April 22-29, 2026

Led by Pace e Bene’s Dr. Ken Butigan and Friar Michael Lasky, OFM Conv. with Michele Dunne, OFS.

This was truly a journey of love, friendship, connection and reflection. It restored my spirit and gave me hope for our future.

— Karen M. (2024 Pilgrim)

THE PILGRIMAGE

Join the Franciscan Action Network and Pace e Bene Nonviolence Service on a powerful pilgrimage to Assisi, Italy in April of 2026 led by Franciscan Friar Michael Lasky and Dr. Ken Butigan.

This journey is a one-week pilgrimage to Assisi, Italy on April 22-29, 2026, to pray, study the lives of St. Francis and St. Clare, build community, and deepen our commitment to Gospel nonviolence. Michele Dunne, Executive Director of the Franciscan Action Network will join Friar Michael and Dr. Butigan in this once-in-a-lifetime experience—and we hope you will too!

For decades the Franciscan Action Network and Pace e Bene have promoted active engagement for justice, peace, and nonviolence in the spirit of St. Francis and St. Clare. Together, we will walk in the footsteps of these peacemakers whose courageous nonviolence, compassion for others, kinship with creation, and work for peace and reconciliation have inspired people everywhere.

The Peace & Justice Pilgrimage to Assisi seeks applications for 30 pilgrims. Participants would be invited to make this journey not as a sight-seeing trip, but as a pilgrimage to learn how the examples of St. Francis and St. Clare can help us take another step on our own paths of spirituality and action. This trip then will be a retreat time of prayer, personal renewal, and invigorating discussion, a holy pilgrimage in the long tradition of Christian spirituality.

THE DETAILS

Each pilgrim will pay their own airfare to and from Rome, as well as ground travel from Rome to Assisi and back. Each pilgrim will arrive at Hotel Giotto in Assisi, Italy by 3 pm on Wednesday, April 22 and depart the Hotel Giotto on Wednesday morning, April 29. Breakfast and dinner will be provided each day at the hotel; lunch is on one’s own.

The Pilgrimage will begin on April 22 with a welcome, introductions and a Catholic Mass, then a social and dinner. Every morning, Friar Michael will celebrate a daily Mass and reflect on the Gospel call to justice, peace and nonviolence. Then we will visit a significant site in or around Assisi and have a presentation on the lives of St. Francis and St. Clare and their lessons of nonviolence, presented by Ken and Friar Michael. There will also be time for quiet reflection and group discussion, as well as personal check-ins.

Afternoons will be free for lunch, rest, getting to know other participants, and further sight-seeing. Then we will gather for dinner and an evening check-in and prayer.

THE SCHEDULE

(Subject to change – a final itinerary will be sent to those accepted before the trip)

Wednesday, April 22: Arrive in Assisi and check in at Hotel Giotto (1–3pm). Orientation begins at 4pm with a talk by Ken Butigan, followed by Mass with Friar Mike, followed by dinner.

Thursday, April 23: Morning pilgrimage to the Basilica of St. Francis with Friar Mike. Free afternoon. Mass at the Basilica chapel, then group reflection and dinner.

Friday, April 24: Visit St. Mary of the Angels for a talk by Ken. Continue to St. Mary Magdalen for Mass and a talk by Friar Mike. Stop at WWII cemetery en route to Rivotorto. Free afternoon, followed by reflection and dinner.

Saturday, April 25: Pilgrimage to San Damiano for a talk and Mass. Free time, then gather at the Basilica of St. Clare for meditation and a visit to Clare’s tomb. Evening reflection and dinner.

Sunday, April 26: Free day for rest, exploration, or personal travel.

Monday, April 27: Visit the Franciscan Center for Dialogue for a talk on Jesus & Civil Disobedience and Mass, followed by a “Clare Walk” through Assisi. Free afternoon. Evening talk by Ken, group reflection, and dinner.

Tuesday, April 28: Morning talk by Ken at the hotel. Travel to hermitages at Eremo delle Carceri on foot or by taxi for outdoor Vigil Mass and final reflections. Farewell dinner at an Assisi restaurant.

Wednesday, April 29: After breakfast, pilgrims are on their own to travel to the airport for their departing flight or onward for other personal travel arrangements.

