The Transitus of Saint Francis of Assisi evening of October 3 rd The Transitus is a devotion familiar to all Franciscans which has

s survived the test of the last three decades is the Transitus. Each year on the third evening of October, we ritually remember the assing of Francis of Assisi from this life into !od. "n fact, the Transitus has become a significant and even a necessary annual event. To ritually revisit the story of Francis# assing is vital$ without it something significant is missing. "t s ecifies the living memory of Francis$ it intensifies our commitment to follow %hrist in the way of the oor man of Assisi. Since this rite of intensification has become an annual e& ectation for most friars, sisters, and seculars, a consideration of its origins and meanings seems worthwhile and timely. "t is sur rising that no historical study of the Transitus has been underta'en in the ast three decades when so much ritual flu& has been the order of the day. (uestions begin to emerge when Franciscans with a living memory of the re)conciliar era thin' critically about the Transitus. *ho fills the roles of the various ministries in the rite+ *ho resides+ ,oes it matter who resides+ *hat does the resider wear+ ,oes it matter what the resider wears+ *hat do Franciscans in the assembly wear+ ,oes it matter what they wear+ *ho reads the narrative te&t+ *ho cantors+ *hat is the role of the assembly+ *hat te&ts, sung or s o'en, are included or not included in the rite+ *hen is the rite celebrated+ *here is the rite celebrated+ -ow is the rite enacted+ *hat are the gestures and ostures ta'en by the ministry, by the assembly+ *hat are the rimary ritual ob.ects+ -ow do they interact with one another+ *hy do we even bother to enact the rite each year+ "n the as'ing of such /uestions, very telling meanings and values come to the fore which are tacitly o erative in the rite. 0on)verbals often yield more significant data in ritual analysis than the verbal elements. 1itual te&ts are im ortant, but rituals are more than te&ts. Only within the lived conte&t of the eo le who enact the rite do the ritual te&ts ta'e on meanings which s ill over the te&ts and into others forms of ritual e& ression. At times the non)verbals disclose more meanings than the verbals. "n other words, the rite may say more than we wish to tell2

3editate u on the following readings and scri ture, describing the last days and hours of our Father Francis. A reading from Thomas of %elano and St. 4onaventure5 St. Francis s ent the last few days before his death in raising the 6ord and teaching his com anions whom he loved so much to raise %hrist with him. -e himself, in as far as he was able, bro'e out with the 7salm5 " cry to the 6ord with my voice$ to the 6ord " ma'e loud su lication. -e li'ewise invited all creatures to raise !od and, with the words he had com osed earlier, he e&horted them to love !od. Even death itself, considered by all to be so terrible and hateful, was e&horted to give raise, while he himself, going .oyfully to meet it, invited it to

ma'e its abode with him. 8*elcome,8 he said, 8my sister death.8 9%elano, Second 6ife.: *hen the hour of his death a roached, Francis as'ed that all of the brothers living with him be called to his death bed and softening his de arture with consoling words, he encouraged them with fatherly affection to love !od. -e s o'e of atience and overty and of being faithful to the -oly 1oman %hurch, giving recedence to the -oly !os els before all else. -e then stretched his hands over the brothers in the form of a cross, a symbol that he loved so much, and gave his blessings to all followers, both resent and absent, in the ower and in the name of the %rucified. Then he added5 81emain, my sons, in the fear of the 6ord and be with him always. And as tem tations and trials beset you, blessed are those who ersevere to the end in the life they have chosen. " am on my way to !od and " commend you all to -is favor.8 *ith this sweet admonition, this dearly beloved to !od, as'ed that the boo' of the !os els be brought to him and that the assage in the !os el of St. ;ohn, which begins before the Feast of the 7assover be read. Finally, when all !od#s mysteries had been accom lished in him, his holy soul was freed from his body and assumed into the abyss of !od#s glory, and Francis fell aslee in !od. 94onaventure, 3a.or 6ife.:

;ohn <35<)<= 0ow before the feast of the 7assover, when ;esus 'new that his hour had come to de art out of this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. And during su er, when the devil had already ut it into the heart of ;udas "scariot, Simon#s son, to betray him, ;esus, 'nowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from !od and was going to !od, rose from su er, laid aside his garments, and girded himself with a towel. Then he oured water into a basin, and began to wash the disci les# feet, and to wi e them with the towel with which he was girded. -e came to Simon 7eter$ and 7eter said to him, 86ord, do you wash my feet+8 ;esus answered him, 8*hat " am doing you do not 'now now, but afterward you will understand.8 7eter said to him, 8>ou shall never wash my feet.8 ;esus answered him, 8"f " do not wash you, you have no art in me.8 Simon 7eter said to him, 86ord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head28 ;esus said to him, 8-e who has bathed does not need to wash, e&ce t for his feet, but he is clean all over$ and you are clean, but not all of you.8 For he 'new who was to betray him$ that was why he said, 8>ou are not all clean.8 *hen he had washed their feet, and ta'en his garments, and resumed his lace, he said to them, 8,o you 'now what " have done to you+ >ou call me Teacher and 6ord$ and you are right, for so " am. "f " then, your 6ord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another#s feet. For " have given you as e&am le, that you also should do as " have done to you. Truly, truly, " say

to you, a servant is not greater than his master$ nor is he who is sent greater than he who sent him. "f you 'now these things, blessed are you if you do them.