Preparations Underway for the Feast of Saint Francis.
Beginning on the 24th, Daily Vespers and Meditation at a Franciscan Site.
Bishop Accrocca: “A Great Opportunity for Everyone to Take Part in the Eighth-Centenary Commemoration.”
An itinerant novena and a nighttime pilgrimage on 3 October in Assisi. From Saint Mary of the Angels to San Damiano, from Saint Clare to the Lower Basilica, to take part in Midnight Mass presided by Cardinal Artime.
ASSISI – 9 September 2026. A journey of preparation leading to the feast of 3 and 4 October, along a spiritual path that visits the most meaningful places in Assisi bound to the life of Saint Francis, on the occasion of the eighth centenary of his death. Entitled “Nine Days with Francis,” the novena will begin on 24 September and continue until the day of his feast. It brings together the Franciscan family, the diocese, and the municipal administration in welcoming pilgrims, visitors, and local residents through moments of prayer and reflection, guided by the Bishop of the Dioceses of Assisi–Nocera Umbra–Gualdo Tadino and Foligno, Monsignor Felice Accrocca.
“For the 800th anniversary of the death of Saint Francis,” Monsignor Accrocca explained, “we wished to prepare for the feast of 3 and 4 October by returning to the places of his life and reliving some of the most significant moments that shaped his charism. This extended and widespread novena,” the Bishop added, “is a way of allowing as many of the faithful and pilgrims as possible to share in this historic moment of the 800th anniversary of his death—united in prayer and asking Saint Francis to intercede in the face of the many forms of violence and war that, sadly, mark our time. The invitation, therefore, is extended to all—adults, families with children, young people, the elderly, and members of religious communities—to take part, to enter deeply into these moments, and to pray to the patron saint of Italy for our country and for the whole world,” Monsignor Accrocca concluded.
The novena opens on 24 September at the sanctuary of Chiesa Nuova, the birthplace of Francis, from which a procession will make its way to the Basilica of Saint Francis. On 25 September it moves to the Cathedral of San Rufino, the place of his baptism; on 26 September to the Piazza del Comune and the places associated with the saint’s childhood; on 27 September to the Sanctuary of the Spogliazione, where his renunciation of all worldly goods is remembered; on 28 September to the Eremo of the Carceri, a place that recalls Francis’s search for God; on 29 September to San Damiano, to remember his encounter with the Crucifix; and on 30 September, with Vespers and preaching at Rivotorto and Santa Maria Maddalena, where community life and his service to people affected by leprosy first began.
The path continues on 1 October at the Basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli, in memory of fraternity, forgiveness, and mission, and on Friday, 2 October, with a moment of prayer at Villa Gualdi (Ospedale dei Crucigeri), recalling the blessing of the city. The detailed programme of the novena is available on the websites of the Papal Basilicas, the diocesan website, and Visit Assisi, the official tourism information site of the City of Assisi, and may also be downloaded here.
This journey will close on the evening of 3 October with a walking pilgrimage (departing at 8:30 p.m.) from the Basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli at the Porziuncola—passing through the sanctuaries of San Damiano and Santa Chiara—to the Basilica of Saint Francis, where Holy Mass will be celebrated at midnight by the Pontifical Legate for the Basilicas, Cardinal Ángel Fernández Artime. For organisational reasons, free registration is required for both the pilgrimage and participation in the Holy Mass, here https://book.sanfrancescovive.org/it/wl/d4b5b7/5b2882/?UkHdf=3 ottobre
Registration— https://book.sanfrancescovive.org/it/wl/d4b5b7/9e2459/?UkHdf=4 ottobre
—will likewise be required for those who wish to follow the celebration outdoors, on the large screens in the square, during the Mass for the Offering of the Oil for the Votive Lamp to Saint Francis on 4 October.
Further information regarding the feast of Saint Francis (4 October) will be shared in the coming weeks.
