<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/thedialog.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/25095114\/20260923T1515-ST-FRANCIS-YEAR-TRANSITUS-PREVIEW-1826696-scaled.jpg\" "\\"FILE"){kind=spacer}
<\/a><\/p>\n
Each year on Oct. 3, the followers of St. Francis of Assisi (1181-1226) \u2014 friars; nuns; laypeople \u2014 mark the globally popular saint\u2019s own journey from life to death, his \u201cTransitus\u201d as it is known in Latin, through special community commemorations.<\/p>\n
But what meaning does the Transitus hold \u2014 especially on this 800th anniversary of St. Francis\u2019 death, and during the Jubilee Year of St. Francis proclaimed by Pope Leo XIV \u2014 if you aren\u2019t a Franciscan?<\/p>\n
\u201cI think the answer is self-evident. We are all going to die,\u201d Father Joseph Mary Elder, director of vocations and communications for the Capuchin Franciscans of the Province of St. Conrad, in Denver, told OSV News.<\/p>\n
<\/a><\/div>\n<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\u201cThe Transitus is the celebration of the passing of St. Francis of Assisi from earthly life to heavenly glory,\u201d he explained. \u201cIt is not so much the passing of St. Francis \u2014 everyone dies after all \u2014 but the manner in which St. Francis of Assisi died. St. Francis embraced death in much the same way he had learned to live his life: with a radical and total fearlessness.\u201d<\/p>\n
That fearlessness led the saint to actually recite his own poetic acclaim of God as he began to expire.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs St. Francis was dying, his body was racked with pain; he was nearly blind \u2014 and yet, he was speaking aloud the \u2018Canticle of Creation\u2019 he had written only shortly before,\u201d said Father Joseph.<\/p>\n
The \u201cCanticle of Creatures,\u201d also called the \u201cCanticle of the Sun,\u201d was written by St. Francis between 1225-1226. It lyrically praises God through the elements of nature: \u201cBe praised, my Lord, for all your creation and especially for our Brother Sun, who brings us the day and the light \u2026 Be praised, my Lord, for Sister Moon, and for the stars.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIn the painful darkness of encroaching death, Francis was singing a composition praising the glory of God revealed all around him in the brilliance of creation,\u201d said Father Joseph. \u201cWhat a paradox! May this be true for each and every one of us.\u201d<\/p>\n
One way to learn about St. Francis and his spirit of surrender is to attend or watch a Transitus ceremony, which can be found at many Franciscan-staffed parishes or livestreamed online. Some typical elements are highlights from Francis\u2019 life by his early biographers; recitation of his writings; Scripture; hymns; and prayer.<\/p>\n
The Franciscan University of Steubenville in Ohio is marking the 800th anniversary of St. Francis\u2019 death with a special on-campus conference, \u201cSister Death \u2013 Gate of Life,\u201d from Nov. 5-7.<\/p>\n
During the gathering \u2014 which will bring together theologians, philosophers, medical professionals, ethicists, clergy and scholars from a variety of disciplines \u2014 participants will explore St. Francis, his view of death and eternal life, the lasting relevance of his witness today, and how the Christian understanding of death speaks to some of the most pressing questions facing contemporary society.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis conference came about as a way to celebrate the 800th anniversary of St. Francis\u2019 passing from death to eternal life \u2014 and so that is at the heart of our idea of the Transitus,\u201d James Matenaer, a professor of history at the university, told OSV News.<\/p>\n