Since my Solemn Profession on 17 September 2024, I have been going to Johor Bahru on weekends. While I continue my studies at St Francis Xavier Seminary and remain a member of the Greccio Friary community, as part of my ministry, I serve the Bahasa Malaysia community of St Joseph Church in Johor Bahru.
It has been a life-giving experience to serve this community, most of whom are from Sabah and Sarawak, and I am grateful to Fr Matthew Bun, parish priest of St Joseph Church, Plentong, for welcoming me into his parish. I have been involved with the choir, participated in the Basic Ecclesial Community, held retreats for communion ministers, accompanied the young adult community, and joined in the Parish and Melaka-Johor Diocese Harvest Festival celebration, which is a celebration of culture, nature, humanity and faith as part of integral ecology.
If there is one thing God has invited me to respond to in my ministry this year, it is the ministry of presence. In giving formation, sharing sessions and retreats, I find myself focusing on the importance of being present and deepening our relationship with God. In this digital and demanding age, we need to hear the true voice of God so that we can stay grounded in Him.
This call is not only for the people to whom I minister. It is also an invitation for me. I find myself often sitting with God in the adoration room, saying “Dear Lord, what do You want me to share?”.
What gives me hope in my ministry is seeing that conversations about faith, vocation, family and ministry are still relevant. These deeper conversations are when the promise of Jesus in Matthew 18:20 – “For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them” – comes alive.
In response to the Malaysian Brothers Gathering in January 2025, I try to be with the St James of the Marches community in Johor Bahru on weekends. I am blessed to spend time with Friar Sixtus Peter, who serves at Sacred Heart Cathedral, Johor, and Friar Claurence Motoyou, who serves at the Church of the Immaculate Conception.
Whether it is joining them for prayers and meals, or accompanying Friar Sixtus for Mass or ministries, these are for me ways of supporting the community and living out the ministry of presence. In all of this, I can hear God’s voice clearly saying, “For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them” (Matthew 18:20).
As I go about my studies and ministry, I am thankful to my mentor, Friar Gerard Victor, for helping me to stay grounded, and reminding me to maintain balance as a friar, between studies, ministry and prayer life.
Over five days in July, the Franciscan Friars of the Custody of St Anthony (Malaysia-Singapore-Brunei) gathered for their 2025 Assembly. It was a time of prayer, reflection, and collective discernment under the theme “A World in Suffering, A Hope that Restores, A Fraternity that Strengthens”.
The days began with Lauds and Mass and ended with Vespers. Bookended by prayer, the friars engaged in structured sessions ranging from the Custos’ report to discussions on finance, parish ministry, columbarium management, youth outreach, communications, mission and evangelisation, as well as supporting ministry in the Holy Land. Time and again we returned to the question of how the Custody’s Franciscan charism could both enrich and be enriched by such ministries. Evenings were reserved for deepening fraternity over recreation and informal dialogue.
As a Muslim lay facilitator who works with religious communities from different faith traditions, I was humbled to witness the community’s spiritual vitality, courage and joy. I was particularly inspired by how the discussions balanced thought and action.
The friars reflected on how fraternal life could nourish and renew their projects, while also being nourished and renewed by them. Time and again, we returned to the idea, “We can only give what we have received, how do we prioritise? What is the balance between limitless grace and limited time, energy, resources?”. Visitator-General Friar Ferdinand Van Der Reijken shared fresh perspectives on the Custody, and valuable ideas on the questions and conversations that have helped religious communities thrive. Overall, a palpable sense of linking inner life to outward service shaped every discussion.
A grace was the space for vulnerability and trust. In all sessions and in quiet moments in between, the friars shared their deepest hopes, challenges, strengths and struggles. They offered not just ideas but themselves to one another. These conversations were not always easy – but they were always honest. They returned often to fundamental Franciscan values – St Francis’ lessons to embrace humility and simplicity; St Clare’s demonstration of the power of silence and contemplative strength; St Anthony’s healing preaching and presence; Blessed Gabriele Allegra’s vision for a Franciscan sociological centre in Singapore, which continues to inspire the friars.
As the days unfolded, we began to glimpse more clearly what mediaeval Franciscan theologian Blessed John Duns Scotus would have called the Custody’s “haecceity” – the unique, formative and formational identity shaped by its members, missions and context. Through prayer, conversations and communal discernment, we began to see how the many strands of the Custody’s life form a dynamic whole far greater than the sum of its dynamically interacting parts. We explored how these strands needed to coexist and mutually resonate in order to enrich the friars’ witness to a world in need of justice and joy, truth and tenderness.
For me, as a facilitator and practitioner of interfaith dialogue and organisational development, the Assembly affirmed my belief that good conversational process – grounded in listening, openness, and mutual respect – is sacred in its own right.
The friars mapped developments at different levels – their individual selves, the Custody, the Franciscan Order, the Church, the world – which helped them to see how their own lives and the Custody’s life are nested in multiple larger systems. They examined simple but fundamental questions: Which practices did the Custody want to keep and improve? What needed to start and stop? What was surprising about the past three years and the Assembly discussions?
