Yesterday I spent the morning before the tomb of Saint Francis where I prayed for my family, friends, the friars, Poor Clares, provincial staff, and everyone associated with the Vocation Office. It was a wonderful experience that is hard to describe in word.

Yesterday at breakfast I met two young men from Australia. They asked if they could go to the basilica with me since they were not sure how to find it. We went and I showed them around a bit ands then I went to the tomb. Later in the afternoon Ivan, on of the fellows, met me and we went to Santa Maria Degli Angeli to visit the place where Francis died. Since he had not seen San Damiano, and since that is my favorite place, I accompanied him there--my second trip.

It is amazing how we can met up with people we do not know and share experiences in a single day. God is good and the spirit of Francis is obvious here.

Internet is VERY expensive here, so no pictures today. I leave tomorrow and Monday I will be back in England where I can do a bigger post on this leg of the trip. Sorry that this is so brief.