Day 29:  Rome:  Good Castles and Good Spirits

Today we had an excursion to some of the areas in the hill country around the region of Rome.  We visited the Pope’s summer residence of Castle Gandolfo in the Alban Hills situated above Lake Albano, as well as the picturesque village of Nemi, the wine region of Frascati, and a monastery in Grottoferrata, before we drove back to Rome for dinner in a downtown restaurant.  Even though we never had more than a one hour drive from one place to the next, we ended up having a very full day – full in more ways than one (read on and you’ll understand) –  before we returned to our Casa a little after 10 pm. 

Our morning departure led us through the heavy Roman traffic into the surrounding countryside as we began to ascend the Alban hills, a very scenic drive.  We disembarked near the top, as far as tour buses were permitted, and walked the remaining half a kilometer.  (As you can tell, after several weeks in Europe we are becoming more bilingual, learning how to speak metric… today was also a very pleasant 17 degrees.)  Castle Gandolfo up in the cooler Alban Hills is owned by the Vatican, purchased from an aristocratic family a few centuries ago, and is used as a summer residence for the Holy Father.  Rome gets very hot in July and August, as anyone who was at World Youth Day in 2000 can attest – easily in the mid-30’s (about 95 to 100, not counting humidity).  The castle grounds are generally closed, except to special visitors.  But we walked all around it, counting its ramparts.  There is a quaint village ringing the estate, and a plaza that has the balcony from which the Pope greets the small crowds that visit in the summer.

Next we drove to Nemi, a very picturesque village built on the side of the hills overlooking the valley and Albano Lake below.  When I was a kid I think my family may have assembled a 2500-piece jigsaw puzzle of this village.  Anyway, we had some free time to wander its streets, enjoy some gelato (Italian ice cream… yummy) and buy a few postcards. 

Our next destination was lunch in the lush vineyards of the Frascati region, softly rolling plains which look up to the Albans.  Lunch was served in a large farmhouse converted into a restaurant.  What followed was the best and most grand meal we’ve yet had in Italy:  a six-course meal spanning more than two and a half hours, necessitating four forks, two spoons, two knives, and what could be the best white wine in Italy.  I guess you could say that our spirits of the pilgrimage were good today.

[Editor’s note: before you throw a penalty flag for “unnecessary use of puns,” remember that if you didn’t hear it from me, my brothers at USML would surely have heard it from Fr. Feeney.  If anything, you should thank me for depriving him of pun ammo.]

After lunch finally ended, we took some time to stroll the grounds around the restaurant, admire the beautiful vineyards, feel the sun’s warmth, and let our meal settle.  Then we rode the bus through the area to the town of Frascati, where we walked through the cobblestone streets to the local Cathedral, where we prepared to celebrate Mass.  After Mass we saw that the town was beginning preparations to celebrate Mardi Gras, or Carneval, as Europeans call it.  Children were dressed in beautiful costumes, street musicians performed on the street corner, and star-shaped confetti had settled between the bricks of the cobblestone streets.

We had one final stop before we returned to Rome: the Abbey San Nilo of Grottoferrata.  This monastery was built in the 11^th century by St. Nilo, who was already quite elderly when he began construction, which was completed by St. Bartholomew.  The most interesting fact about the monastery here is that the monks while being Greek Orthodox, are in full communion with Rome.  They celebrate liturgy according to their original Orthodox rite.  The basilica-church of the monastery had the icon screen (an Iconostasis) separating the sanctuary from the rest of the church, which had elaborate mosaics covering much of the floor space.

By the time we finished our tour, it was just past seven, and time to board our bus back to Rome.  Our tour guide had told us that he was taking us to dinner in at a restaurant in the heart of Rome, near the Pantheon.  Most of us were not hungry after our magnificent lunch, and a few bowed out to return to our Casa early.  What awaited us at the restaurant stunned us: elegantly-decorated tables featuring placesettings containing more silverware than the utensil drawer in my college apartment.  It was yet another four-fork meal!  Most mortal men are not capable of eating two such meals in one day.  I ate small portions of everything that was placed before us, and it was very good, but the waiters must’ve thought we were terribly snobbish because we were just not eating much at all.  Our tour guide explained the situation to them.  Nevertheless, I think I may need a bigger belt after today.

