Renata Steffens
Over 250 people gathered at Multyfarnham Friary in Co. Westmeath, on September 26 in commemoration of the 800th anniversary of the death of St Francis. This Saturday, October 3, marks the anniversary, but the Church around the globe has been holding events in commemoration since January, as Pope Leo XIV has declared a Jubilee Year from January 2026 to January 2027.
The Multyfarnham Friary’s event gathered representatives of the Franciscan family from all parts of Ireland, including all the members of the broader Franciscan family and including OFM, Capuchin, Poor Clare Sisters, Sisters of St Clare, Franciscan Missionaries of Mary, and many others, including members of the Franciscan Third Order, members of the YouFra group in Galway, and lay associates.
As part of the celebrations in Ireland, the Capuchin community on Church Street, Dublin 7, are holding a three-day event starting today, October 1 and concluding on Saturday, the anniversary day.
On Church Street, the event will start with Mass of Creation in St Mary of the Angels Church, attended by the Italian Ambassador, Nicola Faganello, the Italian Minister for Health, Orazio Schillaci, and their teams. At the event, Ambassador Faganello will speak at the Mass.
The opening Mass will be celebrated by Bro. Richard Hendrick, Provincial Minister of the Irish Capuchin Franciscans, will have a homily by Bro. Martin Bennett, and music will be provided by the Brazilian Catholic Community.
The second day’s celebration will start with a procession from St Mary of the Angels to Adam and Eve’s, Merchant’s Quay and the conclusion of the triduum will be in the Church of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Fairview, on October 3.