A patient said to the friar, “Young man, there is no medicine that can cure me. My problem is here (pointing to his forehead). I know too much, I worry too much, I want to control too much. Only God, in the end, can help. But I am still overanxious.” The friar replied, “Sir, do you believe that God will be good enough for you?” The patient broke down in tears and after a good five minutes of silence, he asked for prayer to surrender, to believe in God, to have the faith of a child again.
This encounter took place when the friar was providing pastoral care for the sick in Mount Alvernia Hospital as part of his Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) programme.
Friars Cosmas, Sixtus and Robin in front of the Clinical Pastoral Care office.
Six student friars – Cosmas Francis, Crispus Mosinoh, Gerald Terence, Sixtus Pitah, Gerald Tan and Robin Toha – are taking the CPE programme that runs from 2 July to 20 November. The programme will help them learn how to provide pastoral service to persons in crisis through action-reflection instructional methods and supervised practice in real-world settings.
Friars Gerald Terence, Gerald Tan and Crispus at the Heritage Corner.
They are on attachment with Mount Alvernia Hospital for the 20-week programme, journeying with patients and staff as they learn. A typical two-week cycle comprises six days of providing care for the patients, one day serving as communion and baby blessing ministers on the weekend, one day of group supervision and seminar, and a session of individual supervision.
Through his encounter with the leper, St Francis of Assisi learned to be truly human, humble and obedient to God and his fellow brothers and sisters. Through journeying with patients and staff, the friars are learning to remember to praise God at all times. Through encounters with the sick – such as the one above – the friars learn that we are all first and foremost human beings made in the image and likeness of God, made by love and to love.
Through the experiences in this programme, the friars are reminded once again of their first call – to be brothers to everyone, and called to care for one another. In caring for one another, our God, who is God of relationship, is truly present among us.
Indeed, as it says in Proverbs,
“Iron is sharpened by iron; one person is sharpened by contact with another.”
Student friars Marvin Voo and Nelson Evarinus spent the month of June on a mission exposure and pastoral attachment at St Joseph’s Home, a home for the aged under the care of the Canossian Sisters. They share some of what struck them from the experience.
Friar Marvin: On my third day, I asked the Lord why he had sent me there. God replied during morning prayer in the reading – “Give your bread to those who are hungry, and your clothes to those who are naked. Whatever you own in plenty, devote a proportion to almsgiving. Bless the Lord God in everything; beg him to guide your ways and bring your paths and purposes to their end.” (Tobit 4:16,19).
In a literal sense, I was doing “give your bread to those who are hungry, and your clothes to those who are naked” by helping to bathe and feed the residents, and make their beds.
What gives meaning to what I was doing is “Whatever you own in plenty, devote a proportion to almsgiving”. Sr Geraldine, who was in charge of us, was always telling us – residents and staff – to harvest the smile. One afternoon, a resident who was difficult to handle and cursed almost every day caught my hand as I walked past, and asked me gently if I was still working and when was I going back. I was stunned and touched because that was the nicest thing I had ever heard from him.
I will never forget our fourth day. In the morning, we prayed Lauds with a resident who passed away that evening. That was a reminder to me that I need to live well every second of my life and “Bless the Lord God in everything; beg him to guide your ways and bring your paths and purposes to their end”.
Friar Nelson: I always describe old people as messy, wrinkly, and ugly. But one of the biggest benefits of living many years is one that so many today overlook or dismiss. It’s the wisdom that comes from so much experience in life!
Living and working in St Joseph’s Home for a month made me realise that ministering to the elderly is not a burden but is instead an opportunity to see my future. I remember seeing a poster in a senior centre that declared, “Growing old isn’t for sissies!” As the years go by, we will all relate with that statement more and more. But the Creator who designed our bodies to be affected by the passage of time does not leave us to suffer alone.
Through the prophet Isaiah, He says, “Listen to me, O house of Jacob, and all the remnant of the house of Israel, who have been upheld by me from birth, who have been carried from the womb; even to your old age, I am he, and even to grey hairs I will carry you! I have made, and I will bear; even I will carry and will deliver you” (Isaiah 46:3-4).
