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.
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 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.
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.
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.
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 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!
