The OFM Custody of St Anthony (Malaysia-Singapore-Brunei) officially became an autonomous custody on April 25. This was declared by Friar Massimo Fusarelli OFM, the 121st successor of St Francis of Assisi and Minister General of the Order of Friars Minor (OFM).
Prior to this, the Custody of St Anthony was under the Province of the Holy Spirit (Australia-New Zealand). The Minister General also named the new administration with Friar Derrick Yap as Custos, Friar Michael D’Cruz as Vicar, Friars Vernon Chua, David Au, Esmond Chua and Aiden Peter as Councillors.
The OFM Custody of St Anthony (Malaysia-Singapore-Brunei) has 36 solemnly professed friars, including 18 Malaysians, 16 Singaporeans, one Sri Lankan, and one Filipino. There are eight friars-in-formation, including five Malaysians and three Singaporeans.
The friars have also been given charge of four parishes: the Church of St Ann in Kuching, Church of St Joseph in Johor, Church of the Risen Christ in Penang and Church of St Mary of the Angels in Singapore.
In his speech during the pronouncement, Friar Massimo Fusarelli exhorted the friars to “be the face of an Order and Church that speaks to the people of God in a way that is deeply Singapore, authentically Malaysia, and, as we say, truly Asia.”
The friars in Singapore-Malaysia expressed their gratitude to the Australian Friars of the Province of the Holy Spirit who were represented by the current and past Provincial Ministers and the Provincial Secretary. There was also a moment of silence to remember the friars who had gone before them.
That evening, the Minister General celebrated a Thanksgiving Mass at the Church of St Mary of the Angels. Fellow religious, parishioners, benefactors, and friends participated in the joyous occasion. During the Mass, Friar Nelson Evarinus from Sabah was admitted to the Ministry of Acolyte, and all the solemnly professed friars recommitted themselves to the Franciscan Gospel way of life, dedicating themselves to becoming contemplative fraternities in mission.
The Custody launched a fund called St Anthony’s Touch, as a commitment to helping the poor and marginalised, and supporting mission and evangelisation efforts. During the launch, a cheque of RM50,000 was presented to Friar Don Don Ramerez, rector of St Ann’s Church (Kuching), to support the parish’s mission efforts in building houses for poor families in the villages under their pastoral care.
At the end of the Mass, Friar Massimo presented a gift to Friar Derrick – a first-class relic of Blessed Gabriele Allegra. Blessed Allegra is considered to be the initiator of the Franciscan presence in Singapore; it was he who requested the Vatican to set up a sociological institute in Singapore to offer an alternative to Communist ideas which were gaining ground in the 1950s. Blessed Allegra, better known among Chinese-speaking Catholics as Lei Yong Ming, is lauded for his work of translation of the entire Bible into Chinese with a team of fellow Franciscan friars.
The next day, the Minister General departed for Kota Kinabalu, Sabah where the friars had just established their latest presence in Malaysia. Here, Friar Massimo enjoyed a lively dialogue with the Franciscan Sisters of the Immaculate Conception and 80 representatives of the Secular Franciscan Order, a fraction of a thriving community numbering 589 members currently in Sabah. The Minister General also paid a courtesy call to Archbishop John Wong of Kota Kinabalu, discussing current ministries of the friars and future possibilities of closer collaboration with the Archdiocese.
History of the Order of Friars Minor in the region On March 28, 1957, Friar Vergil Mannion OFM arrived in Singapore by disembarking from the Peleus ship onto its soil. A group of Franciscan friars from Italy, America, and Hong Kong was brought to Singapore in 1957 to establish a sociological institute for outreach, research, and publications to counter communism after a dialogue between Rome, local Church leaders, and Franciscans.
On August 26, 1958, Archbishop Michael Olçomendy of Malacca-Singapore officially declared the presence and ministry of the Order of Friars Minor. Subsequently, the Vatican decreed the canonical establishment of this new community.
