As the Franciscan family celebrates the 800th anniversary of the Rule of St. Francis on 29 November, Fr. Luke Gregory of the Custody of the Holy Land reflects on the evangelical creativity and freshness that the ‘Regula Bullata’ represents for the entire Church.
In their essentiality, the Chapters of the Regula Bullata of Saint Francis of Assisi contain an abundant wealth of indications and stimuli for the Christian life, which for 800 years has raised, oriented, and supported hosts of simple men and women, determined to follow Jesus and the Gospel: the Friars Minor — “The Franciscans”.
We are able to “read” the best commentary on this Holy Rule in the lives of our Franciscan brothers and sisters, who throughout history have distinguished themselves for virtue and holiness.
Allow me to limit myself to underlining some traits that always fascinate me for the wisdom and concreteness wherewith they are imbued, and which have the strength to restore impetus and meaning to my own vocation.
Radical adherence to the Gospel
Saint Francis cares that his brothers observe “the Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, living in obedience, without anything of their own and in chastity” (cf. chapter i), radically, without discounts, with every fiber of their being and in perfect communion with the Church and in obedience to the Holy Father, the Pope, which was absolutely essential to Francis’ vision of renewing and building up the Kingdom of God.
Even the criterion for verifying the seriousness of intention of the new brothers is profoundly ecclesial: “The ministers must then diligently examine them regarding the Catholic faith and the sacraments of the Church. And if they believe all these things and are willing to faithfully profess them and observe them steadfastly to the end” (cf. chapter ii, 2).
There are very clear and essential requests: the path of evangelical perfection is open to all, but only those who choose it with freedom and awareness adhere to it.
Our Seraphic and much beloved Father Saint Francis has imprinted an exemplary balance in the Holy Rule: everyone is called to develop firm radicalism towards themselves, but, at the same time, to exercise great mercy towards their brothers and sisters.
The radical nature of adhering to the Gospel must be experienced as a stimulus and support for one’s conversion but must never translate into contemptuous and demeaning judgment of other men (and women) (cf. chapter ii, 14).
Freshness of the truth
Saint Francis identified for himself and proposed to his brothers a sure way to adhere to the Gospel: poverty!
“The friars do not appropriate anything, neither house, nor place, or anything else. And as pilgrims and strangers in this world, serving the Lord in poverty and humility, let them go for alms with confidence” (cf. chapter vi, 1-2).
In the mind of Saint Francis, poverty has the flavour of a privilege, an honour, a grace; it is certainly not a reason for shame!
The profound reason for this choice, in fact, is not primarily of an ascetic or penitential nature, but is Christological.
“Nor should they be ashamed, because the Lord became poor for us in this world” (cf. chapter vi, 3).
Everything contributes to following Jesus, to becoming conformed to Him, to sharing the same life as Him: “This is the sublimity of the highest poverty!” (cf. chapter vi, 4).
The charm of the holiness of Francis of Assisi lies entirely in his surprising resemblance to Jesus, which he developed with an authentically evangelical life.
In his rule he has traced a path for us that is safe and not subject to the wear and tear of time, because both he as a figure and his Holy Rule enjoy the freshness of the simple and wholesome truth.
As the Franciscan Family marks the 8th Centenary of the confirmation of the Rule of St. Francis, on 29 November 1223, Pope Francis invites Franciscan friars and sisters to renew their vocation of bringing the Gospel of poverty and fraternity to today’s world.
Pope Francis has urged members of the Franciscan Family to hold true to the charism of fraternity, humility and poverty of their Founder by going out to the world to share the Gospel.
The Regula Bullata of 1223
For Franciscan friars and sisters going around the world means realizing their “itinerant vocation in a style of fraternity and peaceful life” and is in line with the call on all Christians “to be an ‘outgoing Church’”, the Pope said in a letter he addressed to the Ministers General of the Order on the occasion of the 8th Centenary of the formal confirmation of the Rule of St. Francis of Assisi by Pope Honorius III.
The Rule (Regula Bullata) was formally recognized in the Bull “Solere Annuere” issued on November 29 1223, 800 years ago today.
Pope Francis’ letter was read out during a solemn liturgy presided over on Wednesday afternoon at the Papal Archbasilica of Saint John Lateran in Rome by Cardinal Angelo De Donatis, the Pope’s Vicar for the Diocese.
The celebration was attended by friars, nuns, and lay people belonging to the three Orders founded by St. Francis.
