In early July 2026, Friars Nicholas ROMEO, John KOZIOL, Bryan Bernard HAJOVSKY, and Christopher DUDEK accompanied nearly forty young Americans on a pilgrimage through Italy. The pilgrims came from various Franciscan pastoral communities in the United States.
The group departed the United States on July 2, began the pilgrimage in Rome on July 3, and concluded it on July 11. The participants came from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC); Archbishop Curley High School (Baltimore, Maryland); St. Francis High School (Athol Springs, New York); St. Julia Parish (Siler City, North Carolina); and St. Stanislaus Parish (Chicopee, Massachusetts).
The pilgrims visited the main sites associated with the lives of St. Francis and St. Clare, with stops in Rome, Assisi, Greccio, Florence, Venice, and Padua. In each city, the group celebrated Mass, visited places of profound spiritual significance, and deepened their understanding of the Franciscan heritage.
The experience gave the young people the opportunity to strengthen their faith, forge new friendships, and live out the Gospel more deeply according to the charism of St. Francis and St. Clare.
At the conclusion of the pilgrimage, the friars invited everyone to keep these young people in their prayers, so that the experience of the pilgrimage might continue to bear fruit in their Christian lives and foster new opportunities to encounter Christ through the rich tradition of the Franciscan family.
Friar Christopher DUDEK
