ON THE ROAD IN ASSISI
PHOTOGRAPHY BY RORY REICHENBERG
For 10 days in February, while some students were home playing video games or soaking up the sun on a beach, 17 St. Francis Students along with Mr. Reichenberg, Friar Matt and Friar Bryan traveled to the homeland of our patron Saint Francis for a Pilgrimage to Assisi. one would expect. Wow, I really miss that gelato now. When the trip was over, I came back spiritually and culturally enlightened. I realized things about myself that I hadn’t before, and I feel more at peace than ever.
Ryan Harrington ’22
Austin Hammer ’24 Before landing I didn’t know what to expect from Italy. My expectations were high, but I didn’t know what I was really hoping to learn out of the pilgrimage yet. Arriving in Rome I was surprised by how foreign yet familiar everything felt while walking through the ancient stone streets. I would look to my right and see a store selling Disney memorabilia then look to my left and see a castle or church that’s thousands of years old. Our first visit to St. Peter’s Square was surreal to me. It was just so incredible looking at the Vatican towering over us at dusk. The next day we departed for Assisi where I feel like I had truly found my home in Italy. When approaching the city, the massive
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St. Francis Basilica immediately stands out against the rest of the buildings just by its sheer size and position right on a cliff. There were so many beautiful churches in such a small area it seemed like there would never be enough people to fill them. Over our time in Assisi, we would visit almost all of these churches and every single one would astonish me with its historical and spiritual significance. I was definitely not the most religious out of our whole group, but praying in the tomb of St. Francis was probably the most connected I’ve felt to God in my whole life. Certain things like getting to walk around the castle ruins at the top of Assisi where St. Francis may have fought was amazing and the mass we had there was incredible even though the eucharist almost blew away! The gelato, pasta, lamb, and calzones were amazing as
@D espite the hassle of traveling during a pandemic, when we arrived in Assisi everything was worth it. There were beautiful views from the hotel, with a stunning rooftop garden that laid out the entire city before you. Assisi is something of an anomaly with very little modern interference, aside from a few bathrooms. Each day we would wake up to breakfast, then set out (usually walking) to take in the sights. Some of my favorites were St. Clare’s Basilica, St. Francis’ tomb, and the piatsa, all of which held a calm peaceful feeling, different from the kind of thing we would see in a square at home. @Many things were different from home in Assisi, and it was a bit of a culture shock. I don’t think I’ve ever had so many people trying to sell me things all at once, be it handmade rosaries, leather belts, or caps, but Assisi has its own sort of world order. During the trip we had plenty of time to pray and reflect. Personally, I enjoyed mass both outside, and later at the tomb of St. Francis, though devotion was given proper time as well. I was given the opportunity to pray before the body of St. Clare, and the real crucifix that spoke to St. Francis, among many other things. As we made our way along, we also dove into the lives of Sts. Francis and Clare. I had done a project on St. Clare earlier in a religion class, but