-- spb.

Day 30:  Rome:  just classes

Today had nothing official planned other than normal afternoon classes.  We generally have classes after lunch because many churches, sites, and stores close in the afternoon for a long lunch and siesta.  This leaves us free to explore Rome at our leisure in the mornings when classes are in the afternoon.  People do a variety of things in these free mornings: visiting churches, visiting historical or touristy sites, writing postcards, sleeping late (especially those who are trying to overcome a sinus cold which has caught some of us), or going shopping. 

That last activity needs a bit of clarification.  We seminarians generally don’t get all worked up about fashions, clothing, etc.  Well, at least not clothing in the normal sense – give us a clean shirt, pants, and shoes, we’re good to go; and if they match, bonus.  But when seminarians go shopping, it’s often for priestly vestments or chalices.  Lots of window shopping there.  There is a section of Rome where the big window displays feature mannequins posing in nuns habits or in various clerical attire.  Only in Rome.

Typical afternoons consist of lunch at one, our first class at two, a second class at 3:30, and Mass at 5:30.  One of our classes is the Gospel of Mark, another is on Celebrating Liturgy in the Parish, and the third is, appropriately enough, the Footsteps of Paul.  Which classes we have when varies depending on the day of the week, and whether or not we have other excursions planned. 

Tonight one of the TV stations in Rome was rebroadcasting the Superbowl.  Some of us, myself included, tried very hard to avoid hearing about the result from those who went on line to see who won.  We wanted to watch the game and enjoy it for ourselves, but alas, it was not to be so -- the cable TV station that showed the game was not one of the ones that the place we are staying subscribes to, so all we saw was scrambled fuzz and occasional shadows of a football game.  For the Italian monks here, it wasn’t an issue at all because they don’t understand the word “football.”  No matter how I tried to describe it, they would nod their head and say, “si, signore… soccer.”

-- spb.

Day 31:  Rome:  A Prince, a Pope, and a Pinhead

Despite some basic early-morning drowsiness that accompanies a 6:15 a.m. departure time, spirits were generally high (they would have been better had the bus not caused undue consternation by being late).  We were going to begin our day with Mass in the crypt chapel of the tomb of “the Prince of the Apostles” beneath St. Peter’s Basilica.  We entered the Basilica right at 7, and even though I’ve been there several times already, I was struck by a sense of awe and sanctity of the massive church.  This early in the morning, there was not the constant buzz of tourists or pilgrim groups.  Our three priests went into the sacristy, and while we waited, I admired the silence.  In that moment I could almost hear the Communion of Saints adoring our Lord Jesus with reverent awe, present through the many statues and paintings.

Soon Fathers Peter Damian, Mike and Jim emerged from the sacristy and we processed down into the crypt chapel.  Behind the altar of the chapel you can see the place where the relics of St. Peter are held beneath the high altar.  The ceiling down there is low and arched, so acoustically sound travels further, and our songs and prayers seemed louder than normal.  A brief note about our singing: many times we keep it simple, singing familiar or standard hymns or chants, but with an increased frequency of particular hymns appearing in a smaller rotation, the guys who are musically gifted sing in different harmonies, very inspiring even as the last echoed note fades.

The Gospel reading at Mass today was Matthew 14:22-33, in which Jesus walks on the water to catch up to the Apostles traveling by boat across the Sea of Galilee.  The apostles are initially afraid, and Simon Peter says, “If it is you, Lord, command me to come to you on the water.”  Jesus tells Peter, “come,” and at first Peter begins to walk on the water, but starts to sink when he got distracted by the strong wind.  Fr. Peter Damian urged us to always keep our eyes fixed intently on the Lord, and then we can do, as St. Paul says, “all things in Christ who strengthens me.”

After Mass, we had a brief break before re-gathering for a tour of the underground excavations beneath St. Peter’s Basilica, the Scavi Tour.  Excavations and archaeological digs began in 1939, but were mostly done in the 1950’s.  The current Basilica is built on the site where the Roman Emperor Constantine began building a basilica over the tomb of Peter to honor the Prince of the Apostles, in the early 4^th century after he legalized Christianity. 

