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| Marian street shrine, Assisi, 2000 |
During
the Jubilee Year of 2000, our family had the unique opportunity to travel to
Europe for several months—beginning our Jubilee pilgrimage in Italy and ending
in England, where Michael taught in the university’s summer program for five
weeks.
With
our four children ranging in age from 11 to 17, we were aware, even during the
planning stages, that this would be the trip of a lifetime. Carrying backpacks
and traveling by train over several weeks, we visited cathedrals and shrines in
small towns and large cities, from Rome to Salzburg, Köln, Paris, Siena, and Lourdes.
One of
my favorite memories is the image of our family as we filed in at every church,
looked around for the Jubilee year banner, and dropped on our knees to say a
prayer together.
In the
hometown of St. Francis of Assisi, we were startled when we heard people
speaking English and realized that a Mass was just beginning in one of the
chapels of the centuries-old cathedral at the top of the hill. What beautiful
hymns we enjoyed that morning, sung by an American high school choir that was
also on pilgrimage!
After
Mass, our family divided into three sets of two to stand in one of the lines for
the sacrament of reconciliation—in the language of our choice. Getting to
choose a language for confession quickly became our recurring inside joke!
To
this day, Assisi remains a cherished place in my heart—and a favorite memory
for our family.
Francis of Assisi (d.1226) is patron of all kinds of things: peace, animals in general,
the environment, ecology, even zoos! Francis was, indeed, a lover of animals
and nature, and you often find him as a garden figure or bird feeder
in yards.
But he
was so much more than that!
Hundreds
of years after his death, his spirit of peace permeates Assisi. But also
evident and tangible is his radical and profound love for God.
One of
my favorite quotes is attributed –whether literally or in spirit—to Saint
Francis of Assisi:
“Go out and preach the gospel. Use words if you have to.”
What a
revolutionary idea! Let our lives, not our words, proclaim what we profess to
believe.
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| the girls, walking the streets in Assisi, 2000 |
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