[Gocamino] Saint Francis; Leon Cathedral; life-changing revelations

[David Hough on gocamino]

Forwarded to gocamino via Rosina:
From: magould at earthlink.net
To: saintjames at yahoogroups.com
Sent: Sun, 7 Jan 2007 3:25 PM
Subject: Re: [saintjames] Saint Francis; Leon Cathedral; life-changing revelations


> Dear Rosina,
>
> How can one explain the power of a walking pilgrimage?
> Having walked the Camino in 2004 I was inspired by the possibility of walking
> other pilgrimage routes all over Europe.
> Last year, with a friend living in Rome, we followed the footsteps of St.
> Francis in the Reite Valley, about 1 1/2 hr. bus ride outside of Rome.
> The area is pristine and gives a real sense of what Francis felt and saw as
> he over look the beautiful, fertile valley from the vantage point of several
> sanctuaries. Francis actually lived in each place for a time and the area
> remains relatively undiscovered. There is a trail that leads from one to the
> other but we traveled by car and hiked each day to the different places.
> There is a Pilgrim office in the town of Rieti where one can get a passport
> and have it stamped at each sanctuary. Greccio sanctuary is the sight of the
> first creche scene and Fonte Colombo is where Francis wrote the 2nd rule for
> the new order. It is also the place where he endured a painful eye operation
> not long before he died.
>
> For me, viewing the painting of Francis in Leon, would confirm my experience
> of walking in his footsteps. Anyone interested in pursuing an adventure to
> follow Francis in Italy can get information from the Italian tourist Board.
>
> Mary Ann