In 2011, during a solemn ceremony at St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, Pope Benedict XVI placed the pallium on my shoulders, a symbol of my union with the universal Church as I began my new pastoral duties as shepherd of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles.
Following that ceremony, I made a pilgrimage to Assisi.
I wanted to offer the Eucharist at the Church of Saint Mary of the Angels, which is where it all began, the true spiritual heart from which Los Angeles was born.
St. Junípero Serra and his brother Franciscans founded Mission San Gabriel Arcángel in 1771, and 10 years later the missionaries and a diverse group of families founded the city, naming it for this little church in Assisi: El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora de los Angeles de Porciuncula (“The Town of Our Lady of the Angels of Porciuncula”).
“Portiuncula” is a word that means “little portion,” as in a little part of land. Though it is now enclosed within the magnificent Basilica of St. Mary of the Angels, this church was built by the Benedictines in the ninth century.
By the time St. Francis came upon it in the early 1200s, it was broken down and nearly abandoned.
In his biography of Francis, written not long after his death, St. Bonaventure tells how one day Francis was prostrate before the crucifix in this little church when he heard the Lord speaking to him. Three times the Voice said: “Francis, go and repair my house which, as you see, is falling completely into ruin.”
At first, Francis understood these words literally. He thought Jesus wanted him to repair the chapel, so he got some tools and started working on that.
Over time, he came to see a deeper, more symbolic meaning. Jesus was not asking him to restore a church, but to rebuild the universal Church.
This was the beginning of the great Franciscan renewal movement, which sent missionaries first throughout Europe and eventually to the ends of the earth.
The Church in the Americas is born from that Franciscan mission.
Franciscans were among the first to evangelize the New World, beginning not long after the voyages of Christopher Columbus.
It was a Franciscan bishop, the great defender of the indigenous, Bishop Juan de Zumárraga, who received the sacred tilma of Our Lady of Guadalupe from St. Juan Diego.
Franciscan missionaries brought the faith to California and spread this faith throughout the southwest and other parts of what is now the United States.
The first martyr on U.S. soil was a Franciscan, Father Juan de Padilla. After years of preaching throughout Mexico and in Colorado, Arizona, and New Mexico, he was killed while evangelizing among the Quivira Indians in 1542, near what is now Herington, Kansas.
As I give thanks for the blessings of these past 15 years as archbishop, and as I prepare for the 25th anniversary of my ordination as a bishop on March 26, I find my thoughts returning to the deep spiritual ties that connect us with St. Francis and the movement he started at that little chapel in Assisi.
Pope Leo XIV has declared this a special Jubilee Year in honor of the 800th anniversary of St. Francis of Assisi’s death.
We are preparing here for our observance of this Jubilee, working with the many Franciscan communities, parishes, religious houses, and other institutions. Look for updates at lacatholics.org/year-of-st-francis/.
This Jubilee is also fitting because we are celebrating the 250th anniversary of our nation’s founding and the 495th anniversary of Our Lady of Guadalupe’s appearances at Tepeyac.
So this will be a special time of grace for all of us to reflect on the deep Franciscan roots of our country and our Church.
It is also, sadly, a moment of war and deep social divisions in our country, marked by suspicion, fear, and violence. As Pope Leo has said, in this moment St. Francis has much to teach us. “Not because he offers technical solutions,” the pope says, “but because his life points to the authentic source of peace.”
St. Francis used to greet people with a little prayer: “May the Lord grant you peace.”
As we reflect on his witness and teachings during this Jubilee Year, let us renew our commitment to bring the Lord’s peace into all of our relationships and to work to promote reconciliation and understanding among our neighbors.
Pray for me and I will pray for you.
And in this Franciscan Year, let us ask holy Mary, Queen of the Angels, for the gift of peace — for our city and our world.
