Catholic Fire

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis called for an end to armed conflict and clarified the notion of Franciscan peace during the Mass he presided for the feast of St. Francis on Friday in Assisi. A few thousand people gathered for the late morning celebration in St. Francis Square, situated before the world-famous shrine dedicated to the patron saint of the poor. The Pope celebrated at a simple altar, behind which stood a giant two-bar wooden cross and on which hung a representation of the San Damiano Cross. St. Francis was praying before the San Damiano Cross when Jesus commissioned him to rebuild the Church. Preaching his homily from the ambo, the Pope underlined the relevant witness St. Francis continues to offer. “His first and most essential witness is this: that being a Christian means having a living relationship with the person of Jesus; it means putting on Christ, being conformed to him,” he said. “Where did Francis’ journey to Christ begin? It began with the gaze of the c...

The Hermitage: Home of St. Francis The photos here are from my Rome pilgrimage (with the exception of the following photo.) Image source The church of St. Clare of Assisi was built in Italian gothic style between 1257 and 1265, along the road connecting Porta Nuova to St. Francesco. The basilica was realized with the typical pink stone extracted from the quarry of the Subasio mountain, contains precious frescos dating back to the period from the XIIth to the XIVth century. Assisi: enchanting Assisi - St. Francis Basilica - PAX The Blessed Virgin Mary on peak of St Mary of the Angels Basilica near Assisi Facade at St. Mary of the Angels, near Assisi This basilica stands in the plain at the feet of the hills of Assisi, protecting the Porziuncola, where St. Francis is said to have founded the first group of the Order of the Minor Friars in 1209, and the Chapel of the "Transito" where the saint died on October 3rd 1226. Dome of St. Mary of the Angels, near Assisi Leaving Ass...