Celebrations of the Transitus of St. Francis in Poland
St. Anne’s Mountain, 22–24 May 2026
25 May 2026On 22–24 May 2026, the nationwide celebrations of the death (“Transitus”) of St. Francis of Assisi took place on St. Anne’s Mountain, in Poland. The jubilee, experienced by the Franciscan Family as the 800th anniversary of the “birth into heaven” of the Founder of the Order, became an occasion for prayer, encounter, and reflection on the relevance of the Franciscan charism.
The event was attended by the Franciscan Family from all over Poland, including brothers and sisters of the Secular Franciscan Order (OFS). The Ministers General of the three Franciscan Orders from Rome also marked their presence: Br. Carlos Alberto Trovarelli OFMConv of the Order of Friars Minor Conventual, Br. Roberto Genuin OFMCap of the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin, and Br. Massimo Fusarelli OFM of the Order of Friars Minor.
On the first day, the participants celebrated the solemn Transitus service, commemorating St. Francis’s passage to the house of the Father.
On the second day of the jubilee, meetings and common prayer took place. A conference was delivered by Cardinal Grzegorz Ryś, Metropolitan Archbishop of Kraków. The participants also had the opportunity to meet the Ministers General. During the discussion panel, the Minister General Br. Massimo Fusarelli OFM called St. Francis of Assisi “a man from God’s Future.” Referring to Thomas of Celano, he presented St. Francis not as a figure confined to history, but as a man of the future — someone who comes to us directly from God and His tomorrow. Francis does not belong to the past; he is a prophet of the new reality of God, which is constantly being born.
He added that we often fall into spiritual lethargy because we gaze with longing and nostalgia at an idealized past. Meanwhile, the Poor Man of Assisi pulls us out of this numbness. He shows that an authentic encounter with God opens us to the present and the future: through it we gain a new sensitivity that allows us to enter a deep and respectful dialogue with every creature.
He emphasized that the key to this attitude is the constant effort to become attentive to the presence of the Holy Spirit within us. Francis teaches that we can and should experience this presence in absolutely any conditions — regardless of external difficulties or limitations. When he had no cell of his own, he could make a temple of himself, cutting himself off from the noise of the world by simply covering his face with his hood or sleeve. This is a call for us to find an inner space of prayer wherever the Lord places us.
The central point of the second day was the Eucharist presided over by Cardinal Grzegorz Ryś.
In the afternoon, participants could take part in workshops including a tour of the sanctuary, VR presentations, the history of Calvary, academic lectures, and sharing groups.
A conference on St. Francis was delivered by Br. Tomasz Czajka OFMConv, a lecture on biblical archaeology was given by Br. Marian Arndt OFM, and the topic of psychology and Franciscanism was addressed by Br. Piotr Stanisławczyk OFMConv. There was also a meeting with Br. Massimo Fusarelli for the brothers participating in the pre-Chapter “Under Ten”.
In the evening, the participants watched a performance prepared by the “FDA Antoni” group from Wrocław, followed by fraternal recreation.
The jubilee concluded with the Holy Mass of Sending presided over by Bishop Andrzej Czaja.
