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USML Pilgrimage Journal 2003
Day 47: Travel to Assisi
Today was certainly a day of emotion. It was our last morning in Rome, and we were scheduled for a mid-afternoon departure for Assisi. We had our final dose of classes, with some concluding thoughts and final wrap-up. Fr. Peter Damian’s final class was very brief, which gave us a little extra time, enough to run downtown one last time, as a few of us had some final postcards to mail, or last-minute souvenirs to pick up. Most of us used the extra time to try to figure out how to get everything packed up in their big-but-not-quite-big-enough suitcases, kind of like packing two round pegs into one square hole.
The bus picked us up, and once we got all our luggage loaded on the bus (which was a bit of a challenge) we headed north for Assisi. The drive was beautiful as we traversed rolling hills and misty fields.
When we arrived, we checked into the hotel, got settled, and had a wonderful dinner in the hotel restaurant. We absolutely loved the mostacholi pasta with a sausage and cream sauce, that had a light but pleasant spiciness to it. I’m getting hungry again just thinking about it. After dinner most of us simply hung out and wound down until bedtime, but there were a few intrepid explorers who wandered through Assisi’s quiet medieval streets, which were especially tranquil this winter night.
-- spb.
Day 48: Assisi
A glorious sunrise greeted us this morning in Assisi, and it revealed just how beautiful a medieval village it really is. It sits on the side of a mountain, so the streets of the village are very hilly and very narrow. Tour buses are not permitted because the antique cobblestone streets simply won’t tolerate such cumbersome vehicles.
The village of Assisi was the home for St. Francis of Assisi, who was the son of a nobleman. Having a natural disposition to charity, he frequently gave his cloaks to the poor, and after discovering that he was not cut out for the military, he began to pray and ask God what His will was. Eventually Francis discerned that God was inviting him to abandon his life and embrace a radical Gospel lifestyle. After this comes the famous story where he stripped off all of his clothes in the town square as an act of rejecting his substantial inheritance. Then he went on to begin a small community of brothers who believed in Francis’ new way of life. St. Francis became popular throughout all of Europe, and people everywhere knew of him and his concern for the poor.
Our day began with Mass at the tomb of St. Francis, which is in a crypt chapel beneath the giant Basilica of St. Francis, which was built very soon after his death in the mid-thirteenth century. The room, although not extremely large, was very peaceful and was filled with the scent of lilies, there were bouquets of lilies all around his tomb. Mass was very moving, and Fr. Jim’s homily challenged us to live out a few of St. Francis’ famous quotes: “preach always, and when necessary use words,” and “it is of no use to walk anywhere unless we preach everywhere we walk.” This second lesser-known quote was of particular relevance for us on pilgrimage, as we have traveled thousands of miles across Asia minor and Mediterranean countries. People learn we are seminarians, and we hope that through meeting us they might have a better idea of who Jesus Christ is.
After Mass we toured the Basilica of St. Francis. Situated on the outskirts of the village of Assisi, they started building the first church (of a Roman baroque architecture) shortly after his death. Later, they built an enormous gothic-style church directly on top of the other one. Both the upper and lower churches are decorated with beautiful frescoes, some of which date back to the thirteenth century. The lower Church was filled, wall, door, ceiling and floor with frescoes, mosaics and decorated flooring. Some of the most amazing pieces of art and beauty were contained within. After this walkthrough we were taken to the upper church were we first saw a painting of the Crucifixion by Cimabue which looked like a film negative. Not intentionally painted that way, but because he was experimenting with different paints, the colors gradually changed, reversing themselves due exposure to light.
We were then taken through to see the choir made of walnut which during the restoration they removed almost 15 lbs. of nails from 6 centuries, neat stuff. The guide told us that they were planning on opening a museum for these nails, they are very interesting she said. I bet… alas, we did not have to go to the “St. Francis Basilica ‘Look-at-the-Nails-We-Found-during-the-Choir-Restoration’ Collection Museum.” Maybe next year’s pilgrims will be lucky enough to have that opportunity. But I digress.
