From the Philippines to Assisi
On October 14-26, 2025, I joined four friars from the Philippines for the St. Bonaventure Continuing Formation Pilgrimage, which unfolded in Rome, Greccio, Assisi, La Verna, and Siena. These four confreres―Friars Christopher Baptista, Miguel Sumagaysay, Bernard Anuta, and Odorico Laoreno―had travelled halfway around the world to touch the sources of our Franciscan identity during this Jubilee of Hope and the 800th anniversary of the composition of the Canticle of the Creatures.
Our purpose was not tourism. It was encounter. Each day was structured around three pillars:
- the Word of God proclaimed at the altar
- the places where Francis’s life actually unfolded
- honest fraternity―sharing what each place stirred in the heart
We passed through the Holy Doors of the Major Basilicas in Rome, celebrated Mass at the Basilica of the Twelve Holy Apostles, and then later prayed at the tomb of St. Francis in Assisi. Together, we visited Greccio, where the Nativity was first enacted. After Assisi, the friars continued on to La Verna and Siena―led by Friar Alfred Parambakathu―where they stood on the holy mountain of the stigmata and prayed in the city where Francis made peace with Sister Death.
Every day we sat together as brothers. The more remarkable moments did not happen in basilicas―but in simple conversations, in piazzas or small chapels, during a shared homily time.
The friars spoke about the people they serve back in the Philippines, as well as their joys and struggles in ministry.
It was clear that they weren’t merely visiting Francis’ holy places—they were allowing Francis to revisit theirs. What struck me most was their desire to return home not full, but emptied enough for God to begin rebuilding within them. They weren’t looking for new ideas or tools. They were looking for a renewed heart.
In the end, that is the fruit of a true Franciscan pilgrimage: not leaving with souvenirs―but leaving with brothers.
Therefore, as these four friars return to their communities in the Philippines, they carry something not measurable and not easily photographed―the quiet fire of fraternity―the same fire that once warmed Greccio, La Verna, and Assisi.
May that fire now burn in the Pacific―with the same light that first rose in Umbria.
-friar Michael Lasky OFM Conv.
General Delegate for Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation
