Following are testimonies written by participants of our pilgrimages from Fall, 2019“The pilgrimage experience you organized was totally wonderful. […] and I will highly recommend it to anyone considering a pilgrimage to Assisi. I think we were blessed with being able to share the experience with our Filipino and Japanese brother and sisters and it was a living example of the universality of our faith and our commonality. Father Frank was a special blessing also as a liturgist, homilist, experienced pilgrim and a fun fellow traveler. I was so impressed with Magdelena's historical knowledge and also her spirituality which was inspiring. Your presence and hospitality and concern for our comfort and needs were greatly appreciated. Our accommodations were comfortable and convenient. The restaurant meals were well chosen. […] The return travel effects have now worn off and I am now able to process and re-live some of the important parts of the pilgrimage within myself. I am so very grateful for having made the trip and for being connected with Saint Francis and Saint Clare in a deeper way, for making great friendships with my fellow pilgrims and for a meaningful preparation for my Profession in Dec. With Gratitude and Love, Gayle, North Carolina.”
“Thank you for all the time, planning and loving energy you and Katia put into making our Pilgrimage special and an experience of my lifetime. Francis's spirit continues to live through me. I wish you and your beautiful family many unexpected blessings. With gratitude and love,” Mary Marinucci, North Carolina "I recently returned for the pilgrimage led by Fr. Peter O'Brien to Italy. It was a great experience! Father was a good spiritual guide and a very kind and friendly person. Our guide Loredana was terrific. She seems to really love her job. Our driver Fabriggio (sp?) did a fine job, and I never felt unsafe when we were on the road. The itinerary was thorough. Hotels were very good, […]. Meals provided were tasty and bountiful. […]. I hope all is well with you and your family now, Brett. Take care and God bless you." Matt Crowley, Grants Pass, Oregon “Ed and I enjoyed our pilgrimage. We have travelled extensively, occasionally with tour groups, but had not been on a pilgrimage trip before. I found the pilgrimage to be spiritually beneficial and I do think that the experience will continue to bear fruit going forward. I found the daily mass to be very nourishing. Being able to attend daily mass in such beautiful, profound places was probably the biggest highlight of the trip for me. Thank you for your efforts in arranging those. Confession during the trip gave me the opportunity for spiritual growth as well. The fellowship with the other members of the group was a positive factor as well. Fr. Peter did a great job on the trip as spiritual director. Loredana did an outstanding job as tour guide. She was knowledgeable, very personable, and always, always went the extra mile to try to arrange whatever anyone asked for.” Jamie & Ed Diehl, Portland Oregon “I am really grateful that I was able to go on this beautiful pilgrimage to Southern France. I find there are many parallels of the pilgrimage to my (or anyone) spiritual life. The hardships, the joys, the work, the disappointments, the pains, and the blissful moments were experience on this journey as they are usually occur in our normal life back at home. An example of that parallel: when we arrived in Toulouse, some of our luggage had not followed us to our destination. I, with some of the others, was without some of essentials for a couple of days. That was one of the hardships of being deprived which was no different in my non-traveling life. For a delightful, blissful moment: one of my favorite highlights is the hike up to St. Mary Magdalene Grotto. The effort of the journey to get there was epic from the bus driving up there to the actual hike. Once to the top with the view and the cool church, I felt that I earned it after the hot and arduous hike. One can make the comparison to our pilgrimage to a foretaste of Heaven with all the hard work before our rest in the end if, in God's grace, we make it there. Thank you for organizing this wonderful pilgrimage.” Thomas Rousseau, Portland Oregon "Fr. Frank, you were a light and an inspiration to our pilgrimage. Thank you to all my fellow pilgrims and to Bret. Ours was a unique experience composed of the lives, spirituality, faith, and love of each of us individually. There will never be another exactly like it. We came as individuals, each bringing along our own personal journey. We shared, we laughed, we cried, we celebrated, ourselves and each other. We were changed. We created something new and unique. As I transition back into my daily life, I bring a piece of each of you with me. I pray for you and ask Our Lord to bless you as you continue your personal journey which now contains a piece of each of us. Peace and love, with God’s blessings always, until our paths meet again.” Brenda Harris, North Carolina
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Bret ThomanCatholic. Franciscan. Married. Father. Pilgrim guide. Writer. Translator. Pilot. Aspiring sailor. Archives
April 2024
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