Pilgrimage of Forgiveness

The Franciscan Family of Lubumbashi organised a pilgrimage to the parish of Saint Kizito in Katuba Kisanga this Saturday, the 1st August, 2026. This time of grace is part of the Great Jubilee celebrating the 800th anniversary of the transitus- birth into heaven of St Francis of Assisi (1226-2026). In the simplicity and fraternity proper to our tradition, the Franciscan friars and Sisters arrived at 9:00 a.m., welcomed with joy by the parish community. 

At 11:00 a.m., a time of reconciliation was offered to all pilgrims through the sacrament of confession. This moment of mercy was illuminated by the words of St Francis of Assisi themselves, which resounded like an invitation to conversion: "Lord, although I am miserable and sinful, I beg you to grant to all those who, repentant and confessed, will come to visit this church, ample and generous forgiveness, with complete remission of all their sins". 

The Mass was presided over by Fr. Georges Misange, the Provincial Minister of the Province of St Benedict the Africanus. In his homily in view of the Pardon of Assisi, he invited the Franciscan Family to take as a model the littleness of the Blessed Virgin Mary, of St. Francis of Assisi and of the Portiuncula, in order to cultivate the charism of humility, in order to be elevated by God. 

He urged the friars and Sisters to learn to forgive as God forgives us, reminding us that the Lord never tires of showing mercy, because he is greater than our sins. He also stressed that true forgiveness, if it does not change the past, transforms our relationship to it, thus preventing sin from becoming our definitive identity. 

The Franciscan novices animated the liturgy, giving the Mass a simple, fervent, and profoundly fraternal tone. The Christian faithful responded enthusiastically to their parish priest's invitation, filling the church with peaceful joy and sincere communion. 

The day ended in Franciscan conviviality with a fraternal sharing of the meal, a sign of the unity and evangelical joy that characterise the family of St. Francis. This pilgrimage will remain a moment of grace in which the community was able to walk together, pray together, and taste the sweetness of divine mercy. 

By Br Luc Nzita, ofm