Ancient rock touched by St. Francis donated to San Francisco shrine

Published: 2008-04-28

SAN FRANCISCO (CNS) -- Two Franciscan friars from Assisi, Italy, came to San Francisco in April bearing a rare gift for the city and the archdiocese: a small rock from the Porziuncola, the stone chapel built by St. Francis of Assisi and his early followers more than 800 years ago. Banded with a red ribbon and bearing the wax seal of the Franciscan community in the saint's native town, the angular chunk of pink granite arrived in a felt-lined leather case with the gold-embossed image of the Porziuncola, where the Franciscan order was born, gracing its lid. The chapel in Assisi is sometimes known by its Latin name, Portiuncula. The rock circulated among admiring guests at a welcoming party at San Francisco International Airport April 22 and later starred at an April 24 reception at the de Young Museum. The rock's final destination is a replica of the Porziuncola under construction at the National Shrine of St. Francis in North Beach. Possibly the first relic of the 13th-century saint to enter the United States, it will be installed on the altar of the sister Porziuncola.

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