Assisi (Italy). On 23 and 24 April 2026, the novices of Mary Help of Christians Novitiate of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians in Castel Gandolfo, Rome, accompanied by their Formator and Assistant, undertook a pilgrimage to Assisi alongside the novices of the Salesians of Don Bosco from Colle Don Bosco and their formation community, visiting sites significant to Saint Francis and Saint Clare.
The Account of the Novices:
It was a precious opportunity, especially as it falls within the year in which the Franciscan Family, and the entire Church, celebrates the 800th anniversary of the death of the Poor Man of Assisi. Guiding us in our discovery of this saint, who seems so familiar, yet remains so rich in depth was, in particular, Father Enrico Ponte, SDB, the Master of Novices.
These have been days of encounter, among ourselves and with the two Saints, who challenged us through their virginal response to Christ, a response of love to Love, prompting us to ask ourselves how we are living out our discernment in our relationship with Him, in our fraternal life, and in our mission.
On 23 April, we arrived in Assisi, beginning our journey with the celebration of the Eucharist at Saint Mary of the Angels and with our first moment of reflection before the Porziuncola, the very place where everything began for Francis, a symbol of the humility of his origins and of fraternity. Standing before the Chapel of the Transitus, we were prompted to ask ourselves how we wish to die. Francis died naked upon the bare earth, clothed only in Christ; this must be our desire as young people who are staking everything on Christ.
After a meal fraternally shared and a game of “barra rotta,” we set off for the Church of San Damiano. There, we encountered the figure of Clare, a beautiful young woman who, struck by the passion with which Francis preached and lived, allowed herself to be won over by Christ as well. San Damiano is the birthplace of the first community of the Poor Clares—a place redolent of fraternity, of a radical poverty that proclaims the person of Christ as the sole true wealth, and of a friendship between Clare and Francis that bears the savor of freedom.
We then ascended toward the Basilica of Saint Clare for a brief moment of prayer before the San Damiano Crucifix, before continuing our ascent to the Hermitage of the Carceri, one of the places where Francis experienced intimacy with God in the form of fraternity. Immersed in nature and enveloped by silence, everything there speaks of poverty and prayer. It was there that Francis and the friars experienced the Essential.
On the 24th, after beginning the day with Morning Prayer at Saint Mary of the Angels and a time of sharing, we returned to the Church of San Damiano and from there proceeded to the Sanctuary of the Spoliation, where we celebrated the Eucharist. This place spoke to us of the totality with which Francis lived out his self-giving to Christ for the consecrated life is a matter of continual self-stripping, and with which Saint Carlo Acutis lived his life.
Upon reaching the Lower Basilica of Saint Francis, our reflection focused on comparing the life of Francis with the choice that many of us are called to make in a few months’ time. The consecrated life and religious vows are not, first and foremost, an act of renunciation, but rather an act of love, and only when one has found the treasure is one able to give everything.
We were then invited to pause before the tomb of Francis, asking ourselves whether our hearts are drawn to the life with which we are engaging, whether they burn with passion for souls, and whether they long for a fraternal life in Christ that calls for growth in mutual forgiveness.
We then concluded with group sharing and lunch together.
Grateful for these days shared fraternally among ourselves and with our Salesian brothers, we take home this question that continues to resonate within us; are we willing to die for love? May the Lord and Our Lady accompany us in becoming men and women wholly dedicated to God.