In 1997 there were a few earthquakes in Assisi (the largest being 6.9 on the Richter scale) that damaged some of the frescoes and caused a big section of the ceiling to collapse. All the rubble was collected and sifted for pieces of the mosaics, and they have restored it as best they could.
The frescoes of the Basilica have a good amount of artistic importance because they represent the emergence of the Italian renaissance, and you can see the transition from the Greek and Byzantine influence, which is two-dimensional and stylized (as still in icons today) to a more realistic pictures with more detail, depth, and more realistic colors. The painter Giotto was very prominent in this transition, and he was responsible for many of the frescoes. Our tour guide in the basilica pointed out several examples in which we could see this transition of styles clearly. The most humorous was a mosaic of Christ’s entry into Jerusalem, painted in the Byzantine style, which depicted Jesus riding on “a sturdy donkey.” Later we saw a fresco of the flight of the Holy Family into Egypt which was done in the Renaissance mode, and the guide said we could see the very realistic representation especially in “this donkey that is pleasing to the eyes.”
But anyway… our next stop was to see the Cathedral of Assisi, and then on to St. Claire’s Church. St. Claire was a good friend of St. Francis, believing very much in his way of living the Christian life, and she founded the Poor Claires, a religious order living in poverty, dedicated to ministering to the poor. St. Claire’s tomb is in the church, directly under the main altar. After spending some time in prayer we also saw the famous crucifix, from the Portiuncula Chapel that Francis had used. The cross was entrusted to the care of the Poor Claire’s, and when they moved from the small chapel up into Assisi, the crucifix did as well. (We are supposed to visit it tomorrow morning on our way out of Assisi.) We also visited the Cathedral of St. Ruffio where Francis was baptized.
The rest of the day was free time for wandering and lunch. First we ate a local trattoria, where I feasted on Mushroom Pasta…wow. Then we walked and had canoli at a small bakery, second rate at best, and very expensive, but so much in Assisi is expensive
Then we went to Sancta Maria sopra Minerva, St. Mary’s over Minerva. Actually I lied I got so excited about the pasta I put those out of order. (It was this church first, then lunch.) Well anyway, this church is small and in a middle-Baroque style, however the altar and furniture was all relatively modern and fit quite nicely. I am glad we stopped in.
Then we went back to the gift store at St. Francis. I found some nice pictures and postcards. I am thinking that when I am retired I will buy a store in one of these Italian towns and sell Churchy kitsch and call it Holy Stuff. I don’t mean this to offend or anything like that but I cannot believe how much stuff we have seen all different made out of anything and everything.
And in other news, we’ve been hearing a great deal about Hans Blix’s report to the UN Security Council, and we continue to pray for a peaceful resolution to that crisis. As you may have heard, Tariq Aziz, the deputy prime minister of Iraq came to Assisi to pray for peace after having met with the Holy Father the day before. (We had already left Assisi before he arrived, but final preparations were being made for his visit.) Aziz is a Catholic, and we pray that he can become a vessel for divine grace and peace in this tense situation, and possibly even the means of conversion for Saddam. That would indeed be quite a great miracle. But nothing is impossible for God.
Pray that the Holy Spirit not only guide our hearts on our pilgrimage, but that He also enlighten the minds of the leaders of nations who can become the brokers of a true peace process.
--the combined efforts of spb & Tonyn.
Day 49: Florence
Today began about the same time as our other travel days in Italy, as we zig-zag our way north, but because we checked into our hotel last night and will spend tonight here, we didn’t have to pack up and check out of the hotel, so we were able to sleep a half hour longer. It doesn’t sound like much, but as the end of the pilgrimage draws near, and after more than seven weeks on the road, we’ll take any extra minute of rest we can get.
