Feast of St. Francis of Assisi celebrated Oct. 3 and 4

By KATIE LEFEBVRE, Globe staff reporter
September 30, 2004

The Feast of St. Francis of Assisi, Oct. 4, will be celebrated by the Franciscan sisters through events planned on Oct. 3 and 4.

The Sisters of St. Francis of Dubuque that live in the Sioux City area will participate in the blessing of the new stream and statue of St. Francis at Trinity Heights in Sioux City at 2 p.m. on Oct. 3.

"One of the things that inspires us is the fact that so many people know St. Francis," said Sister Joan Stoffel, OSF. "They say he is everybody's saint. Yet there are some things that we don't recognize about him that are very important to our living today."

At 8 p.m. on Oct. 3 the sisters will hold a prayer service, Transitus, in Our Lady of Grace Chapel on the Briar Cliff University campus. Following the prayer service there will be a social in the Noonan Conference Room in Noonan Hall. Sister Joan commented that Transitus has been celebrated for centuries. Originally it was just the sisters that participated in Transitus but since Vatican II that it has been opened to the public.

The Transitus is a prayer ritual celebrated in honor of the death of St. Francis. The service is held in the evening so that it will be dark to add to the meaning of the ritual.

"The gathering is done in a quiet, somber way," said Sister Joan. "Transitus really means St. Francis' movement from death into everlasting life. His biographers tell us that he was surrounded by his brothers. He asked to go to the little church where he first heard the call to serve God. He lay at a very simple place. He praised God all along."

Most people are familiar with the Peace Prayer of St. Francis and with his Canticle of the Sun in which he praises nature and creation. In the Transitus, he praises sister death, she explained.

"We want to also recognize that even though he died, his still lives," said Sister Joan. During the service, a candle is lit to symbolize St. Francis' life. "At the end of the ceremony, it is blown out. It is a very quiet time."

In some places all of the participants have a lit candle and their candles remain lit to symbolize the carrying on of the spirit of St. Francis and that everyone is a light to the world, noted Sister Joan.

"I think it is especially significant at this time because of all the suffering in the world and all the people who are dying," said Sister Joan. "We are praying for peace. We are praying that our leaders know what to do. It is not only a memorial, but it is also intensifying our knowledge of St. Francis."

One of the main messages of St. Francis was to live the Gospel. When he was dying, he stressed this topic to his brothers. Other things he encouraged them to do were to love the church and to listen the church.

"For some people today, it is difficult to follow the church's teachings, but St. Francis was very much in love with the Gospel and the church," said Sister Joan.

On Oct. 4, there will be a Mass at 11:30 a.m. celebrating the Feast of St. Francis in the chapel at Briar Cliff.

Anyone is welcome to attend the events.

"I think they broaden our knowledge of St. Francis," said Sister Joan of the events. "If we want to claim St. Francis, we have to claim his whole life. He did everything that was counter to what the people of his day might have thought. They thought he was crazy because he did these things so enthusiastically. He was so much in love with Jesus Christ."