"O how gloriously did he glow as he ascended on a white cloud! O thou true lamp of the world, shining in Christ’s Church more brightly than the sun, lo!" – Thomas of Celano
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The Poverello in Transit
The Poverello in Transit
The Link, October 4, 2025
By Jairus Caden A. Accad
On the evening of October 3, 1226, St. Francis of Assisi, the founder of the Order of Friars Minor (OFM), solemnly passed away in the presence of his disciples. His happy death would be immortalized into a tradition that Lourdes School of Mandaluyong (LSM) observes together with the Franciscan family. The Transitus refers to the passing of St. Francis from the temporal life to the next. Often in LSM, the Transitus of St. Francis is performed late in the afternoon; it is held together by a somber reenactment of the final hours of the saint and occasional singing of hymns. Students and teachers from LSM form the bulk of the cast and the creative team. The event is frequently staged in the St. Francis of Assisi Parish in Mandaluyong City.
While the Transitus of St. Francis presents a solid portrayal of his godly suffering, more context can be drawn from the events preceding his death, enabling more profound realizations of the saint’s passing. On September 17, 1224, during his retreat to Mount La Verna, St. Francis mystically received the five wounds of Christ, the stigmata. These wounds would cause him immense pain together with his trachoma, an eye illness he must have caught during the Fifth Crusade in 1219. The knowledge of a number of friars misdirecting his order would also prove to be salt in his many wounds. Because of this, he cried out to the Lord for strength in his suffering (Bodo, 2024).
Fortunately, God swiftly responded to the plea of St. Francis, encouraging him to “be glad and joyful in the midst of your infirmities… as of now, live in peace as if you were already sharing my kingdom.” These words were enough to refuel the Poverello with the radical joy of Christ. Such a joy was powerful enough to make him sing his classic composition, “The Canticle of the Creatures,” a poem that honors God through his creation (Bodo, 2024).
St. Francis was cared for by Brothers Rufino, Angelo, Leo, and Masseo. Thomas of Celano (1229/1908a) explained that these disciples were known for their shamefastness. The Poverello also received notable assistance from Elias, another one of his followers. Together, they traveled to the saint’s cell at Celle de Cortona. They went to Assisi following a request from St. Francis of Assisi himself. These travels would challenge the Poverello with an intense swelling of his legs, feet, and belly, as well as a horrific episode where the saint vomited blood. Eventually, the two men arrived at the palace of the bishop of Assisi. Elias was then instructed by the bishop to bring St. Francis to Portiuncula posthaste (Thomas of Celano, 1229/1908a).
Portiuncula was a little chapel that lay near Assisi, and it was able to accommodate the sickly St. Francis. His brothers laid him down as he cantillated the Psalm of King David, “I cried unto the Lord with my voice, with my voice unto the Lord I made supplication.” He then led his brothers in reading the Gospel of John, recalling the final meal Jesus shared with His disciples before His crucifixion. With the message of the Gospel implanted in their hearts, St. Francis, now without his garments, said to his brothers, “I have done my duty, may Christ teach you yours.” The brothers wept bitterly at this parting message, and after being sprinkled with ashes, St. Francis joyfully commended his spirit to the Lord. At the same time, people had visions of the Poverello on his ascent towards heaven. The Poverello was radiant in his death (Thomas of Celano, 1247/1908b; Thomas of Celano, 1229/1908a).
While St. Francis requested to be buried at the Colle d’Infierno, a cemetery for miscreants, his followers buried his body at the Church of St. George in Assisi. Two years later, Elias transferred the saint’s body to a basilica people now recognize as The Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi (Walsh, 1991).
Such were the canonical events that transpired before the Transitus. Lourdesians often view the event as a dramatic stage play. Nevertheless, the stories of St. Francis continue to reassure Christians of a faultless hope that conquers infirmities and desolations. The life of the Poverello serves as an echo of the Gospel shared by Our Lord Jesus Christ Who lived before him. Hence, a witness to the Transitus of St. Francis of Assisi is a witness to the love of Christ, the Resurrection and the Life.
“O how gloriously did he glow as he ascended on a white cloud! O thou true lamp of the world, shining in Christ’s Church more brightly than the sun, lo!” - Thomas of Celano
References:
Bodo, M. (2024, October 3). Transitus: St. Francis Embraces Sister Death. Franciscan Media. https://www.franciscanmedia.org/franciscan-
tradition-and-resources/transitus-st-francis-embraces-sister-death/
Thomas of Celano. (1908a). The first life of S. Francis (A. G. Ferrers Howell, Trans.). In Thomas of Celano, The Lives of S. Francis of Assisi (pp.
1-142, 351-360). Ithaca, New York: Cornell Library University. (Original work completed 1229).
Thomas of Celano. (1908b). The second life of S. Francis (A. G. Ferrers Howell, Trans.). In Thomas of Celano, The Lives of S. Francis of Assisi
(pp. 143-350, 351-360). Ithaca, New York: Cornell Library University. (Original work completed 1247).
Walsh, M. (Ed.). (1991). Butler’s lives of the saints. Burns and Oats; Collins Dove.
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