800th Anniversary of the Death of St Francis of Assisi
01 October, 2026
The SDC members and candidates of the Delegation of Malta gathered at the Holy Cross Church in Floriana to commemorate the 800th anniversary of the death of St Francis of Assisi.
The prayerful and reflective celebration, enriched by hymns led by the music ministry group, focused on the way St Francis lived a life of virtue, in harmony with his brothers and sisters and with the whole of creation. During the celebration, a number of similarities between St Francis of Assisi and St George Preca were also highlighted, particularly their simplicity, humility and desire to follow Christ faithfully.
Fr Ivan Scicluna OFM Cap., Provincial Superior of the Capuchin Order in Malta, shared a profound reflection on the life and spirituality of St Francis, drawing particular attention to the great humility that characterised his life. St Francis sought to imitate Jesus Christ in his humility, who freely chose to become one of the lowly and ultimately offered himself as broken bread for humanity.
Superior Andrew Barbara was then invited to share his experience of the pilgrimage organised by the SDC in August 2026, which followed in the footsteps of St Francis of Assisi. He described the pilgrimage as an inspiring and enriching experience and reflected on how SDC members and candidates are called to keep their gaze fixed on Jesus and learn from him what it truly means to cultivate a deep interior spiritual life.
The Superior General brought the celebration to a close with a short message inspired by the words of G. K. Chesterton, who, reflecting on the death of St Francis, wrote that we can say with certainty that, at the moment of his death, the stars looked down from the skies upon a happy man.
The celebration offered those present an opportunity not only to commemorate the life and legacy of St Francis of Assisi, but also to reflect on his enduring invitation to live with humility, simplicity and a heart centred on Christ.