Our first appointment of the morning was with Michelangelo. Faithful journal readers will note that we spent some time with him in the Sistine Chapel (day 34). We walked several blocks through downtown Florence to the Accademia Museum, which houses not only the famous David, but also several other sculptures by Michelangelo. The statue of David can be seen as soon as one enters the galleries, but leading up to him are four other sculptures, all unfinished. Three of them are now nicknamed “The Prisoners” because that’s what they look like now: each like a man, twisting or turning, trying to break out of the un-hewn marble which holds them fast. In my opinion, they are much more poignant because they’re not finished. The fourth unfinished sculpture is another statue of the Pietá, but in a different pose than the one that dwells in St. Peter’s Basilica. Michelangelo apparently loved the challenge of trying to capture the moment of the Blessed Mother holding the body of her Son after He was taken off the Cross. In this one, Michelangelo tried to show more anguish on the face of Mary, in contrast to the contemplative countenance as seen in St. Peter’s.
When we came to the famous David, I, like everyone who visits it, was very impressed by the size, power, and beauty of this masterpiece. Towering over you at nearly twenty feet, you wonder how big Goliath would have been! We were all amazed at the precise detail and perfection in the statue, being able to see veins, muscle tension, and the intense concentration on the face of David. The only peculiarity of the statue is that David’s hands seem to be slightly larger, almost disproportionate. The prevailing interpretation of this is that it is meant to indicate that the hand of God was with David when he went into battle against Goliath. The statue depicts David just before he loads the sling and lets fly the stone, and every aspect of the statue indicates that the moment is but a few seconds away. You can almost feel the confident strength and courage exuding from him.
Because we had a packed schedule today, we were only able to focus on the Michelangelo sculptures in this museum – kind of a shame since it also houses an impressive collection of centuries-old icons. And so we left David – almost expecting to hear the sounds of the great battle, and the cry and thud of the fallen Goliath.
Next we went to the Uffizi Gallery, a famous art gallery on the shores of the river that runs through Florence, right next to Ponte Vecchio, the famous old bridge that you invariably see in pictures and postcards. The Uffizi has a fantastic collection of Renaissance art, probably the greatest, and while our tour guide gave good descriptions and backgrounds to the paintings we saw, we would have also enjoyed free time to wander and contemplate whatever paintings our gaze may have happened across. We saw several famous paintings by many of the Renaissance masters, including Botticelli’s “Birth of Venus” and Michelangelo's “Holy Family,” the painting after which he decided that he was meant to be a sculptor, not a painter.
After a lunch break, we visited the Duomo (Cathedral) of Florence, which is right in the heart of downtown. The only way to describe the exterior is massive and intimidating, everything that Roman gothic architecture aspired to be. The interior, on the other hand, was much less impressive – perhaps even a let-down after the lavish and ornate exterior. Apparently, the people of thirteenth-century Florence could not tolerate the fact that their arch-rival, Siena, had a better cathedral than they, so the Florentines built a much bigger one.
Our final stop for the day was Mass in Holy Cross Church, which also houses the tomb of Michelangelo. Our pilgrimage as a whole took us through the footsteps of St. Paul, but today was a day in the life of Michelangelo.
In other news, I think we are beginning to show signs of weariness. The excitement and enthusiasm that we had in Turkey and Greece has worn off, and we are looking forward to our own beds, fresh clothes, and to shedding cumbersome and wounded suitcases. Yet despite the fatigue of extended travel and a few lingering colds, there is a good sense of camaraderie and brotherhood.
Know that we pray daily for our families, friends, benefactors, and seminary brothers. May the grace of God sustain and strengthen us all on our spiritual pilgrimages through life as we grow ever-closer to Christ. -- spb.
Day 50: Siena
Today we drive from Assisi to Siena, and first visit the Church of St. Dominic. Here we had Mass behind St. Catherine’s head. The rest of her body is in Santa Maria Sopre Minerva church in Rome, and because people of her native town of Siena argued that her body should there instead of Rome. Somehow – and I know not how – the dispute was resolved by sending her head to Siena and keeping her body in Rome. Anyhoo, her head is here in a reliquary, kind of freaky for me, but at the same time awe inspiring.