Rooted in the Gospel
In his message, the Pope noted that the centenary is “a propitious occasion” not only to remember an important historical event, but above all, “to revive the same spirit that inspired St. Francis of Assisi to strip himself of everything, and give birth to a unique and fascinating form of life rooted in the Gospel”.
“May this jubilee be for everyone the time (…) for a renewed missionary mandate of the Church which calls us to go out to meet the world where many brothers and sisters await to be consoled, loved and cared for.”
Drawing from St. Francis’ Rule, Pope Francis, therefore, exhorted the members of the Franciscan Order first of all to “observe poverty, humility and the Gospel”, living “in obedience, without anything of their own and in chastity.”
Recalling that St. Francis put “the Gospel at the center of his existence”, the letter stressed the importance of returning “to the foundation of a Christian and baptismal commitment, capable of being inspired, in every choice, by the Word of the Lord.”
Obedience to the Church
Pope Francis then highlighted the Franciscans’ duty of obedience to the Church enshrined in St. Francis’ Rule. “In that bond of obedience and reverence to the Pope and the Church of Rome,” said the Pope, “he recognized an essential feature of the fidelity to his vocation and of receiving Christ in the Eucharist and this is why he declared, with no hesitation, his compelling belonging to the Church.”
“Be tenacious in supporting the Church, repairing it with example and testimony, even when it seems to cost more!”
Going out to the world
Finally, the letter called on the Franciscan friars and sisters “not to hesitate” to go out to the world “sharing the bliss of poverty, becoming an eloquent evangelical sign, and showing our age, marked by wars and conflicts, by selfishness of every kind and logics of exploitation of the environment and the poor, that the Gospel is truly good news for man.”
Concluding, Pope Francis said he confides in the Order’s capacity to identify the right way to courageously and faithfully respond to the charism it has received and invoked the intercession of the Virgin Mary and Saints Francis and Clare of Assisi.
A week before the World Youth Day event in Lisbon, a group of pilgrims from Singapore embarked on a spiritual journey to Assisi. Led by three Franciscan Friars, this Franciscan pilgrimage from 24 to 31 July was a profound quest by the pilgrims to deepen their faith and explore the timeless teachings of St Francis and St Clare, who have been guiding lights for over 800 years.
The pilgrimage had three simple yet profound aspects: to get a sense of where we are going, how we are getting there, and with whom we are travelling:
1. Clarity of Purpose: Just as St Francis and St Clare found their calling in a life of poverty, simplicity, and service to others, we sought to clarify our life’s purpose and to understand the path God has set for us.
2. Continuation of the Journey: The pilgrimage was only a chapter in our greater pilgrimage of life, an experience that we hoped would teach us how to continue our spiritual journey with renewed vigour and purpose.
3. Companionship: We discovered the importance of community and companionship in our spiritual journey. We travelled with like-minded individuals who shared our faith, and provided support and encouragement along the way.
Our journey took us to sacred sites deeply connected to the lives and legacies of St Francis and St Clare:
1. Basilica of St Francis: This magnificent basilica, dedicated to St Francis, is a testament to his enduring influence. It was here that we felt the presence of St Francis, whose teachings of poverty and love for all living beings continue to inspire us.
2. Basilica of St Clare: St Clare’s Basilica is a place of quiet reflection where we contemplated her dedication to a life of prayer and simplicity.
3. San Damiano: This humble chapel was where St Francis received his divine calling. His experience at San Damiano imprinted the image of the crucified Christ upon his heart. Our visit allowed us to connect with the momentous event that set St Francis on his path of service and humility.
4. Basilica of St Mary of the Angels: This is where the Porziuncola, a small chapel dear to St Francis, is situated. The Porziuncola conjures up sentiments and thoughts linked with having a centre, a heart. This place symbolises Francis’ heart, and invited us to ponder who or what is at the centre of life for us.
5. La Verna: Nestled in the serene Tuscan hills, La Verna is where St Francis received the stigmata, the wounds of Christ. Francis had a lifelong, burning love for Jesus crucified, and his experience at La Verna imprinted the passion of Christ upon his flesh. Our time here was marked by deep contemplation and a sense of spiritual awe. We are called to come to the Lord with our burdens, our brokenness, and our weariness, and find rest in His loving embrace.
