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C O N T E N T S

STORIES

I. HAMMER: YOUTH

THEOLOGY

PROGRAMME

II. SAN DAMIANO

SPIRITUALITY

CENTRE: GRECCIO

ROOM

III. LOST: ST. ANTHONY’S

FEAST DAY

IV. HE’S MY BROTHER

UPCOMING

I. ‘LOST’ PROGRAMME

6 MONDAYS

(18 JUN – 16 JUL)

II. OUR PORTIUNCULA

FEAST

(31 JUL – 2 AUG)

FEATURES

I. GAUDETE APP

Dearest brothers and sisters in Christ,

Pax et Bonum!

This month we feature one of the main rooms in SDSC,

Greccio, and share its significance in Franciscan

Spirituality.

We hear from one of our theology students from the

“Hammer” programme, and from an attendee from the

St. Anthony’s Feast Day Celebrations.

SDSC has also started an outreach activity; a brother

reflects on his experience in giving and receiving love

from his brothers around him.

We pray that this issue will inspire you to walk closer to

God through the spirituality of our brother, St. Francis.

With love,

Clare and the staff of SDSC

San Damiano conducts theology classes for youth aged 18-

21, under the programme “Hammer”, named after St

Anthony, Hammer of Heretics. Chloe Chong, 20, shares how

the classes have shaped her faith journey and life.

“Hammer” has been an important chapter in my

journey of faith and growth. It has inspired me to

explore the depths of my faith, with truths that

shape my faith as a young Christian person, and

help me choose the freedom to love despite our

warped culture and secularism.

Blessed with this platform, I have found great joy

in unveiling heart truths together with brothers

and sisters who share similar desires to grow

closer and know God despite initial uncertainty.

We have studied Scripture, Liturgy, Dogma,

Church History, Morality and Spirituality, New

Evangelization, and currently Mariology. Each

module is approached from a Franciscan

perspective.

In Scripture classes, we explored Christ as the

personification of God's abundant love for

Creation, expressed in Scripture, which are God’s

love letters. In Morality and Spirituality class, we

learnt about God’s nature of goodness and His

humility to love and draw close to Man. This gave

me insight as to what it means to respond to

God’s love, to pray and to pursue fullness of our

human nature to love and live freely.

Liturgy challenged the faith I practiced, and

helped me understand how and why certain

things are done. We learnt about what it means

to actively participate in Mass, the truths of our

baptism, and the essence of what it means to be

Church, a part of the Body of Christ.

Learning has never felt so close to the heart for

me, in being able to practice these truths as a

Catholic. It has influenced my relationship with

God, when I pray, when I attend Mass and when

I grow in relationship with the people God has

blessed my life with.

In essence, “Hammer” has brought truths to my

faith and things I believe in. It challenges the

practices we are so used to, questions things we

think we already know and ignites our desires to

learn more about God, who is all-powerful yet

closely intimate, whose love one can't fathom

and yet is so warm and familiar.

Ryan teaching during a ‘Hammer’ class

HAMMER YOUTH THEOLOGY PROGRAMME

GRECCIO

Written by Ryan Colond

In 1224, St Francis of Assisi replicated the Nativity

scene of Bethlehem in the little Italian town of

Greccio. Some say he was so moved by his own

experience in the Holy Land that he desired to

commemorate the powerful event of the

Incarnation back home.

Francis does not strike me as someone showy. In

fact, in his biography he appears to be quite the

opposite— choosing to be hidden and lesser in

society. So why this fuss about re-creating the

entire scene? Perhaps for Francis, Greccio was not

just a story about a Palestinian Jew who was born

in a stable some 2000 years ago. For Francis, the

story of the Incarnation was linked to our

Incarnation. Our God chooses to become flesh so

that He is a part of our story. The re-creating of

the Nativity is more about us than it is about an

event that happened 2000 years ago. The

Incarnation reveals a Love so humble and giving,

a Love that “did not consider equality with God

something to be grasped” (Phil 2: 6). It is not that

we are trying to participate in God’s life but rather,

God participates in our lives.

In the Incarnation, our lives matter and God

makes it known to us. In the Incarnation, God

does not make a demand of our time, attention

or affection. In the Incarnation, God takes the first

step in loving us, even while we are unaware. It is

for this reason SDSC named our Spiritual

Direction room, “Greccio”. It is here we wish to be

grounded in the message that Christ desires to

love us, unconditionally. It is Christ Who first prays

instead of making a demand of our prayer life. Nativity scene in Greccio, Italy

As a spiritual director, I have encountered so

many people who are beaten down by the

message that they are guilty in God’s eyes. Many

feel that their sins define them and that God’s

love is conditioned upon how they have “loved

God faithfully”. Many have measured their prayer

lives and come seeking to improve it, so as to

gain God’s favour. The story of Greccio reminds

me that Christ makes no demands of us before

showing us love. I am therefore constantly

humbled by how I too should make no demands

on another person, especially those who seek

spiritual counsel. Spiritual direction is chiefly a

matter of how loved each one is and how we are

guided toward this realisation.