After Mass we were given some time to pray and visit the gift store, then on to lunch. Good food, but the waiter needed a shower… ah, we really get to experience all that Europe has to offer. From here we travel to downtown Siena. Then we visited the main square, where this big horse race happens two times each summer. It doesn’t matter if the jockey makes it across the finish line, only the horse. The races are really a big deal here.
From here we visited the duomo, which is Italian for Cathedral. St. Mary of the Annunciation is it’s name, very striking from both the outside and inside. We saw some very beautiful treasures, visited a gift shop and then walked on to St. Catherine’s childhood home. Now a collection of various and sundry chapels with a gift shop.
Now on to free time, which means walk the streets avoid the gift shops and make it back to the bus on time. Note to self: if I ever build a Church, leave a space to have a large gift shop, so that in 200 years when I am dead and made a Saint, they have a gift shop already there.
I really can’t begin to describe the beauty of the places we have seen. Nor can I describe how commercial everything is. In some stores you have plastic St. Francis statues standing right next to bawdy decks of cards. Oh well, different reality, who am I to judge?
This is my last day as keeper of the journal, I hope that sometimes you laughed, and maybe even cried. Please know that you have been in our prayers please remember us in yours. I also ask personally to pray for my cousin Kathy who died from a very short illness with breast cancer, just as we were leaving Rome. Please also pray for the conversion of Turkey….Tonyn
Day 51: Ravenna
We bussed out of Florence at 9:00 AM on our way to Ravenna on the Adriatic side of the Italian peninsula. It was a scenic drive despite the cloud-heavy sky. Occasional flocks of sheep skittered and stone cottages of all shapes and repair were planted throughout the tree-covered Apennine hills. Only about an hour away from Florence in the hills we hit steady snowfall, several inches lying on the ground outside.
Later, we left the snow behind us as we came into the region of Emilia Romagna. We arrived in Ravenna at noon and had Mass immediately, without thinking. (“Immediately, without thinking” is a little catch phrase that has caught on during our trip. In this case though we really did have to have Mass immediately because the church was to close at 12:30.)
Ravenna was described by our guide as a provincial town with a population of about 130, 000. Historically it was a very significant city, being the capital of the Roman Empire after Rome fell. It really does have a nice small-town feel to it. The streets around our hotel are kept up nicely and bicycles seem to be the preferred mode of transportation.
Ravenna is unique in Europe for its 4th and 5th century mosaics. We saw these amazing works in our afternoon tour and in this respect we were jumping backwards about 1000 years from the Renaissance art of our past day’s visits in Florence.
Our first stop was the church of San Vitale from the 6th century. One is immediately impressed by the Byzantine-style mosaics here. On either side of the sanctuary are Old Testament scenes in glass tessera of rich blue and green, one of them ironically of the offerings from Cain and Abel which was our first reading today at Mass. In the apse is a mosaic of a younger portrayal of Christ the Pantocrator.
Following this we visit the tomb of Empress Galla Placidia and the Orthodox Baptistry of Neonian, both also adorned with symbolic mosaics. The tomb of Galla Placidia contains one of St. Lawrence as he is about to accept martyrdom on the fiery grill.
We then walked to the Basilica of Sant Apollinare Nuovo, passing the tomb of the Italian poet Dante Alighieri on our way. Sant Apollinare is the patron of Ravenna and this church was built about the year 500. It was initially an Arian church for around fifty years having been built under the Arian Christian ruler Theodoric the Ostrogoth. We had to board the bus for a fifteen minute drive just out of town in order to see Sant Apollinare in Classe, the other church of the city patron. This church was unbelievably built in fourteen years (535-549) and is the one that holds Apollinare’s bones. The mosaics in these churches are unlike any I have seen elsewhere on the pilgrimage. The colors are fantastic, but in my opinion, it is the attention to detail and the shaping of the figures, which must be so difficult to do in this art form, that makes them so wonderful.
