Last Friday, our community had one last hurrah before the
academic year began. We took a day trip
to a few nearby places that figured prominently in the life of St. Francis of Assisi –
after all, we are seminarians! After a
few wrong turns and driving through the foggy hills, our first stop was Greccio, a few hours north of Rome. Francis lived here for some time, and around 1223
had the idea of “reproducing” the first Christmas scene from Bethlehem. The saint is credited with popularizing the
use of crèches. So, every time you set
up your nativity scene under the Christmas tree, you can thank St. Francis.
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The Chapel built to commemorate the place where Francis staged his nativity scene. |
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Looking out to the hillside from the Friary. |
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Part of the present structure at the Greccio Friary. |
Next, we headed to nearby Fontecolombo, named because there
is a spring (fonte) where the early Franciscans (colombe) are said to have quenched
their spirits. It was a sort of retreat
for Francis. It is mostly known, though,
as the place where Francis wrote the Rule of Life that would eventually
be recognized by Pope Honorious III.
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Bro. Joseph at the spring. |
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The place where Francis probably dictated the Rule to Brother Leo. |
As we were visiting these tranquil spots nestled in the
mountains there were two things that really struck me. First, it was quite a powerful experience to
walk in the footsteps of Francis and the early Franciscans. While it is difficult to describe, I found it
to be a very special and holy experience to see the personal rooms of Francis
and Bonaventure and to be in the chapels where they prayed. Somehow, it was as if I could feel their
spirit and presence in these places even after all these years.
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Francis' room in Greccio. The picture pretty much shows the actual size and how comfortable it would have been. |
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The small dormitory for the Franciscans at Greccio. The rooms were evidently very small and very sparse. |
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A small chapel at Fontecolombo. |
Second, while thinking about the first experience, I reflected
upon the formative role which the Franciscans played in my early life and in my
vocation. The Friars were the first male
religious I ever knew. I fondly remember
them coming to my home parish of St. Henry in Fort Wayne to say mass on
Sunday. I remember them as being simple
and humble servants. As a mass server, I
also remember them vesting for mass and always thought it was funny that they
put on the hood of their brown habit before putting on the outer vestment. And of course, even though their presence was
limited when I went to Bishop Luers High School, the Franciscan spirit still
permeated the school. It is sort of
humbling to think that these simple men (particularly Bro. Ward) must have had
some influence on my later religious vocation.
As we celebrated mass in the Chapel at Greccio, I thanked God for the
gift of them in my life.
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The "New Church" at Greccio. | |
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In the Church at Greccio. While it's difficult to see, at the bottom there are the "two hands" that is common in Franciscan art. I remember seeing this symbol many times at Bishop Luers. |
Afterwards, we went to the nearby “big city” of Rieti and
simply muddled around town. Among the
highlights, we stumbled upon the geographic center of Italy. Who knew?
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"The Center of Italy" in all sorts of languages so everyone knows where they are! |
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Bro. Javier at the center of Italy. |
Here's a few more pictures from the trip. Enjoy!
Ciao!
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The morning fog |
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The buildings of Greccio built right into the hillside. |
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At Greccio, there was a Creche collection. All I could think was "It's nice, but it's not the Marian Library at UD!" Ha, Ha. |
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Looking down at Rieti from Fontecolombo. |
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Bro. Lester with our hero, Francis. |
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The Cathedral in Rieti. |
Dear Brother Bob,
ReplyDeleteI hope you don't mind if I use one of your pictures in our vocation newsletter. I am writing a post on St. Francis' Christmas celebration at Greccio and was looking for a photo to use. Sounds like you had a wonderful pilgrimage there. I will reference you and your blog with the photo so that our readers can read more of your adventures.
May your Christmas be filled with the wonder of Christ's birth.
Sister Rose Therese, O.S.F.
Sr. Rose,
DeleteNo problem. Especially for vocations! Have a wonderful Christmas!
Bro. Bob
Thank you very much, Brother.
Delete