A Weekend in Assisi

*Disclaimer: I tried to keep this short and sweet, but I just have to share our abundant graces, and although they are sweet, it's definitely not short!

"If I were to meet a priest and an angel, I should salute the priest before I saluted the angel. The latter is the friend of God; but the priest holds His place. St. Teresa kissed the ground where a priest had passed. When you see a priest, you should say, 'There is he who made me a child of God, and opened Heaven to me by holy Baptism; he who purified me after I had sinned; who gives nourishment to my soul.' At the sight of a church tower, you may say, 'What is there in that place?' 'The Body of Our Lord.' 'Why is He there?' 'Because a priest has been there, and has said holy Mass."

-St. John Vianney, patron saint of priests

These men that God calls for His Church really are a gift. A priest is a man who has made the decision to live the life of Christ in its fullest sense. You see, after high school I had chosen to live a life devoted to Christ, as His bride. This was and is very beautiful, don’t get me wrong, but the priest is called to live a life for God’s children – and through Ordination, their soul has been changed so that they receive the graces to do this! I could go on and on about the greatness of the priesthood, but this is really just supposed to be a segway into the wonderful weekend I had in Assisi…

We visited Assisi at the beginning of February: Week 5.

As per usual, I traveled in a pack of three. Originally, it would have been just my friend & travel buddy Mo and I. We begged others to come with us, and Lo gave in – and we’re glad she did! Mo’s priest-cousin (Fr. C) is a very dear friend of my family and he had been planning to come to Rome; he was able to plan his trip during our stay abroad, so it worked perfectly that we would all spend a weekend in Assisi.

The beauty of our trip was the fact that Fr. C and his friend Fr. J let us crash their party, which in reality was their retreat weekend. Us ladies arrived in Assisi on Thursday night iand Fr. C was waiting at the train station so that he could show us the way to the Bridgettine convent we were staying at. From the very beginning, we were treated with such dignity, it filled us with so much joy we didn’t know how to respond other than by soaking it in!

St. Clare of Assisi & St. Rita of Cascia

On Friday morning, all five of us walked down to the Basilica where St. Francis’ tomb is and celebrated Mass together. This was very meaningful for me as St. Francis is the founder of one of the most popular Religious Orders, the Franciscans. I begged him for his intercession, asking him to pray for me as I continue to discover what the Lord is calling me to do with my life.

Fr. J was the primary celebrant for that Mass, and he has definitely made his way onto the list of priests I pray for. He’s a great man – at first he may seem stoic and intimidating with his height looming over you, but once you get to know him he is a teddy bear! I’m sure he would laugh at me calling him this, but it’s true and we love him for it. Fr. C is one of the most funniest and enjoyable of priests I know. His laugh is contagious and whenever you’re with him, it feels like you’re the most important thing in the world at that moment.

Father teaching us about the castles
& royalty of Assisi on the way to the
Hermitage

These were the priests that the Lord gave to us that weekend. They took care of us physically, mentally, and spiritually. After Mass at the tomb, we ladies separated from the priests so that they could retreat until the afternoon, and we wandered around the Basilica and took in the beauty of Assisi. After lunch with Fr. C, he took us on a hike to the hermitage where St. Francis led his brothers on 40-day-long yearly retreats. This hike to the hermitage was the most intense and challenging hike I have been on in my life. It was literally uphill the whole way – on steep, rocky ground! But through our deep inhales, we managed to hold a great conversation with Father and I was able to ask him the burning theological questions that had been on my mind for weeks. We had a great conversation about the dignity of the human person, the importance of protection against the Devil, and how to survive our semester studying abroad. Once we got to the hermitage, we prayerfully made our way through the grounds made holy by the steps and prayers of Holy Father Francis.

The next day found us at the town right below Assisi, where there lies a huge church that holds the original church that Francis built. We had Mass in one of the side chapels and then we broke off again from the priests to make our way to the church where St. Clare’s tomb is. St. Clare was the first female follower of St. Francis and she also lived a radical life for Christ. That night, Fr. J heard our Confessions and then it was his turn to take us out for dinner. Here was yet another chance to talk about the “real talk” (as we like to call it) that we rarely have time to engage in with priests. To talk more about the dignity we have as daughters of God was really refreshing for our souls. Every night in Assisi, Mo, Lo and I sat on our beds and expressed the overflowing joy we experienced from spending time with these great priests!

Mo kept reminding us that Fr. C once said something like, “When the Lord is pursuing you, you experience joy abundantly.” How true this is!

Overall, the weekend was full of prayer, laughter, nature, beauty, love, joy, and friendship. I couldn't have asked for anything more!

“O Jesus, I pray Thee for Thy faithful and fervent priests…Thy priests who gave me Thy Body and Blood in Holy Communion; the priests who taught and instructed me, or helped and encouraged me; all the priests to whom I am indebted in any other way…O Jesus, keep them all close to Thy Heart, and bless them abundantly in time and in eternity. Amen.”