I am still in Rome. On Saturday, September 7, all the members of the Capuchin Chapter went to Assisi for a day long pilgrimage. At the tomb of Saint Francis, our General Minister, made his oath of profession of faith and was formally re-installed (he was re-elected for a second six year term).
I can’t describe Assisi to you; I don’t have adequate words. It is the town of Saint Francis and the streets, churches and hills and valley that make up the town and the region bespeak Saint Francis. I spent time praying in the church of San Damiano where Francis, as a young man, heard Jesus call him to “rebuild the church”. On Sunday, we went to LaVerna where Francis, as an old man (he was in his 40s but that was old in those days and two years before his death), received the stigmata, the wounds of Christ which were imposed on his body. In a time of doubt and depression as Francis wondered about the value of his life’s work, he experienced an ecstasy in prayer. From that moment on, he lived in peace and serenity.
Assisi is also the town of Saint Clare, a woman inspired by Francis and the founder of the cloistered nuns who were the 13th century female Franciscans. I prayed in a particular way for the friars who are my brothers at Saint John’s and for our Philadelphia Secular Franciscan fraternity. I invite you to consider whether God is calling you to be a Franciscan, perhaps a Capuchin friar or a member of the Secular Franciscan Order.
While Assisi is all about Saint Francis, there is another saint who is popular in Assisi, Blessed Carlo Acutis, soon to be canonized a saint. Blessed Carlo died in 2006 at age 15 from leukemia. He was a normal 21st century teen, enjoying computers and video games. However, his attraction to the Catholic faith was extraordinary. His parents were non practicing Catholics and he brought them back to regular practice. He converted several adults who were not Catholic. He did all that he could to help poor people and he loved to pray. He loved Assisi and Saint Francis and his body is preserved in the only church in Assisi staffed by Capuchin friars. I waited with a line of people, many young people, waiting to walk by his tomb and to say a prayer. His body is remarkably preserved and is visible. He looks like a typical high school boy, dressed in blue jeans and wearing sneakers.
Carlo shows us that anyone can be holy. This typical teen loved God, prayed, served God in the poor and invited others to know and love Jesus Christ. You can do that and so can I. You and I can be saints!
In Assisi, we are inspired by the holiness of Francis and Clare. Now there’s a modern Assisi saint, Carlo, who rests comfortably among two great 13th century saints.
I write this to you on Monday, September 9. Today we are back to work, meetings from 9 AM to 8 PM with a two hour siesta in the afternoon. We are in the final week of our Chapter and I look forward to the end of these meetings and to my return to Philadelphia on September 16.