Through our Tradition and history, we know that St. Peter was crucified upside down after the year 64 AD.  The Emperor Nero had set fire to Rome accused the Christians of setting the fire, and then began to persecute them (Nero conveniently claimed the burned land as his own to build himself a nice estate.)  Both St. Paul and St. Peter were martyred during this time of persecution.  (More on St. Paul in Day 22.)  Peter was crucified upside down and buried in a cemetery.  The excavations found many graves and family tombs from the cemetery, and we saw some of them which were still in remarkably good shape.  The excavations also discovered a monument that had been built over Peter’s tomb to identify it and honor it  Some of the nearby graves belonged to other early Popes who were also martyred, and suitably buried near the first Pope. 

The Emperor Constantine built his basilica over the monument at the site of Peter’s grave.  In the 1500’s when construction of the current St. Peter’s Basilica began, the current high altar was placed directly above it.  The excavations beneath found the grave, and revealed that next to his tomb was a wall covered with graffiti, mostly prayers asking for Peter’s intercession.  But one inscription stood out:  “Peter is here.”  Within the wall bones were found, which were scientifically tested.  They belonged to a man of about 70, strongly built, and date to the first century AD.  There are also a number of other significant pieces of information that testify to the bones belonging to Peter, too many to take the time to list here.  But the evidence is very strong that, yes, the main altar of St. Peter’s Basilica is indeed directly above where our first Pope was buried.  It was really quite amazing to see how the most modern scientific techniques corroborate what we already believe by faith.  Every one of us was very impressed with the whole tour and the very knowledgeable guides.

In the afternoon, we returned back to our place here for classes.  Lest we fall into the notion that Simon Peter was perfect, we studied Mark 8 in detail, and saw how much of a pinhead Peter could sometimes be.  He was very well-intentioned, but sometimes he had the wrong idea and just didn’t get what Christ was really about.  The good news here is two-fold:  first, this was the pre-Pentecost Peter, before he was filled with the Holy Spirit; and second, it is comforting to think that if someone as pinheaded as Peter could become a holy saint, then maybe there’s hope for me too.  Furthermore, despite Peter’s shortcomings, Christ entrusted him with the Keys of the Kingdom.  Therefore we future priests need not fear our own weaknesses, for Christ will use them to His own advantage.

 -- spb.

Day 32:  Rome:  General Audience II, the sequel

Around 8:30 a.m., the group left our residence and took the metro to Saint Peter’s.  We arrived in the Vatican and walked, through a cold rain, to the Paul VI auditorium.  The purpose of our travel was to attend another general audience with the Pope.  We had returned for a second time, because some papal authorities had told us that we could take a group picture with the Pope after the ceremony.  We made our way through Swiss guards and metal detectors and found our seats.  After waiting for around an hour and a half, the Holy Father made his entrance onto the stage, accompanied by applause, cheering, and many, many flashes. 

The structure was similar to last week (see day 25).  The Pope gave a brief lecture, which focused on Wisdom 9:1-11.  Then priests, who represented people of different languages, introduced the various groups.  Often, when a group of pilgrims is announced, they stand and sing a song to the Pope.  Knowing this from our first visit, we decided to sing Ad Multos Annos, a favorite among Mundelein students.  The whole ceremony lasted for around an hour, with many groups being introduced. 

When the introductions of groups were all completed, a guard escorted us to the stage to take a picture with the Successor of Peter.  The guard stationed us behind his chair and we waited while the Pope greeted individuals.  From this vantage point, we could not see the Pope’s face, but did watch the expressions of people as they approached the Vicar of Christ.  Many did not come with a look of fear, nervousness, or respect – the majority had love behind their eyes.  Eventually, the guard signaled for us to encircle the Pope’s chair. While we posed for pictures, the Holy Father put his hand on Sunny’s head!  It was great!  Sunny said that he felt like he was visiting with his grandfather. 

After this short and sweet experience, we left the auditorium and made our way back to the residence.  The rest of the afternoon was normal.  We had our classes and celebrated the Liturgy.  Fr. Mike gave us a quiz and lectured on the Easter Vigil.  Fr. Peter Damian lectured us on Pauline Christology and Soteriology.  We will never forget this day.

Please continue to pray for us!

