Our pilgrims from the Deep in History pilgrimage are in Italy! Their first stop was Assisi, where Marcus Grodi, Msgr. Jeffrey Steenson and Ken Hensley arrived with a pack of eager pilgrims to explore some significant sites pertaining to the foundations of the Christian faith, including the original Portiuncula built by St. Francis himself:
As Ken Hensley put it, the crew was tired but excited to arrive in the home of St. Francis:
The flights and airports were of course absolutely exhausting… but after checking into our hotel and getting a chance to clean up we enjoyed our welcome dinner and an evening walk. Here’s a photo of the view from our local hotel/restaurant:
And of course, there have already been some amazing opportunities to dig into the history of the Catholic Church, exploring some of the most fascinating aspects of our faith in the actual locations where these events took place. Getting to participate in Mass with a Patristic scholar like Msgr. Jeffrey Steenson as the celebrant is almost worth the trip in and of itself!
That, and the added component of getting to experience these things in the company of fellow converts and people on the journey to the Catholic Church has already made this a pretty unforgettable experience. Stay tuned for more updates from our pilgrims, and be sure to keep them in your prayers, that God will bless their time together, and bring them to a deeper appreciation of the faith we all share! And of course, if you’d like to join us on a future pilgrimage, visit chnetwork.org/pilgrimage!
