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Following Padre Pio: A Journey of Discovery from Pietrelcina to San Giovanni Rotondo
He was born in a rural, farming village. He entered a Franciscan order centered on harsh penance and radical poverty. He lived more than fifty years in a mountain hermitage. And yet, everyone has heard his name. But few know who Padre Pio truly was.
In his latest work, Bret Thoman has pierced the life of Padre Pio in a novel way: through an updated biography combined with a pilgrimage to all eleven Capuchin friaries and sites where the stigmatic saint lived.
With Pietrelcina as his base, Thoman sets out each morning to all the friaries where Padre Pio lived. In the “Footsteps” sections, he accompanies the reader into these special places with captivating storytelling and detailed descriptions of what he encounters.
He discovers that the cells where Padre Pio lived have been preserved with vintage furnishings to make them look exactly like they were when the saint was there in the early twentieth century. Further, each site has a small museum with relics and artefacts from his life. To bring these sites to life, there are over eighty color photographs included in this ebook edition.
The most captivating part of the journey, however, is the rich encounters the author has with the friars, sisters, and laypersons he meets along the way. Some knew Padre Pio personally. Their testimonies and stories beautifully inform the pages of this book.
For those who will never be able to visit the friaries of Padre Pio personally, this book is like a pilgrimage that can be taken from one’s armchair at home. May God bless you as you make the journey.
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In his latest work, Bret Thoman has pierced the life of Padre Pio in a novel way: through an updated biography combined with a pilgrimage to all eleven Capuchin friaries and sites where the stigmatic saint lived.
With Pietrelcina as his base, Thoman sets out each morning to all the friaries where Padre Pio lived. In the “Footsteps” sections, he accompanies the reader into these special places with captivating storytelling and detailed descriptions of what he encounters.
He discovers that the cells where Padre Pio lived have been preserved with vintage furnishings to make them look exactly like they were when the saint was there in the early twentieth century. Further, each site has a small museum with relics and artefacts from his life. To bring these sites to life, there are over eighty color photographs included in this ebook edition.
The most captivating part of the journey, however, is the rich encounters the author has with the friars, sisters, and laypersons he meets along the way. Some knew Padre Pio personally. Their testimonies and stories beautifully inform the pages of this book.
For those who will never be able to visit the friaries of Padre Pio personally, this book is like a pilgrimage that can be taken from one’s armchair at home. May God bless you as you make the journey.
Visit Amazon for more information
A Knight and a Lady: A Journey into the Spirituality of Sts. Francis and Clare of Assisi
Journey into the spirituality of two of Christendom’s most beloved saints: Francis and Clare. Delving into all aspects of Franciscan spirituality such as poverty, embracing the leper, community, relating to the Church as well as nonbelievers, creation and nature, prayer, peacemaking, and evangelization, this book brings to life their milieu as the two saints from Assisi discovered the face of Christ, set out to live the Gospel life, and journeyed from war to peace.
Centering on the writings of the saints themselves, the thirteenth-century Franciscan sources, and modern scholarship, this book reconstructs their historical profiles in a serious manner. At the same time, the reflections, meditations, and questions provided in each section render it a contemplative guidebook and an ideal resource for study in groups or alone.
As we seek to navigate and understand our own confusing twenty-first century – with no shortage of strife and discord – Francis and Clare can offer inspiration. Though they lived some eight centuries ago, their steadfastness in remaining committed to the Gospel – that is the same yesterday, today, and forever – make them the ideal guides to accompany us today in our faith journey.
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Centering on the writings of the saints themselves, the thirteenth-century Franciscan sources, and modern scholarship, this book reconstructs their historical profiles in a serious manner. At the same time, the reflections, meditations, and questions provided in each section render it a contemplative guidebook and an ideal resource for study in groups or alone.
As we seek to navigate and understand our own confusing twenty-first century – with no shortage of strife and discord – Francis and Clare can offer inspiration. Though they lived some eight centuries ago, their steadfastness in remaining committed to the Gospel – that is the same yesterday, today, and forever – make them the ideal guides to accompany us today in our faith journey.
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St. Francis of Assisi: Passion, Poverty, and the Man who Transformed the Catholic Church
All Christians know his name. Few truly know the man.
Francis of Assisi was not even five feet tall. He was not well educated. And yet he is the one saint commonly recognized as Alter Christus, the “other Christ.” Francis is not just any saint -- he’s a saint for everyone, whatever your place or position in life. But do we really know him?
Who was this man at his core? What was it that thrust this little man from a little town to the heights of sanctity, into a place of high honor among the celestial court?
In this riveting biography, author Bret Thoman accomplishes what few biographers have. He pierces the inner life of Francis, revealing his deepest passions, his unquenchable love for poverty, and his unshakable grip on the core of the Gospel. The life of Francis, so often festooned with spectacle and miracle, is in reality the story of a soul yearning for God in every moment and glimpsing His presence in all creation.
