“What inspired me to be a friar is the part where St. Pio had the stigmata and preserved to do his mass even though he was old and very weak,” said Januarius.

Leading up to his wish day, Januarius was presented a series of playful quizzes to help him prepare for his role as a friar. He successfully completed challenges by answering questions related to ‘Franciscan Friars’ and received mini-gifts for every correct answer. Some of these gifts included a personal voice recorder where he could practice his readings and hymn-singing.

On his wish day, Januarius along with his family, spent a day with a group of friars in their friary as an “honorary Franciscan friar”. He shared openly about his spiritual experiences over lunch and even did baking with them. The highlight for Januarius was when he was presented with his own habit (friar outfit), which he loved so much that he refused to take it off at the end of the day!

“This visit to the friary has brought out his energy and enthusiasm, displayed great bravery and allowed him to speak freely,” said Januarius’ father, Johnson. “We thought it’s wishful thinking getting all the friars’ time to entertain Januarius and grant his wish, but when Make-A-Wish told us and said that they have agreed, we were overjoyed that his wish was made possible!”

Wishes make the impossible, possible — helping children replace fear with confidence, sadness with joy and anxiety with hope. This is a powerful combination that helps wish children like Januarius, look beyond the challenges of today toward the possibilities of tomorrow. Thank you Davinder Singh for adopting his wish.