Coming to terms with your experience as a military veteran can sometimes be an intense and unsettling process. Three Siena students who served in uniform before becoming Saints made a pilgrimage to Italy to let Saints Francis and Clare of Assisi show them the way.
The seven-day trip was organized by the Franciscan Pilgrimage Program sponsored by Our Lady of Guadalupe Province especially for veterans, and led by three people who have personal experience with military life: Fr. Mark Reamer ‘83, O.F.M., D.Min., a U.S. Navy veteran and currently Siena’s vice president for mission; as well as Chris Gibson, Ph.D., Siena’s 12th president and a retired U.S. Army combat veteran; and his wife Mary Jo Gibson, M.S.W., who is a clinical social worker and an experienced therapist with the Veterans Administration.
Fifteen veterans, including the three Siena students, reflected on their lives through the lens of Francis of Assisi and his experience of war. They visited holy sites in Rome and Assisi, walking in the footsteps of Francis and the vocation he discovered, and reflecting on their own personal journeys and dreams.
“The experience of being a combat veteran has a certain intensity,” said Fr. Mark. “We each reflected on our own experiences in the military through the ‘spirituality of place,’ and the experience of Saint Francis, who himself experienced hand-to-hand combat.”
Francis came back from battle and being a prisoner of war a changed man, likely experiencing what we now call post-traumatic stress disorder. He spent the rest of his life integrating his emotional battle wounds, moving through a “time of darkness,” praying before the San Damiano cross that God enlighten the darkness of his heart, which led him to rebuild the church.
During their own pilgrimage of prayer and reflection this May – 800 years after Francis walked the Earth – Ryan Acomb ’28, Mason Albert ’27, and T.J. Mychack ‘26 explored their own experiences as veterans.
Acomb is a U.S. Army veteran who served for six years and is now a single dad to two sons. He is majoring in social work and joked that he must have been “the oldest person ever” to take First-Year Seminar at Siena.
“The people on the pilgrimage were amazing,” he said. “We had such a sense of community and positivity the entire time. I came back closer to God, with a better understanding of Francis and Clare, which has helped me become a more patient and understanding person and father.”
Albert was a U.S. Army National Guard medic for six years, and is now majoring in nursing at Siena. He completed his clinicals at Albany Medical Center this past semester, and will be taking his qualifying NCLEX licensure exam in July.
“The pilgrimage was a good time to reflect on my faith within a community of veterans,” he said. “It was a good way to hit the reset button after a busy semester, by learning how Francis and Clare dedicated themselves serving the poor and sick.”
Mychack said, “The pilgrimage gave me something I didn’t know I needed: the space to slow down, reflect, and find peace in a place that has been doing that for centuries. It was a true blessing to be able to spend time with fellow veterans and take our time learning about St. Francis where he grew up and lived.”
The pilgrimage was supported by the Siena Veterans Program and the Franciscan friars.