On September 23, 2026, as part of the Franciscan Jubilee Year (1226–2026) marking 800 years since the passing of St. Francis, a group of pilgrims set out on a sacred trip across Leyte. Composed of college faculty, administrators, and non-teaching personnel from FCIC (Franciscan College of the Immaculate Conception), they participated as the third batch of pilgrims to make this journey. Piling into three school vans, their day was meant to be far more than just visiting Franciscan Churches, it was a true spiritual step toward peace, prayer, and personal renewal.
A Sacred Milestone: Living the Franciscan Legacy (1226–2026)
This pilgrimage is part of the global Franciscan Centenary, an eight-hundred-year milestone commemorating the passing of St. Francis of Assisi into eternal life (Transitus) in 1226. For eight centuries, the Franciscan charism, built upon radical gospel living, humble service, joyful peace, and deep reverence for all creation, has continued to inspire millions around the world. For the faculty and staff of FCIC, participating in this Jubilee pilgrimage during such a historic milestone was more than a tribute to the past; it was an invitation to re-ignite St. Francis’s spirit in their own vocation as Catholic educators, ensuring that his message of reconciliation and compassion remains vibrant in their institution today.
Starting the Day in Prayer
Their morning started in the quiet hours at Sacred Heart Convent in Baybay City. At 6:00 AM, the FCIC pilgrims gathered with the sisters for Holy Mass, grounding themselves in the Eucharist and pilgrim’s prayer before heading out on the road.
Right after Mass, they made their first official stop at the Holy Trinity Chapel (FCIC School Chapel) in Baybay. In total, the pilgrims visited eight Franciscan churches, chapels, and religious sanctuaries across the province:
- Sacred Heart Convent – Baybay City, Leyte
- FCIC Holy Trinity Chapel – Franciscan College of the Immaculate Conception (FCIC School Chapel), Baybay City, Leyte
- Franciscan Handmaids of the Lord Chapel – Mount La Verna, Brgy. Libertad, Palo, Leyte
- St. Francis of Assisi Parish – Pastrana, Leyte
- St. Francis of Assisi Parish – Brgy. Jugaban, Carigara, Leyte
- St. Anthony of Padua Franciscan Novitiate House and Chapel – Sitio OCREP, Brgy. Milagro, Ormoc City, Leyte
- Monasterio de Santa Clara (Poor Clare Monastery) – Sitio Kabaon-an, Brgy. Cabintan, Ormoc City, Leyte
- Franciscan Hermits of Eucharistic Adoration Chapel – Brgy. Ipil, Ormoc City, Leyte
Midday Rest and Coffee Break at Holy Cross College of Carigara
By midday, the pilgrims stopped for lunch and a much-needed break on the campus of Holy Cross College of Carigara. The warm hospitality extended by Holy Cross College gave the entire group just the recharge they needed before hitting the road for the afternoon leg of their journey. Some pilgrims even enjoyed a relaxing coffee break at the campus’s own HCCC Café before departing.
Reflecting on the Beatitudes and the Feast of Padre Pio
At each site along the way, they took time for quiet reflection and structured prayer, focusing on the Beatitudes in the Gospel of Matthew. Using their pilgrimage reflection guides, they looked closely at their own lives through the virtues St. Francis lived out every day, virtues like humility, mercy, meekness, and peacemaking. Together, they recited the Peace Prayer of St. Francis and prayed for the intentions of the Holy Father.
Nestled in Sitio OCREP, Brgy. Milagro, Ormoc City, the St. Anthony of Padua Franciscan Novitiate holds a special place of devotion dedicated to St. Padre Pio of Pietrelcina, serving as a haven where an annual nine-day novena and feast day celebration are held in his honor every September 23.
It felt like providential timing that the pilgrimage happened to fall on the feast day of such a beloved Franciscan saint. Coinciding with this special day, the pilgrims’ stop at the novitiate house and Chapel in Milagro carried an even deeper layer of grace.
There, Father Randy, OFM, first imparted to everyone the traditional Franciscan Blessing. He then gave a short talk about the Feast of Saint Padre Pio before explaining the spiritual significance of the anointing rite that would follow. In a deeply moving moment, Father Randy shared that he was anointing their foreheads with the blessed oil of St. Padre Pio because so much physical illness and suffering stems from heavy thoughts, mental stress, and anxieties of the mind. He then anointed their hands so that, empowered by faith, the pilgrims themselves could lay their own hands upon any parts of their bodies in need of God’s restoration and healing.
Special Encounters and Receiving Jubilee Grace
Following the anointing and visit at the novitiate, the journey continued to the contemplative stillness of the Clarisas Capuchinas Sacramentarias (Poor Clare Monastery) in Kabaon-an, Ormoc City, before concluding at the Franciscan Hermits of Eucharistic Adoration in Brgy. Ipil.
Walking through the designated Pilgrim Doors across these 8 Franciscan sites gave the FCIC pilgrims the special opportunity to fulfill the conditions for a plenary indulgence during this Jubilee Year. Through Sacramental Confession, receiving Holy Communion, offering prayers for Pope Leo XIV’s intentions, and visiting these holy places, they sought God’s grace and complete spiritual renewal.
Carrying the Peace Home
Even though the physical drive ended when their three vans brought them back home to campus, the real pilgrimage for them is just beginning. Strengthened by the sacraments, the anointing, and the prayers of fellow Franciscan religious, the true challenge now is for them to carry that Peace Prayer into their daily lives, living out what they experienced in their classrooms, offices, and everyday routines across FCIC
by Sr. Maria Isabel Arnaiz, OSF
