Share your experience

This blog is for people who attended a pilgrimage sponsored by the Franciscan Sisters of Christian Charity Sponsored Ministries, Inc.

To share your memories, photos and insights, please email your material
to Scott McConnaha at smcconnaha [at] fsccm [dot] org. Be sure to tell us the year you traveled to Assisi and Rome, the name of your traveling companion, and your employer and title. Thank you!

All comments will be moderated. Please expect a delay before they appear on the blog. We appreciate your patience.

Visit our website at http://www.fsccm.org.

 

A poetic reflection after visiting Greccio

Nativity

Mitch Shemek, chaplain at Franciscan Care Services in West Point, Neb., participated in the May 2016 pilgrimage.

Love Embodied
GOD WITHIN
Birthing Tabernacle
GOD WITHIN
Awakening Self
GOD WITHIN
Sanctuary
GOD WITHIN
Luminescent Life
GOD WITHIN
Gift manifested
GOD WITHIN
Sustenance
GOD WITHIN
Joyful Being
GOD WITHIN
Incarnational Fidelity
GOD WITHIN
Ancestral DNA
GOD WITHIN!

Part of the gift is the journey

Colleen McConnaha
May 2010 Pilgrimage

I received a reminder today that it has been seven years this week that we experienced the pilgrimage in Assisi and Rome. My husband and I believe that our time there deepened our awareness of God’s grace in our lives. We feel blessed to have made the journey and met so many wonderful people on our way. I think often about Sr. Mary’s talk about the little boy who almost missed saying goodbye, traveling miles to get this gift (a shell from the seaside) for the missionary who was about to leave for good. The message that the little boy gave her was that (while the actual gift may not have been significant), “part of the gift was the journey.” That thought has remained with me for these years. Indeed, part of the gift of being on the pilgrimage did not stop when the two weeks were at an end, but the gift continues. I will be forever grateful for our time there and how it continues to enrich my life and adds light to my path.

Pace e bene~

Colleen and her husband, Scott, vice president of mission for FSCC Sponsored Ministries, participated in the 2010 pilgrimage.

 

An Incredible Journey

Jane Curran-Meuli
May 2016 Pilgrimage

A year ago this week we were in Assisi on an incredible journey.  The journey encompassed so much.  It was personal, historical, team-building and obviously international.  There are so many things from this journey that stand out, but there are two in particular.  First was the leper banishing, with Judy D taking the role of the leper.  I reflect so frequently on the question “who are our lepers in today’s society?”  And thus “how do we stop treating others in need as lepers?”.  The second was getting so close to the Pope.  I expected that to be neat to experience, what I did not expect was the energy he exuded to the crowd.  The feeling was overwhelming and awe provoking.  Thank you to the Franciscan Sisters of Christian Charity Sponsored Ministry for making this possible.
Pace e bene – Pax et bonum – Peace and all good

Jane is the chief operating officer/executive vice president at Holy Family Memorial, Manitowoc, and participated in the 2016 pilgrimage.

“Fantastic” trip inspires art

Jeffrey Dunn
2016 Pilgrimage

Manitowoc attorney Jeff Dunn was a participant on the most recent pilgrimage in May 2016. Of the trip he says, simply, “it was fantastic.” Although he spends his days working in the legal field, one of his hobbies is photography. Using a variety of software (including Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom, along with a plugin called SnapArt), Jeff creates beautiful digital art from his photos.

He recently shared three images from his pilgrimage. We think you will agree, Jeff’s artwork is a lovely memento of his time in Assisi and Rome.

Jeff is vice chair of the Holy Family Memorial Board of Directors. He is an attorney with Michael Best & Friedrich of Manitowoc, Wisconsin.

 

“I know a city on a hill…”

Marcia Donlon
2010 Pilgrimage

In May of 2010, my husband Jim and I were privileged to be part of the Franciscan Pilgrimage to Assisi and Rome. It was a journey that lives on in us, often on a daily basis.  What is most interesting, though, is how reflections and memories from the pilgrimage usually come to mind in unexpected ways and at unanticipated times. It seems that after being a pilgrim, all aspects of this experiential journey are woven into your being.

I remember when we were approaching Assisi on the bus, tired from the long flight but very excited to see Assisi, Father John Petrikovic, one of our facilitators, starting reciting a verse: “I know a city on a hill, a mountain’s castled crown, where like the stars, the angels tread, the streets go up and down.  A city very small and kind, and full of strange renown.” I later learned the full reading, by Alfred Noyes, is in the Pilgrim’s Companion book we all received prior to starting on the pilgrimage.

That reading became one of my favorites, but only after we returned home and I started reflecting on the pilgrimage. Father John’s recitation of it left an imprint in my mind. I encourage you to read it to see if it strikes you in the same way it did me.

Jim and I talk about what our favorite part of the pilgrimage was, and guess what? We oftentimes come up with different answers or versions of the answers. One time it will be the natural beauty of the Carceri or La Verna.The next time it will be the contemplativeness of the Carceri or La Verna. Another time it is the memory of having Mass outside at San Rufino on a beautiful May morning, while later the same day reflecting on forgiveness at La Maddalena while visiting the leper mission and touching the walls there.

Of course all of the days were filled with new experiences, regardless of where our travels took us. Getting to know our fellow pilgrims and learning, praying and having fun with them was wonderful. The history and sites in Rome were amazing, but for us, when all is said and done, Assisi  left the biggest imprint on us. “I know a city on a hill…”

Thank you so much for this wonderful and life-changing opportunity!

Marcia, administrative director of primary care/care continuity at Holy Family Memorial, Manitowoc, participated in the 2010 pilgrimage with her husband Jim.