The Poor Clare Journey in Italy
Saturday 4 June – all the pilgrims arrive. Fr Andre’ Cirino and Sr Frances Teresa went to the airport to meet them and found that with one exception (from the United States) the whole Filipina contingent had already arrived and had also met up with Sr Colette from our community in Myanga, Kenya. Not only that, they had brought some sandwiches with them, egg and just a touch of garlic, very nice! Since we had left Assisi at 7.00 that morning, they were welcome. Finally all had arrived, looking rather exhausted and bombed out. The UK sisters who had been in Arundel the previous night, had had to leave at about 4.00 that morning and, as anyone who has ever flown will remember, you walk many mils at Gatwick before you even see a plane. However, all were finally in the coach and we set off for Assisi where we arrived for a late Pranzo, after which people found their rooms and had some time to settle in. There was a Welcoming ceremony later and each pilgrim was given The Pilgrim’s Companion which contains information and reading as well a liturgies for each place.
Sunday 5 June – This morning began with Morning Prayer on the roof garden from which the whole of Assisi could be seen emerging from them mist. The air was full of swallows, a most wonderful sight. After breakfast, we set off for Bastia where Clare first went after joining Francis. There is no longer much there except a small chapel dating back to Clare’s time but the monastery was demolished in war with Perugia (of course!) and is now a cemetery for the town. We showed the pilgrims round, told them a bit about the place and its history and then went inside this small and historic chapel, for Mass. Because this was the place where St Clare had pulled off her veil to show the family that she had received the tonsure and therefore was now under the jurisdiction of the Church and not of civil society, it has become the custom for Poor Clares to renew their vows in this place. There were 30 of us, so we renewed them six at a time, holding on the to altar which is almost certainly the original slab which was there in Clare’s time. The chapel is cared for by the Benedictine sisters, descendants of that 13th century community and, though we did not realise at first, it was the abbess herself who came to prepare the altar for our Mass. The renewal of vows was very moving and a wonderful start to our pilgrimage.
After Mass, and some time to pray in that precious place, we all hopped back into taxis and drove a couple of kilometres to the present Benedictine monastery where we were welcomed most warmly by the Mother Abbess and sisters. A group of us had prepared a short liturgy and a liturgical dance to express the gratitude of the Poor Clares to the Benedictine sisters who gave shelter to Clare in that very beginning and without which, we might not exist. We saw around some of the monastery though there was not much time, but came away feeling we had made real friends with that community which had befriended Clare when she needed them.
After pranzo and a short riposo, we set off in showery weather for the cathedral of San Rufino. In the font there, both Francis and Clare had been baptized and we renewed our baptismal vows. Perhaps this should have come first but because the previous day was a Sunday it was not possible to have Mass in any of the major churches – which is why we began at Bastia. Andre talked about the cathedral which was being built in Clare’s time, the altar was consecrated in 1224 and this led to a discussion about the site of Clare’s house, which cannot have been where the plaque is today. Fortini says that the previous cathedral did not begin to be demolished until 1210 and suggests that the Offreduccio palazzo was actually the building on the corner of the piazza – a controversy still to be resolved!
Although it was still very showery, we took the sisters on a tour of Assisi so that they could get a picture of this very small city. This was an orientation tour and a good deal of information was imparted on the way. Then after supper they all fell gladly into bed and caught up on the travel tiredness.
Monday 6 June – This morning Mass was at the Porziuncola, the little chapel which is the mother church of the Franciscan movement. It is always so moving to see it under its enormous and not very beautiful dome. We had a most moving Mass there followed by a historical visit and some time to pray and wander. Then at 12.15 we gathered again, the sisters were sent off in pairs with a picnic to commemorate the picnic which Francis and Clare shared at that place, when they spoke such burning words about God that the people of Assisi thought the wood was on fire. Fortunately the weather was good, a little cloudy but no rain. In fact some bought sunhats! This was a crowded day in which we visited two little chapels, La Maddalena and San Rufino d’Arce, both connected with the lepers of Assisi and the first is the place where Clare and the sisters possibly worked with the women lepers in the very early days.
After pranzo at the Casa Papa Giovanni, we then piled into taxis again and set out for Sant’Angelo in Panzo. This was a first for us all and none of us even knew where it was though the taxi drivers, all local men, knew. It is about 3 kilometres from Assisi on the other side from Bastia, so when Francis took Clare there, they had a walk of about 9 or 10 kilometres, ;perhaps more as they would have had to skirt the city – it would have been too dangerous to take her into the town, and maybe they travelled at night as well and this is why the sources are so careful to say that the brothers accompanied her. We left the made-up road and went along a cart track and finally arrived. The Parish Priest of San Rufino had made all the arrangements for us and a nice young woman who looks after it when the family are away (it is a private house now) was waiting for us. It is such a beautiful house, far from the noise of traffic, so we could hear the wind in the trees and the birds singing. There is a central section of the house which was there in Clare’s time and also the apse of the church which is even older. It was very moving to see these, especially as we had never done so before, but Rita, the young woman, told us that groups of young people do come there who are walking the Cammino di Chiara, the Clare Walk from Bastia to Sant’Angelo to San Damiano to the Basilica. This is what we were doing too in a way. The Filipina contingent re-enacted the arrival of Clare’s sister and then the angry uncles and knights. It was well done and also very funny though not for Clare and Catherine! We had quite a bit of time to wander round and it was a very refreshing place to be, moving to think of Clare there and interesting in that it had no monastic ‘feel’ to it in the way San Paolo had. She was experiencing different forms of religious life, it seems and also San Damiano is not far from Sant’Angelo and we too were moving towards it.
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