In May 1991, the Franciscan Custody of St Anthony in Malaysia- Singapore-Brunei, dependent on the Australian Province of the Holy Spirit, was officially constituted.
On the afternoon of Thursday 27 April, the Minister General Br Massimo Fusarelli, Definitor General for Asia-Oceania and President of the Order’s General Commission for Service for Dialogue Br John Wong, and Custos for Malaysia-Singapore-Brunei Br Derrick Yap visited the Harmony Centre at An-Nadhah Mosque in Singapore as part of the Order’s engagement in the Service for Christian-Muslim Dialogue, in the ongoing spirit of Damietta.
The visit was organised by Custody Secretary BrAiden Peter and the group of friars were very warmly and graciously welcomed by Ustazah (“religious teacher”) Liyana Rosli Asmara, the Director of the Harmony Centre. In September 2019, Ustazah Liyana had participated in an interreligious pilgrimage of 22 young Singaporean and Malaysian adults together with Br Aiden and Br John to Istanbul, Cairo, Mount Sinai, Hebron, Bethlehem, Nazareth and Jerusalem, as a special commemoration of the 800th Anniversary of the encounter between St Francis of Assisi and Sultan Malik Al-Kamil.
The Harmony Centre promotes the learning journey, engages in research, organises initiatives of respectful encounter and deep dialogue, and publishes materials to help build a more peaceful world. During the meeting, the Minister General and Director of the Harmony Centre shared on some common concerns, including the challenges of being persons of faith in societies that are secularised, pastoral care concerns, and how religious leaders can communicate with the youth in a relevant way in places that are now post-religious.
In addition, Br Derrick and Br John spoke with Ustazah Liyana about some possibilities for upcoming concrete collaborative initiatives in the service of dialogue.
Br John Wong Definitor General for Asia-Oceania and President of the Order’s General Commission for Service for Dialogue
The friars of the Custody of St Anthony (Malaysia-Singapore-Brunei) share their dreams and hope for the Custody in conjunction of the Declaration of Autonomy and in thanksgiving for the gift of vocation.
Is God calling you to be a Franciscan Friar? Make the first step by dropping an email to vocations.ofms@gmail.com
In conjunction with the declaration of the Autonomous Custody of St Anthony (Malaysia-Singapore-Brunei), The Genesis Special Edition 2023 commemorates many friars of different background and origin who have laid the foundation in Singapore and making the dream come true for the locals in Singapore and Malaysia.
Our deepest gratitude and appreciation to all friars and friends who have been part of the formation of the Custody.
On Tuesday 25 April, the Franciscan Friars celebrate Mass at 6pm in the Church of St Mary of the Angels in Singapore in thanksgiving for the inauguration of the autonomous Custody of St Anthony.
They also offer Thanksgiving for: 1) Admission into the Ministry of Acolyte (Friar Nelson Evarinus) 2) Recommitment of Vows for the Solemnly Professed Friars 3) Launch of “St Anthony’s Touch” Mission Fund
On the morning of 25 April 2023, Friar Massimo Fusarelli ofm, Minister General of the Order of Friars Minor (Franciscans) officially declared the autonomy of the Custody of St Anthony (Malaysia-Singapore-Brunei), previously dependent upon the Province of the Holy Spirit (Australia-New Zealand).
Minister General of the Order , Friar Massimo (centre) and Definitor General Friar John Wong (left)
The fraternal celebration was also graced by the participation of Definitor General (Asia-Oceania) Friar John Wong, himself the previous Custos of the Custody. The Mother Province in Australia-New Zealand was also well-represented by the presence of the Minister Provincial Friar Phillip Miscamble, who was the entity’s first Custos, together with the current Provincial Definitors and previous Ministers Provincial. It was truly a celebration of the sacrificial efforts of the many friars that contributed to the growth and maturation of our brotherhood here in this part of the world.
Derrick, the first Custos of the Autonomous Custody. Receiving a medal of the Stigmata of St Francis of Assisi John & Massimo assuring Derrick of their prayers and support.
