On the special occasion of a family wedding, five of the Franciscans were invited to attend the celebrations in Italy. The reception was held at a beautiful villa on Lake Como in the southern Alps. It was a joy to celebrate with Br. Matt’s family!
After the wedding festivities, the five travelers went on pilgrimage to a few of the prominent Franciscans holy sites. The first quick stop was to the Milan cathedral, on train lay-over to Padua. Then there were two nights in Padua, three nights in Assisi, and finally two nights in Rome. The days were full, but also laid-back. There were no shortages of fun people to meet, gelato shops to patron, or holy sites at which to pray.
One of the highlights include stopping by the sanctuary of St. Leopold Mandic in Padua, and the providential visit that happened afterwards. The sanctuary has the incorrupt hand of St. Leopold, which bestowed so much of God’s mercy in the confessional, as well as the original confessional that was the only standing remains of the building after a bombing in World War II. On our way back to the main square, Sr. Jess said that there was a shrine to a recent Blessed one block away. Bishop Bob saw the sign and led us into the adjoining convent. The Sister in charge of the door welcomed us in and sat us down and brought us drinks, and then quickly spread the news through the whole convent that American visitors were in. One by one more Sisters arrived to hear our tale and greet us. Thanks to Br. Matt’s fluency in Italian and the compatible joy of our two communities, we became fast friends. One of the Sisters took us on a private tour of the shrine of their beloved Sr. Liduina Meneguzzi and shared her story with us (via Br. Matt’s translating). The community then gifted us with a first class relic! We are grateful to the Sisters Congregation of St. Francis de Sales for their gift and welcome.
In Assisi, we received great lodging and hospitality from the Franciscan Missionary Sisters of Assisi. It was so meaningful to celebrate Mass at the tomb of St. Francis, as well as in a chapel at the basilica of Our Lady of the Angels (the Portiuncula). There were many fun adventures, including the walk down from the city to the Portiuncula, visiting the tomb of Blessed Carlo Acutis, a surprise meeting with an American Capuchin studying in Assisi who hosted us for gelato, a walk to San Damiano in the summer heat, evening strolls for gelato by St. Clare’s basilica and St. Francis’ basilica, and an insider tour of the Sacro Convento at the Basilica of St. Francis by an American friar from the New York province stationed there.
At the convent where we stayed 
Mass at the tomb of St. Francis 
Mass at an original refectory at Our Lady of the Angels (the Portiuncula) 
Outside of the church where Bl. Carlo Acutis’ remains are viewed 
Praying before the original San Damiano Cross at the basilica of St. Clare 
Sunset at the basilica of St. Francis 
A surprise tour inside the Sacro Convento adjacent to the basilica of St. Francis
A few final highlights: we arrived in Rome on the feast of St. Ignatius (July 31st), and were blessed to have Mass that afternoon in the Saint’s living quarters at the Jesuit residence at the Gesu church! It was incredibly hot and stuffy (this was a theme of the pilgrimage – especially in Rome!), but such a gift to those of us with devotion to St. Ignatius. The next day was our one full day in Rome, and we sure made the best of it: after Mass at St. Maria Maggiore, we bused over to Vatican city and, after getting solicited for photos by visitors from Turkey, Ireland, and like five other countries (everyone wanted token religious in their picture of St. Peter’s), finally made it to St. Peter’s basilica. We made a quick entry thanks to our having a descendent of the apostles in our midst (aka a bishop). The basilica is a breathtaking feat of architecture and art, and a very holy place. Leaving Bishop Bob to his own quiet afternoon, the four others zipped around Rome visiting such holy sites as the tomb of St. Monica in the church of St. Augustine, the statue of St. Teresa in agony in the Carmelite church of Santa Maria della Vittoria, and the body of St. Catherine of Siena in the Dominican church of Santa Maria sopra Minerva. We rounded it out with a final visit to the Jesuits at the Gesu and Mass at St. Bridget of Sweden’s place of death the following morning. In summary – it was a blessed pilgrimage! So many graces received, and prayers offered for our benefactors, community members, an increase in vocations to our community, and our personal intentions.
