brothers: “‘Let us begin, brothers, to serve the Lord God, for up until now we have done little or nothing.’ He did not consider that he had already attained his goal, but tireless in pursuit of holy newness, he constantly hoped to begin again. He wanted to return to serving lepers” (1 Celano 103, FF 500). The Easter of Francis of Assisi reminds us that every day is an opportunity to start fresh, to renew our response to the call of the Lord. He sends us forth as brothers and sisters to the whole world, to bear witness to Him in word and deed, so as to draw everyone to the love of God (cf. Prayer Inspired by the Our Father 5, FF 270).
Finally, celebrating the passing of the Poverello is an occasion to remember that we are all called to holiness, and that like Francis, we are invited to reflect the beauty of the Gospel and of our Franciscan vocation, because “holiness is the most attractive face of the Church” (Gaudete et exsultate 9).
The Guidelines offer four areas for reflection and action. We have drawn from these to offer brief reflections, inviting each of us to pause, pray, and consider how we can live the Franciscan spirit in our daily lives.
Our being in Christ
“Let us refer all good to the Lord, God Almighty and Most High, acknowledge that every good is His, and thank Him, “from Whom all good comes, for everything” (Earlier Rule 17: 17, FF 49).
Reflect: Our life is a gift from God. Like Francis, we are invited to recognise God as the giver of all good and to respond with gratitude.
Our being brothers and sisters
“The Lord gave me some brothers” (Testament 14, FF 116).
Reflect: Francis recognised fraternity as a gift received from God. We too are called to receive one another as brothers and sisters, valuing our relationships and creating spaces where others feel welcomed, heard, and accepted.
Our being in communion
“The Lord gave me such faith in churches” (Testament 4, FF 111).
Reflect: Francis recognised the Church as a gift and sought to live his vocation within it. We too are invited to share the gifts of the Franciscan spirit with others, appreciating the goodness in different cultures and people, and allowing the example of Francis to inspire a more truly human and compassionate world.
Our being in the world
“For this reason He has sent you into the whole world: that you may bear witness to His voice in word and deed” (Letter to the Entire Order 9, FF 216).
Reflect: We are called to share generously the gifts we have received, becoming witnesses of hope and joy through both our words and our actions. Like Francis, we are invited to notice where the Spirit is at work today and to bring the joy of the Gospel especially to those who are on the margins.
Artwork depicting the passing of St Francis of Assisi.
