By Amelia Kibbe
Features Editor
The St. Bonaventure community will gather this evening in the University Chapel in Doyle Hall, celebrating the life and death of St. Francis. Students and ministry leaders will take part in a narrated reenactment of St. Francis’ journey from life to death. The student-led performance begins at 6 p.m. and will include storytelling, singing and dancing.
The event is one of many activities planned to celebrate Francis week. The Transitus (the transition from life to death) is celebrated on the vigil of the feast day of St. Francis. Other events include a poetry reading, a guest speaker, free almond cookies (St. Francis’ favorite) and a day of service.
The performers will recount stories of St. Francis as told by his friar followers and St. Clare of Assisi.
Brianna Wilson, a university ministry leader and junior education major, is the director of this year’s Transitus celebration. She explained the performance is a learning experience for students of all faiths.
“Students from all faiths come together for this service to learn about and celebrate St. Francis and the way he welcomed death with joy,” Wilson said. “Our hope this year is to bring a positive message of joy to everyone who attends.”
Wilson added the Transitus of St. Francis is important to the history of St. Bonaventure, a Franciscan school.
“Bonaventure, our namesake, was a Franciscan Friar devoted to living a life much as Francis had before him,” she explained. “As a Franciscan university, St. Bonaventure University takes this time to recognize our Franciscan roots and celebrate them.”
Because of its importance, the Transitus event is a long standing tradition at Bonaventure, according to Wilson.
“The Transitus is a yearly tradition,” Wilson said. “We do not know for sure how long the Transitus has been celebrated on campus, but it has certainly been a long time. Our Transitus Service changes from year to year, but it is always a celebration of Francis’ passing from life to death. The format may change, but the message remains the same.”
She added that although the performance is modeled after last year’s presentation, there will be new groups and faces on the scene.
“This year, we are following the same format as last year and adding a few changes to make it our own,” Wilson said. “We are excited to be including members from other groups on campus into our celebration, including Bonacoustics.”
Student narrators for this year’s performance are Drew Belfield, Kirk Windus, Vanessa Hulse and Katie Hoag.
Hulse, a sophomore chemistry major, said being a narrator gives her the chance to learn more about St. Francis.
“I got the opportunity to be one of the narrators this time,” Hulse said. “I really like this role because it allows me to tell the story and in turn know more about it myself.”
Following the performance, there will be a dessert reception in the Doyle Courtyard.
Both Hulse and Wilson hope attendees will leave the Transitus celebration with a new appreciation of St. Francis’ message.
“The people can expect a great night with the Bonaventure community, where we can all come together to share in the Francis’s joyful message,” Wilson said.