COST AND HOW TO APPLY

Cost for the pilgrimage is $4200 per person or $7100 for a couple. This fee covers the hotel stay for seven nights at Hotel Giotto in Assisi along with breakfast and dinner each night. Ground transportation to and from sites outside of Assisi is included, as well as fees associated with certain sites in Assisi. We will also apply a portion of the funds towards Pace e Bene’s carbon offset program to counteract the carbon emissions from flights and other transportation that are required for this pilgrimage.

Your flight is not included and participants will be responsible to book their own flights and arrive on time. Ground transportation to and from Assisi on April 22 and April 29 is also not provided. We will provide information about how to take trains from Rome or Florence to Assisi or meet up with other pilgrims traveling in the same direction.

A non-refundable deposit of $500 will be due within 30 days upon acceptance to the pilgrimage. Final payment will be due by February 1, 2026 (if spots are still available and you are applying after February 1, 2026, final payment will be due within 60 days after initial deposit and no more than 30 days before the start of the pilgrimage). If more time is needed for final payment, arrangements can be made on an individual basis with Pace e Bene.

Please Note: In the event that COVID or any other pandemic makes traveling to Italy inadvisable in 2026, any payments made toward the pilgrimage will be refunded to the fullest extent possible.

To apply: Fill out this application and we will be in touch with you. Keep in mind, we are limited to 30 participants.

To join this pilgrimage all attendees must be 18 years of age or older. Those under 18 may also be accepted if accompanied by a parent or legal guardian.

WHAT’S INCLUDED

What’s Included in the Cost:

Lodging for all nights during the pilgrimage
Ground transportation in Italy
Daily meals (breakfast, lunch, and dinner)
Entrance fees for all group activities
Facilitation and spiritual guidance from Friar Michael

What’s Not Included:

International airfare to/from Italy
Personal expenses (souvenirs, snacks, optional excursions)
Travel insurance

Physical Requirements:

Participants should be comfortable walking 3–5 miles per day, often on uneven surfaces and hilly terrain
The trip includes outdoor activities in various weather conditions

Click here to register

PREPARATION

Once you have been selected to attend the Assisi Peace and Justice Pilgrimage we will ask you to prepare for the trip by taking extra time to read, pray, and journal in the months ahead.

To make the most out of your journey, we recommend that everyone attending read Marie Dennis et al, “St. Francis and the Foolishness of God” or Dr. Butigan’s book, “Franciscan Nonviolence” as well as at least one biography of St. Francis such as, “Francis of Assisi: A Revolutionary Life, by Adrian House.” We also encourage all participants to join or organize at least one event during the Campaign Nonviolence Action Days in September/October 2025 as active nonviolent public preparation for this private pilgrimage and retreat to Assisi.

Several weeks before the trip, we will also hold a zoom orientation for all those attending the pilgrimage. This will be a chance to meet all those coming along, ask any questions ahead of time for the guides and give everyone some background on the sites we will visit. We will be in touch with you regarding the date.

Finally, we encourage everyone on the pilgrimage to enter the week in Assisi as a week of peace, prayer and pilgrimage. To maintain that atmosphere we request that each person attending be respectful of one another especially during prayer and Mass time and during sessions with Ken and Friar Michael. Non-Catholic pilgrims are most welcome to attend Mass or use the time for private prayer.

OTHER LOGISTICS

As this is an international trip, all participants must have a passport in order to join us. If you do not have one, we encourage interested pilgrims to apply for your passport as soon as we have accepted your application. US citizens do not need a visa to travel to Italy. Citizens of other countries are responsible to obtain their own visas.

Please be aware that Assisi is built on a hillside, which means that virtually every location you’ll need to visit from Hotel Giotto involves navigating steep, uneven cobblestone streets. This terrain can be challenging to walk on, so it is crucial to be realistic about and prepared for the strenuous physical demands of the pilgrimage.

We will provide taxis to destinations within the program outside the walled city. For any pilgrim needing taxis for shorter rides in Assisi, we will help arrange the transportation but there will be a supplemental fee.

Something to consider: We recommend arriving early to Italy. Even though we begin on April 22, if you arrive a day or two early, this will help you acclimate to the time change and overcome jet lag.

More details will be provided regarding transportation options and directions from Rome to Assisi as the date approaches.

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT

In order to lower our carbon emissions due to flights and other transportation, we will also be contributing a portion of your pilgrimage payment toward a carbon offset program by Pace e Bene for the whole group. Read more about this program here.

