Hosted by InterVarsity Faculty Ministry and Study Abroad
February 22 — March 31, 2023
Walk. Love. Rebuild.
Jesus turned the world upside down through his journey to the cross. Twelve hundred years later Francis and Clare took up his call to rebuild the church by following a similar path. Could we be called to do the same today?
This season of Lent walk the way of the cross with Francis and Clare of Assisi as our guides. Their journey of joy in following Jesus mirrored Jesus’ own path as “for the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame” (Hebrews 12:2).
Each week during Lent you will be invited to take a walk in your neighborhood for an hour while listening to an audio guide that weaves together stories of
- Jesus showing the way of his kingdom
- Francis and Clare seeking to follow that way
- people continuing to walk this way today
Prayer practices and space for reflection will invite you to follow this way of Jesus in your own life. You will also receive a Lenten devotion and be invited to participate in several online gatherings of prayer and reflection including a short Ash Wednesday prayer service on February 22.
For this experience, everyone is encouraged to gather in communities of two or more to discover how your stories intersect with those in the audio guides. We will provide resources for reflecting on your walks and even ideas for walking together in person.
Whether or not you participated in Via Divina: The Franciscan Way last summer, you are welcome to join this Lenten journey as together we “fix our eyes on Jesus.”
Register today and invite a friend or two to join you.
REGISTER NOW
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.
— Hebrews 12:1-3
FIVE WALKS
Each audio-guided excursion will help you immerse yourself in the love of Jesus through the stories of Francis and Clare, from scripture, and fellow sojourners.
OUTDOORS & ONLINE
Put in your headphones and step out your door. Check out the community website for ways to connect with others online and in person.
WHO
Faculty. Staff. Students. Alumni. Ministry Partners. Anyone who wants to explore the practice of pilgrimage, learn about Franciscan spirituality, and deepen their faith walk.
PRICING
Full Price: $25
Special rates available for InterVarsity staff, students, and prior participants.
BEGINS FEBRUARY 22: REGISTER NOW
You're invited to...
Learn how Francis’ life story included SUFFERING, both chosen and unchosen, and yet embodied a deep JOY in his preaching and life.
Discover how after hearing the call to “rebuild my church,” Francis sold his possessions to live a life of simplicity and POVERTY finding a new kind of ABUNDANCE.
Follow Clare in her monastic calling as she cultivated a rich inner life with Jesus, through rhythms of CONTEMPLATION within COMMUNITY.
Journey with Francis as he sought to MAKE PEACE between enemies and between people and creation.
Respond to God’s call to Francis’ to “REBUILD MY CHURCH”
which was a call to live a life of relentless love that emulated Jesus in a time when church was entangled with empire.
