ABOVE (left to right): Jason Ng, Mark Lee, Friar Aiden Peter, Daniel Frances, Samuel Tan. Photo taken during community recollection at MacRitchie Reservoir.
A new chapter has begun for four young men. In a simple rite held during Morning Prayer and Mass on 11 January 2025 in the chapel of St Anthony Friary, Singapore, they were received into the Postulancy Formation Programme of the Custody of St Anthony Malaysia-Singapore-Brunei.
The Postulancy programme is a vital part of the initial formation process during which candidates receive special accompaniment from the Postulant Master and the fraternity as they seek to answer the call to follow Christ in the spirit of St Francis of Assisi.
Each postulant brings a unique journey of faith to this new chapter of their lives.
Mark Lee, from St Louis, Kluang, Johor, is the second of three children. Faith has always been central to his life, shaping his desire to serve God and others. Before joining the Postulancy, he was a lecturer and was active in his parish, where he experienced the joy of walking with others in their spiritual journeys.
Jason Ng, an only child, grew up in the Church of St Mary of the Angels, where he was in the choir for many years. Before joining the Franciscans, he was a Laboratory Executive in a research lab. His vocation was shaped by his encounters with the friars, as well as his involvement in Fraternitas and Franciscan Young Adults, which deepened his love for the Franciscan way of life.
From St Joseph Church (Bukit Timah) comes Daniel Frances. He is from a family of five and is passionate about food, travelling, and caring for animals and plants. Before joining the friars, he was a social worker assisting families facing challenges. Seeing the joy of the friars in their service to others inspired him to explore Franciscan life more deeply.
Samuel Tan moved to Singapore from Bandung, Indonesia at 16, and worked in the financial industry before joining the Postulancy programme. He has a deep love for nature, through which he experiences God’s greatness—much like St Francis in the Canticle of the Sun. The strong sense of fraternity within the Franciscan community and St Francis’ deep love for peace drew him to this vocation, with the hope of becoming a channel of God’s peace to others.
Guided by their formators (Cosmas Francis and myself), Mark, Jason, Daniel, and Samuel have embarked on a journey of formation, self-discovery, and deepening their baptismal commitment. Through personal and communal prayer, spiritual readings, development programmes, and seminary studies, they will be given the tools to embrace and embody the Franciscan values of fraternity and minority.
As they take these first steps, let us surround them with our prayers and ask the Lord to bless and guide them in their discernment. May their witness inspire others to listen to God’s voice and respond with courageous and generous hearts.
In this issue, we feature our Custody’s two communities in Peninsular Malaysia – St James of the Marches Friary in Johor and St Peter of Alcantara Friary in Penang.
Johor: St James of the Marches Friary
The St James of the Marches Friary is in a diverse Johor Bahru neighbourhood of Malay, Chinese, and Indian families, and the friars live simply among the people, following the Franciscan spirit of service and fraternity.
The friary is named after St James of the Marches, an Italian Franciscan friar who lived from 1391 to 1476. He is often depicted holding a chalice with a snake escaping from it, a reference to an attempt by heretics to poison him. His commitment to preaching and defending the faith, and his life of dedication, are a source of inspiration for the friars.
Until February 2025, the community consisted of three friars: Friar Moses Yap, who served as guardian of the house, Friar Claurence Motoyou, and Friar Sixtus Peter. The friars are engaged in various pastoral and social ministries in Johor Bahru.
Friar Moses served as the parish priest of the Church of St Joseph in Plentong from 2021 to 2024. He was also the spiritual director of the Legion of Mary and the Bishop’s Delegate for the Office of New Evangelisation. In February, as he marked his silver jubilee, he moved to the San Damiano community in Singapore for a sabbatical year.
Friar Claurence is parish priest of the Church of Mary Immaculate. He works closely with the migrant community and is a board member for mission schools in Johor Bahru. He also works with Villa Poulos, a home that provides care and shelter for underprivileged children.
Friar Sixtus is assistant parish priest at the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. He is the Bishop’s Delegate for the Office of Social Communication, managing the diocese’s website, media channels, and digital platforms. He is also vice-chairperson of the Episcopal Regional Commission of Social Communication for the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Malaysia, Singapore, and Brunei. In addition, he is a member of our Custody’s Development Office, assisting with social media content and the Franciscan calendar.
The St James of the Marches Friary is a place of prayer and service, where the friars continue their ministry in a simple and humble way, reaching out to those in need and contributing to the wider Church community.
Friar Sixtus Peter OFM
Penang: St Peter of Alcantara Friary
The Franciscan friary in Penang was established in 2017 as a place of prayer, fraternity, and formation. Named after St Peter of Alcantara, a 16th-century Franciscan, the friary serves as a formation house for Malaysians discerning the call to join the Order of Friars Minor.
St Peter of Alcantara was renowned for his deep spirituality, austere way of life, and commitment to reform within the Franciscan Order. A contemporary of St Ignatius of Loyola and St John of the Cross, he was a guiding figure in the spiritual lives of many, including St Teresa of Avila, whom he encouraged in her Carmelite reform. His unwavering dedication to prayer, humility, and penance are core values we strive to live by in our friary.
On a lighter note, the initials of St Peter of Alcantara (SPA) seem fitting for a friary on an island known for its sun, sea, and sand! Just as a spa offers refreshment and renewal, we hope that all who encounter us will experience the warmth, peace, and joy of Christ.
