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Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

Happy Feast Day to you all! Each year we honour our parish patron, St Francis of Assisi, whose brief life, even 800 years after his death, continues to inspire and shape the life of the Church. In his last days he requested to be taken to the little chapel nicknamed the ‘Porziuncola’ (or ‘Little Portion’) that he had rebuilt with his own hands after hearing the voice of Christ speak to him: ‘Go, Francis, rebuild my church which as you see is falling into ruin!’ It was here in this chapel dedicated to St Mary of Angels, that Francis, surrounded by his brothers breathed his last on 3rd October 1226. Today the little chapel is housed inside the vast basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli, and remains an important place of Franciscan pilgrimage and prayer. The basilica represents, quite symbolically, the expansive work begun by St Francis in rebuilding the Church of Christ, and that continues down to the present to grow.

Pope Leo XIV’s decision to declare this year an extraordinary Jubilee Year to honour the 800th anniversary of St Francis’ death is an added blessing for our parish since our church is automatically a designated place of pilgrimage where all the faithful can come to receive the Jubilee indulgence, simply by visiting the church, going to confession, receiving Holy Communion and praying for the Pope’s intentions.

This Jubilee Year provides us with an opportunity to revisit the life and legacy of St Francis of Assisi. To this end we have arranged a display in the foyer of the church, which tells the life of St Francis through the frescoes painted by Giotto. This luminous fresco cycle adorns the upper church of the Basilica of St Francis of Assisi, and was painted between 1297-1300. These paintings and the many early written sources record the popular cult of the saint that had spread through much of Europe within the first century of St Francis’ life. Among the most important of these early sources is the series of three biographical accounts of St Francis of Assisi written by Thomas of Celano. The first of these was commissioned by Pope Gregory IX in 1228 following St Francis’ canonization making it is the earliest written source in the Franciscan corpus. Between 1260-1263 St Bonaventure produced the so-called ‘Major Life’ of St Francis, which quickly became the authoritative early biographical source used by Franciscans. Since then the saint of Assisi has inspired more biographies than virtually any saint in the history of the Church. He continues to be a subject of fascination and inspiration. Today, St Francis of Assisi remains as popular as ever in the Church and in the devotional life of the faithful.

We have provided a jubilee prayer card for our parishioners which you are free to take with you. There are also commemorative magnets available (suggested offering of 50 cents). I hope this feast day is an opportunity for all parishioners and visitors alike to renew their love for Jesus Christ and to be inspired to be the saints Christ created us to be. 

Thanks to all the many people who have contributed to our Feast Day celebrations, especially Mark Basile and the St Francis School Staff who so generously provided the lunch, organised the jumping castle and the flowers for the church; to the parish choir ; to the altar servers and sacristans; to the those who have donated items for the parish raffle; to our photographers, Vince Gangi and Adam and Alexya Biderman from Raw & Reel Moment; to Rhea John and the musicians who provided entertainment and to Theresa Francis for providing face painting during the lunch; and finally to Maree Chamoun and Ruth Lees who have worked so hard to organise and coordinate many aspects of this weekend’s celebrations.

Saint Francis of Assisi, pray for us! 

Yours in Christ, Fr Francis Denton P.P.