November 3rd

Welcome, 

This is the official blog for my global seal project, and will document my journey on the trail of Saint Francis.  

The ultimate goal of my pilgrimage is to encourage people, specifically Americans, to find places of religious significance and take the time to visit them.  

Something that's not very thought of in America is, Europe is known for its holy sites and popular pilgrim trails that thousands of people travel every year. The pilgrimage is important because people need to take time and connect with God through the trails.

The trail of St. Francis is a connection of walking trails that St. Francis traveled and prayed on.  The section my mom and I will be walking is over 80 miles, all the way from Sansepolcro to Assisi over the course of about a week.  Along the way I will be documenting various sites of importance, such as the town of Gubbio, where St. Francis tamed a wild wolf and kept it as a pet.  It has interesting pieces of history in which we learn how God works in the world, and how we can see him today.  

Pre - Trip Preparations

As of now, I have contacted a travel company that specializes in pilgrimages and have bought airline tickets.  This company, Follow the Cammino, has special routes planned out for pilgrims all around the world to follow, and will work to find what will play out best in regards to scheduling.  Currently, I am packing and working out any outlying logistics in these last few days before my departure, such as school work and tests.  

Special Thanks

I would like to give a special Thanks to my mentor and teacher Mrs Carter, who has helped and guided me through the planning phases as well as how to travel in country.  She has really been a big help through this whole, cumbersome process.

Lastly, I'd like to give thanks to the Knights of Columbus, who have so generously gifted me the funds to travel without worry of the financial aspect of such an incredible experience.  Without their support I would have a difficult time trying to supply the funds needed.  Thank you once again!

Closing

I encourage all who reads this to go and find a place of religious importance, and travel there.  It doesn't have to be something grand, like seeing the pope at the Vatican, or going to Jerusalem, but somewhere with meaning.  Take time away from life and get in touch with God more than just an hour or two a week at church.  

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Sansepolcro and Città di Castello

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  Sorry for not posting last night, but a 16 mile hike through southern Tuscany will really kill the mood to write.     Monday had us start off from Anghiari to Sansepolcro, which is about 6 miles.  The journey was nothing exciting, except all of it was on a main road with plenty of cars.  The medieval streets of Sansepolcro saved us from the dangers of modern Italian roads.  Once in the city, we stopped for lunch and received our stamps for our pilgrim credentials.  We spent some time looking around the church and the square, which had a market filling the streets.     After leaving Sansepolcro, we ventured into the Tuscan countryside, which is even more beautiful in person.  The rest of the walk was mainly on small country roads, few cars travel.  The last few miles up to Citerna, our destination for the night, is quite a steep one.  Although, the view from the top was definitely worth it.  Our host, and older ...
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