After the tour we had couple hours to spend as we wished before 7:30 dinner at the hotel. We hit the road tomorrow for Padua.
News From The Bus----
Today was Dan’s birthday! Look for him at your local bluegrass venue on his upcoming spring tour.
Take care all – Patrick B
Day 52: Padua
We began our drive to Padua at 8:15. I could see that we were traveling near and up the coast as we passed some little marinas and in fact later we crossed the Po River. Upon arriving in Padua we went straight to the Basilica of San Antonio and had Mass in a small chapel. Of course this was another church to totally blow your mind – beautiful. St. Anthony’s tomb is here and the relic of his tongue, which was found incorrupt as a result of his holy preaching. In his homily, Fr. Peter Damian began with a good story about Italians and their fondness for Anthony. He said that if you ask an Italian if they have sinned against God they would say, “why yes, I am human and I have done wrong before God.” Then you ask if they have sinned against Jesus and they reply the same “yes, yes I have.” Then you ask have they sinned against Mary and they say “well, no I don’t think so, not really.” Finally you ask if they have sinned against San Antonio and they reply “No! Of course not! Never!” Fr. Peter also reminded us of how we need to look to Anthony’s example in the way he loved the poor, the Church, and the Bible.
We did not have a tour of the interior of the basilica but we did learn from our local guide that it was completed in 1310 and is a combination of styles with Romanesque red brick, Gothic windows and arches, and Byzantine domes.
We had then a twenty minute walk to the Scrovegni Chapel which is 700 years old and was originally part of a palace. This chapel is known for its frescoes painted by one of the greatest artists of the time, Giotto.
From the Scrovegni we began about a one-hour walking tour of a section of Padua. This turned out to be one of the more eclectic tours we have had. We saw what is apparently the third most important coffee bar in Italy!? (It apparently was the first coffee bar open 24 hours.) The we came into the area that is part of the university section. Padua has a surprising 64,000 university students. The school is known especially for medicine. As we came to this part of town we saw several students that were being subjected to all sorts of humiliation. Some guys were wearing dresses and being sprayed by others with shaving cream and one girl was wearing a garbage bag for a dress with frightful make-up on her face. As it turns out, these were students that just graduated this week and they have a tradition that at that time they have to endure all of this at the hands of their friends. The closest I could relate this to was pledging my fraternity in college.
We finished our time in Padua with an hour and a half of free time. Then we boarded the bus for a short trip to our hotel just outside of Venice.
News From The Bus-----
Take care and God bless. We will be seeing you soon. Patrick B.
Day 53: Venice
We left our hotel this morning and traveled a short distance to Venice. We arrived at a harbor and waited for a boat to take us to central part of the city. The day was cold, but the sky was without clouds – ideal for pictures!
As we approached Venice, we saw many of its buildings and churches. Once on shore, a local guide met the group and began her tour. Our first destination was Palazzo Ducale. On the way to this palace, we saw San Stae Church, which was where Vivaldi performed. Then we arrived in the Palazzo’s courtyard. The Palazzo Ducale or Doges’ Palace was the residence of the Venetian ruler, the Duke, or Doge (in Italian). This edifice is a gothic masterpiece, huge and overflowing with art. Within the courtyard, one of the highlights was a staircase that contained two giant statues of Mars and Neptune, which symbolize Venice’s power. The Palace’s inside was tremendous. We went through a number of rooms and meeting places. Almost all the ceilings and walls are decorated with gold leaf and beautiful paintings. These works of art feature Christian or mythological themes. Often there were lions in the pictures, which symbolized Venice’s patron, Saint Mark. One of the meeting halls contains Jacopo and Domenico Tintoretto’s Paradise, which is one of the world’s largest paintings, spanning the full width and height of the wall of the great hall – it was huge! We also saw the bridge connecting this palace and Venice’s former prison. The novelist Henry James named this bridge the “Bridge of Sighs.” In this prison, Casanova was imprisoned, but eventually escaped.
