2026 Activity Program, in the Franciscan Jubilee Year
Laudato Si’ Center
With Pope Leo XIV’s proclamation of the Franciscan Jubilee Year, the eighth centenary of St. Francis’ opened today, Saturday, January 10, 2026, at the Porziuncola. It will be a year full of events, closing the three-year period of Franciscan Centenaries, which began in 2023 with the Rule and the nativity scene in Greccio, continued in 2024 with the stigmata, and will conclude in 2025 with the Canticle of the Creatures.
The Laudato Si’ Center, which works closely with the Franciscan family, the Diocese of Assisi, Pro Civitate Christiana, and FAI, has proposed a series of wonderful initiatives for 2026 that can help pilgrims live this time of grace more intensely, with an eye on God’s creation.
Based on our experience during the Year of the Canticle, we can say that spending a few days immersed in Assisi is a truly intelligent vacation. Whether as volunteers or as pilgrims on one of the Canticle itineraries we offer, we see that people from all over the world return home feeling regenerated. More than in a wellness center, because in the Laudato Si’ Land of Assisi, in addition to the body, the spirit is especially rejuvenated.
In 2026, the Laudato Si’ Center will once again offer a rich calendar of events, open to all ages and all types of needs. For a personal experience throughout the year, you can participate in the volunteer service, at one of the Laudato Si’ sites, for example at the Sanctuary of San Damiano, where the Canticle of the Creatures was born. The Laudato Si’ Center offers in-depth training, self-catering accommodation, and experience in these places for this type of service. In return, volunteers work for half a day, welcoming pilgrims every day and supporting the initiatives that take place. To enjoy a community experience, for example with your parish or organization, the Laudato Si’ Center organizes Laudato Si’ Pilgrimages, supporting groups in choosing the best itineraries and schedules, recounting the lives of Francis and Clare in light of the challenges of our time.
In addition to these activities that take place throughout the year, there are also some unmissable events, designed by the Laudato Si’ Center for certain key moments of the year, one for each season. The Winter Pilgrimage It is organized from March 2 to 6, on the occasion of the first public display of the mortal remains of St. Francis, a unique event in history. There are already hundreds of thousands of reservations, and there is a risk that this event will be experienced as an occasion for curiosity. With the Laudato Si’ Pilgrimage, however, the aim is to prepare everyone for this experience of encounter, immersing themselves in the places of Assisi, accompanied by the lives of Francis and Clare, reflecting on the song, the cry, and the action of creation.
A herbal medicine course is scheduled for April “La fucina dei semplici” (only in italian), Organized in collaboration with the Accademia delle Arti Erboristiche di Roma (Rome Academy of Herbal Arts) and EcoEquo. An immersive introduction to herbalism, combining science and spirituality. In addition to lectures, there will be moments of spirituality in the Laudato Si’ locations and practical workshop activities.
To celebrate the anniversary of the encyclical Laudato si’, from June 8 to 12, you can participate in the Spring Pilgrimage, again following the three-day pattern of song-cry-action.
The Summer Pilgrimage, on the other hand, will be reserved for young people aged 18 to 33 from all over Europe, as part of “Go! Franciscan Youth Meeting”, a Franciscan World Youth Day that we will experience in Assisi on the eighth centenary of Francis’ death. Organized by the Franciscan family, together with the Diocese and various local organizations, it will welcome many young people with meetings, workshops, and laboratories. The Laudato Si’ Center will lead the workshop and laboratory “Francis and the Common Home” at the Cathedral of San Rufino.
Finally, the Autumn Pilgrimage, from November 2 to 6, will be enlivened by the celebration of the 40th anniversary of the Spirit of Assisi, a historic moment when the city of St. Francis made dialogue between different faiths possible in the search for peace, which today more than ever we all feel the need for.
Added to all this are the initiatives of the Laudato Si’ Center in the area, such as the Season of Creation from September 1, the feast of creation, to October 4, the feast of St. Francis, patron saint of Italy; or as the promotion of Renewable Energy Community, entitled CANTICO (“Comunità Assisana per la Neutralità e la Transizione Inclusiva e COndivisa”), of which Pro Civitate Christiana is one of the founding members, and promoter among the religious communities of Assisi.
All information about these initiatives and the spirit that animates them, through the stories of those who have already experienced them, can be found on the website AssisiLaudatoSi.org. Because after eight centuries, each of us can be reached by the message of Francis and Clare, and thus make the world a better place.
Laudato si’ mi Signore!