Assisi Pilgrimage Online:
A Virtual Journey of Peace and Nonviolence In the Footsteps of Francis and Clare
A Six-Week Online Series Sponsored by Pace e Bene
Tuesdays, 4-6pm Pacific / 5-7pm Mountain / 6-8pm Central / 7-9pm Eastern
If you are on another time zone, find your start time here.
October 4-November 8, 2022
Presented by Dr. Ken Butigan
Those who complete the course will also receive a Pace e Bene certificate.
Mural of St. Francis in Assisi
Join theologian and veteran activist Ken Butigan in an online pilgrimage of peace to Assisi, which begins on the Feast Day of St. Francis, October 4. Together we will virtually visit and reflect on the powerful sites where the lives of St Francis and St Clare were transformed—and where the nonviolent revolution they sparked began.
In 2019 Pace e Bene led a moving pilgrimage to Assisi. It was a breathtaking experience, with thirty of us walking in the footsteps of the founders of the Franciscan tradition and their call for us to become agents of nonviolent change. As pilgrims of peace, we reflected deeply on the story of Francis and Clare and its enduring message of renouncing violence and pursuing the nonviolent life as it unfolded in this beautiful Italian hill town eight centuries ago.
The pandemic, even at this late date, restricts us from returning to Assisi anytime soon – but it doesn’t stop us from embarking on a virtual pilgrimage to experience this “city of peace” and its many sites that evoke the profound spiritual awakening which Francis and Clare helped unleash in the late Middle Ages. Such an awakening is needed now more than ever.
In this series, we will reflect on the meaning of places that were key to the spiritual voyage of the peacemaking Francis and Clare, while pondering our own call as peacemakers today. This exploration will draw on the ancient ritual of pilgrimage and its stages: The Longing, The Call, The Preparation, The Departure, The Journey, the Arrival at the Center, The Return, and The Integration.
This series will include a weekly presentation, group reflections, short readings, and discussion posts.
The Basilica of Saint Clare
WEEKLY THEMES:
Week 1, October 4: The Longing
Francis and Clare’s pilgrimage from violence to wholeness, transformation, healing and forgiveness. Sites: Assisi; Rocca Maggiore (Assisi castle); Chiesa Nuova (Francis’ family home); Collestrada battlefield.
Week 2, October 11: The Call, The Preparation, The Departure
Conversion from the “unjust normal” to the nonviolent life. Sites: San Damiano; Santa Maria Maggiore - Piazza del Vescavado (Bishop’s home); Clare’s family home.
San Damiano
The Basilica of St. Francis
Week 3, October 18: The Journey - I
Francis and Clare’s nonviolent actions. Not only did these events resolve specific conflicts, but they also symbolized a dramatic alternative to long-standing cultural and religious patterns of violence (including war, marginalization, retributive justice, civil strife, Church-state conflict, and the domination of nature). Sites: Monte Casale (the robbers); unknown site (the lepers); Arezzo (the factions); San Damiano (the pope).
Week 4, October 25: The Journey – II
Francis and Clare’s nonviolent actions (continued). Journey to the “enemy.” The wolf. The invaders. The Sultan Malek al-Kamil during the Fifth Crusade. Site: Gubbio; Nile Valley; San Damiano; Santa Maria degli Angeli and The Porziuncola.
Week 5, November 1: The Arrival at the Center
The Canticle of the Creatures. The final assurance of forgiveness. Making peace between Assisi’s bishop and mayor. Francis’ last days and resting place. “Perfect joy.” Sites:; San Damiano; The Porziuncola; The Basilica of Saint Francis.
Week 6, November 8: The Return, The Integration
Clare’s long return and integration. The Franciscan Tradition. Assisi under the Nazis. Fr. Louie Vitale, OFM. Sister Klaryta Antoszewska, OSF. Pope Francis. Our return, integration, and next steps. Site: The Basilica of Saint Clare. The Museum of Memory (Assisi).
COST: U.S. $80, Scholarships available. Contact info@paceebene.org to request.
This course is limited to 50 participants. Please sign up early below to make sure you have a spot!
This course will be held on Zoom for 2 hours. Be sure you have internet access, microphone and video on your computer. All sessions will be recorded in case you miss any session. We usually send out the link to the recording to all participants within a day after each session.
CERTIFICATE: Those who complete the course will also receive a Pace e Bene certificate.
FACILITATOR
Dr. Ken Butigan
Dr. Ken Butigan has worked with Pace e Bene for thirty years. He currently consults on strategic planning. For decades he has been an organizer for justice and peace. He is a senior lecturer in the Peace, Justice and Conflict Studies Program at DePaul University in Chicago. His most recent book is Nonviolent Lives: People and Movements Changing the World through the Power of Active Nonviolence. He has led four cohorts of DePaul students to Assisi and Rome to study and experience the peacemaking Francis and Clare.