After this tour, our guide led us to St. Mark’s. This impressive church has five domes and was built on a Greek cross plan. Its façade is filled with mosaics, marble, and columns. Briefly, we walked through the Church and viewed its tremendous mosaics. The sea has affected the Church’s floor because Venice has been having problems of flooding in recent years. Thus, parts of it look like rolling waves.
After this tour, we had some free time and then enjoyed a fantastic gondola ride. On this trip, we divided into different boats and were led through numerous canals. It was a wonderful way to see the city, many pictures were taken, and a few of the guys even sang! Prior to 1560, we learned that the gondolas used to be decorated elaborately. After the black plague, however, they decided to paint all of them black.
After this tour, we had free time for lunch and visiting the city. Many of the guys enjoyed Piazza San Marco, which is directly in front of the Church. It is filled with shops, restaurants, and pigeons-a-plenty. If you have any bird feed (sold by street vendors), these bold birds will be your friend for a few seconds. They will eat out of your hand, off your body – or even your head! While that may have sounded like an interesting experiment at the time, two people later regretted trying it, as the pigeons are prone to… umm, drop a… uh, a token of their appreciation.
During the free time, guys explored, shopped, and prayed within the various churches in Venice. After this time, we returned to Saint Mark’s for Mass. The chapel we had Mass in held the relics of St. Mark the Evangelist, which was pretty moving and very appropriate for us, since we have been studying the Gospel of Mark on the pilgrimage.
Our day ended with dinner at a local restaurant. Everyone had a wonderful time. After returning to the harbor, we went back to the hotel and prepared for our journey to Milan. Thank you for praying for us, and know that we keep you in our prayers as well!
Day 54: Milan
Today was our last full day in Italy. We left our hotel early and traveled to Milan. After a long bus ride, we arrived in Milan and proceeded to Milan’s Duomo, or Cathedral, which is one of the largest gothic churches in the world. We entered this giant edifice and were led to a private chapel for Mass. After our closing liturgy, we had some free time for lunch and exploration.
After lunch, a bunch of students returned to the Duomo for prayer and reflection. The Duomo had the largest stain glass that I have ever seen. They were tremendous. On a sunny day, they would flood the church with colors. After this free time, we met our local guide at the Duomo. Interior tours of the church were not permitted, so our guide led us around the exterior and lectured on the Duomo. It was begun in the 14th century, but took almost five hundred years to complete because of all the ornate detailing. It has innumerable spires, statues, and even gargoyles. There are fifty-two giant pillars within the church itself. A person could spend years looking at the church’s reliefs, art, and windows.
After our tour of the church, we walked to Castello Sforzesc which was the renaissance palace of Francesco Sforza, a Milan ruler. It is composed of a series of courtyards and was part of the city’s walls. Now, this palace contains art and antiquities. One of the highlights was Michelangelo’s unfinished Rondanini Pieta. This sculpture depicts a standing Virgin holding her dead Son.
After our brief tour of this palace, we traveled to a Dominican monastery to see Leonardo DaVinci’s Last Supper. It was a privilege to see the Last Supper. It has been under restoration for twenty-two years and just made available to the public in 1999. Before going in, we had to go through a decompression-airlock-stabilization vault, much like what I imagine embarking or disembarking from a spaceship would be like. The purpose of this brief excursion through a sci-fi set was to totally control and regulate humidity, temperature and air-quality in the monastery refectory to protect the fresco from deteriorating. DaVinci’s The Last Supper, though, is a treasure and masterpiece. Our guide explained that this picture actually depicts three moments within the Last Supper: Jesus predicting that someone would betray him, Peter asking John to ask Jesus who the betrayer is, and Jesus and Judas just about to share in the same dish at the same time. Jesus is actually unfinished because DaVinci did not think he was worthy to complete him. This experience really was a wonderful way to conclude the pilgrimage.
