Feast of the Portiuncula August 2

On August 2, the Franciscan family celebrates the dedication of the chapel of St. Mary of the Angels in Assisi. Located down in the valley several miles below the city of Assisi, this beloved Portiuncula or "Little Portion" was restored by Francis in the first years of his conversion and became the place where he and the early brothers made their home base about 1210. It is also where Francis received Clare into his movement a few years later and where he died in 1226. It remains the spiritual “motherhouse” of the Order of Friars Minor. Francis desired that everyone experience the overwhelming love and mercy of God in this place just as he had, and so, according to tradition, in 1216 he persuaded Pope Honorius III to grant a plenary indulgence to all persons who visit this chapel, prayerful and repentant, on the feast of its dedication. So on August 2, thousands of pilgrims converge here to receive the "Pardon of Assisi," as this indulgence is commonly called in Italy. You may wish to catch a live glimpse of the basilica at: https://www.skylinewebcams.com/.../assisi-santa-maria.... You may also see Monday's events (including a video of the feast day Mass) at the Frati Minori Assisi Facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/fratiminoriassisi. St. John Paul II once said the message of the Portiuncula Indulgence is one of “pardon and reconciliation, that is, of grace, which divine goodness pours out on us if we are well disposed because God is truly rich in mercy.” (Today this plenary indulgence may be gained in any Franciscan church or chapel and in all parish churches throughout the world.) Let us pray with Francis: "Hail, O Lady, holy Queen, Mary, holy Mother of God, you are the virgin made Church, and the one chosen by the most Holy Father in heaven. . . in whom there was and is all the fullness of grace and every good.