Journey back in time on a literary pilgrimage in the footsteps of a flesh-and-blood Francis Bernardone as the sights and sounds of the 13th-century come alive. Discover Assisi’s cathedral and the bishop’s palace; San Damiano, the Portiuncula, and the other churches Francis rebuilt; the leper hospitals where his penance began. Travel beyond Assisi to Greccio, the Carceri, and the other mountain hermitages where he prayed and fasted. Go to the Lateran palace where Francis met the stately pontiff who granted approval for his way of life. Journey also to Laverna where he received the stigmata.
Above all, however, walk with Francis as he makes his most important pilgrimage: the interior one as he moves from war to freedom in his own heart. After a lifetime embracing poverty, practicing penance, serving poor lepers, praying and fasting, and living the sacraments, Francis confronted the Islamic Sultan and the violent Crusades in the Holy Land not with the sword, but with the cross of Christ.
If you want to see the hidden life of the greatest saint, if you want to hear his thoughts, if you want to feel the fervor that blazed within his soul, you must read St. Francis of Assisi: Passion, Poverty, and the Man who Transformed the Catholic Church.
Visit Amazon for more information
Francis of Assisi was not even five feet tall. He was not well educated. And yet he is the one saint commonly recognized as Alter Christus, the “other Christ.” Francis is not just any saint -- he’s a saint for everyone, whatever your place or position in life. But do we really know him?
Who was this man at his core? What was it that thrust this little man from a little town to the heights of sanctity, into a place of high honor among the celestial court?
In this riveting biography, author Bret Thoman accomplishes what few biographers have. He pierces the inner life of Francis, revealing his deepest passions, his unquenchable love for poverty, and his unshakable grip on the core of the Gospel. The life of Francis, so often festooned with spectacle and miracle, is in reality the story of a soul yearning for God in every moment and glimpsing His presence in all creation.
Journey back in time on a literary pilgrimage in the footsteps of a flesh-and-blood Francis Bernardone as the sights and sounds of the 13th-century come alive. Discover Assisi’s cathedral and the bishop’s palace; San Damiano, the Portiuncula, and the other churches Francis rebuilt; the leper hospitals where his penance began. Travel beyond Assisi to Greccio, the Carceri, and the other mountain hermitages where he prayed and fasted. Go to the Lateran palace where Francis met the stately pontiff who granted approval for his way of life. Journey also to Laverna where he received the stigmata.
Above all, however, walk with Francis as he makes his most important pilgrimage: the interior one as he moves from war to freedom in his own heart. After a lifetime embracing poverty, practicing penance, serving poor lepers, praying and fasting, and living the sacraments, Francis confronted the Islamic Sultan and the violent Crusades in the Holy Land not with the sword, but with the cross of Christ.
If you want to see the hidden life of the greatest saint, if you want to hear his thoughts, if you want to feel the fervor that blazed within his soul, you must read St. Francis of Assisi: Passion, Poverty, and the Man who Transformed the Catholic Church.
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St. Clare of Assisi: Light from the Cloister
Just as with his stirring narrative of the life of St. Francis, "St. Francis of Assisi: Passion, Poverty & the Man Who Transformed the Church," author Bret Thoman draws upon his profound knowledge of original sources, his familiarity with the places where these two great founders lived and breathed and changed the world, and his own Franciscan spirituality, to bring to life, like never before, the story of St. Clare of Assisi.
Join Thoman as he skillfully weaves the known facts of Clare’s life with imaginative passages that bring the reader into the profoundly spiritual world of the “Light from the Cloister.” Hailing from an aristocratic or “Major” family, Clare continually -- in imitation of Our Lord and Francis -- sought to make herself lesser or minor. In the process, in another of God’s “divine paradoxes,” she became a giant, not only of her Age, but of all time.
Tenaciously attached to poverty, she became rich as only the saints are; docile and obedient, she stood up to her aristocratic family and, later, princes of the Church in following the path upon which God had set her; frail and vulnerable, she caused Saracen invaders to turn tail and run . . . merely by prostrating herself before the Blessed Sacrament; and though not learned in either theology or canon law, she became the first woman to write a Rule for a new religious community.
St. Clare truly was a “light from the cloister” not only for her era but for all time. Meet her as never before in these pages and, in what is sure to be a profoundly spiritual reading experience, let her light shine upon you.
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Join Thoman as he skillfully weaves the known facts of Clare’s life with imaginative passages that bring the reader into the profoundly spiritual world of the “Light from the Cloister.” Hailing from an aristocratic or “Major” family, Clare continually -- in imitation of Our Lord and Francis -- sought to make herself lesser or minor. In the process, in another of God’s “divine paradoxes,” she became a giant, not only of her Age, but of all time.