After this tour of Milan, we went to our hotel and had our last meal together. Then, people prepared for their return flight or extended travel. Overall, the trip was tremendous and an amazing experience. We are filled with gratitude. Thank you for all your prayers.
Day 55: Ciao! Arrivederci…
It is hard to believe, but our long and adventurous journeys are at their end, and it is time for us to bid farewell to Italy and to Europe. At this point, we are filled with many emotions and feelings. While it is hard to reflect on how profound the entire pilgrimage was, we are all so grateful for having decided to come – it is an unforgettable experience which we shall treasure for the rest of our lives.
We are all filled with a profound sense of gratitude. Gratitude to God, to our families, our friends, our benefactors, our professors and seminary staff, and especially we are thankful for those who have prayed for us (those we know as well as those we haven’t yet met). Without a constant stream of prayer support, this pilgrimage would not, and could not have been, as powerful as it was
Yet there is also one person I must single out and mention by name. Jeanne Bruntyn back at the USML has done more work I’m sure than we realize in making this such a successful experience. I can’t even begin to image all the behind-the-scenes work she has done in order to make everything happen, and happen so smoothly. And so Jeanne, with all of our hearts, we thank you!!!! You’re the greatest! (Hey, maybe next year you can secretly add yourself to the pilgrimage list and jump on the plane before anyone realizes you’ve left. Think about it, what better way to coordinate plans than when you are actually there to oversee it! Think about it… don’t worry, we won’t tell Fr. Feeney at all, I promise.)
Anyway, on our last night in Milan after dinner trying to cram all our stuff into our poor suitcases, while trying to make sure they are under the 30 kg limit imposed by the airlines – like trying to stuff two round pegs into a square hole while hoping it weighs no more than one and a half pegs.
After 54 days of traveling and living out of a suitcase, there is the expected sense of weariness, which is also manifested in our luggage… if my suitcase survives, it will be a small miracle, for only one working handle remains, one of the feet has cracked off so that the suitcase is unable to stand on its own power, and each of the two wheels are kinked out at a 45° angle, effectively rendering them useless. Others have similar stories of dead or dying baggage, but varieties of tapes have been employed to patch things up right. But Mark, the outdoorsy fisherman guy, ironically proved himself perhaps to be more domesticated than the rest of us by using three hotel-sized sewing kits to surgically reattach the handles to his duffel bag (Ladies, don’t get overly impressed, it took a few hours and he broke several needles in the process; nonetheless, it was a valiant effort.)
As pitiable as our luggage may be, it is but a minor and laughable burden, so we can justly claim that this pilgrimage has exceeded any and all expectations or hopes we had at the outset. We have seen so many things, encountered so much, and experienced even more, that it is so very difficult to put how we feel into words. This 55-day long journal is an attempt, albeit a somewhat feeble one, to share with you experiences beyond number, experiences for which mere words cannot justly or adequately convey.
Despite this, one thing is certain – through the Holy Spirit, the grace of God the Father has drawn us so much closer to Jesus Christ.
We have walked in the footsteps
of St. Paul,
We have read the writings of
Paul,
We have touched the very
foundations of the early Church,
We have prayed at the tombs of
saints and apostles,
We have prayed for friends,
family and benefactors,
We have journeyed together for
eight weeks,
We have shared our hearts with
each other,
We have laughed and joked around,
We have grown in ways we don’t
yet know,
We have tried to love and follow
the Lord,
We have visited the house of our
Blessed Mother Mary,
We have come before Pope John
Paul II,
We have shared in the Holy
Eucharist,
We have met the Holy Spirit alive in the Church…
We have met God the Father in our life of prayer…
We have met Christ our Lord in
the Eucharist, in one another,
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit,
As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end.
Amen!
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