I trust that if I am faithfully able to reveal how

much the Father loves each one of us, our lives

are radically changed. Turning away from sin and

preaching the Gospel is the effect of

encountering this Love. So it is my prayer that

pilgrims who visit SDSC, who seek spiritual

counsel, never lose sight of God’s sincere love for

them.

Greccio in Italy

LOST: ST ANTHONY’S

FEAST DAY CELEBRATIONS

Written by Jeanette Chang

SDSC recently held a triduum celebration from 11-

13 June 2018, to commemorate the feast of St

Anthony of Padua.

Having grown up Catholic, all AWOL

paraphernalia was easily entrusted to St Anthony.

As I got older, loved ones who left the Church

were placed on the same list. I did however pray

for them with admittedly less fervour than my lost

textbooks. For one, I wanted to find my

textbooks, and never needed to question if my

textbooks ever considered themselves ‘lost’.

The theme for the celebrations this year was

“LOST”— an open invitation to all who felt lost

and had left the Church, to rediscover and renew

their Catholic faith. The line-up of activities

included Mass, preaching on the life of St

Anthony and the humility of God, fellowship and

a 6-week follow-up programme, also titled

“LOST”. It was to be an opportunity for returning

Catholics to dialogue about what had pushed

them away from the Church.

I found the first two days reasonably attended

and heard that the final evening was also well-

received. When it came to the first Tuesday of the

Lost Programme however, no one turned up.

Perhaps it was a marketing mistake. Nobody likes

to be considered ‘lost’, even if we have taken the

same wrong turn three times. But to me, the no-

shows that evening were a personal mistake. I

know someone who comes to Church but has no

sense of a personal God. I know someone who

stopped attending Mass because life became too

complex and ritual could not help. I know

someone who stopped coming to Church

because the faith seemed irrelevant. Were these

three persons suitable candidates for the LOST

Programme? Perhaps. Did we have an existing

relationship that they could trust as a bridge

between themselves and the Church? No.

Praying before the feast at the piazza

Ryan preaching on the Humility of God

Receiving St Anthony’s blessing

Congregation sharing in the feast at the piazza

All this time I have reasoned that “faith is

personal, God is faithful”, everything is “in God’s

time”. Now I question if these were comfortable

words to avoid uncomfortable conversations.

Jesus in the Gospel continually called for

repentance because the Kingdom of God was

near. Indeed, God’s time is now, in opening up

about long-held grievances, in embraces risking

rejection, in resolute patience and continuous

entreaty for Love’s sake.

Participants sharing in a feast together

My takeaway from the triduum was that my faith

has been too private, too selfishly ensconced in

my own comforts. My challenge is to recognise

that the distance of a soul from God is as urgent

a petition as a lost house key, and my joy is that

we have St Anthony, who prays with us for these

worries

All gathered after the feast day celebrations

HE’S MY BROTHER

Written by Kevin Tomy

They build our roads, fix our public infrastructures

and most of the time, get noticed only for

wearing their muddy boots on the train, or having

a stench at the end of the day on public transport.

I had the blessed opportunity of spending time

with our construction workers this afternoon. We

gave these workers bread and water, shook their

hands and made conversation with them under

the sun, asking where they came from, how long

they have been working in Singapore, enquiring

about their family.

This experience taught me the value of

community. We all desire to be loved. We crave

attention sometimes. But do we love back fully in

return? Do we love conditionally? Loving

conditionally is something I am guilty of. And so

today, when I went out to meet these

construction workers, it wasn’t merely with the

intention of feeding them or quenching their

thirst. It was to thank them for the work they do.

To tell them that hey, I may not know you

personally, we may not spend time together

everyday, but you are my brother, and I love you.

I may not be present in your life physically, but as

I give you bread and water, I give you my

affection and gratitude for your presence in this

world and in my community.

One particular worker had not met his wife in two

years. He did not have enough money to go back

home. He felt lonely. Why can’t we be his family

then? We may not be his wife or kid, but we are

his brother and sister in Christ. I asked myself this

question. This worker’s identity was not that of

construction worker. His identity is that of my

brother. Why do I shun him, judge him for his

appearance or smell? He works hard to earn a

living, just like we all do. There was no

fundamental difference between me and this

brother of mine. I was called to love him beyond

the surface.

I saw Christ today in these workers. A Christ who

wants my love and attention. And for once,

instead of focusing on the unhappiness and

struggles in my life, I wanted to show my affection

to these workers, who more often than not get

ignored by society, or get attention for the petty

things.

And so as much as I might never meet this worker

again, or cross paths with him, I remember him in

prayer, I remember him as my brother, and I

remember the Christ in him I encountered. His

smile filled me with happiness. Sometimes, it

really just is that simple.

A volunteer with construction workers

Handing out bottled water to construction workers

UPCOMING EVENTS