National celebrations marking the 800th anniversary of the death of St. Francis of Assisi took place at the Mount St. Anne Shrine in Poland’s Opole region. Those attending included the Ministers General of the three Franciscan First Orders, who visited from Rome, the Superiors of the ten Franciscan Provinces in Poland together with their friars, and members of the Secular Franciscan Order.
On the first day, Friday, May 22, 2026, the spiritual sons and daughters of St. Francis celebrated the transitus of St. Francis. The event commemorated the passage of the Seraphic Father from earth to heaven and was celebrated outdoors. On Saturday, May 23, the Mount St. Anne Shrine welcomed a special guest: His Eminence Cardinal Grzegorz RYŚ, Archbishop of Cracow. At the invitation of the organizers, he gave a lecture based on the Testament of St. Francis, presided over Mass and delivered the homily. In it, he mentioned that his love for St. Francis and for Franciscan spirituality began forty-four years ago, when he entered the seminary. At that time, the Church was celebrating the 800th anniversary of the birth of St. Francis, and St. Francis was adopted as the patron of his class.
Those attending the celebrations were able to meet with the Ministers General of the three main branches of the Franciscan First Order: Friar Massimo FUSARELLI (Order of Friars Minor), Friar Carlos Alberto TROVARELLI (Order of Friars Minor Conventual), and Friar Roberto GENUIN (Order of Friars Minor Capuchin). Also on this occasion, the three Ministers General gave an exclusive interview conducted by the Catholic affairs department of Poland’s national television network, TVP.
On Saturday afternoon, representatives of the Franciscan Family were able to choose among several activities. They could attend a guided tour of the Shrine, attend lectures by Friar Tomasz CZAJKA, OFM Conv., Friar Marian ARNDT, OFM, and Friar Piotr STANISŁAWCZYK, OFM Conv., or take part in roundtable discussions and group discussions. In the evening, they attended a performance about St. Francis staged by the “FDA Antoni” group from Wrocław, Poland.
On Sunday, May 24, the celebrations in Poland marking the 800th anniversary of the death of St. Francis of Assisi concluded with Mass presided over by the Most Reverend Andrzej CZAJA, Bishop of Opole, Poland, in whose diocese the Mount St. Anne Shrine is located.
Friar Jan Maria SZEWEK
