Dear friends,
Happy Easter! The Lord is truly Risen! Alleluia Alleluia!
The new life in Christ that we experience and enjoy is truly timeless, because Christ holds all things in being (cf. Col 1:17). Even in physical death, life with God never ends but deepens. “Unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit” (John 12:24). This scripture passage was used as the inspiration for the exposition and veneration of the sacred relics of St Francis from 22 February to 22 March 2026 in the Basilica of St Francis, Assisi. His life was a testimony to a radical following of Christ which required him to completely consecrate his entire person to the Lord. This authenticity continues to bear fruit today, evidenced by the hundreds of thousands of people who venerated his sacred remains. I was one of those who shuffled past Francis’ relics in an attempt to spiritually capture the spirit of “Il Poverello”, this poor man of Assisi.
We recall that 800 years ago, in 1226, in his most beloved chapel of St Mary of the Angels of the Porziuncola, St Francis serenely welcomed Death and addressed her as “Sister”. He saw death as a doorway to life with his Beloved God, a transit (“transitus” in Latin) from earthly life to heavenly life.
In this profound experience, St Francis invites us to confront our own transitus, to return to the embrace of our God and Father, origin and destination of our life. How do we consider our own transitus as God-led and as the moment of ultimate grace? In fact, I have just written a song that bubbled in my heart about this moment of our return to God, as our final “breathing back” to God.
On 22 February 2026, we held a one-day public veneration of the relics of St Francis in Singapore at San Damiano Franciscan Centre located behind the Church of St Mary of the Angels. Beside the relics of St Francis, we displayed the relics of the co-patrons of our Custody – St Anthony of Padua and Blessed Gabriel Allegra.
It was amazing and so edifying to see more than 1,300 people from all over Singapore come for holy veneration of these sacred relics. Some came alone, many came with family and friends, and I hope all experienced a sacred encounter with our God who continues to encounter us in a myriad of ways.
Just as God communicates his unending sacrificial love for us, we friars are called to be communicators and channels of God’s peace and love. From 7 to 10 April, the communication directors from Franciscan entities across Asia gathered in Singapore for a meeting of fraternal sharing and mutual learning. You can read about this meeting in the News section.
As I write this, we friars and our friars in formation have been practising hard for our annual Mother’s Day Concert on 1 May 2026. May I take this opportunity to thank all mothers and those who care for us in a maternal spirit for their love and care.
May you and your family continue to enjoy the new life of grace that our Risen Christ bestows upon us! And may we also labour together for the building of God’s Kingdom like St Francis did, so that all creation may experience the goodness and faithfulness of our loving God!
people came to venerate the relics of St Francis at the San Damiano Franciscan Centre.
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