Its the time of the year again to give thanks to God for our furry, feathered (and slimy) creature-friends that bring us so much joy and companionship!
Bring your dog, cat, bird, frog, lizard, rabbit, or other beloved and treasured animal-friends for a prayer and blessing session by our Franciscan Friars in Singapore, Kuching, Johor and Penang!
Please refer below for more details.
All are welcome!
Franciscan Animal Blessing at Church of St Mary’s of the Angels, Singapore
Date : Sunday, 2nd October 2022
Time : 3 PM
Venue : Piazza outside main church, Level 3.
Please register HERE to help us with our logistics planning and to keep you updated, if necessary.
It may seem contradictory that receiving the gift of the stigmata would be called love. After all, receiving the stigmata would mean enduring the painful wounds that Christ Himself experienced when He suffered His passion and death. How then can it be called love and a gift?
From the moment Adam and Eve fell, God has been calling us back to Him. In Jesus Christ, the Father’s loving face was revealed to us, enabling us to be adopted as God’s beloved children.
When Christ went through His passion and death, He held nothing back from us. Christ yearned to be united with us in all ways, so He emptied Himself to be born a man and even more, to die on the Cross.
So, we believe sin, evil and death no longer have power over us. God has overcome them for us. Therefore, the mystery of the Cross and the wounds of Christ are the “Gift of Love” for our humanity and salvation.
As we undergo our trials in life, we ought to reunite with Christ. We do not need to fear the crosses in our lives because Christ carries them with us. This closeness to Jesus is His gift of love and it assures us of victory.
In Francis, God found someone who loved Him for Himself. In Francis, God found someone who knew what it meant to love truly. In Francis, we have an example of what it means to be a Christian. Therefore, it has pleased God to bestow upon Francis the “Wounds of His love”.
May we follow the example of Francis and may our hearts burn with love for Christ and His people.
On 8 October, the Church of St Mary of the Angels will reverberate with song as youth and the young at heart lift their voices in praise of God. Featuring a number of youth praise and worship bands and Friar Derrick Yap OFM singing with Mystic Font, the inaugural Festival of Praise will hopefully be an annual event on the Saturday following the feast of St Francis.
This concert will be a celebration of the gift of St Francis and his spirituality for a contemporary church. It is a time to come together after isolating for the last two years, and what better way than to gather to lift our voices in praise of God for the gift of faith and of Fraternity!
This event is the first presented by Fraternitas, a ministry of the Franciscan Friars to youth and young adults. Fraternitas aims to bring together creative talents from around the Singapore Catholic Church to share and celebrate as one Church. With the concert, Fraternitas hopes to encourage youth bands from around the country to gather in song and music to celebrate what it means to be Church in Singapore.
To compliment the evening of song and music, volunteers from the parish of St Mary of the Angels will hold a food fair pre- and post-concert. The food fair will begin at 5pm.
At this event, Fraternitas will also launch “Canticle”, another community under its wings. Through Canticle, Fraternitas hopes to invite young creatives – musicians, composers, singers, dancers, poets, painters and more – to form a fraternity to journey together in faith,celebrating the gift of their talents.
A series of workshops and retreats is planned for this fraternity in 2023, and from this may spring forth new acts and items for Festival of Praise 2023.
In June, four student friars were sent to Sabah for Mission Exposure. Friars Timothy Fong and Sylvester Singh had a pastoral attachment with Montfort Youth Training Centre (MYTC) in the town of Kinarut, working with the staff, trainees and young adults. Friars Marvin Voo and Julian Chua were assigned to assist the Franciscan Sisters of the Immaculate Conception (FSIC) with their youth apostolate, migrant and parish ministries across Kota Kinabalu, Keningau, and Sandakan. They each share a little of that three-week Mission Exposure experience from 12 June to 1 July.
Friars Timothy Fong and Sylvester Singh in Montfort Youth Training Centre (MYTC) Kinarut, Papar.Friars Marvin Voo and Julian Chua assisting the Franciscan Sisters of the Immaculate Conception (FSIC) across the dioceses of Sandakan, Keningau and Kota Kinabalu.
