Ecospiritual Reflections Part I

This past week marked the tenth anniversary since I began studying ecotheology. The first course that I took was the wonderful summer intensive offered by St. Mike’s through the St. Joseph sisters at the lovely Villa St. Joseph in Coburg in July 2013. It seems fitting then that the past few days of our Rome course has offered me many moments ripe with ecotheological reflection, hope and joy. It began when I traveled to Assisi on the weekend after my visit to Siena. After two weeks in Rome, it was soul restoring just to sit on the bus and gaze at the Tuscan and Umbrian countryside going by. The sun kissed rolling hills, olive groves, vineyards and fields of sunflowers all sung to me the glory of God. I found the architecture of the Basilica of St. Francis and its beautiful frescoes by Giotto to be conducive to pray and reflective of this beloved saint devoted to peace and the integrity of creation. For me, the simpler style of the Basilica was a nice change from the flashy splendour of the Roman churches, which tend to leave me more impressed by their human creators than by the Creator of all. I felt blessed to walk the streets that St. Francis had walked, to view such relics as his cloak and shoes and to visit his crypt below the Lower Basilica. I even spent time at Porziuncola where St. Francis died. This chapel is located on the plateau below Assisi and is one of the churches that St. Francis repaired when Jesus called him to restore his church. This whitewashed stone chapel is decorated with the same style of fresco as those in the basilica up the hill. Today the chapel in its entirety is housed within the Basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli, so that one gets to visit two churches in one. These church visits nourished me spiritually and will hold a special place in my memory. Alongside them will be my memory of the sounds of the cicadas and the songs of the birds that can be heard everywhere throughout the town of Assisi. As St. Francis likely would have pointed out, these little creatures offer praise to God in their own way that is just as beautiful and enduring as any basilica or cathedral.

By Rosemary Boissonneau

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We're Off on the Road to... Assisi!

Last weekend, a few members of our "gang," as Mike calls us, went off to Assisi. When we got there, we saw the tombs of two major saints—Francis and Clare—and, of course, a plethora of gorgeous churches. We also had a chance to meet up with the Franciscan Friars of the Atonement, one of whom gave us a tour of "a town that has so much influenced [his] life and, in which, in [his] opinion, the spirit of Francis is so strong!" What can I say, apart from that going to Assisi is like stepping into a Catholic fairy tale? It is a visit that I would highly recommend to anyone—Catholic or not—who wants to explore Italy because even if the basilicas hold no interest for you, its médiéval atmosphere is sure to charm you. There's so much that I could speak about, but one thing that stood out from yesterday in a surprisingly personal way was to see the resting place of Blessed Carlos Acutis. This young man, who died well before his time at 15 years old, is everywhere to be ...

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