Over five days in July, the Franciscan Friars of the Custody of St Anthony (Malaysia-Singapore-Brunei) gathered for their 2025 Assembly. It was a time of prayer, reflection, and collective discernment under the theme “A World in Suffering, A Hope that Restores, A Fraternity that Strengthens”.
The days began with Lauds and Mass and ended with Vespers. Bookended by prayer, the friars engaged in structured sessions ranging from the Custos’ report to discussions on finance, parish ministry, columbarium management, youth outreach, communications, mission and evangelisation, as well as supporting ministry in the Holy Land. Time and again we returned to the question of how the Custody’s Franciscan charism could both enrich and be enriched by such ministries. Evenings were reserved for deepening fraternity over recreation and informal dialogue.
As a Muslim lay facilitator who works with religious communities from different faith traditions, I was humbled to witness the community’s spiritual vitality, courage and joy. I was particularly inspired by how the discussions balanced thought and action.
The friars reflected on how fraternal life could nourish and renew their projects, while also being nourished and renewed by them. Time and again, we returned to the idea, “We can only give what we have received, how do we prioritise? What is the balance between limitless grace and limited time, energy, resources?”. Visitator-General Friar Ferdinand Van Der Reijken shared fresh perspectives on the Custody, and valuable ideas on the questions and conversations that have helped religious communities thrive. Overall, a palpable sense of linking inner life to outward service shaped every discussion.
A grace was the space for vulnerability and trust. In all sessions and in quiet moments in between, the friars shared their deepest hopes, challenges, strengths and struggles. They offered not just ideas but themselves to one another. These conversations were not always easy – but they were always honest. They returned often to fundamental Franciscan values – St Francis’ lessons to embrace humility and simplicity; St Clare’s demonstration of the power of silence and contemplative strength; St Anthony’s healing preaching and presence; Blessed Gabriele Allegra’s vision for a Franciscan sociological centre in Singapore, which continues to inspire the friars.
As the days unfolded, we began to glimpse more clearly what mediaeval Franciscan theologian Blessed John Duns Scotus would have called the Custody’s “haecceity” – the unique, formative and formational identity shaped by its members, missions and context. Through prayer, conversations and communal discernment, we began to see how the many strands of the Custody’s life form a dynamic whole far greater than the sum of its dynamically interacting parts. We explored how these strands needed to coexist and mutually resonate in order to enrich the friars’ witness to a world in need of justice and joy, truth and tenderness.
For me, as a facilitator and practitioner of interfaith dialogue and organisational development, the Assembly affirmed my belief that good conversational process – grounded in listening, openness, and mutual respect – is sacred in its own right.
The friars mapped developments at different levels – their individual selves, the Custody, the Franciscan Order, the Church, the world – which helped them to see how their own lives and the Custody’s life are nested in multiple larger systems. They examined simple but fundamental questions: Which practices did the Custody want to keep and improve? What needed to start and stop? What was surprising about the past three years and the Assembly discussions?
Even more powerful was the strong contemplative undercurrent. We talked a lot, but also made time for silence to listen to the promptings of the Holy Spirit. We did not just “trust the process” as facilitators say in secular settings. Rather, we trusted a deeper wisdom: He who is simultaneously Source, Process, Principle and Outcome.
The five days of Assembly were both an end and a beginning. The fruits of the discussions will be given more concrete form at the Custody Chapter in September, during which the friars will elect their leadership for the next three years, and develop plans to implement their collective vision.
For now, they have returned to their homes and ministries, hopefully renewed and recommitted. As they pray for us, let us continue supporting them in whatever way we can. May our prayers, time, energy and donations accompany these Franciscan brothers as they strive to be a fraternity that strengthens and brings hope to a riven world, even as they trust in the God who restores all things.
Aaron Maniam, Facilitator, 2025 Custody Assembly
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