Day 43:  Rome:  A Holy Day of No Obligation

Today was a very blessed day for us, and again borrowing lingo from Steve’s days with NET Ministries, it was a “holy day of no obligation.”  Many people slept in, and people did all kinds of things.  Working on papers was a popular choice, especially as we have only one more week in Rome, and things are coming due. 

Following how our earlier no obligation day was described in this journal, I thought I’d ask people how they spent their day, and find out what their highlights were.

• Mariusz and Brendan went on a church-hopping spree in the area around the Pantheon.

• Pat and Angelo attended at Mass at St. Ann’s, which is a church inside Vatican territory, and then they went to the Angelus at noon in St. Peter’s Square and heard the Pope greet pilgrims from his balcony.

• Glen, Anthony, Zach and Hector slept in, then devoted the day to writing papers.  Not the most exciting thing in the world, but at least it someone had a productive day.

• Bob attended Mass at St. Susanna parish, which parish for people from the United States in Rome.  Then he went to the Comboni Missionaries, a religious order from Africa which is named after an African bishop who founded the order and now is up for canonization.  (The bishop, that is, not Bob.  Sorry, I just wanted to avoid any confusion or possible misunderstanding.  Any beatification process of Bob the Bald cannot begin until after he is dead.)

• Matt, Tony and Ric went out shopping for clerical clothes.  And they stopped for gelato twice.  But it was okay because they walked a lot.

• Steve went to St. Bartholomew’s Church and ended up attending Mass twice: the first was actually an Armenian Orthodox Liturgy, and the second was a very lively youth Mass.  Both were very cool, although at the first one the only words I understood were “Kyrie eleison,”  “Amen,”  “Christos,”  and “Alleluia.” 

• Jacek went to Mass at the Casa, and other than that, slept all day.

• Hector, Hugo, Fabian and José went to St Peter’s Square for the Angelus by the led by the Pope.  They said that after the prayer, a big bunch of people started up a circular folk dance, and people from all over joined in.

• Fr. Peter Damian’s highlight was running into Bob three times.*  After all, three is a good Biblical number.

• Hoang, Vu, Khue, Ignacio, Marek and Angelo went to a football game of a local Roman team.  But it must’ve been the weirdest football game ever because it ended up in a 2 – 2 tie.  If neither team could put together a running game or passing offense, then I guess they both deserve to lose.  Even with both defenses claiming a safety, there’s still not much for them to brag about.  I guess the fledgling European Football League has a long way to go.  Maybe Brett Favre could retire here and hold quarterback clinics like they do for junior high kids.

• Mark, Sunny, and Dan went to the North American College for Mass and had lunch with their diocesan seminary brothers there.  After lunch, Sunny was out on the town and ran into Mel Gibson with one of his sons in the Piazza Navone.  Turns out he is in town working on a movie project.

          * this information was reported by Bob.

Day 44:  Rome:  Meeting with Congregation for the Sacred Liturgy

While the afternoon consisted of the normal routine for lunch, classes and Mass, this morning offered us another visit to one of the dicastery offices of the Roman Curia: the dicastery of the Congregation for the Sacred Liturgy.  We were escorted into a meeting room large enough to accommodate our group, and two American priests who work in the office greeted us and began to speak with us about this arm of the Vatican (the word “dicastery” has the same root word as “arm”).  We heard a bit about the functions and roles of the CSL, we were treated to a special visit from the prefect of the CSL, Cardinal Arinze.  He was pleased to meet a large group of seminarians from the United States, a group that also reflected a variety of cultures: Chicago natives, Nigerian, Polish, Hispanic, Vietnamese, Filipino, and Texan.  The Cardinal talked to us about the primacy of Sacred Liturgy in the life of the priest.  The Liturgy should be like water, he said, so that priests relish it, thirst for it, and drink it up, so that we live it and love it.  As Vatican II taught us, the Sacred Liturgy is the source and summit of our faith.  Cardinal Arinze also said the Liturgy is like fire, in that it allows us to live, and whatever is touched by it is transformed and changed.  He almost came close to plagiarizing one of Fr. Canary’s favorite sayings: “stay close to the fire.”  It was a very enjoyable visit, and we were all very impressed with Cardinal Arinze’s warmth, friendliness, candor, and hospitality.

After this, we had a bit of free time before we had to return to the Casa for lunch.  Some guys mailed postcards to family and friends, others prayed in St. Peter’s, and some browsed in the religious stores, and some went back to the Casa to get an extra hour in the computer lab before lunch.  The afternoon was pretty typical: lunch, two classes, and then evening prayer and Mass. 

