Key Events at St Mary’s 2024

Communion · Participation · Mission
- A Synodal Journey

Mark these dates on your calendar!

• 20 DEC '23 - CHRISTMAS LUCERNARIUM
  Celebrating 800 years at Greccio - Crib Blessing

• 22-24 MAR '24 - PARISH RETREAT
  Praying with Colours and Icons with Deacon Sherman Kuek, OFS

• Apr '24* - EXPERIENCING THE RESURRECTION THROUGH ART
  Faith Sharing by our Artists

• 29 JUN '24 - PARISH DAY OF RECOLLECTION
  Reflecting on the Goodness of God

• 2-4 AUG '24 - PARISH FEAST DAY CELEBRATIONS
  Celebrating as a Community - Fun, Food & Fair

• 17 SEP '24 - THE STIGMATA OF ST FRANCIS
  Commemorating 800 years at La Verna

• 11 OCT '24 - FRANCISCAN FESTIVAL OF PRAISE
  In collaboration with Fraternitas

From Greccio to La Verna

Celebrating with the Franciscans the 8th Centennial Celebrations of Christmas at Greccio to the Imprint of Love at La Verna

800 years ago, in 1205, St Francis of Assisi received the Lord’s call to “Rebuild the Church”. From then, he spent his whole life doing just that, from the physical rebuilding to rebuilding the inner life of the church towards the end of his life.

In 1223, to celebrate Christmas, St Francis arranged with a devout nobleman to have an ox and an ass brought to a stable in a small town in Italy, Greccio, recreating the Nativity scene.

On that Christmas night, friars from various places and local villagers came, holding candles and torches so as to ‘light up that night that has lighted up all the days and years with its gleaming star’ (1 Celano, 85). That night, Greccio was made, as it were, a new Bethlehem! The people of Greccio heard again, the Good News of Christmas: God’s unceasing love for all creation and His coming to be among us has flooded the world with light and grace and hope.

From Greccio, St Francis’ journey of celebrating God’s love intensified in 1224. In September that year, being unusually inflamed with the love of God, St Francis began a special time of solitary prayer at La Verna (Mount Alvernia) where he prayed, “Lord, I ask you for two graces before I die: to experience in myself, as much as possible, the sufferings of your cruel Passion, and to feel for you the same love that drove you to sacrifice yourself for us.”

The Lord answered his prayer and St Francis was swept up into the mystery of God’s overwhelming love for him and for humanity through the gift of the Stigmata - the wounds of Christ - on his own body. He then understood that the rebuilding the church is a journey towards complete union with God, who loved the world so much, that He came down to be one of us and God wants to be completely one with us.

800 years later, the work of rebuilding this church continues.

This year, to promote spiritual renewal, Pope Francis has granted that the faithful who visit Franciscan churches throughout the world and praying before the nativity scenes, will receive a plenary indulgence.

We will celebrate as a parish, starting with the Lucernarium, the Service of Light on 20 December 2023. Like the people in Greccio, let us renew and rebuild our faith as we experience the Good News again.

The celebration of God’s grace will flow into 2024 with the various parish events held throughout the year as we too, in the footsteps of St Francis, rebuild the church in our journey towards La Verna.