Two years ago, Januarius was diagnosed with an acute lymphoblastic leukaemia. The Make-A-Wish Foundation (Singapore) has granted Januarius’ wish to become a Franciscan friar. He was brought to Greccio Friary and spend a day with the friars. It was a memorable and special day for him and his family as well as the friars.
Today, we rejoice in thanksgiving as Januarius does not need further chemotherapy session anymore. Watch the video below to follow Januarius latest and inspiring faith journey!
Thirty years ago, on 16 May, the Custody of St Anthony (Malaysia-Singapore-Brunei) was canonically erected, dependent upon the Province of the Holy Spirit (Australia). We had two Singaporean Solemnly Professed friars (Friars Michael Goh and John Paul Tan), Friar Phillip Miscamble was our first Custos, and we were only in Singapore.
Decree on the Official Establishment of the Custody of St Anthony (Malaysia-Singapore-Brunei)
Fast forward to 2021, I am the third “local” Custos after Friars Michael D’Cruz and John Wong, and we are now also in Malaysia (Kuching, Johor and Penang) running parishes, collaborating with the dioceses and immersing ourselves in the lives of God’s people in these places. In recent years, many of our vocations have come from Sabah, adding to the colour and tone of our Custody as our earlier vocations were from Singapore, Peninsula Malaysia and Sarawak. In fact, we celebrated on 16 April the Solemn Profession of two Sabahan friars.
Still, from time to time, I find myself asking two questions – Where did we come from and where are we going? We need to look at history to ground our purpose and see our historical trajectory in the bigger scheme of things, to take stock of the present, and set about “scrutinising the signs of the times” (Gaudium et Spes, 4). In this way, the friars can be relevant and authentic, creative and faithful at the same time.
To be faithful to the founding vision of the Franciscan presence in Singapore, we first need to enter the mind and heart of an Italian Franciscan Friar Gabriele Allegra, who was beatified in 2012.
Blessed Grabriele Allegra
It is because of Blessed Allegra that the first friar came to Singapore in 1957. While studying Missiology and Theology in Rome in the 1920s, his heart was stirred to bring Christianity to the Chinese people. Learning that there was no complete Chinese translation of the bible, his heart was moved to translate the bible into Chinese from the original Hebrew and Greek texts. The Studium Biblicum translation is considered by many to be thedefinitive Chinese Catholic Bible.
When communist ideology began gathering influence in South-east Asia in the 1950s, he proposed to Propaganda Fide (now, the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples) that a sociological centre be set up in Singapore to offer the Catholic Church’s Social Teachings as an alternative to communism. Approval of the centre resulted in an international team of friars coming to make this Studium Sociologicum (社會學硏 究社), later located at Jurong Road 83⁄4 mile, a reality. Blessed Allegra himself headed the social institute for three years, from 1961 to 1963.
What becomes of this dream now? How do we keep this dream that has been handed on to us alive and burning?
– Friar Derrick
Back to basics, I would say. Back to what the Franciscan Friars stand for – Fraternity and Minority. Being the Order of Friars Minor. Being a brother to all and not just that, but a lesser brother, one who is humble and poor, who never lords over others, who is subject to all creatures as St Francis exhorted us to be.
We have spread our missionary wings these several years, while our leadership has become “local”. Reading the signs of these COVID times, could we be invited to be more rooted in our spirituality and intentionality, to grow deeper in our relationships with self, fraternity and God?
I proposed to the friars that, during this year, we mull on building a culture of care and trust within our fraternity and focus on relationship especially where there is historical baggage. To dare to risk anew with the grace of the Holy Spirit and to offer mercy even when the brother never asked for it (cf. Francis’ Letter to a Minister). Only when our fraternities are steeped in God and mutual care and trust can we truly be fraternities- in-mission. This process isn’t as clear cut as setting up a new mission centre but it is part of the dream shared by our Lord, St Francis and the many other Christian missionaries of love.