During the evenings of our first two weeks in Rome would often be social, with guys playing cards or dominoes in the rec hall, some going out for gelato, or watching some TV.  However, since this is our last week in Rome, papers are due, so the pressure is on to get the work done.

As we continue our pilgrimage, please keep us in prayer, and we will do the same for you.  Pray also for peace!

           -- spb.

Day 45:  Rome, Private Audience with the Pope!

Today was a pilgrimage highlight!  Just as we had been instructed by the phone call we had received from the Vatican the evening before, we arrived at the bronze doors in St. Peter’s Square at 10:15 in the morning and waited to be admitted into the Papal residence, the Apostolic Palace. 

After about twenty minutes, the Swiss Guards and security gave us the signal, and we followed about seventy Franciscan Friars from Poland up several marble staircases, lined with stain glass, and down several corridors.  (The audience would include both of our groups.)  We eventually entered a large room decorated by Frescos, walls and ceiling both, depicting scenes from the life of Pope Clement VIII.  The rest of the space was covered with marble.

After waiting for a while, the Holy Father entered from a door in the back of the room.  Everyone stood up and applauded, and the Franciscans sang a traditional Polish hymn.  First John Paul II greeted the Franciscans, addressed them and spoke to them about the spirituality of St. Francis (in Polish).  Then he briefly offered a word of welcome to us.  He looked strong and his speech was clear and warm. 

After his address the Franciscans each greeted the Pope and kissed his ring, and when they had finished, it was our turn.  While we walked up in a line to greet him, we sang a few hymns, like “Immaculate Mary,”  “Ad Multos Annos,”  and “Confitemini Domino.”  The last was sung in Taizé style, and the marble walls amplified the sound, increasing its richness and vibrancy.  Then, when the talented singers of our group began singing in different harmonies, it was enough to move us to tears.  It was thus that we greeted the Holy Father.

Each of us came before the Pope, knelt down, kissed his ring, and received a rosary from him.  Prior to greeting him, we were instructed not to speak to the Pope unless he initiated conversation.  He did not exchange any words with us, but did gaze into our eyes.  It was a solemn, prayerful, and wonderful experience.  Everyone was thrilled and filled with gratitude.  It was an honor to meet John Paul II, the man whom Christ has chosen to represent Him on earth.

After this experience, we traveled back to the residence for lunch, class, and Mass.  In his course, Father Mike spoke on the sacrament of reconciliation. In the Pauline class, Father Peter lectured on Paul and original sin. At night, many students took their oral exam or wrote papers.  But we still felt the emotional and spiritual high.

Thank you so much for your continued prayer, and while you continue to pray for us, and for peace in the world, we also pray for you.

Day 46:  Rome… our last full day there!

Today was our last full day in Rome.  In the morning, we had our last visit to one of the Vatican’s congregations, which was the congregation of Catholic Education, which also includes seminary formation and education.  The congregation’s location was next to Saint Peter’s square, so when we arrived at the office and were brought into their conference room, we had a great view of St. Peter’s Square. 

Their bishop, Most Rev. Joseph Pittau, welcomed and spoke with us.  He gave a wonderful and inspiring address.  Bishop Pittau spoke about the pillars of priestly formation: human, academic, spiritual, pastoral, and presbyteral.  He said that the priest must be cheerful, warm, and able to converse with people.  Furthermore, the priest must study.  The modern world and parishioners have many questions that require intelligent answers.  The priest must also be a man of prayer.  The bishop explained that as soon as a priest enters a parish, he must decide what time to get up and go to bed.  He shared that he goes to bed at 10:00 p.m. and gets up at 4:00 a.m.  With this schedule, he said that he has been able to develop his prayer life and remain faithful to the Liturgy of the Hours.  Also, the bishop emphasized the community of diocesan priests.  Even though diocesan priests do not live in community, they must support and encourage each other.  Furthermore, they must learn to practice the art of fraternal correction.  Overall, the bishop was convincing and edifying in his talk.  Afterwards some seminarians said that they were inspired to be great priests. 

Throughout these congregation visits (this was our fourth), we have met many of the Church’s leaders.  And after these experiences, I am convinced that the Catholic Church is in good hands.

After this visit, we returned to the residence. Father Mike continued to lecture on the sacrament of reconciliation.  In our class on Mark’s Gospel, Father McIlhone spoke on the passion and resurrection narratives.  Tomorrow, we conclude our classes, and leave Rome to travel to Assisi. Please keep us in your prayers.