You may have visited the Umbrian hill town of Assisi and you may have been to the
great basilica where St Francis is buried. But have you seen the spot where he received
the stigmata, the site where he created the first Christmas crib scene or the places
in Rome where he stayed while seeking approval for his newly founded Franciscan order? Walking
in the footsteps of St Francis was the original goal of a pilgrimage programme, started
several decades ago by some enterprising Franciscan friars who wanted to bring the
spirit of their founder to life in a very vivid way. Today that programme has developed
into a flourishing business offering pilgrimages not only to Umbria and Rome, but
also to the Holy Land, to Prague, to the US and Mexico, to places where the legacy
of St Francis and St Clare is thriving today. To find out more Philippa Hitchen
met up with the current director of Franciscan Pilgrimage Programs, Fr John Cella
from Wisconsin and marketing director, Sr Ann Bremmer from the St Francis of Millvale
community in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. ...