A prayer offered by Pope Leo XIV that St Francis of Assisi may continue to instil in all of us perfect joy and harmony
Following the example of St Francis
From the Ordinary Jubilee of 2025, we have entered a Year of St Francis celebrated from 10 January 2026 to 10 January 2027. In this extraordinary jubilee, which commemorates the eighth centenary of the passage of St Francis of Assisi, the Christian faithful are invited to follow the example of the Saint of Assisi, becoming models of holiness of life and constant witnesses of peace.
As Pope Leo XIV said in his letter to the Ministers General of the Franciscan Family on the opening of the centenary, “In this age, marked by so many seemingly interminable wars, by internal and social divisions that create mistrust and fear, he continues to speak. Not because he offers technical solutions, but because his life points to the authentic source of peace.”
The Holy Father concluded his letter thus, “Dear brothers and sisters, may the example and spiritual legacy of this Saint, strong in faith, steadfast in hope and ardent in active charity towards his neighbour, inspire in everyone the importance of trusting in the Lord, of living a life faithful to the Gospel, and of accepting and illuminating every circumstance and action of life with faith and prayer.”
So how may we follow the example of St Francis? We offer here some suggestions for action and reflection from “Francis of Assisi: A Seed for Eternal Life“, a letter from the Franciscan Family issued in Assisi on 10 January 2026 on the occasion of the centenary.
Action
- Perform an act of mercy toward someone on the margins of society.
- Spend 10 minutes in silence in front of a crucifix.
- Participate in the Eucharist with renewed attention.
- Give thanks for the Church, even with its shortcomings.
- Apologise to someone instead of justifying yourself.
- Bring peace to a conflict within family or at work.
Reflection
- I try to recognise the “lepers” of my time; who are the excluded people I encounter?
- Where do I see today the “opened eyes” of the Crucifix looking at me?
- How do I experience my belonging to the Church with its poverty and riches?
- Where do I “sow my seed” of the Gospel? Where are my places of witness?
- Do my relationships seem “circular” or “pyramidal”? Where do I recognise that I am exercising power rather than service?
- How do I effectively bring peace to the places where I live?
A renewed sense of fraternity
“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.
Receiving and sending forth
Greccio Friary was filled with expectation on 10 January 2026 as the friars gathered for a double moment of grace: the reception of two new postulants, Timothy Colond and Matthew S Lim, and the sending forth of three young brothers, Samuel Tan, Daniel Xavier, and Jason Ng, who departed for Manila that afternoon for their immersion postulancy programme leading towards the Novitiate.
Presiding at the Eucharist in the friary chapel, Custos Friar Derrick Yap drew hearts back to what lies at the centre of the Franciscan journey. In his homily, he reminded all gathered that salvation is not only about redemption and the forgiveness of sins. At its heart, salvation is about communion with God.
Friar Derrick noted that the great intellectual gifts and powerful preaching of St Anthony of Padua were rooted in a deep desire to be with God. For St Anthony, holiness was not about achievement, but about presence – remaining close to the Lord in love and fidelity. This same longing animated the entire life of St Francis, whose radical following of Christ reached its mystical summit in the stigmata, the visible sign that Francis had so conformed himself to Christ that he bore in his own body the marks of the Crucified Christ.
In this light, the stages of Franciscan formation – postulancy, immersion, and novitiate – reveal their deeper meaning as pathways by which God draws a person into fuller communion with Himself and into the fraternity and mission of the Order.
For Timothy and Matthew, their reception into postulancy marks the beginning of this journey. Postulancy is the stage of preparing the ground, a period of cultivating the soil before the seeds are planted. It is a time of conversion from secular life to the Franciscan way of life, without yet taking on its full obligations. It is also meant to clarify a candidate’s motivation and enable him to make a genuine and mature decision.
Over the next 12 months, Timothy and Matthew will be formed in the human, Christian, and Franciscan dimensions of their vocation.
Through prayer, study, fraternal living, and guided reflection, they will be invited to grow in effective maturity: learning to choose freely, to let go of what no longer serves their vocation, and to tune their lives to the dynamism of following Christ after the example of St Francis.
Meanwhile, Samuel, Daniel, and Jason have embarked on the next stage of formation – a four-month immersion postulancy programme. Together with four postulants from the Philippines and four from Myanmar, they form an international fraternity that mirrors the global face of the Order.
