USCCB Article

 We received a surprise call from the United States Catholic Conference of  Bishops (USCCB).  They wanted to do an article on pilgrimages to Rome and since our group was one of the earlier groups, they asked if they could follow us and do interviews.  I think they did a great job.  Below is the article link:

https://www.usccb.org/news/2025/holy-year-pilgrims-cleveland-experience-best-church

We left for the airport at 6:00 a.m. this morning.  Half the folks are flying Rome-> JFK -> Cleveland.  The other group is flying Rome -> Newark -> Cleveland.  Everyone should be back by 11:00 p.m.

Folks have been awed, amazed, overwhelmed, and grateful for the opportunity to grow in faith, understanding and love for the Lord in these past days.  As we return home to our “ordinary” lives after such an “extraordinary” experience, may our hearts be filled with what we have seen and heard, celebrated and remembered.  May this pilgrimage remain in our hearts forever.

Fr. Dan

Santa Maria Maggiore - Honoring the Birth of Jesus

 Our final mass together was at Santa Maria Maggiore and it was also our final holy door experience.  I went to confession at the church so I think I’ve got all the plenary indulgences I can get (I need all the help possible!).  The second photo below shows a remnant of the manger in which Jesus was born.  This is a primary treasure of this church building.  

We celebrated Mass in the side chapel and it was a wonderful experience.  

Papa Francesco

 Today we attended a papal audience.  Since the weather was a bit inclement, the audience was moved inside.  The joy of being an international church is truly amazing.  Many people cheering, “Viva La Papa” and cheering for him show the love and admiration the body of Christ has for its Vicar, its Shepherd.  

In the above picture Bishop Malesic and I are joined by Fr. Sean Ralph, Rector of the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist in Cleveland.  He just arrived yesterday for a 3 month sabbatical at the North American College just steps from the Vatican.  It was great seeing him and having the honor to sit next to him for the papal audience.

The Amazing Vatican Museum

 The Vatican Museums were never intended for the public.  It wasn’t until Pope Julius II that it was decided to open the museum and its artistic treasures and make them accessible for everyone.  The museum now generates 30,000 visitors per day in a space never intended for public use.  They do a great job in displaying the beautiful art and bringing people to a greater sense and appreciation for the beautiful.

We took a walking tour of Rome which included a visit to the Piazza Navona, San Luigi de Francesi (Caravaggio paintings) and the Pantheon.

St. Catherine of Siena is buried at Santa Maria Sopra Minerva, the only real Gothic cathedral in Rome.  People write small prayers for her intercession and place them on the tomb.  

Mass at the Tomb of St. Peter

 Sunday was a remarkable day as we celebrated Mass very early morning at the tomb of St. Peter.  Bishop Malesic gave a beautiful homily about the wedding feast of Cana.  It was a rare gift to be able to celebrate right at the tomb with no tourists around. 

I think people are genuinely in “awe” with the beauty and awe of being in this remarkable and historic city.  

After breakfast we took a walking tour throughout Rome and included such stops as the Pantheon, Santa Maria Minerva (where the body of St. Catherine of Siena is), the Trevi Fountain and Piazza Navona.

Today (at 6:00 a.m.) we leave for the Sistine Chapel and breakfast at the Vatican.

Someone asked me “what is your favorite thing you’ve experienced on this trip?”  To be honest, it’s seeing the reaction of faith-filled people who see these works of art, buildings and historic sites for the first time.  “Breathtaking, awesome, overwhelming, emotionally stirring, powerful” are many of the words people use to describe what they are seeing and experiencing.  God made manifest in the beauty of what faith-filled men and women can do.  Never underestimate the power of God to enable us to do great things.  Each of us, in our own way, is called to mold, shape, paint and create a better world - making a little bit of heaven on earth.

Tre Fontane Abbey

 On Saturday we  traveled from Florence to Rome.  On our way to St. Paul Outside the Walls we stopped at the Tre Fontaine Abbey.  It was here that the death of St. Paul took place.  Currently Trappist monks of the Cistercian order (Trappists) reside at the Abbey.  Here lambs are raised whose wool is used to weave the pallia (the woolen ecclesiastical vestment) given to metropolitan bishopss.  Each year on January 21st the Pope blesses these lambs. 

St. Paul was beheaded here by the order of Nero.  Tradition tells us that when St. Paul’s head was severed from his body his head bounced and struck the earth in three different places, from which the fountains sprang up.

We arrived at St. Paul outside the walls and entered through the Holy Door there.  The remarkable church contains the mosaic cameos of every Pope since St. Peter.  It is an amazing place and we celebrated Mass in a side chapel.  

Florence and the Renaissance

 This is truly one of the the world’s most amazing cities for architecture and art!  We began the day at Santa Croce.  Here we visited the tomb of Michelangelo.  On his tomb are three women who represent the three arts Michelangelo utilized - architecture, painting and sculpture.  

