Interested in visiting Franciscan sites around the globe? Several friars and ministries are inviting pilgrims to join them as they travel to historic shrines and churches in the U.S. and abroad this year.
Ministry of the Word friar Raphael Bonanno, OFM, will lead a pilgrimage titled “With St. Francis to Compostela, Spain” to celebrate the 800th anniversary of St. Francis’s visit to the tomb of St. James the Apostle. The trip — which takes place from Sept. 30 to Oct. 8 — includes stops in Madrid, Burgos, Logrono, Samos, Sarria, Toledo and Santiago, where pilgrims will celebrate St. Francis’s feast day Mass.
The pilgrimage is open to all, according to Raphael, who asks that interested persons contact him at 617-542-6440 ext. 187. Registration ends in late April. The trip costs $3,049, with final payment due August 1.
Those in the New York City metro area are invited to take part in the Fifth Annual Pilgrimage of New York on April 5. Participants will visit Franciscan churches in Manhattan on a daylong walk that begins at 9 a.m. at the Shrine of St. Francis Xavier Cabrini on Fort Washington Avenue. Other stops include Holy Name of Jesus Church, where Daniel Kenna, OFM, is pastor; St. Francis of Assisi Church, where Andrew Reitz, OFM, is pastor; and St. John the Baptist and St. Anthony of Padua churches.
The pilgrimage will conclude with a pilgrim’s Mass celebrated by Timothy Shreenan, OFM, at 5:30 p.m. at the Shrine of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton in Battery Park. Registration information for the event can be found at www.pofnyc.org. The website also includes information about each church, a map of the pilgrimage route and suggestions for preparing for the walk.
— Compiled by Maria Hayes