View from the Pews from the Wirral
View from Assisi
Your former Vicar (and I’m sorry you don’t have a current one) has just returned from a week on pilgrimage in Assisi and Rome. So I thought you might like to read a little of my experiences there.
I was fortunate to travel with two companions; Kevin, who is the Vicar of Neston, and another friend, Carol, a retired police officer and Youth Minister here. Kevin is also an Anglican Greyfriar – which is part of the worldwide Franciscan community, and he knows Assisi really well as it is the birthplace and resting place for St Francis and St Claire.
It is hard to put into words how spectacular the setting of Assisi is. Still very much in the pattern of a medieval hill town. (And oh those hills – if you ever go there, take very good walking shoes and a walking stick or two). Suffice it to say I feel considerably fitter after five days walking up, and walking down, those hills! But thankfully my knees held up and I survived. The walk to and from Saint Damiano is particularly taxing, but well worth it. And we did it three times while there! And I do commend the teaching and life of St Francis to you. I doubt that anyone has so tried to follow the life and teaching of Christ as Francis – sometimes in extreme ways – but his ability to see Christ in all people, animals and the world is inspiring, as is his focus on God’s love and grace.
The interiors of many of the Catholic Churches in Assisi and Rome are of course a bit ornate to British eyes, but if you just accept them on their own terms, you cannot help but wonder at the devotion of so many pilgrims from so many parts of the world, who gather in both places.
But lest you get the impression that it was all about worship and churches, I should add that we had some wonderful meals plus the occasional glass of wine and/or beer, frequented all the souvenir shops (of which there are many!) and shared a lot of humour. And when we got to Rome there was some sightseeing too, as the photos will show.
Maureen Hobbs