Their formation will include sectoral exposure, where they will live among fishermen, villagers, farmers, and indigenous communities, learning to recognise Christ present in the lives of the people, especially the poor and those on the margins. They will be attached to Franciscan communities to experience the daily rhythm of prayer, fraternity, and apostolic service that shapes the life of a friar.
These months are meant not only to instruct but also to transform – allowing the Gospel and the fraternal, spiritual, and missionary dimensions of the Franciscan charism to take deeper root before they enter the Novitiate in May.
Vocation is a journey of continual conversion and trust, and the five are united by the same call: to seek God with their whole hearts and to follow Christ in the way of St Francis. Let us keep them in our prayers as they grow in communion with God and in joy within the Franciscan brotherhood.
Friar Aiden Peter Jr OFM
Formation Director
St Francis lives on!
“Welcome, Sister Death!” These words will ring in our ears repeatedly this year as we mark 800 years since the death of St Francis on 3 October 1226. On the night of his passing (Transitus), Francis had the brothers sing the canticle he composed the year before – the Canticle of Creatures – and then he added a final verse on Sister Death.
This verse on Sister Death may be little known as we seldom get to the final verse when we sing this song in church. Perhaps this year could be an occasion to carve out some time and space to reflect on the topic of death and think about what a good death would look like. When we have contemplated on death, then we may better know how to live. Hence, the many images, of saints with skulls in their hands or by their feet. Holiness is the outcome of knowing where we are going after this life is over.
This year, for the first time in history, the mortal remains of St Francis in the Basilica of St Francis in Assisi will be displayed for public veneration. The month-long event, which begins on 22 February, is to recall this life that has touched many hearts with a depth of authenticity that is timeless. As of mid-December, there were more than 250,000 bookings. You can find out more from the website, www.saintfrancisliveson.org
This result testifies to the universality of the message of the Saint of Assisi and the timeless appeal of his figure. Francis’ life is like a seed which bears much fruit. The Franciscan Family has taken this seed image for the Year of Transitus, and I quote here from the website:
“Like a grain of wheat fallen to the ground, the body of Francis of Assisi has become a fertile seed and bearing fruit through time. His existence, given entirely to love, reconciliation, and fraternity, continues to speak to the heart of humanity even eight hundred years after his death. Today, his legacy manifests as a living presence of God’s Kingdom in our midst: every gesture of openness: every choice for peace, every embrace of brotherhood bears the mark of that seed which did not remain alone, but gave birth to a new story.
“The relics of Francis, kept in the basilica dedicated to him in Assisi, are a tangible sign of this mystery. Pilgrims from every part of the world gather before his tomb, finding inspiration, courage, and hope in the example of a life radically given. In that place, earth and heaven seem to touch; Francis’ message becomes a concrete invitation to welcome the Gospel into daily life, to build bridges of dialogue, to care for creation, to live relationships marked by peace and love. To discover Francis today means allowing ourselves to be drawn into a story that continues to flourish, silent and fruitful. His legacy accompanies and encourages us to make visible, through our choices and actions, the Kingdom of God that grows quietly but powerfully in our midst. Thus, like a seed that sprouts in the earth, Francis’ presence is light and promise for anyone who desires to walk in fraternity and hope.”
For those who are unable to make the pilgrimage to Assisi, do not fret! In Singapore, we will have public veneration of the relics of St Francis, and those of St Anthony and Blessed Allegra on 22 February 2026. This one-day public veneration will be held in the chapel of San Damiano Franciscan Centre, which is behind the main Church of St Mary of the Angels.
Speaking of welcoming Sister Death, I take this opportunity to mention our Franciscan Columbarium, located within the grounds of the Franciscan Complex in Bukit Batok. It was conceived as a sacred space to hold and honour the mortal remains of our beloved family and friends. Adjacent to the columbarium are two wake chapels – La Verna and Transitus – which offer a consoling space for those who are grieving. Our accompaniment and service of those who are mourning the loss of a loved one is modelled after St Francis’ desire to be close to the broken-hearted and the needs of the people. The real need of course is to offer the hope that only our Risen Lord Jesus Christ can offer. Jesus, who died and rose again, guarantees the life that never ends. That is why for St Francis Sister Death was a portal, a doorway, to enter into the life of God, a life with God our Beloved, the life of immense joy and deep peace that we all long for.
May this centenary of Francis’ Transitus truly be a time of grace for all of us to contemplate Sister Death in the spirit of hope and peace.
Friar Derrick Yap OFM
