On the Road In Assisi

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.

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 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 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

Despite 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

I had long since forgotten the poignancy of her story, and how she left everything behind to join a group, and constantly had to fight to stay really touched me. Among the things I learned, I brought home with me a sense of ‘prayer on the go,’ often we would only have a quick break, or a minute to ourselves, and I learned to bring prayer into that time, taking as many moments as I could. I think prayer is one of the few activities in life where quantity matters just as much, if not more than quality. When attempting to pray you might not always get into the right headspace, or feel like you’re reaching anything, but that’s okay. God doesn’t care if you’re having deep profound thoughts. He doesn’t care if you’re changing the world. God just cares that you’re trying.

James Giallella ’23

As soon as we made it to Assisi it took me no time at all to decide that every penny spent was worth it. The memories made there will last me a lifetime. Before Assisi, however, there was Rome. Rome was a very “interesting” place to say the least. Honestly, I thought I was bad at driving until I went there. The first thirty minutes of the ride in Rome was spent laughing at the traffic. There are no traffic laws in Rome, only suggestions. Along with great services our hotel was in close walking distance to Vatican City and St. Peter’s Basilica. While we didn’t go in, the sheer size of the building shocked me. After only being to OLV Basilica for my entire life, I suppose I wasn’t prepared for the grandiosity of Rome. As great as Rome was, however, it couldn’t hold a candle to Assisi. Assisi is the physical representation of tranquility. It was quiet when it needed to be and bustling when it needed to be. There was a perfect balance of material and spiritual and while not as grand as Rome it was quite more than what I was used to. St. Francis Basilica was my favorite spot art wise. There is a great painting of Revelation behind the altar which really captivated me. In fact, the whole idea of being where the guy my school is named after is crazy. I saw where one of the most important Christian figures was born, lived, and died all in one week. So much life and influence in one place. Assisi, while spiritually awakening was also physically awakening. I never have had so much good food in one amount of time as I did in Assisi. The fact that I ate so much and didn’t gain any weight shocked me. It must have been walking. Sister Maryann was a real trooper for keeping up with us for so long. I don’t know if I’d be able to walk so many miles if I was an old nun. Speaking of Sister Maryann, thank you Sister Maryann for teaching me to appreciate singing. I’ve never sang outside of the shower before and the idea of singing at every meal and Mass challenged me. However, it probably took one day for me to realize how much of a blessing it truly was. I began to love it and its way of speaking the goodness of God. At the end of it all my friends and I were singing on the rooftop of Papa Giovanni (our hotel). Along with the singing was crying because I truly think no one wanted to leave, including me. I must thank my school for allowing me to go on this pilgrimage. I’ve never been as attached to a location until I came to Assisi. My father and I are already planning for another trip. It definitely put things in perspective for me. One final “thank you” to God, for creating Assisi and all other things good. I pray that it continues to be such a symbol of peace.