HOUSTON – Sept. 29, 2026 – The University of St. Thomas (UST) welcomed Archbishop Domenico Sorrentino, Bishop Emeritus of the dioceses of Assisi–Nocera Umbra–Gualdo Tadino and Foligno, to Houston on Sept. 18 as part of a limited U.S. tour, bringing with him first-class relics of St. Francis of Assisi, St. Clare of Assisi and St. Carlo Acutis.
The visit marked a special moment in UST’s celebration of the Year of St. Francis, drawing approximately nearly 1,000 students, faculty, staff and members of the greater Houston community to campus for a day of prayer, veneration and reflection. Throughout the day, visitors had the rare opportunity to venerate first-class relics of St. Francis of Assisi and St. Carlo Acutis, and a second-class relic of St. Clare of Assisi. Visitors also heard from Archbishop Sorrentino, whose decades of ministry in Assisi have closely connected him to the lives and legacies of all three saints.
“Welcoming Archbishop Sorrentino to the University of St. Thomas was a profound honor and a meaningful moment for our entire community,” said Dr. Sinda K. Vanderpool, president of the University of St. Thomas. “As a Catholic university, our faith calls us to seek knowledge and to use that knowledge in service to others. The lives of St. Francis of Assisi, St. Clare of Assisi and St. Carlo Acutis remind us that this calling transcends generations. To see hundreds gather to honor these saints and to hear living reflections by Archbishop Sorrentino, whose ministry has been so closely connected to their legacies, was truly extraordinary.”
The day began with the unveiling of the relics in UST’s Chapel of St. Basil, where members of the University and public gathered for prayer and veneration. Archbishop Sorrentino later celebrated Holy Mass in the chapel, which was overflowing with Mass attendees, before the relics returned for an additional period of public veneration that afternoon.
The visit concluded with a public lecture by Archbishop Sorrentino to a packed Jones Hall, followed by a reception in the Doherty Library. To see the full lecture, visit the UST YouTube.
Archbishop Sorrentino served as Bishop of Assisi–Nocera Umbra–Gualdo Tadino from 2005 until becoming bishop emeritus in March 2026. During his tenure, he welcomed Pope Benedict XVI to Assisi twice and Pope Francis five times. His episcopal ministry began in 2001, when he was ordained a bishop by St. John Paul II in St. Peter’s Basilica.
His connection to St. Carlo Acutis is particularly significant. In 2019, Archbishop Sorrentino transferred Acutis’ body to the Sanctuary of the Renunciation in Assisi, which Sorrentino established in 2017 at the site associated with St. Francis’ renunciation of his worldly possessions. Acutis, who became known around the world for his devotion to the Eucharist and his use of technology to share his faith, was canonized in September 2025.
Archbishop Sorrentino has also dedicated much of his ministry and scholarship to carrying the teachings of St. Francis into contemporary life. His work has explored faith, fraternity, economics and service to society’s most vulnerable, including the creation of the International Francis of Assisi and Carlo Acutis Award for an Economy of Fraternity.
His visit to UST was the final stop on his U.S. tour. He provided a unique connection between the centuries-old Franciscan tradition and the University’s mission as Houston’s Catholic university, bringing together the incredible lives of the saints with the journey of humanity in 2026.
The visit was organized by a committee of UST faculty members, led by Dr. Francesca Guerri, as part of the University’s broader St. Francis celebration. Dr. Guerri said this anniversary is an opportunity to pause before one of the most luminous figures in Christian history and to rediscover the meaning of faith as an encounter that renews life.
“What began in Assisi eight hundred years ago is not a memory; it is an event, and it is still happening. This is why the visit of Archbishop Domenico Sorrentino meant so much to us, together with the relics of St. Francis, St. Clare, and St. Carlo Acutis,” she said. “The Archbishop was a witness, and the relics were signs, of one and the same presence: a presence still able to draw people and move their hearts. Nothing else can explain why so many people came to venerate them on Friday.”
Next, the committee is hosting an international academic conference titled, “A Sun is Born into the World: St. Francis and the Smallness of God” on Oct. 15-17.
“When we began St. Francis: 800 Years of Adventure, we started with a desire: to look at the world through the eyes of Francis, and to go beyond the simplifications that have so often turned him into a domesticated saint,” she said. “This is why we wanted to host an international academic conference. Scholars from around the world will gather at the University of St. Thomas, led by our keynote speakers: Msgr. Timothy Verdon, director of the Museo dell'Opera del Duomo in Florence, and Augustine Thompson, O.P., president of the Pontifical Institute of Medieval Studies at the University of Toronto.”
During this three-day event, UST will unveil two exhibitions in Doherty Library— “Francis & the Sultan: The Encounter on the Other Shore,” presented in collaboration with the Meeting di Rimini and on display through Nov. 13, and a Sacred Art Exhibition of contemporary sacred and spiritually inspired art, made possible by the Scanlan Foundation and on display through Oct. 30.
“For us, preparing this conference has been a way to rediscover the authentic face of St. Francis, and to realize that, even after eight hundred years, Francis continues to unsettle all our categories and to challenge the present.”
For conference details and more information, visit stthom.edu/stfrancis.
Contact:
University of St. Thomas Media Relations
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About University of St. Thomas
The University of St. Thomas is a Catholic university in the heart of Houston. We are committed to the Catholic intellectual tradition and the dialogue between faith and reason. By pursuing excellence in teaching, scholarship, and service, we embody and instill in our students the core values of our founders, the Basilian Fathers: goodness, discipline and knowledge. We foster engagement in a diverse, collaborative community.
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