Eileen - Walking the way of St Francis

Last week I walked a section of the way of St Francis (Via di Francesco) from Assisi to Rome to support Aid to the Church in Needs #RedWednesday campaign. The route takes you through the majestic scenery of Umbria. A mountainous region covered with large areas of forest, ancient olive groves, lakes, and small hilltop villages.

Walking is a solitary experience on this path. You can walk for days and not see a single person. I enjoyed these moments away from the large crowds and the constant traffic of where I live in London.

Arriving at a small, sleepy village of 130 residents after a day’s walk (Which feels much longer because of the constant winding ascents and descents), I went to the church to see if there was a place I could pitch my tent. But there was no resident priest, no hostel, and it had started to rain. A barking dog alerted a lady to my presence.  

Opening the small shutters of the window of her house, the lady welcomed me inside, offered me coffee, supper, a chance to charge my phone, and a place to sleep. We communicated via Google Translate and lots of smiles! She was an angel. The Good Samaritan.

Camping is uncomfortable. The sound of strange noises outside keep you awake, and the cold and humidity inside the tent mean sleep is intermittent. At night I thought about the IDP camps in northern Nigeria and whole communities who have lost everything. For people in these IDP camps, this is not a temporary inconvenience but a permanent living situation.

Following the Way of St. Francis is a route the early Franciscans frequently travelled as they went back and forth to Rome to obtain approval to start the Franciscan Order from Pope Innocent III in 1210. It was a privilege to pray for persecuted Christians in locations where St. Francis also rested and prayed. Under trees, in small grottos, at the top of mountains.

In Greccio, an alter and hermitage has been established over the site where St. Francis created the first Christmas crib. Pope Benedict and Pope Francis also prayed here.

I was reminded by Sr. Mercy, of the Franciscan Missionaries of the Infant Jesus based in Greccio, originally from the Philippines, that we are Christmas people.

As I left Greccio, the last stop before reaching Rome, I carried with me the image of the Nativity scene. God choosing to dwell among us in humility and poverty. The kindness of a stranger and the silence of the hills, all became part of that same Christmas story. To be Christmas people is to recognise that God is with us in the ordinary, in the hospitality we receive, through our hardships, and our hope as we begin a new day.