A Pilgrim’s Path to the Spiritual Heart of Italy

As I approach the end of my mission, I am becoming a bit reflective. I tend to do this at the end of every commitment or a project – look back at what I have achieved, think about what lies ahead. This year, my thoughts keep coming back to a pilgrimage I experienced in Italy recently.

The thing with pilgrimages is that it is generally about the psychological more than the physical. It gives you time to think.  I had the feeling that each stage of the journey brought me closer to the destination and perhaps closer to some form of enlightenment. This pilgrimage gave me an opportunity to think about a lot of things. Many of them ultimately relate to my mission here in Ghana – therefore, to the core of my current life.

This journey was different to the other ones I had taken in the past.  It was not about the destination but about each place that are significant in its story.  Each day took me to a new setting where my understanding about the Catholic faith and its teachings grew. Spending time getting a better understanding of one site is more rewarding than scratching the surface of many. More often than not, in my travels, I go about trying to do as many things as possible, sometimes missing the link to them all.

I shall not dwell here on the places we visited, let me at least share with you briefly the journey we took.

 

Rome

The trip took us to the 4 major basilicas in Rome, St. Peter’s Basilica, St. John Lateran, St. Mary Major and St. Paul outside walls.  In these Churches I was able to see the Holy doors before they were opened by Pope Francis for the Jubilee.  The Vatican Museum, Sistine Chapel, the Holy Steps and of course, the papal audience with Pope Francis were truly a spiritual experience.

On the way to San Giovanni, we took a short detour to the Domitilla Catacomb spread out into about 17 kilometers with galleries laid out four levels. To see a Chapel underground is amazing.  Visiting this site and understanding the lives of the early Christians - their faith in Christ, their hope in the resurrection and eternal life is indeed something to marvel at.

San Giovanni

Here we visited the tomb of St. Padre Pio and saw the crucifix from which he received the stigmata in 1918.  En-route to San Giovanni we stopped at Monte Cassino to see the Benedictine Abbey founded by St Benedict in 529 and enjoyed a breathtaking view of the Gargano Peninsula.  We visited the Grotto of Michael the Archangel, the most celebrated shrine of early Christianity, a shrine consecrated by St Michael himself in 490.

 

 Assisi

On the way to Assisi, we stopped by at Lanciano to marvel at the 8^th century Eucharistic Miracle in the little Church of Lagontial, the miracle where a monk found himself holding a host that had changed into flesh and wine that had changed into blood.

 

Continuing on our passage, we then traveled through the Italian countryside to the town of Manoppello and visited the Santuario del Volto Santo where the miraculous image of Christ’s face on a veil, the “veronica” (true icon) was kept. We were told that this is the only case where the image is visible on both sides of the cloth.  Scientific tests, observations under ultraviolet light and under a microscope show no pigments and no paintings on the veil.

Following the Adriatic coast, we travelled to the great Marian shrine of Loreto to visit the Holy House of Nazareth and the beautiful Madonna of Loreto. Tradition has it that this is the house in which Mary prayed the Magnificat, in which Jesus grew to manhood, and in which the Holy Family lived. Legend says that angels carried the house from Nazareth to Italy.  

In Assisi, we visited the tomb of St. Francis.  We explored the huge 13^th century Basilica where many of St Francis’ possession and a series of frescoes depicting his life were displayed. We knelt before the crucifix from which Jesus spoke to St Francis, asking him to rebuild His church. We also visited the St Mary of the Angels Basilica where St Francis spent most of his life. Here we visited the Chapel, Portiuncula, the rose bush, and the cave where the saint retired for prayer.  Our next stop was the Church of St. Clare of Assisi where St. Clare’s incorrupt body lay.

The following morning, we were off to the beautiful town of Sienna, the birthplace of Saint Catherine.  Here we visited the Cathedral and the Basilica of St. Francis, containing the miraculous consecrated hosts that remained intact since 1730. We also viewed the incorrupt head of St. Catherine at the Basilica of St. Dominic.  

Whie my planned visit to Florence and Venice on my own did not happen due to an injured knee, it was providential. Instead, I went to Castel Gandolfo, the summer residence of the Popes. Located just 24 kilometers from Rome and accessible by local train, the Papal Palance of Castel takes one through the Papal Apartment and the history of the Popes.  The Gardens of the Pontifical Villas offers another opportunity for reflection.  The well-kept gardens and the breathtaking view of the lake are a sight to behold.  The serenity of the place was a continuation of the spiritual journey I began in Rome.

The journey ended when I returned to Accra spiritually renewed and invigorated in my faith.

While each of us may have a different definition of “spiritual”, for me ultimately it meant personal growth.  It is about starting a journey and ending up somewhere – and I think that’s something I would like to do more of in 2025.