6. Carceri: The hermitage of Carceri, located in the lush forests above Assisi, is where St Francis and his companions sought solitude and communion with nature. It is from this experience and practice of solitude that Francis’ life and the Franciscan movement took root for all time. The development of a regular rhythm of solitude gives birth to a sense of listening and depth in one’s life.
7. Greccio: The place where St Francis arranged the first-ever nativity scene, Greccio is a place of profound faith and celebration that reminded us of the joy and humility of the Christmas story.
Each day, the pilgrims participated in the Eucharist, engaged in faith formation sessions and group sharing led by the friars, and spent quiet moments reflecting on the teachings of St Francis and St Clare.
One crucial aspect of the pilgrimage was the call to “do penance”, a call to introspection.
We were encouraged to examine our lives, seek new possibilities, and embrace new ways of acting that align with the values of simplicity, humility, and service.
Just as the Israelites were led by Yahweh in the form of a pillar of fire or a pillar of cloud, we were guided by the wisdom and example of St Francis and St Clare. We welcomed the challenge and the gift of walking this path with one another. We laughed, we cried, and we carried one another’s burdens. Facing the challenges together strengthened our bonds and deepened our understanding of the pilgrimage of life.
The Franciscan pilgrimage to Assisi was so much more than a physical journey; it was a transformative experience that illuminated our spiritual path.
Through visits to sacred places, moments of reflection, and shared experiences, we gained clarity, learned to continue our journey, and discovered the power of companionship. We returned from this pilgrimage carrying with us the teachings of St Francis and St Clare, who inspire us to live lives of faith, simplicity, and service.
God sends us companions on our spiritual journey, for us as individuals and for us as an organisation or ministry. For our Custody, St Anthony has been our patron saint from the beginning.
Why St Anthony you might ask? Well, it goes back to 1957 when Friar Vergil Mannion arrived in Singapore to establish a sociological centre to offer an alternative to communism. The centre was named Studium Sociologicum in Latin, but its name in Chinese – 安道社会学研究社 – translates to Anthony Sociological Research Centre. There is nothing that explains why the friars chose St Anthony as the centre’s patron though. Perhaps St Anthony, the patron of finding lost things, will help us find the answer to that one day!
In 1991, when our Custody, dependent upon the Australian Province, was established, the new entity chose to keep St Anthony as its intercessor, protector and guide. When our Custody became autonomous on 25 April 2023, we could have chosen to adopt a different saint as patron, but we wanted St Anthony to continue as our main patron. After all, he has helped us find our way all these years.
However, the Custody did adopt a co-patron, Friar Gabriele Allegra, for it was he who conceived the idea of setting up the sociological centre. Friar Gabriele Allegra was recognised for his holiness and great contribution to the church and hence beatified in 2012 as Blessed Gabriele Allegra.
We commissioned a painting of our co-patrons for our declaration of autonomy. In it, Blessed Allegra holds a book, and on the cover are the words 圣经, which translates to “holy scriptures”. This is because Blessed Allegra is well-known for his pioneering efforts to translate the bible into Chinese from the original Hebrew and Greek. Blessed Allegra is credited with the founding of two research centres – one on the bible, the other for sociology.
May the co-patrons of our Custody, St Anthony and Blessed Allegra, inspire all of us friars and all of you to work hard and pray even harder as you bring the Good News to the people, that they may find their way to God, who is always looking out for us, especially those of us who are lonely and lost.
Have you wondered why St Anthony is associated with bread? It is the power of his intercession. One legend is that when a boy drowned near the Basilica of St Anthony in Padua, his mother in her desperation called out to her beloved saint to restore her son’s life, promising a gift of grain to the poor equal to her son’s weight. We know how this story ends: restoration of life and the beginning of a beautiful tradition of giving to the poor because of graces received.
Blessings of God are everywhere if the eyes of our heart are open to them. We do not need dramatic stories to remind us that God is looking out for us and for those who are suffering and need a helping hand.
After the example of our father Francis, Franciscan Friars look out for those in the peripheries, and those who fall through the cracks. We have friars on the ground working with the people, knowing their pain and their desire for a better life.
When our Custody become autonomous on 25 April 2023, we wanted to underscore our commitment towards living out our mission and evangelisation, while promoting justice and peace among all.
