Celebration of the 800th Anniversary of the Transitus in Singapore

Friars, sisters and Secular Franciscans in Singapore gathered at the Church of St Mary of the Angels on the evening of October 3 to mark 800 years since the death of St Francis of Assisi, with prayer, an original play and testimonies from across the Franciscan Family.

The Transitus, the traditional Franciscan remembrance of Francis’s passing on October 3, 1226, was held in the parish’s main church under the theme “From God, through God, to God”. The friars of the OFM Custody of St Anthony (Malaysia-Singapore-Brunei) described it as the culmination of the Franciscan Centenary, five celebrations over four years observed together by the Friars, Poor Clares, Franciscan sisters and Secular Franciscans.

The evening was built around the Testament that St Francis wrote near the end of his life. In a play staged beside a model of the Portiuncula, the small chapel near Assisi where he died, cast members re-enacted episodes from his life: his embrace of a leper, the call at San Damiano to rebuild the Church, the arrival of St Clare and the first brothers, his meeting with the Sultan during the Crusades, and his final days, when he welcomed death as a sister.
Between the scenes, members of the Franciscan Family spoke about how his example shapes their lives today.

A sister of the Franciscan Missionaries of Mary (FMM) described her congregation’s care for people affected by leprosy, which she said it has run or supported in Japan, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, India, Myanmar, Australia and the Philippines since the time of its founders in the 19th century. Recalling her mission in Kakuma, Kenya, where she said people live in huts made of cardboard and rags and more than 300,000 refugees wait in the camp, she linked her experience to Francis’s encounter with the leper.
“When we cross the boundaries of fear, discomfort, and indifference, we may really discover that the person we thought we were going to serve is actually the person who brings us closer to Jesus,” she said.

A sister of the Franciscan Missionaries of the Divine Motherhood (FMDM) spoke of bringing Holy Communion to elderly people who are homebound or in rehabilitation. She recalled a 92-year-old man she visits in hospital who, when she told him it was Sunday, said he had just been thinking of going to church. “While I may think I’m bringing Jesus to them, they are also bringing me back to Jesus,” she said. 

A postulant who has spent almost a year in the Franciscan postulancy programme described living in a fraternity of eight friars, some professed for many years and some just beginning. “The Lord calls, the Lord leads, and the good Lord provides,” he said.

Reflecting on Francis’s story of “perfect joy”, Br. John Paul, speaking of his 43 years in fraternity, said community life can be a source of comfort and belonging but can also wound deeply. He urged the congregation to respond with peace rather than retaliation. “When fraternity wounds us, let us not give up on fraternity,” he said.

Janet, a Secular Franciscan professed in 2007, said the Secular Franciscan Order, founded by St Francis in 1221, has more than 300,000 members worldwide and 50 to 60 in Singapore, 41 of them professed. Unlike the friars and sisters, its members live in their own homes and work in their own workplaces. “It is not joining an organisation, but it is really God calling us to this way of life,” she said.

The evening closed with the Canticle of the Creatures in song, the Gospel account of Jesus washing his disciples’ feet, and the blessing of St Francis from his Testament.
The Franciscan Jubilee celebrations at St Mary of the Angels continue with “TO GAZE: St Clare of Assisi” on October 16 and 17 at 8.15pm in the Main Church.

By Benedict Tang
Photos © Benedict Tang