As part of the celebrations taking place throughout this year on the 800th anniversary from the approval of the Rule, on the feast of St. Francis of Assisi the 4th of October 2009, the Friar Minors gathered in St. Mary of Jesus Church, Valletta, for a concelebrated mass. His Excellency Mgr. Mario Grech, Bishop of Gozo, led the concelebration.

During his homily, Mgr. Grech started off with a few experiences he had in his recent visit in Brazil, firmly asserting that lack of ethical respect can easily lead to social imbalances and injustices. Moreover the deviation from the Gospel, which was an increasing trend both in Brazil and Europe, can have negative impacts both on religious and social scales. He then made reference to the episode in St. Francis’ life when the cross of St. Damian urged him to rebuild the Church which was in ruins, highlighting the fundamental importance that each franciscan makes the Gospel the centre of his life. As in the days of Francis, even nowadays the Church can easily suffer ruin and consequently the presence and work of the friar minors within the Church and society as a whole is a great and constant necessity.

In his address, the Minister Provincial, Fr. Sandro Overend ofm, thanked the Bishop of Gozo for his presence on this occasion and also urged the friar minors to always be a constant presence of hope and encouragement and pass on God’s neverending love to the people around them. Before the end of the mass, the Bishop was given a chasuble as a gift for the occasion. Once the concelebration ended, all the friars and the people present were invited for a reception in the convent.

Audio :: Mgr Mario Grech’s Homily (click here)