“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
Storie di san Francesco; Navata, Chiesa superiore della Basilica di San Francesco in Assisi; Italia, Umbria, Perugia, AssisiStorie di san Francesco; Navata, Chiesa superiore della Basilica di San Francesco in Assisi; Italia, Umbria, Perugia, Assisi
“Change is the only constant in life,” said Heraclitus, and indeed the new year marked a change for many friars in our Custody. For example, there is a new parish team at St Mary of the Angels, and Friar Joseph Lee, the first in our Custody to reach 70 years of age, will be in Manila for a few months for a sabbatical programme.
I, however, continue as Custos, and I am hoping to deepen my intention for the Custody towards greater authenticity as Franciscans, as friars minor. Our Minister General, Friar Massimo Fusarelli, exhorted us during our Chapter last September to focus on strengthening fraternal life. As this is concretely expressed in having at least three friars in each community, we have had to suspend our presence in Penang because we do not have enough Malaysian friars for four communities in Malaysia.
This difficult decision has spurred my desire for our fraternal life to become more intentional. St Francis of Assisi espoused a fraternal life where brothers mutually care for one another and grow in their affective and spiritual maturity personally and communally. To encourage this in our communities, Friar Aiden Peter, as the new Moderator for Ongoing Formation, is considering fresh ideas to stimulate some change in the way we live out our community life.
This year, we are also grateful for our Custody’s spiritual heritage. On 26 January, we celebrated the 50th death anniversary of Blessed Gabriele Allegra, whom our Custody adopted as our co-patron together with St Anthony of Padua. Without Blessed Allegra, we Franciscan Friars might not be in this part of the world. It was his vision to set up the St Anthony Franciscan Sociological Centre in Singapore to offer a Catholic alternative to the Communist ideology that was gaining ground in the 1950s. Whilst tirelessly translating the Scriptures from the original Hebrew and Greek to Chinese and directing the Blessed Scotus Franciscan Biblical Institute in Hong Kong, Blessed Allegra still found time to come to Singapore in the early 1960s.
Turning back the clock several hundred years, we come to the time of St Francis of Assisi. This year we remember 800 years of his Transitus, his return to the Father by welcoming Sister Death. In Assisi, the Friars of the Basilica of St Francis will hold a month-long public display of the mortal remains of St Francis from 22 February 2026. I expound on this exciting event in the Feature article.
As I write this, I have just returned from a week-long meeting, from 5 to 8 January 2026, with the Religious Superiors from Malaysia and Singapore. We also had a joint meeting with the Bishops in our Conference of Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei. Speaking about change, I can see the deepening of friendship and trust among us Superiors in my six years as Custos. The level of cooperation and collaboration has been taken up a notch. This kind of change is not revolutionary; rather it is secure and organic, the kind that I know comes from an authentic space which can be sustained and is life-giving. I find this truly heart-warming.
I pray that all of us may experience this sort of change this year, especially in our spiritual life. May our Lenten experience be a graced opportunity to ground ourselves further in our Lord. Please pray for us friars as we continue to grow and strengthen our Franciscan presence and service of God’s people. May the Lord bless you and your loved ones!
The request Christ made from the crucifix to St Francis 800 years ago came up repeatedly at the 6th Asia-Oceania OFS-YouFra Congress in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah. The simple phrase – Go and repair my Church – resonated with the Secular Franciscans (OFS) brothers and sisters of Asia and Oceania as they sought greater clarity and depth in their identity and mission.
In the Holy Mass that opened the congress, Kota Kinabalu Archbishop John Wong told all gathered that it is important to invert “Go and repair my Church”, to begin with “church” as a community of believers that needs constant conversion, then “repairing” oneself through repentance, and finally “go” and share what you have received from the Lord.
Over the six days, 23-29 October 2025, the 72 Franciscans (61 Seculars and 11 Clergy/Religious) spoke the common language of love and fraternity, despite hailing from several countries, including Australia, Korea, India, Indonesia, Hong Kong, Malaysia, New Zealand, Timor Leste, Taiwan, Singapore, the Philippines, and Vietnam.
Fraternity is the fundamental call for all Franciscans – Secular and Religious. This is responding to Jesus’ call for all his disciples to be in communion, “that they may be one” (John 17:21) and this deep union is coming from Jesus’ acknowledgement that “the Father and I are one” (John 10:30).
Collective discernment saw the Congress members unanimously voting to conduct formation for leadership – local councils, ministers and formators – to help them understand what they have been called to do and to do it in a Christian and Franciscan way.
Whilst formation was a priority during the congress, other areas of importance discussed included Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation (JPIC) and vocation promotion. Much was said about engaging youths and YouFra in particular. The many entities seriously considering establishing a YouFra fraternity had the chance to learn from the rich experience of entities like Philippines and Vietnam which have YouFra numbering in the thousands.
With the Asia-Oceania delegates were Tibor Kauser OFS General Minister and Francis Park OFS Asia-Oceania Councillor, who helped steer the direction of the conversations and provided clarity on many matters. Tibor Kauser spoke of what it means to repair the Church, “Repair a fraternal life within self and others – but avoid repairing what is not even broken”. He also spoke about the role of the OFS fraternal animator for YouFra and the sense of belonging and responsibility in OFS and YouFra.
If you feel an inner prompting to explore the Secular Franciscan Order, do reach out to Singapore National Minister Janet Lim OFS (janetsfo@gmail.com) or Malaysia National Minister Marina Anjuman OFS (marinaanjuman7284@gmail.com).