PANDEMIC/EMERGENCY PROTOCOL

In the event of another pandemic or if COVID is resurging, as long as travel is still relatively safe we will proceed with the pilgrimage but may put in place specific testing or vaccination protocols. Please remember that going on any international journey has risks, including getting COVID, and our team will help in any way we can to support and comfort anyone in this situation, though legally Pace e Bene and the Franciscan Action Network will not be held responsible for any participant who may get sick.

In the event that the pilgrimage gets cancelled payments made toward the pilgrimage will be refunded to the greatest extent possible.

ABOUT THE PILGRIMAGE GUIDES:

Friar Michael Lasky, OFM Conv.

Friar Michael Lasky is a Franciscan Friar Conventual currently living in Rome, Italy. As the General Delegate for Justice, Peace, and the Integrity of Creation for the Franciscan Order, he spends most of his time in the grassroots working with friars on social justice initiatives and offering formation programs on the social teachings of the Church and Franciscan spirituality.

Responding to Pope Francis’ encouragement for us to hear and respond to the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor, in 2019 Friar Michael founded Little Portion Farm in Ellicott City, Maryland. It now produces 30,000lbs of organic food a year for the poor in Baltimore.

In 2022, in response to the war in Ukraine, Friar Michael began organizing Franciscan Social Theatre Trainings in Poland, where Ukrainian actors and actresses were taught how to facilitate social theatre for children suffering from war trauma. There are now several programs running in Ukraine and throughout Poland.

In 1999 and 2003 Friar Michael ministered in Assisi, Italy at the Basilica of St. Francis as a pilgrim guide. Over the years, he has worked for Franciscans International at the United Nations as director of the New York office and Americas program, and for the Franciscan Action Network as a board member. He is also the director of the Conventual Franciscan website: FranciscanVoice.org

Dr. Ken Butigan

Ken Butigan is a strategist and consultant for Campaign Nonviolence. A peace and justice worker, workshop facilitator, and writer for two decades, Ken also teaches at DePaul University in Chicago.

Since the early 1980s, Ken has worked with numerous social movements, including movements for a nuclear-free future, an end to homelessness, and freedom for East Timor. He was the national coordinator of the Pledge of Resistance and a national organizer for the Declaration of Peace. Ken joined the Pace e Bene staff in 1990. He developed and for several years directed Pace e Bene’s From Violence To Wholeness program, and was actively involved in creating Pace e Bene’s Engage: Exploring Nonviolent Living program.

Ken earned his Ph.D. in the Historical and Cultural Studies of Religions at the Graduate Theological Union in 2000. He has been a lecturer in the spirituality and practice of nonviolence at the Franciscan School of Theology in Berkeley, and directed the Spiritual Life Institute at Saint Martin’s College in Washington State for three years.

Ken has published six books, including Nonviolent Lives: People and Movements Changing the World Through the Power of Active Nonviolence and Pilgrimage through a Burning World: Spiritual Practice and Nonviolent Protest at the Nevada Test Site.

Ken lives in Chicago with his spouse Cynthia Okayama Dopke and their daughter.

Michele Dunne OFS

Joining the team on the pilgrimage will also be Franciscan Action Network (FAN) Executive Director, Michele Dunne, a professed Secular Franciscan. Before joining FAN, in 2021, Michele’s career focused on the Middle East and U.S. foreign policy, including nearly 20 years in the U.S. Department of State as well as heading programs focused on peace, human rights, and democracy in the Middle East at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

Frequently Asked Questions

What kind of weather should I prepare for? Expect a range of mild to warm temperatures in late April, with the possibility of rain. A packing list will be provided.
What if I have dietary restrictions? Please let us know during registration. We will do our best to accommodate common dietary needs (vegetarian, gluten-free, etc.).
How physically demanding is the pilgrimage? Participants will need to walk 3–5 miles each day, including uphill and uneven paths. Good mobility and basic fitness are essential.
Is travel insurance required? While not included, we strongly recommend that participants purchase travel insurance.
What is the group size? We aim for a total group size of 30-35 people.
Can I extend my trip before or after? Yes! You’re responsible for your own travel arrangements before or after the official pilgrimage dates.

Click Here to Register

“During the pilgrimage, for the first time, I experienced God’s love. I am trying now to walk in St. Francis’ footsteps and the word of Jesus. To love all others.”

— Lori D. (2024 Pilgrim)

Peace & Justice Pilgrimage to Assisi