This morning, July 3, 2025 at 6:30 AM, the fraternity of Bahay Capuchino gathered around the Eucharistic table to joyfully celebrate the Feast of St. Thomas the Apostle. His profound confession of faith, “My Lord and my God!” (John 20:28), continues to inspire us to deepen our trust and surrender to the Risen Lord, even amidst our own moments of doubt.
On this same blessed day, our Capuchin family across the world also commemorates the 497th anniversary of our Reform, a humble yet radical movement of renewal in the Franciscan Order, which began with the issuing of the Papal bull Religionis Zelus by Pope Clement VII on July 3, 1528. This document formally approved the establishment of our Reform, allowing friars who sought a more contemplative and simple observance of the Rule of St. Francis to live apart in hermitages and fraternities, in fidelity to the original charism.
The word Religionis Zelus also recognized as “zeal for religion” continues to echo through our fraternal life today. This precious document animated those early friars who longed to live more closely in poverty, penance, and prayer. It is a reminder for us to rekindle the same fervor, to embrace the lesser way, to cultivate intimacy with God in fraternity, and to be men of peace and reconciliation in a fragmented world.
As we give thanks for this dual celebration, the witness of St. Thomas and the gift of our Capuchin Reform, we also renew our commitment to live as true lesser brothers. May our humble witness draw others closer to Christ, and may our fraternal communities continue to be signs of God’s love and compassion.
Let us carry forward this living legacy of zeal, praying for the grace to remain ever faithful to the Gospel, to one another, and to the mission entrusted to us; so that like St. Francis and our first Capuchin brothers, we may be able to live out joyfully the Gospel today. Pax et Bonum.