Day 33:  Rome:  classes

Today we had a normal class schedule with no official tours or trips planned.  In the morning, we had free time. While in the afternoon and evening, we had classes and the Liturgy.  During our free time, some students decided to take it easy and recover from a busy week.  Others went out into Rome.  Khue visited a friend from Vietnam who is studying here.  A few seminarians went to the Basilica of St. John Lateran, the Pope’s cathedral church, which is around a twenty minute train ride from our residence. Originally, Constantine built St. John Lateran in the fourth century.  In the nave, it has some tremendous statues of the twelve apostles.  Saint John’s does not receive as much attention as Saint Peter’s, thus, it is a wonderful place to pray. 

In our first class, Fr. Mike discussed the RCIA and infant baptism. In our course on Mark’s Gospel, Fr. McIlhone lectured on the Gospel’s 10^th chapter. 

Throughout our stay in Rome, one of the students favorites has been the ice cream or gelato. A person can buy one for around 1 euro. The ice cream is soft, creamy, and rich.  You can not find anything like it in the U.S. 

Everyone is looking forward to our tour tomorrow of the Vatican Museum. Please continue to pray for us.

Day 34:  The Vatican Museum, the Sistine Chapel, and the C.D.F.

This morning we arrived at the Vatican Museum at around nine.  Our guide brought us to an outdoor courtyard, which contains diagrams of Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel and the Last Judgment, which are both in the Vatican Museum.  He gave us a brief history and told us some interesting stories about the paintings.  For instance, he said that Michelangelo first painted the scenes of Noah on the Sistine Chapel and then the pictures from the Creation Account.  Within the scenes of Noah, the figures are much smaller compared to the rest of the painting.  Our guide explained that Michelangelo did not know how the figures would look until they took down the initial scaffolding after he completed the Noah scenes.  Then he realized that he had to paint the figures much larger to be adequately visible from the floor. 

After this lecture, we visited several different parts of the Museum, saving the Sistine Chapel for our last stop.  We saw numerous marble classical statues, such as the famous statue of Laocoon and his sons, which depicts a scene from Virgil’s Aeneid.  We walked through the Gallery of Maps, filled with ancient maps and tapestries.  Then, we arrived at the Raphael rooms.  In these four rooms, Raphael painted or designed the paintings, which decorate the walls.  These four rooms, originally a papal residence, contain the School of Athens and the Disputation of the Eucharist.  Finally, we arrived at the Sistine Chapel, which was tremendous.  In the chapel, we had twenty minutes to view the famous scenes.  It was amazing to be in the place where the Church has chosen and will choose the Vicar of Christ when all the Cardinals gather here to elect the next pope.  After we left, everyone had a sore neck.

When we left the museum, we went to Saint Peter’s for a tour of the basilica.  Our guide provided some of Saint Peter’s history, dimensions, and interesting stories.  When a person is inside the Basilica, they do not realize how large it is.  Within the nave, there exist markings on the floor to show how the world’s major churches compare in size to Saint Peter’s.  The marking for Saint Patrick’s Cathedral in New York is quite a bit smaller!  Our guide also told us an interesting story about the Pieta, which resides inside St. Peter’s, just to the left when you enter.  He said that Michelangelo went to the Jewish Ghetto to find an appropriate face for Christ.  Also, he used a face of young nun for the Virgin.  Within the Basilica, we also stood on the stone where Charlemagne was crowned emperor in the year 800. 

After our tour of the church, we went to eat lunch.  After an hour and a half of free time, we met again for a tour of the Vatican offices of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, which is headed by Cardinal Ratzinger.  Two American priests greeted us, gave us a brief introduction to the functions of this office and answered our questions.  The offices like the CDF enable the Pope to function, allowing him to host things like general audiences instead of being bogged down by paperwork, meetings, and administration.  Basically, the main purpose of the CDF is to issue teachings on faith and morals and monitor issues of morality in various parts of the world (like keeping up on the debates on the issue of cloning).  They are also involved in some disciplinary matters and investigate mystical occurrences or miraculous phenomena.  With the latter topic, they could only speak about the cases that CDF has already issued a public statement on.  Overall, it was a great presentation!

After our tour, we returned to the residence for dinner.

Please continue to pray for us!