In the Footsteps of St. Francis: Jubilee, Service and Pilgrimage

What a joyous occasion to celebrate the 800th anniversary of the death of St. Francis of Assisi. For 800 years, his example has inspired many to follow Jesus more closely and more fervently. The way that St. Francis loved the Lord was a source of inspiration for my own vocation, and this jubilee year provides an opportunity to become immersed once again in the life of this saint who bore in his own body the wounds of Jesus. 

Franciscans around the world on Sept. 17 commemorated the memorial of  the stigmata of St. Francis. This has always been a special feast day for me, as it is both the birthday of Blessed Maria Theresia Bonzel, the woman who founded my religious community, the Sisters of St. Francis of Perpetual Adoration, as well as the date of my entrance into this same community.  

In religious life, as in marriage, we celebrate jubilees, or times of great grace, renewal and deeper repentance. Jubilees happen typically every 25 years. The Church itself celebrates regular jubilees dating from the birth or resurrection of Jesus Christ. Occasionally, the Holy Father will announce a special year of jubilee. This year is one of those years. Pope Leo XIV announced a special jubilee year to commemorate 800 years since the death of St. Francis, whose feast day the Catholic Church celebrates on Oct. 4. During this special jubilee year, the faithful can gain jubilee graces by making a pilgrimage to a church dedicated to the saint. Throughout this jubilee year, the Holy Father also calls us to live the graces through charity, mercy and peace.

At the University of Saint Francis, in Fort Wayne, Indiana, we have embraced this jubilee year and have several ways we are inviting the local community to join us in prayer and pilgrimage, in service, and in celebrating this saint for whom we are named.

As part of this jubilee year, a plenary indulgence is given to anyone who meets the usual conditions and makes a pilgrimage to a Franciscan church or a place dedicated to St. Francis. 

The Oratory of St. Francis of Assisi, which resides at the heart of our campus, is one such place. Throughout this year, the oratory has welcomed lay faithful to make a pilgrimage and spend time in prayer to participate in the jubilee graces. We have welcomed pilgrims throughout the year from local youth groups and parish groups and individuals. Prayer cards have been made available so that those pilgrims arriving at the oratory have a memento of this joyous visit, as well as words to guide their prayer. 

Additionally, because of St. Francis’ love for the Eucharist, our university expanded its adoration hours. The graces truly flow from Jesus, adored in the Eucharist. Before his Presence come the faithful, regular adorers — both students and employees, Catholic, Protestant and those still seeking — as well as students making a stop in between classes and local community members coming to pray early before our daily Mass.

One of the hallmarks of our university has always been service. As we form our students to lead lives of virtue, service and joy, we recognize that service flows from a life well lived — a virtuous life. By looking to the life of St. Francis, many virtues can be discovered, including his deep spirit of repentance, his charity that stemmed from his love of God and His creation, and his humility that called him to become a radical servant of others. While virtue is taught in our classes, it is only gained by practice. We provide opportunities throughout the year for our campus community to join together in the service of others. In conjunction with this year’s feast of St. Francis, we have a lecture series that will train the mind in virtue and all-stakeholder service day that will teach the practice of serving others, plus many opportunities for prayer and reconciliation, especially our transitus service, where we commemorate the passing of St. Francis from death into eternal life.

St. Francis was a man who deeply loved the Church and sought to live as the Church commanded. As I was inaugurated as the 12th president of our university during this jubilee year of St. Francis, I had the great privilege of following in the footsteps of Il Poverello (the Poor Little One) as I made a public profession of faith and oath of fidelity. I was reminded of how St. Francis always sought the approval of the Church before taking the next step in his vocation. First, it was through the bishop of Assisi; then he traveled to Rome to seek the approval of the Holy Father himself. Along these lines, one of our campus ministers sent a letter to the Holy Father thanking him for the jubilee year and telling him of the many ways we planned to celebrate on our campus. It was a gift when our university received a letter in the mail announcing that the Holy Father was pleased to hear of the initiatives on campus and that he granted all employees and students his apostolic blessing. What a gift, like St. Francis himself, to proceed forward with the blessing of the Church!

And while this falls slightly outside of the scope of the jubilee year, our university is planning a presidential pilgrimage to Rome and Assisi in April 2027. By traveling to Rome, we will have the privilege of seeing the heart of the Church and visiting the places that are the foundations upon which our faith has been built. When we travel to Assisi, we will walk in the footsteps of the saint who fell so deeply in love with Jesus that everything else on earth paled. 

Sister Maria Gemma Salyer, of the Sisters of St. Francis of Perpetual Adoration, is the president of the University of Saint Francis, in Fort Wayne, Indiana, which is included in the Register’s “Catholic Identity College Guide.” For more information on the pilgrimage to Italy, go here.