On Saturday, May 24, in a gesture that reflects the fraternity among the Mendicant Orders, Br. Massimo Fusarelli, Minister General of the Order of Friars Minor, presided over the Eucharist in the Basilica of Santa Sabina on the Aventine Hill, Rome, to commemorate the translation of the body of St. Dominic de Guzmán.
This celebration, which dates back to May 24, 1233, commemorates the transfer of the saint’s body from the church of San Nicolò to a new tomb in a side chapel of the Basilica of San Domenico in Bologna.
In his homily, Br. Massimo reflected on the spiritual legacy of St. Dominic. He emphasized how both Dominic and Francis of Assisi, united by a deep friendship, strengthened the Church of their time not through superficial reforms, but through the living witness of a fully evangelical existence.
The Minister General emphasized that the hope that characterized St. Dominic was not a simple illusion in the face of difficulties, but a deep conviction rooted in faith, knowing that everything works for the good of those who love God. This perspective, he explained, remains relevant in our times.
He concluded by recalling the shared mission of both orders, emphasizing that as for the Friars Minor “the cloister is the world”, this same truth resonates in the vocation of the Friars Preachers, thus uniting the traditions of both orders in their evangelizing mission.
At the end of the Eucharist, Br. Gerard Francisco Timoner III, O.P., Master of the Dominican Order, expressed his gratitude by emphasizing the enduring friendship between Friars Minor and Dominicans, highlighting that the presence of the Minister General of the Friars Minor on this feast is a sign of the fraternity that unites the two orders.