So, we revived our Poor and Mission Fund which, remembering the origin story of St Anthony’s bread, we call “St Anthony’s Touch”. There is a new tick box in the tear-out slip that comes with this newsletter, and we hope you, our friends, donors and benefactors, will partner with us in reaching out to those in need and in bringing them the Gospel of love and hope. In addition to touching the lives of those in need within the Custody boundaries of Malaysia and Singapore, we hope to use this fund to respond directly to crisis needs on the ground via the Franciscan network.
We announced our first St Anthony’s Touch commitment during the Thanksgiving Mass for our new autonomous status. The Custody has pledged a sum of RM50,000 (SGD14,500) in support of Projek Sentuhan Murni, a project of our Franciscan parish of St Ann’s in Kuching to provide decent housing for the poor and marginalised in the kampungs in which we serve.
St Ann’s parish launched Projek Sentuhan Murni (which translates loosely to “A Touch of Blessing”) in 2021 as a direct response to the hardships faced by the people during the COVID-19 pandemic. During the lockdown, the parish provided food aid to more than 70 families.
Following feedback from the community, the parish began looking for a more permanent way of assisting the poor and marginalised. After much prayer and discernment, it decided that the project’s primary focus would be the building and renovating of homes. The permanence of a home would allow for the continual witness of God’s care and providence not only to the direct beneficiaries, but also to the community at large. Building homes would also provide jobs as village carpenters and workmen would be employed for the work.
In May 2022, the parish embarked on a pilot project to build two houses. The first house was for a family of seven living in a cramped wooden house perched on a precarious ledge. The head of the household had suffered an accident which had left him unable to work. The second house was for a destitute young man living in squalor.
Work began in mid-June, and six weeks later, the two single-storey houses were completed at a cost of RM58,000 (SGD16,800). A house blessing and simple handover ceremony took place on 6 August.
In 2023, the parish has allocated a budget of RM120,000 (SGD34,800) for Projek Sentuhan Murni. The commitment from St Anthony’s Touch will go towards this. Already, five applications have been received and more are likely.
The friars in our other parishes and ministries know to alert us of any dire and pressing needs that we can help alleviate through St Anthony’s Touch. I am certain more opportunities will present themselves as we open our hearts to those in need and collectively discern the voice of the Lord.
Please join us in praying that through this humble effort, the Lord’s presence and care may become more incarnate in the lives of the poor.
The celebration of the Easter season is a time when we reflect on the mystery of Jesus’ supreme sacrifice. He gave his life to win us our salvation. The empty tomb fulfils his mission on earth. What joy we all experience in the knowledge that we have been saved and, as faithful disciples, will one day share in his resurrection!
The Easter season concludes on the feast of Pentecost, often referred to as the birthday of the church. From the Gospels we know that after a time of despair and fear, the disciples, filled with the Holy Spirit of God, left the security of their hidden life to courageously proclaim Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour and the teachings that he had shared with them.
They faced much opposition from the established religious leaders but, accepting their mission to preach Christ Crucified, they were not deterred.
Over countless generations, men and women have heard the message of Christ anew, and like the early disciples have been compelled to preach the Gospel of Christ to the ends of the earth.
The Holy Spirit has inspired many Franciscan Friars to go beyond the security of their homelands to live and preach the Gospel as instructed by our Holy Father St Francis.
The feast of Pentecost has special significance for my province as it is under the patronage of the Holy Spirit. Franciscan Friars from Ireland established a community in Sydney in 1879. Then in 1970, the Australian friars assumed responsibility for the mission in Singapore. As more young men joined, it was declared a dependant custody of the Province of the Holy Spirit. It was my privilege to serve as the first Custos.
On 25 April, we celebrated the establishment of the Custody of St Anthony as an autonomous entity in the Order of Friars Minor. It was a momentous moment in the life of the friars in Singapore and Malaysia and for the entire Order.
The friars at the Thanksgiving Mass in commemoration of the establishment of the Custody of St Anthony as an autonomous entity in the Order of Friars Minor.
We give thanks to God for the courage of our brothers from Singapore and Malaysia and pray that they will, by their faithful living of the Gospel life, inspire others to join in the mission of proclaiming the Gospel, just as the early Franciscans did, just as the first disciples did – free from all fear and despair, but full of trust and faith in the Paschal Mystery of Salvation.
May we always be inspired by Pentecost and marvel in the Spirit’s action in proclaiming the story of our Salvation. May we always be willing to accept our mission to proclaim the Risen Lord. May the Holy Spirit of God be alive and active in all we do.