We celebrated Mass in a nearby chapel.  Just look at the backdrop behind the altar.  Amazing.  Fr. Chuck Persing talked about the paralytic brought down through the roof of the home where Jesus was in order to bring their friend to Jesus.  Each of us has an intention book filled with prayers of those we bring here spiritually.  He made the connection to our prayers and intercessions for those who could not make the pilgrimage but whose needs are represented here.  

We toured the Duomo.  To be honest the outside of the buildings are much more beautiful than the inside.  The white and green marble is spectacular and breathtaking to behold.  The bell tower is still used and the baptistery only on occasion.  

I spent most of the afternoon in the Uffizi Gallery.  It has an extraordinary collection of Caravaggio, Michelangelo, Botticelli, Rembrandt, El Greco and other very famous painters and sculptors.  I felt like I walked miles through the corridors and feasted on beauty at every turn.  I could spend days there and still not see it all.  The faith of the Renaissance artists is so beautifully depicted in these religious works reflecting their own spirituality and love for the Lord.

I walked back to our hotel (about a 35 minute walk) and am resting before going down for dinner.  Needless to say, our folks are enjoying being together, praying together and experiencing the beauty of Florence - together. 

Tomorrow it’s off to Rome.

Florence - the City of Beauty and Art

 We arrived safely in Firenze and stopped to take a breathtaking view of the entire city from one of the nearby vista points.  

We look forward to a walking tour today and then have some free time this afternoon to explore.  We’ll have mass at Santa Croce, the burial place of Michelangelo.  

I got a kick out of two young entrepreneurs who were taking photos of tourists and then printing it out as a breaking news headline!  I couldn’t resist!

We knew our Bishop was wonderful but we didn’t know he was wonderful enough to be called “Great Bishop Malesic!”

More later today after we have our walking tour!

Assisi - Home of St. Francis

 We had a wonderful visit to Assisi, home to St. Francis of Assisi.  Below find a photograph of the small prison in the home where St. Francis grew up.  When he announced his intention to renounce his father’s business and serve the poor, his parents thought he was crazy.  They imprisoned him at home until they became convinced that this was Francis’ true calling.

You can see the beautiful countryside throughout Assisi.  This is a photograph of the Sisters of Poor Clare monastery.  These sisters lead a monastic life and do not go out into public. It is near this monastery that the church where Blessed Carlo Acutis is entombed.  Unfortunately they did not allow photos but Carlo died at the age of 15 and his body is uncorrupted.  He will be canonized sometime in April 2025.

The beautiful scene below is the lower area of Assisi.  There are only 800 inhabitants in the upper region of Assisi and 20,000 who live below.  This was a big deal in the time of Francis.  The wealthy lived in the upper Assisi area.  Sewage and trash was tossed down the side of the village into the minores “lower” part of Assisi.  It was Francis who adopted the O.F.M. (Order of Friars Minores) to indicate they ministered to the poor in the lower part of Assisi.

This photograph shows me holding your intentions at the tomb of St. Francis of Assisi in the lower basilica.

There are 3 levels to the basilica.  This is the middle level.  The ceilings are very ornate.  The upper basilica has beautiful frescoes by the artist Giotto.  Unfortunately no photos.

Below you’ll see the portiuncula.  This is the “small” church within the big church.  The small church was one of the physical churches Francis “rebuilt” after he heard Jesus speaking to him from the San Damiano cross.  We had mass today near this site.

Now it’s on the bus to Florence.  Once we arrive the rest of our afternoon and evening is free for us to relax or walk throughout the city.

2025 Jubilee Pilgrimage of Hope - Rome, Assisi, Florence

 I am preparing for a pilgrimage to Rome.  Our group of 90 pilgrims departs on Monday.  Half the group will be on a Delta flight through JFK airport in NY.  The rest of us will fly United Airlines through Newark. We appreicate all your prayers and support throughout the trip.  This is a large pilgrim group.  Our original plan was to go the Holy Land.  The original dates would have been in October 2023.  Because the tour company could not amass enough hotel rooms due to the high holy days in Jersualem, our trip dates were changed to January, 2024.  When the war broke out between Gaza and Israel, the entire trip was cancelled.  This is the “makeup” trip with a different itinerary but, albeit a good one.

Cathedral of Orvieto and the Miracle of Bolsena

 

We arrived safely in Rome early this morning.  Since our hotel check in wasn’t until after 3:00 p.m. we took a side trip to the beautiful city of Orvieto, Italy.  The Cathedral there was built in the year 1270 and it was built to respond to the Miracle of Bolsena which occurred a few years earlier.

A young priest, Peter of Prague, has doubt in the transubstantiation of the host into the body and blood of Christ.  As he was celebrating mass, the host began to bleed.  Similar to all the other Eucharistic miracles, when tested, the blood was the exact same blood type (universal AB) and from the same quadrant of the heart.  The Cathedral was built to honor this miracle.  Today the host is kept behind a protective barrier but many pilgrims, including myself today, take time to pray in the chapel before the Blessed Sacrament.

We joined the red bus (Delta flight0 at the hotel and had a wonderful cocktail hour and dinner.  Most of us have been up all night so it’s time to hit the sack.  Tomorrow’s breakfast begins at 6:15 a.m.!  No rest for the wicked!