We don’t use the words pilgrim and pilgrimage much anymore. Sure, some people are vaguely familiar with the idea, but most Christians have never participated in a pilgrimage. This is a shame because the reality is that we are all pilgrims, and pilgrimages are tremendous opportunities for grace and conversion. I believe that pilgrimage is at the heart of the spiritual life. —Father Dave Pivonka, TOR, author of Hiking the Camino: 500 Miles With Jesus
Living with Less in Assisi
I turned away from the lost-and-found baggage counter at the airport in Rome. Over the course of the last two and-a-half hours, it had become clear that if my suitcase was anywhere in the airport, no one could tell me exactly where that might be. I had waited in line for over an hour, been shown into a room full of unclaimed bags and asked if mine was among them (it wasn’t), then waited in line again to file a report.
Thanks to a strange, twisting travel itinerary filled with delays, reroutings, overbooked flights, and long waits in airports in four countries, I was arriving in Rome a day and a half later than planned. My luggage, apparently, hadn’t arrived at all. Read more…
A Journey of Healing
It’s been said that you can never truly understand someone until you walk in that person’s footsteps. That belief could not have been truer than it was eight years ago when I went on a pilgrimage to Assisi and Rome. Just a few months before I was set to leave, my mom unexpectedly passed away. Suddenly, my focus was not on my upcoming pilgrimage, but rather on my grief.
One day, as I was packing for my trip, I came across a pair of my mom’s gym shoes and tried them on. Surprisingly, they fit, so I decided to take them along with me for the journey. In some small way, it was a way for her to be with me. Read more…
The Journey Inward
I went through Italy three summers ago. Franciscan Pilgrimage Programs took our group to places associated with St. Michael the Archangel, St. Pio of Pietrelcina (Padre Pio), Sts. Francis and Clare of Assisi, St. Anthony of Padua, and St. John XXIII.
It was one of the highlights of my life. Besides seeing places important in the lives of my favorite saints, I had a chance to pray in those places. I will never forget Greccio, where Francis was inspired to reenact the Bethlehem story or Clare’s simple dormitory where she died. Read more…
Sacred Silence in Santo Stefano
Making the pilgrimage to Assisi in the summer of 2017 was—and continues to be—a spiritually transformative experience. It was made even more special as my wife, Belinda, was able to be a part of the pilgrimage as well. All the holy sites and deep immersion into the world and spirituality of Francis and Clare not only strengthened our faith, but brought us closer together as a married couple.
One holy place in particular sticks out for both of us as especially impactful. The Santo Stefano (St. Stephen) Church in Assisi is easy to pass up, considering how small it is and the fact that the popular Basilicas of St. Francis and Clare are nearby. Read more…
Always a Pilgrim
We are on the bus to Rome after being in Assisi for over a week. I’m torn. I don’t want to leave the hometown of Francis and Clare, but I can’t wait to get to a big city. I appreciated the quiet. Now I want the noise.
After an hour in Italy’s capital, I’m not surprised that I love it. I have always felt more comfortable in a noisy, bustling metropolis, and Rome is one with a lightning-fast pulse. In our downtime, three of us eat gelato at the Spanish Steps, where Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck shared a memorable scene in Roman Holiday—one of my favorites. Read more…
