On the Feast of Saint Francis of Assisi, Christ was once again revealed to the Franciscans of the Custody. The feast began this past weekend with the first solemn Vespers, celebrated all over the Holy Land. At the Saint Savior Convent in Jerusalem, the celebrations were particularly solemn, due to the large number of friars, religious, and laypeople who were there to celebrate the Poor One of Assisi.
The Custos of the Holy Land presided over the service at the Saint Savior convent. He gave a monitory message emphasizing the importance of fraternal life, which he said was less about achieving success in “community projects” taken on by fraternity members, than it was about following Jesus together. The Vespers, during which Saint Francis’s passing was solemnly remembered in front of a relic of the saint, were followed by the Franciscan seminary’s traditional celebration, which was attended by students from the Seminary of the White Fathers and the Salesian Seminary, who eagerly broke into enthusiastic dances demonstrating their joy at having the gift of life in Christ.
On October 4, the Saint Savior Church was full. Not only did Arab parishioners from the city gather there in time to celebrate Sunday Mass, but, as is traditional, the Consuls General of the Latin-rite nations that are patrons of the Holy Places – Spain, Italy, France, and Belgium – were also in attendance. There was also a large delegation of Dominican friars representing the second largest mendicant order. The delegation was headed by Father Guy Tardivy, prior of the Dominican convent of Saint Stephan, who presided over the celebration. In addition, there was a number of religious from different congregations from the Holy City.
In his homily, Father Nicolas-Jean Porret, a Dominican friar, said in reference to the Rule of Saint Francis, “It’s the Gospel itself, ancient yet always current. It’s the heart of Christ that continues to beat today through the heart of the Church, through the charisma of the Franciscans and the Clarisse sisters.”
This year, the Rule of Saint Francis was honored in a particularly special way, as the Francisicans celebrated the 800th anniversary of its approval by the Church. The text of the original rule approved orally by Pope Innocent III in 1209 is unknown. The text in use today by the Order of Friars Minor (O.F.M.), as well as the O.F.M. Capuchin and the O.F.M. Conventual, is the one approved with a papal bull by Pope Honorius III on November 29, 1223.
This year, the third year celebrating the anniversary of the gift of the Rule, the atmosphere at Saint Savior was particularly festive. A spirit of festivity characterized the entire weekend as well as the celebratory lunch that the friars and their numerous guests had together in the Saint Savior refectory following the refreshments served to the entire congregation in the grand hall of the custodial curia.
Mab
The Custos of the Holy Land presided over the service at the Saint Savior convent. He gave a monitory message emphasizing the importance of fraternal life, which he said was less about achieving success in “community projects” taken on by fraternity members, than it was about following Jesus together. The Vespers, during which Saint Francis’s passing was solemnly remembered in front of a relic of the saint, were followed by the Franciscan seminary’s traditional celebration, which was attended by students from the Seminary of the White Fathers and the Salesian Seminary, who eagerly broke into enthusiastic dances demonstrating their joy at having the gift of life in Christ.
On October 4, the Saint Savior Church was full. Not only did Arab parishioners from the city gather there in time to celebrate Sunday Mass, but, as is traditional, the Consuls General of the Latin-rite nations that are patrons of the Holy Places – Spain, Italy, France, and Belgium – were also in attendance. There was also a large delegation of Dominican friars representing the second largest mendicant order. The delegation was headed by Father Guy Tardivy, prior of the Dominican convent of Saint Stephan, who presided over the celebration. In addition, there was a number of religious from different congregations from the Holy City.
In his homily, Father Nicolas-Jean Porret, a Dominican friar, said in reference to the Rule of Saint Francis, “It’s the Gospel itself, ancient yet always current. It’s the heart of Christ that continues to beat today through the heart of the Church, through the charisma of the Franciscans and the Clarisse sisters.”
This year, the Rule of Saint Francis was honored in a particularly special way, as the Francisicans celebrated the 800th anniversary of its approval by the Church. The text of the original rule approved orally by Pope Innocent III in 1209 is unknown. The text in use today by the Order of Friars Minor (O.F.M.), as well as the O.F.M. Capuchin and the O.F.M. Conventual, is the one approved with a papal bull by Pope Honorius III on November 29, 1223.
This year, the third year celebrating the anniversary of the gift of the Rule, the atmosphere at Saint Savior was particularly festive. A spirit of festivity characterized the entire weekend as well as the celebratory lunch that the friars and their numerous guests had together in the Saint Savior refectory following the refreshments served to the entire congregation in the grand hall of the custodial curia.
Mab