Tenaciously attached to poverty, she became rich as only the saints are; docile and obedient, she stood up to her aristocratic family and, later, princes of the Church in following the path upon which God had set her; frail and vulnerable, she caused Saracen invaders to turn tail and run . . . merely by prostrating herself before the Blessed Sacrament; and though not learned in either theology or canon law, she became the first woman to write a Rule for a new religious community.
St. Clare truly was a “light from the cloister” not only for her era but for all time. Meet her as never before in these pages and, in what is sure to be a profoundly spiritual reading experience, let her light shine upon you.
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Walking Camino Guidebooks
Following Francis and Clare: 12 Walking Excursions in Assisi, Mt. Subasio, Spoleto Valley, Rieti, and Laverna
Assisi is celebrated throughout the world as the city of Saints Francis and Clare and the cradle of Franciscan spirituality. As Rome is the political capital and Milan is the economic center, Assisi is considered Italy’s spiritual heart. With St. Francis as the patron saint of Italy, countless Catholics come to Assisi every year in search of spirituality and peace. Yet, Assisi is exclusive neither to Italians nor Catholics, and people of all nationalities and creeds have discovered a unique tranquility in the “seraphic city.”
Recently, walking pilgrimages have exploded in popularity. Known as “Caminos” (its name taken from the famed Way of St. James in Northern Spain), religious and spiritual hiking trails are popping up all over Italy and beyond. Currently, the St. Francis Camino (also known as the Way of St. Francis) traces the footsteps of St. Francis through central Italy from Laverna to Rome passing through Assisi.
In the spirit of Camino, this guidebook offers religious pilgrims and spiritual travelers alike the possibility of staying in Assisi and walking in the footsteps of St. Francis and Clare. The routes included are in Assisi, the Spoleto Valley and Mt. Subasio, as well as in Spoleto, Cannara, Laverna, and the Rieti Valley.
The guidebook offers practical tips regarding packing and traveling in Italy. Each day’s walk includes route guidance and textual instructions, photographs, and maps. There are daily distances, surface type, duration, level of difficulty, and cumulative altitude gains and losses. To aid in navigation, there are GPX tracks that can be easily installed on a smartphone or a portable GPS device.
Yet, this book is also intended to serve as a spiritual, or Franciscan, companion. With a foreword by Fr. Murray Bodo, OFM, each site includes historical background, spiritual highlights, and reflective questions in order to better enter into the spirituality of the places.
Walking in the footsteps of St. Francis and Clare is an unparalleled way to connect with their hearts and spirituality. This book brings it to life.
Visit Amazon for more information
Recently, walking pilgrimages have exploded in popularity. Known as “Caminos” (its name taken from the famed Way of St. James in Northern Spain), religious and spiritual hiking trails are popping up all over Italy and beyond. Currently, the St. Francis Camino (also known as the Way of St. Francis) traces the footsteps of St. Francis through central Italy from Laverna to Rome passing through Assisi.
In the spirit of Camino, this guidebook offers religious pilgrims and spiritual travelers alike the possibility of staying in Assisi and walking in the footsteps of St. Francis and Clare. The routes included are in Assisi, the Spoleto Valley and Mt. Subasio, as well as in Spoleto, Cannara, Laverna, and the Rieti Valley.
The guidebook offers practical tips regarding packing and traveling in Italy. Each day’s walk includes route guidance and textual instructions, photographs, and maps. There are daily distances, surface type, duration, level of difficulty, and cumulative altitude gains and losses. To aid in navigation, there are GPX tracks that can be easily installed on a smartphone or a portable GPS device.
Yet, this book is also intended to serve as a spiritual, or Franciscan, companion. With a foreword by Fr. Murray Bodo, OFM, each site includes historical background, spiritual highlights, and reflective questions in order to better enter into the spirituality of the places.
Walking in the footsteps of St. Francis and Clare is an unparalleled way to connect with their hearts and spirituality. This book brings it to life.
Visit Amazon for more information
The St. Francis Camino: A Spiritual Walking Pilgrimage from Assisi to Rome
The St. Francis Camino (also known as the Way of St. Francis) is a spiritual walking pilgrimage in the footsteps of St. Francis through central Italy from Assisi to Rome.
Divided into fourteen stages, the 280-km trek is an intimate way to connect spiritually with the humble saint from Assisi by walking on the same land he walked.
This guidebook offers practical tips regarding packing, traveling in Italy, setting up GPX tracks, as well as obtaining the Pilgrim’s Passport and Testimonium. Each stage includes daily distances, altitude gains and losses, surface type, duration, and level of difficulty. Next is a brief description of the stage with useful notes as well as a succinct textual description of the route. Lastly, there is a list of Franciscan and spiritual sites along the route in addition to an aerial map and elevation profile.