St Francis of Assisi said, “The Lord gave me brothers”, and our community of three solemnly professed friars—two from East Malaysia and one from Peninsular Malaysia—finds joy in living and serving together as brothers. Each friar brings unique talents that enrich our fraternity, from preparing home-cooked meals (Friar Cosmas Francis) to beautifying our friary (Friar Crispus Mosinoh) and reaching out to others with simplicity and joy (Friar Esmond Chua).
Our friars engage in varied ministries within the Diocese of Penang. We oversee the care of Risen Christ Catholic Church in Air Itam and provide Mass in English, Malay, and Mandarin across the island and the mainland, including celebrating weekly Mass at Mt Miriam Cancer Hospital.
We support the bishop in matters related to Religious communities, and we collaborate with fellow Religious in diocesan initiatives. We also provide spiritual direction to seminarians.
Additionally, we serve in several roles at the Custody level—Vocations, Development Office, Formation, and JPIC (Justice, Peace, Integrity, and Care for Creation).
There is always much more to be done, and we ask that you pray for us—for our friars, those we serve, and for more vocations to the Franciscan way of life.
“Asia is growing” is an oft-repeated phrase among the Franciscan community. Indeed, looking at the growth in vocations in India, Vietnam, and Indonesia, we can see the growing Church in Asia. Of course, there are also entities, especially in the more affluent nations, that are struggling with vocations.
With these mixed emotions and situations, 12 ministers (Provincials, Custos, Presidents) from the South Asia, Australia, and Oceania Conference (SAAOC) gathered in Singapore from 17 to 21 February 2025 for our annual meeting to discern where and how God wants us Franciscans to participate in His Kingdom today.
With us was Friar John Wong, our previous Custos and current Definitor General for Asia-Oceania, who supplemented our discussion with the global perspective and what the General Council is deliberating. Friar Gregorio Lino, Provincial Minister of the Manila Province and President of the East Asia Conference, also joined us to share insights and information from the eight entities in that Conference. The fraternal intentionality of the 15 friars gathered was palpable in the meeting room and even when roaming around Chinatown for souvenirs.
I personally drove the Ministers to and from the airport as far as possible. For me, these times of personal conversations are gold. Many of them intimated how wonderful the week had been, with much discussed and worked on—but most of all, the deep fraternal bond and connection they felt among the Ministers. This affirms our Franciscan philosophy that persons and process are precious even as we work toward the product. This is the special charism of Franciscan spirituality, and seeing it embodied in friars from culturally diverse backgrounds is a testimony of “how good and pleasant it is, brothers living in unity” (Ps 133:1).
In terms of outcomes, we have decided to work on several collaborative projects such as the Asian Franciscan Formators Training (AFFT), a programme for Ongoing Formation directors, certification for English as a second language, Italian language courses to prepare for studies in Rome, and a programme for future missionaries. We have committed to promoting greater support for the Directors of Safeguarding within Asia, and we endorsed support for Conference-level collaboration for New Forms, which we talked about in the January 2025 issue of St. Anthony’s Bread.
Friar Phillip Miscamble, a previous Parish Priest of our parish of St. Mary of the Angels in Bukit Batok and current Provincial of Australia, shared with me that this meeting felt like a resurrection of our Conference. Things were already taking place, and the meeting felt energised and new. Even Friar John Wong said that we achieved more than he had expected!
For myself, the meeting was an experience of newness. I wonder if this feeling is a glimpse of the tremendous resurrection experience of Jesus for his disciples. In this Year of Hope, we are reminded to be open to the various “resurrection” experiences in our daily lives. God is always with us, but how are we connecting with Him in our hearts? Can we transcend the dreariness of some of our lives and see the God-spark within every person, every creature, every circumstance?
I wonder if this is the secret to the deep and unshakeable peace and joy that grounded St. Francis. May our journey this Lent into Easter ground us more in the risen Christ and bring us out of ourselves to the place where God dreams we will be.
From February 17th to 22nd, 2025, at the San Damiano Integration House in Baguio City (Philippines), the postulants of the Philippine Provinces of San Pedro Bautista and St. Anthony of Padua, and those of the Custody of St. Anthony (Singapore-Malaysia-Brunei) and the St. Francis of Assisi Foundation (Myanmar), were involved in a joint Psycho-Spiritual Integration Program for postulants.
The program, promoted by Br. Chris Tibong, OFM (S. Pedro Bautista), aims to strengthen the bond between the postulants of the Entities involved, promote personal bonds between the participants and focus on the understanding of the human person through the Human, Christian and Franciscan dimensions.
In the human dimension, participants had the opportunity to revisit their inner childhood, focusing on their wounds and how they cope with past experiences. The goal was to support their journey towards inner healing and liberation.
A deep sense of prayer and devotion rooted in Franciscan spirituality was observed throughout the program. As our Seraphic Father St. Francis of Assisi said, “do not extinguish the spirit of prayer” was an integral part of the program.
The Franciscan dimension focused on the themes of fraternity and minority. The program reminded participants that the foundation of our vocation to fraternal life lies in opening ourselves to others, accepting ourselves, and engaging in dialogue with both ourselves and others.
It was this spirit of brotherhood that inspired the creation of a joint program, allowing participants to grow in the life of fraternity. The meeting was made possible through the collaboration between the Philippine Provinces, the St. Francis of Assisi Foundation in Myanmar, and the Custody of St. Anthony of Padua in Malaysia, Singapore, and Brunei.
This program is a constant invitation to integrate the lessons into daily life, as participants embrace the Franciscan way of living.