The decree of erection of the Autonomous Custody pronounced at the beginning of a Custody Assembly held in St Clare Hall on our Bukit Batok Complex. The appointments of the leadership team of the newly Autonomous Custody was also read out, with Friar Derrick Yap as Custos, Friar Michael D’Cruz as Vicar, and Friars Vernon Chua, Esmond Chua, David Au and Aiden Peter as Custody Councillors. During this Assembly, the Custody’s journey was reviewed and its future trajectory envisioned in the presence of Minister General and Definitor General for the zone.
Taking OathVicar Michael Cruz taking an oath. Newly appointed custody councillors Blessing of the Image of the Patron Saints of the Custody Custos Derrick receiving a medal of the Stigmata of St Francis of Assisi The official seal of St Anthony Custody
The Evening Eucharist celebration of the Custody’s Autonomy was presided by the Minister General at the Church of St Mary of the Angels in Bukit Batok, Singapore. Many Religious, parishioners of St Mary of the Angels, benefactors and friends were present to rejoice with us. After the rousing homily, Friar Nelson Evarinus was admitted to the Ministry of Acolyte and all the Solemnly Professed present recommitted their vows as a symbol of their dedication to the Franciscan Gospel way of life and of becoming contemplative fraternities in mission.
Friar Nelson is admitted to the Ministry of AcolyteThe launching of ‘St Anthony’s Touch’Friar Don Don to support the mission in St Ann’s Church, Kuching, Sarawak.
As a concrete expression of the Custody’s ongoing commitment to the Poor and Marginalised, as well as for Mission and Evangelisation Efforts, the Custody launched ‘St Anthony’s Touch’, a fund specially reserved for initiatives in these areas. A cheque of MYR50,000 (approximately EUR10,000) was presented to Friar Don Don Ramerez, the Rector of St Ann Mission (Kuching) to support the mission parish’s effort to build houses for poor families in the villages they pastorally care for.
After the Mass, the Minister General blessed a statue of St Anthony preaching to the Fishes at the Piazza of the Bukit Batok parish and friary, symbolising the intentional commitment of the frairs of the Custody to be ‘Fishers of Men’. The souvenirs for the occasion consists of two pairs of chopsticks, a rich symbol to remind us, like the functions of chopsticks, to hold gratitude in our hearts, to feedGod’s people, and to lift each other up.
Blessing of the statue of St AnthonyFishers of Men Souvenir
The Minister General also took time to have separate personal encounters with individual groups to dialogue and deepen his understanding of the Custody – with all the brothers in Initial Formation, with the Custody Council and individual consultations with the Provincial and Custos.
Dialogue with the brothers in Initial Formation. Brs Massimo and John with two Postulants, two Novices and three Post Novices.
Following this celebration, Br Massimo and Br John will be accompanied by Br Derrick to Sabah (Malaysia) for a visit to the newest mission of the Custody in Kota Kinabalu, where the Custody’s presence was only recently established. The Minister General will meet and dialogue with the Franciscan Sisters of the Immaculate Conception (FSIC) and with some of the almost 600 the members of the Order of Franciscans Secular in Sabah.
Minister General with Il Cantico Community, Kota Kinabalu Sabah. Dialogue with FSIC and OFS membersA courtesy visit to the Archbishop of Kota Kinabalu, John Wong by the OFM Definitor General John Wong, OFM Minister General Massimo and the friars of Il Cantico friary.
The Minister General and Definitor General will also have a personal meeting with the Archbishop of Kota Kinabalu. Archbishop John Wong and the Definitor General happen to have the same name, which often causes humorous confusion in the local Church!
In this part of the world, where there is a great diversity of cultures, religions and even degrees of affluence, the brothers of this newly Autonomous Custody are called to reach out to every persona and all creatures, just as St Francis did, as well as following the beautiful examples of their patron St Anthony of Padua and co-patron Blessed Gabriele Allegra.
