By Mary Powers
The chapel of Our Lady of Angels or the “Porziuncola” sits below Assisi at the bottom of the hill of the mountain town. It is one of the first chapels that Saint Francis helped rebuild after his call to “rebuild [God’s] Church.” It was here that he built his headquarters for the new Franciscan order, where St. Clare came to begin her life of poverty and prayer, and where Saint Francis died in 1226.
On Aug. 2, the Church celebrated the feast of Our Lady of Angels of the Porziuncola, the patroness of the Franciscan order, with a Franciscan indulgence.
The National Shrine of St. Francis of Assisi in San Francisco is blessed to have a replica of the little chapel in Assisi, and each year, the Shrine hosts a special celebration for the feast day. This year, the National Shrine welcomed visitors throughout the weekend, with Masses held on Saturday, Aug. 1, in the small chapel and Sunday, Aug. 4, in the church followed by a Eucharistic procession to the Porziuncola chapel.
On Sunday, Father Bobby Barbato, OFM Cap., celebrated the Mass for the feast day with Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone presiding in choir.
In his homily, Father Bobby spoke on the importance of Saint Francis rebuilding the chapel. By the time of Saint Francis, the chapel itself (as well as many he rebuilt around Assisi) was ancient. Saint Francis was not starting something new. He did not knock it down and start over. He took the chapel that was falling a part and rebuilt it.
Likewise, in founding the Franciscan order, Saint Francis was not making something new. He was pulling from the rich tradition of the Church and from scripture to follow God’s call to rebuild His Church.
Following Benediction, Archbishop Cordileone echoed Father Bobby’s homily saying,“Francesco was not called to build something new. It was to rebuild what was already there. We need to rebuild, not build a new Church; not recreate the Church in our own image, but as the psalmist says unless the Lord does the building, the builders labor in vain…It has to be the Lord’s doing who works through us…It ultimately has to begin within our own hearts. We have to cultivate our own spiritual life so that we can be those vessels that instrument of God’s peace, and mercy and life and begin to rebuild.”
Following the Mass and procession, the National Shrine and the Knights of St. Francis hosted a reception in the hall.
Photos: John Bartolome
