ASSISI: One last holy day in Italy

The sun was rising over the Tiber Valley as more than 250 Holy Year pilgrims took a sleep-inducing, two-hour-plus bus ride to the Italian province of Umbria, where Assisi is located.

Passing flat, plowed fields and even a few vineyards, the group watched the Apennine Mountains -- "backbone of the Italian peninsula" -- flow by.

Saints and pigs

A guide noted that the area is also famous for more secular reasons: Rare black truffles are rooted out by pigs and "truffle dogs" here, and famous pottery factories find their homes in the region.

Assisi itself is on Mount Subasio. Pinkish stones from the mountain are used in much of its architecture, and its staple crops include tobacco, wheat, corn and olives.

Francis' church

St. Mary of the Angels, built around the church in the 16th to 17th centuries, dwarfs it. The group entered the Porziuncola through a tiny rear door, passed a half-dozen kneelers along its walls and were allowed just a moment to contemplate Francis' work before exiting through a side door.

For some, that moment was all it took to have a profound experience: "It's beyond words," choked Mary Irene Durocher of St. Mary's in Galway, who had been looking forward to Assisi for the entire trip. "It definitely was the high point. Words just can't describe the emotion I feel."

Saint's home

"Two very dear priest friends from Siena College told us it was like going back in time," Lillie James of St. Pius X parish, Loudonville, remarked afterward. "It really hit home. It was very interesting about the doves; I love that touch! I have a picture of St. Francis at home, and it takes on new meaning for me."

Continuing to the mountain where St. Francis' basilica is located, the group had lunch and a tour of that church -- which is actually two 13th-century churches, one built atop the other, and also houses a crypt dug in 1818 to house St. Francis' tomb.

The list of artists whose work decorates the basilica includes some of the world's greatest: Giotto, Cimabue, Cavallini, Torriti, the Lorenzetti brothers and Simone Martini. Giotto's famous frescoes of St. Francis' life adorn the upper basilica.

Mass in Assisi

"How wonderful it is to be here in Assisi," the Bishop said in his homily. Describing St. Francis' early life as a "bon vivant" and his spiritual conversion, he noted that Francis realized "we share a common humanity" and remarked on "how important it is for us in the United States to appreciate that sense of community."

Bishop Hubbard decried the self-centeredness that he said has made America "a nation of spectators," and challenged the pilgrims to "create a moral order and social environment" that focuses on helping all humankind, especially the poor. He advised hands-on service, addressing the root causes of social decay and adopting a simple lifestyle as good ways to start.

"May we, gathered in pilgrimage in Assisi, be mindful...of the radical commitment Francis made to serve his brothers and sisters," he concluded.

Arrivederci

Several of the group shared the high points of the trip in their last moments together:

* "Seeing St. Peter's basilica for the first time -- the floor, with all the different colors in the marble," said Larry Lonergan, who attends Mass at St. Joseph's Provincial House in Latham.

* "To have Holy Mass with the Pope on Mission Sunday, with [people from] all the nations dancing -- and visiting all the major basilicas was just out of this world," added Elizabeth Staley of St. Helen's, Niskayuna.

* Others were already looking ahead: "It's all been great. Venice is going to be good, and Florence," said Mark Pennock of St. Ambrose in Latham. "When you see Michelangelo's `David' and the Duomo, it just blows you away."

A short night's sleep and a nine-hour flight later, the pilgrims found themselves back in America, boarding buses in New York City and Newark for the final leg of the trip home. On one bus, the chatter was all about Rome: the insane drivers and tiny cars, gigantic basilicas and gypsy pickpockets, the aging Pope and plentiful pasta.

"Was Gina Lollabrigida's picture all over the place?" the bus driver inquired after listening to the pilgrims. "No? Then forget it -- I'm not going."

(11-02-00) [[In-content Ad]]