800 Years of St. Francis · Day 24 of 31 · Saturday, October 24, 2026
When Francis embraced the leper outside Assisi, he didn’t check the man’s religious credentials. When Clare opened her door to women seeking a life of meaning, she didn’t conduct theological interviews. Both of them welcomed first and let the questions come later.
I see the same thing happen at San Damiano. People arrive who haven’t been inside a church for years: a stressed-out executive, a couple whose marriage is fraying, someone carrying grief they can’t yet name. Our mission is simple: to be a hospitable place of spiritual renewal for people of all faiths. We are Franciscan Catholics, and we say so plainly. But there’s room for everyone.
What I’ve learned is that the Franciscan heart doesn’t build a bridge between “us” and “them.” It builds a bridge between the false divisions we have created and the unity that was always there, waiting for us to notice it. Whether someone calls their reaching out “prayer,” “intention,” or simply “getting through the day,” the longing is the same.
This is evangelization in its truest sense: not persuasion but invitation, not a requirement to sign on but an introduction to a way of seeing.
Notice today: Where could you build a doorway today instead of a wall? Who is waiting on the other side?
The bridge was never between us and them. It is between our divisions and the unity already there.
At San Damiano: Parishes, schools, and community groups are welcome to facilitate their own retreats to San Damiano. Hosted retreats
Day 24 of 31 · 800 Years of St. Francis: A Daily October Companion · spiritualbreak.com
Reflection © 2026 Michael J. Cunningham OFS.
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