PROJECT BRIDGE TO ACHIEVEMENT
The Chalkboard The Power of Pilgrimage: Finding St. Francis on the Inside Dr. Carrie Brouse contributed the following reflection on her participation in the 2008 Marian College pilgrimage to Assisi
living a more faithful life. At the numerous churches visited during the pilgrimage, the Franciscan guides assigned to our group shared some of the historical context behind the place itself, but also facilitated our thinking about where Francis was in his own Catholicity and faith. They offered us various real-life experiences that exemplified the questioning and internal trials that Francis triumphed over in his own lifetime. The historical visits and reenactments of events in the lives of St. Francis and St. Clare were empowering and in a way that was also deeply moving. While we certainly enjoyed Italian cuisine and a few of the typical tourist kinds of activities during our pilgrimage, these things were not for me the highlight of the trip; nor will they be what I remember and reflect on long term. The beauty of the Italian countryside as we traveled through the Rietti Valley in Tuscany on our way to Greccio was stunning and awesome. The friendliness of the people in Assisi was encouraging – every where I went, I felt welcomed and
almost a part of a new family. The age of the buildings in Rome, and their condition at their age, was Though I had certainly amazing. (I could not help been exposed to the word but think about the RCA ‘pilgrimage’ over the years, Dome coming down after admittedly until recently I only 20 years.) The comhad no clear idea what a mitment to history and pilgrimage really was, or preservation of what was what it would come to mean constructed so very long in my own life. In June, 2008 ago was inspiring. Still, in I was blessed with the opall of the external beauty, portunity to travel with sevboth in the Italian people eral Marian College faculty, and their buildings, it was alumni, and staff members the internal connections to on a Franciscan Pilgrimage St. Francis, St. Clare and to Assisi and Rome, Italy. In Franciscanism that I beboth of these places, where lieve and hope will long St. Francis and St. Clare remain with me. spent a significant amount of As I traveled back to time, ‘back in the day,’ I the United States and to came to discover the unexthe life I live here in Indianpected, my internal Francisapolis and at Marian Colcanism, if you will. lege, I felt a significant pull The pilgrimage was not toward being a better lay only a journey along the Franciscan. I wondered geographic paths that St. how I would fit my new Francis and St. Clare pilgrim self inside the old walked, but one that prodshell of me I had left beded me to move further on hind. As the weeks have my own spiritual path. Over gone by, I have longed for the years, as a born and the feeling of being as raised Catholic, I have interdeeply connected to St. mittently struggled with my Francis and St. Clare, my faith and who I am as a Franciscan leaders and Catholic. I have witnessed fellow pilgrims as I was contradictions in what the while in Italy. Church professes and what I I have not yet figured was raised to believe about out how to make that feelwho is God. During these ing manifest in my daily times, I have been left feelliving here and certainly ing guilty about being pray that I will have the less of a Catholic than opportunity to feed that what the Church might desire for connectedness expect. While in Assisi, I through Franciscan exlearned that St. Francis periences offered on camat times throughout his pus. I also pray that I am life struggled similarly one day able to return to and this new knowledge Italy to visit Assisi again provided me with a and to feel for a second ‘release’ from the guilt time the power of pilgrimand also opened my age. heart and my mind to The Basilica di San Francesco
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Teacher Tips: From NEA: Works4Me, found at http://www.nea.org/tips/in dex.html GREETING WITH A SMILE "As I personally greet each student at the classroom door, I tell students I am happy to see them and place a small smiley face sticker on them, indicating that they are my students. I found this little greeting and recognition helps break the ice the first day of school. " From Linda C. Garrett, a business teacher at Hewitt-Trussville High School in Trussville, Alabama
INSIDE THIS ISSUE: September
2
Calendar Fall
2
Festivals IPS Infusion
3
Conference Culture
3
Corner Indianapolis
4
Civic Theatre Intern Profile
4