On this feast of the Stigmata of St Francis, we are very glad to share this announcement sent to us by Fr Joannes Smith, about the rite of the Transitus of St Francis, a commemoration of the Saint’s death celebrate on the evening before his feast day. It includes links to a free booklet of music traditionally sung at this rite.
This year marks the eighth centenary of the “Transitus” (i.e. “Passing”) of one of the most familiar and yet least understood saints of the Church. In one sense, Francis of Assisi is a figure who requires little introduction. Countless churches and shrines are dedicated to him, and hundreds of canonized saints, blessed, and venerable of the Church have worn his habit, professed his Rule, and followed in his footsteps. In recent times, however, Saint Francis has often been misrepresented, not only by those outside the Order he founded, but even – tragically! – by those who outwardly profess to be the heirs to his spiritual legacy.
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| A fresco in the basilica of St Francis in Assisi, ca. 1320, by Pietro Lorenzetti, known as “the Sunset Madonna” because the rays of the setting sun illuminate it for about an hour at the end of each day. The traditional story about the arrangement of the figures is that the Christ Child is asking his Mother, “Which of My Saints loves Me the most?”, to which the Madonna answers by pointing at St Francis, as if to say “He does.” |
Like his Lord and Master, Saint Francis was a “sign of contradiction” whose life of heroic poverty and apostolic zeal shook the consciences of the men of his time. Though never ordained to the priesthood, for he regarded himself unworthy of so sublime a calling, his earliest devotees referred to Saint Francis as an “Alter Christus,” another Christ, who revealed the Lord’s Face once again to a prosperous and bustling new world that was in grave danger of forgetting its Redeemer. During the saint’s own lifetime, the Order he founded spread to the far corners of the known world, with missions throughout Europe and in the Holy Land, a group of protomartyrs who shed their blood in an attempt to convert the Saracens of Morocco, and with a constellation of beloved saints, including Clare of Assisi and Anthony of Padua. In the centuries that followed, the spiritual sons and daughters of Saint Francis carried on his mission, with its Christocentric and intensely Marian spirituality, leaving an indelible imprint on the piety, history, liturgy, and theology of the Church.
I would like to propose one small contribution that your parish or oratory can make to the work of rebuilding authentic devotion to this wondrous saint. Saint Mary of the Angels Press has prepared a free, downloadable new edition of the Rite of the Transitus, taken from the Romano-Seraphic Ritual, which can be celebrated on the evening of October 3rd. Among the rites that have developed in the saint’s honor through the centuries, this is one of the most beautiful and evocative. The traditional rite, which has fallen into disuse in many Franciscan communities, begins with a candle-lit procession to the altar or chapel of the saint, the veneration of his relic (or a sacred image if no relic is present), and then a series of chants and prayers. These include the Psalm that Saint Francis asked the friars to recite at his deathbed (Psalm 141 in the Vulgate numbering), together with the antiphon O Sanctissima anima and the hymn Salve, Sancte Pater. This free edition is formatted for easy printing and distribution on a regular photocopier. It includes all the original chants and prayers, newly type-set, together with English translations to aid the reader who is not proficient in Latin.
The Appendices include a series of readings from the early biographies of the saint, together with another scriptural passage which Saint Francis had the friars read to him shortly before his death: the Gospel account of Our Lord washing the Apostles’ feet during the Last Supper, John 13, 1-17. These readings are useful for meditation, and selections could even be inserted at various points during the Rite.
You can download the PDF file from the ‘Free Downloads’ page at the publisher’s website: https://www.smapress.org/
If your budding Chant Schola needs a little help learning the chants, you can find free audio recordings on the ‘Music’ page of the same website, courtesy of the Chant Schola at Saint Mary’s Church in Conshohocken, Pennsylvania: https://www.smapress.org/music-1
May the eighth centenary of the passing of Saint Francis help us to rediscover the true face of this man who, in turn, will help us to rediscover the true Face of Christ.