Yet, this book is intended to serve more as a spiritual, or Franciscan, companion book. As such, it focuses less on step-by-step instructions and more on the spiritual aspect of pilgrimage.
With a foreword by the Archbishop of Lucca, Mons. Paolo Giulietti, this book includes essays on spirituality, daily Franciscan reflections, writings and prayers by St. Francis as well as the early Franciscan biographers. Additionally, there are traditional Catholic and Franciscan prayers for guidance before, during and after the journey.
Walking in the footsteps of St. Francis -- from his birth city to Rome, the city of the martyrs and Popes -- is an unparalleled journey into the heart and spirit of Christendom. And this book will bring it to life.
Visit Amazon for more information
Divided into fourteen stages, the 280-km trek is an intimate way to connect spiritually with the humble saint from Assisi by walking on the same land he walked.
This guidebook offers practical tips regarding packing, traveling in Italy, setting up GPX tracks, as well as obtaining the Pilgrim’s Passport and Testimonium. Each stage includes daily distances, altitude gains and losses, surface type, duration, and level of difficulty. Next is a brief description of the stage with useful notes as well as a succinct textual description of the route. Lastly, there is a list of Franciscan and spiritual sites along the route in addition to an aerial map and elevation profile.
Yet, this book is intended to serve more as a spiritual, or Franciscan, companion book. As such, it focuses less on step-by-step instructions and more on the spiritual aspect of pilgrimage.
With a foreword by the Archbishop of Lucca, Mons. Paolo Giulietti, this book includes essays on spirituality, daily Franciscan reflections, writings and prayers by St. Francis as well as the early Franciscan biographers. Additionally, there are traditional Catholic and Franciscan prayers for guidance before, during and after the journey.
Walking in the footsteps of St. Francis -- from his birth city to Rome, the city of the martyrs and Popes -- is an unparalleled journey into the heart and spirit of Christendom. And this book will bring it to life.
Visit Amazon for more information
The St. Francis Camino: A Spiritual Walking Pilgrimage from Greccio to Assisi
The St. Francis Camino (also known as the Way of St. Francis) is a spiritual walking pilgrimage in the footsteps of St. Francis through central Italy between Laverna and Rome. It can be walked either north or south. This edition conceives of the walk beginning in Greccio, site of the first Nativity scene, and finishing with the goal of Assisi.
Divided into ten stages, the 160-km trek is an intimate way to connect spiritually with the humble saint from Assisi by walking on the same land he walked.
This guidebook offers practical tips regarding packing, traveling in Italy, setting up GPX tracks, as well as obtaining the Pilgrim’s Passport and Testimonium. Each stage includes daily distances, altitude gains and losses, surface type, duration, and level of difficulty. Next is a brief description of the stage with useful notes as well as a succinct textual description of the route. Lastly, there is a list of Franciscan and spiritual sites along each day’s route.
Yet, this book is intended to serve more as a spiritual, or Franciscan, companion book. As such, it focuses less on step-by-step instructions and more on the spiritual aspect of pilgrimage.
With a foreword by the Archbishop of Lucca, Mons. Paolo Giulietti, this book includes essays on spirituality, daily Franciscan reflections, writings and prayers by St. Francis as well as the early Franciscan biographers. Additionally, there are traditional Catholic and Franciscan prayers for guidance before, during and after the journey.
Walking in the footsteps of the "Poverello" -- from Greccio, representing the birth of Christ, to Assisi, his city -- is an unparalleled journey into the heart and spirit of St. Francis. And this book will bring it to life.
Visit Amazon for more information
Divided into ten stages, the 160-km trek is an intimate way to connect spiritually with the humble saint from Assisi by walking on the same land he walked.
This guidebook offers practical tips regarding packing, traveling in Italy, setting up GPX tracks, as well as obtaining the Pilgrim’s Passport and Testimonium. Each stage includes daily distances, altitude gains and losses, surface type, duration, and level of difficulty. Next is a brief description of the stage with useful notes as well as a succinct textual description of the route. Lastly, there is a list of Franciscan and spiritual sites along each day’s route.
Yet, this book is intended to serve more as a spiritual, or Franciscan, companion book. As such, it focuses less on step-by-step instructions and more on the spiritual aspect of pilgrimage.
With a foreword by the Archbishop of Lucca, Mons. Paolo Giulietti, this book includes essays on spirituality, daily Franciscan reflections, writings and prayers by St. Francis as well as the early Franciscan biographers. Additionally, there are traditional Catholic and Franciscan prayers for guidance before, during and after the journey.
Walking in the footsteps of the "Poverello" -- from Greccio, representing the birth of Christ, to Assisi, his city -- is an unparalleled journey into the heart and spirit of St. Francis. And this book will bring it to life.
Visit Amazon for more information