What a great story: a group of six Franciscan Friars decide to walk from Raleigh to Washington DC. On the way, they are able to minister to many lost souls:

For six weeks, the brothers walked from Roanoke with only their brown robes, sandals and a belief in the kindness of strangers to feed and shelter them.

The sight of six men in flowing habits, trudging single file on the side of the road, prompted many to pull over and talk, even confess. People on their way to work described their loneliness. College students wanted help figuring out what to do with their lives. Children, mistaking them for the Shaolin monks in movies, ran up to ask the friars if they knew how to beat up bullies.

“Dressed like we are in our habits, it’s like a walking sign that says, ‘Tell us your life’s problems,’ ” explained Cliff Hennings, the youngest of the friars at 23.

In every instance, the friars made time for conversation. They shot the breeze with a gang of drunk bikers, dispensed relationship advice to the brokenhearted commuters and bore witness to one and all, yea, even to the Chik-fil-A employee dressed as a cow.

Of course, since the article was written for the Washington Post, most of the underlying reasons for their trek are ignored, but even in this secular paper the spiritual underpinnings of their journey comes across. It is amazing how St. Francis continues to inspire and motivate people to come to Christ, almost 800 years after his entrance into eternal life.

St. Francis, pray for us!