Even more powerful was the strong contemplative undercurrent. We talked a lot, but also made time for silence to listen to the promptings of the Holy Spirit. We did not just “trust the process” as facilitators say in secular settings. Rather, we trusted a deeper wisdom: He who is simultaneously Source, Process, Principle and Outcome.
The five days of Assembly were both an end and a beginning. The fruits of the discussions will be given more concrete form at the Custody Chapter in September, during which the friars will elect their leadership for the next three years, and develop plans to implement their collective vision.
For now, they have returned to their homes and ministries, hopefully renewed and recommitted. As they pray for us, let us continue supporting them in whatever way we can. May our prayers, time, energy and donations accompany these Franciscan brothers as they strive to be a fraternity that strengthens and brings hope to a riven world, even as they trust in the God who restores all things.
“I can’t believe I can understand what has been shared in Spanish!” This was my revelation when I was at a table of OFM friars, Franciscan Sisters and Secular Franciscans during the Chapter of Mats.
In the first two weeks of June 2025, more than 100 friars, sisters and seculars gathered in Assisi at Domus Pacis Hotel, next to the Basilica of St Mary of the Angels, for our Chapter of Mats – the mid-term review of the six-year term of our global leadership.
The Chapter of Mats dates back to the time of St Francis. On 30 May 1221, more than 5,000 friars from all over the world gathered around the little chapel of Our Lady of the Angels of the Porziuncola. In the surrounding fields were mats brought by the friars and hence it was called the “Chapter of Mats”.
In 2025, again brothers and sisters of the Franciscan family gathered from all over the world. Our Franciscan leadership had wanted the synodal path promoted by the late Pope Francis, hence conversations were first done at the local community level on three fundamental nuclei: Charism, Communion and Mission. It was not only friars evaluating our own life and mission; we also actively engaged sisters and seculars in our review.
I represented SAAOC (South Asia, Australia and Oceania Conference) and presented the summary of the discussions from our 12 entities. The SAAOC is one of 13 conferences around the world, and each was represented by four friars, two sisters and three seculars.
We spent three intense days conversing on the nuclei. The method used was the World Café where we sat at tables of up to eight people, with the facilitator and the scribe assigned to the table. We switched tables for three rounds, regardless of language. In each round, we enriched the conversation by recounting what we had heard at our previous tables. I was impressed by how authentically and boldly everyone spoke.
After the Chapter of Mats, I represented SAAOC at the Plenary Council of the Order where resolutions were made for proposals for the General Chapter 2027. It was a privilege to hear the situations and wonderful work done by friars in the global arena.
From Assisi I went to Manila for the two-week in-person training for the second run of the Asian Franciscan Formators Training (AFFT). We have 14 participants from seven countries.
The programme has been refined with feedback from our first batch to make it more robust and relevant for our formators. My gratitude to those who have supported this initiative, and I appeal for your continued generosity. Most of our participants are from developing countries and the course fees are kept low to encourage wider participation. Donations can be made to our UEN listed in the donation slip, with the Ref: AFFT.
On coming back to Singapore, I was soon immersed in our Custody Assembly held in Johor Bahru. It was a time for the friars in our Custody of St Anthony (Malaysia-Singapore-Brunei) to evaluate and discern our life and mission, in preparation for our Elective Chapter in September. For me, there was a sense of brotherly support and willingness to listen to one another as we journey together towards a more authentic Franciscan life and more effective mission. Our facilitator Aaron Maniam shares his experience in the Feature Article.
As I am writing this, I am helping another Franciscan entity in Asia with its Elective Chapter as Visitator General.
Yes, I am in back-to-back meetings, but this accompaniment of individuals and entities is life-giving for me. Often I encounter the inner world of a person which for me is a sacred and privileged moment, and I recognise that it is there that God dwells and works. This work gives me hope and strength for my own Franciscan journey. May the Lord give you the strength, wisdom and grace to keep walking yours. Amen!
The second cycle of the Asian Franciscan Formators Training (AFFT) officially began on June 16, 2025, with a Mass led by Br. Derrick Yap, OFM, Custos of Singapore-Malaysia and AFFT Coordinator. In his homily, Br. Derrick reflected on the inner struggles of formation ministry, reminding participants that “God alone is enough” and encouraging them to let God’s grace overflow into their service. Participants were invited to write down a special grace they had received and their hopes for the training – offering these as intentions for the journey ahead.
AFFT, launched in March 2024 and supported by the Franciscan Conference of Asia-Oceania (FCAO), is a formation program that blends online modules with two in-person residencies – in Manila (June) and Singapore (November). It emphasizes scriptures, interculturality, emotional formation, safeguarding, adult and digital pedagogy, tailored for the Asian context.
This batch includes 14 friars from Malaysia, Indonesia, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Myanmar, and the Philippines. The first week is facilitated by Dr. Ignatius Chan, followed by Dr. Ed Caligner, with Dr. Josephine Chin serving as co-coordinator, all from Singapore.
AFFT continues to form compassionate, culturally aware Franciscan formators – rooted in both soul and structure.
