Pilgrimage to Assisi — English

Skip to content. | Skip to navigation

Personal tools

Pilgrimage to Assisi

From 8 to 17 July 2013, 21 Franciscan sisters of congregations and different nationalities, with less than 15 years of religious Profession, were invited by the CCF (Conference of Franciscan Congregations) to a pilgrimage to Assisi. Four of our sisters participated. Two of them deliver us their testimony.

Testimony of Jeannine

“The 10 days of pilgrimage are for me: Time of grace! Time of prayer! Time of discoveries! Time of sharing and Time of joy! It was really a moment of spiritual healing. We made a short stop in Roma to entrust to whole Church our pilgrimage. Prayer, songs and smiles have accompanied us on our journey. We had a very fraternal sharing from the first day, this helped us to live our community life. We shared simply and fraternally our expectations during the pilgrimage. We had at heart the desire to “Peace” for the world and for each, for the future of the Church and the future of our reciprocal congregations. From this, the group is welded, because we lived something very strong between us.

  • Every day a small group livened up the day and prayer; it was beautiful, thanks to the richness of our diversity. Every day we lived new things.
  • We visited several places where Francis lived: place of birth, hermitages, sanctuaries or churches, basilicas… We lived to sisters’ of Holy Francis of Assisi house who are situated at ten minutes from the Portioncule.
  • I saw the places where Francis prayed and slept, it got much affected, struck and arrested me.
  • I discovered there that Francis was first a man of prayer; he sought retired places to meet God. At the same time, he was tempted several times by Satan but God always protected him. It was a strong man and at the same time fragile…

Symbolic place

For me, the Roca (which shows the rivalry between Assisi and Perugia, the Pope and the Emperor, the poor and the rich) is a significant place. At the foot of this fortress, we had in the heart a desire for PEACE, we prayed Holy Francis man of Peace for the peace of the world.

It was an unforgettable moment! There, I understood what I had read in books. Now I better understand the spirituality of Holy Francis. I well took advantage of this time and I am very happy of this.” – Sister Jeannine

Here are a few photos which illustrate our stay. They represent: the group; Claire carrying our meal; the welcome of sister Rita; the prayer at Fonte Colombo where brother Leon celebrated the mass for Francis; the caves; a time of prayer.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Testimony of Samueline

“The pilgrimage has brought me many things to spiritual and relational level. Walk in the footsteps of Francis, this is a way to live concretely what we learn in the writings. Go to the scene is another thing that in the documents, this makes me realize a new understanding of the life of Holy Francis.

 

I had the grace to go to the root of our spirituality. Thanks to all the sisters. Thanks to the Lord for the life of Holy Francis and all the gifts he made us by him. I better understood the world in which Holy Francis lived and for why he chose a different life from that of his time. He had the audacity to leave everything to follow Christ. A word that has marked me during this pilgrimage: “To reach the wisdom of God, it must be crazy in the eyes of the world”. And there we are that Francis was crazy in the eyes of his contemporaries, he sought to be in the likeness of Christ in what he did and lived.

 

For me, this time is a renewal of my life following Jesus, my faith, and to the example of Holy Francis: a renewal in the many of living the Franciscan spirituality, a renewal in my life of prayer, contemplation and meditation, a renewal in my life of poverty, simplicity, humility and obedience. See on site the places, makes me differently understand poverty, humility, simplicity of Francis. Francis preferred praise and Thanksgiving in his life after his conversion because it was for him a way to speak directly to God the Creator. He chose to be in the service of lepers and the poor in his town because through these small, he served Christ himself. I understood why he loved the creation and nature because he saw the Greatness of God.

 

Francis and his friars really lived a simple, humble and poor life at the beginning of the Order, and this way of life much challenged me internally and externally.

 

During this pilgrimage, I discovered a few episodes of Francis’ life that I hadn’t read before and I had the chance to deepen them.

 

This pilgrimage gives me a new way of approaching the writings of Holy Francis for the future.

 

Finally, the pilgrimage helped me a lot in my spiritual and personal life. I thank you wholeheartedly for having given me the opportunity to go to Assisi to discover and deepen our charisma and Franciscan spirituality.

 

My desire: that this initiative be required for the other sisters.” – Sister Samueline

 

 

Peace and Joy with our Father Francis!