The Catholic Standard & Times

A day in Assisi

by Father Joe Roesch

Last week, I took the train from Rome to Assisi for a day of pilgrimage, along with Father Matthew Lamoureux, M.I.C., a young priest from my community who was visiting Rome for the first time with his parents.

He was ordained in his home parish of St. Thomas the Apostle in Chester Heights last summer. He is a graduate of St. Joseph’s University (1998) as I am (1982). He now works at the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy in Stockbridge, Mass. However, he spent his first year of priesthood in Fairbanks, Alaska, working with one of our older priests there. He spent Christmas in several Eskimo villages that could be reached only by snowmobile. I visited him up there in January, when it was 35 degrees below zero. They plug in their cars in the parking lot, so the oil won’t freeze.

It was considerably warmer last week in Rome, when we went to Assisi. At the train station in Rome, we met a permanent deacon, Steven, and his wife, Catherine. Steven was ordained for the Archdiocese of New York last year.

We spent the day in Assisi with them. They were in Rome to celebrate their 25th anniversary of marriage.

When they first met, he had promised her that some day, she would get to shake hands with the Pope, although he had no idea how he would fulfill that promise.

Last week, at the papal audience, they received good seats — in about the fifth row. However, a kind priest gave Catherine his seat in the first row, and then Catherine ended up holding in her lap a tiny, young boy with cancer.

The Pope ended up picking up the little boy and kissing him on the head. Catherine was able to shake the Pope’s hand, and Steven stepped forward, to reach in and do the same. God smiled on them and that little boy that day. And now they have the pictures to prove it to their friends back home.

Our train arrived in Assisi, and the picturesque, old, walled city was visible up on a hill a short distance away.

We stayed in the valley below for the morning. After coffee at the train station, we walked to the Basilica of Our Lady of the Angels. The City of Los Angeles gets its name from this Church. The Franciscan priest, Blessed Junípero Serra, built several missionary outposts in California that eventually became cities, naming them after Franciscan saints and sites.

The church is the site where St. Francis lived much of his religious life, and also where he died. Also in the church is the beautiful little chapel, the Portiuncula or “Little Portion,” where he spent much time in prayer, and where his body was laid out when he died. It is also where St. Clare took on the religious habit.

After celebrating Mass in a chapel in the basilica, we took the bus up the hill to the “Old City,” which is filled with arches, cobblestones, ancient buildings and churches.

After a delicious lunch, we visited the Church of San Rufino, named after the town’s first bishop and a 3rd century martyr. It was the parish church at the time of St. Francis, and one can still see the baptismal font where he and St. Clare were baptized. We also visited the Basilica of St. Clare, where the San Damiano cross is kept. Jesus spoke to Francis from this cross, and said: “Rebuild My Church.”

At first, St. Francis took the Lord literally, and began to rebuild the dilapidated little chapel of San Damiano, which was crumbling.

But the Lord had in mind a spiritual meaning. Corruption had begun to creep into the Church at that time. Money and power were consuming the nobility, and some of the clergy.

Francis and his little band of followers had to remind the Church about the importance of poverty, chastity, obedience, and humility. Francis and his followers began the rebuilding of the Church through striving for personal holiness. As I prayed before the crucifix, I felt the Lord was saying the same thing to me, and to all of us today. “Rebuild My Church, rebuild My world” — through striving for personal holiness.

We continued on through the quaint streets, passing many gift shops. The men had no problem passing these shops — but it was a different story for the women. We stopped at the tiny church of St. Steven, where, legend has it, the bells in the church tower began to ring spontaneously when St. Francis died. We ended our pilgrimage at the Basilica of St. Francis, where his body is laid to rest.

I made a holy hour in the chapel there, before the Blessed Sacrament and the body of St. Francis. My parents are secular Franciscans; they met at a secular Franciscan dance more than 50 years ago. My father is in the hospital now, for hip replacement surgery, so I prayed for him, and for all whom I had promised to pray.

During our train ride back to Rome, Italy was playing the Ukraine in the World Cup. Deacon Steven works in the sports section at the New York Times and he predicted that Italy would win 3-0. We prayed the rosary on the train, and shared many laughs. When we arrived in Rome, we found that Italy had in fact won, 3-0, and we were greeted by streams of cars and motorcycles, flags of Italy, honking horns and people waving. I told the group that I had called ahead to announce our arrival so that we could welcomed back to Rome in style.

It was a blessed and fruitful day, tracing the footsteps of some holy saints.

Father Joe Roesch, who used to write The CS&T’s popular column “Ask Father Joe,” is now Second General Councilor of the Rome Congregation of the Marians of the Immaculate Conception, which promotes the message of Divine Mercy around the world.