Felix Roma Part 1 – Rome Sweet Home?

Feb3

True enough, it has been a while since I have written. I made a resolution that I would not write on the blog during the first semester of my studies in order to get my schedule in order. Now, the semester is over and I hope to write during this week of break and also post once a week, on Wednesdays, during the coming semester.

Some of you know that I have moved from the little city of Madison, WI, USA to the great Eternal City of Rome.

Some people would call it Rome, Italy but that is a little farce put on in order to fit this city into the contemporary structure of modern Europe. True enough, Rome is on the Italian Peninsula but it would be a grand mistake to place this city in the minimalist structures of mere geography. The ancient Empire has drawn the nations into itself. It speaks every language and holds every culture. A number of titanic fools like Garibaldi and Victor Emmanuel had the hubris to reduce this city to the capital of Italy – a farce of a nation and cruel joke to all who live here.

Rome is much older than Italy or Italians. . . or Americans or Germans or Indians or Nigerians or Argentinians or whatever. She is a city that brooks no masters and will have no lords. She is a monster, beautiful to behold but deadly to embrace. She is born out of the blood of fratricide and the lust for power. Rome will always have this history and nothing can change it. (I will explain all this in future post

This is where I live – Rome. Officially I reside at the Casa Santa Maria. The Casa part of the Pontifical North American College – NAC for short. Now, when most people hear ‘NAC’ they either think nothing or they think the seminary built near the Vatican. Fair enough. Technically speaking the NAC consists of the Casa Santa Maria, the Seminary and the Casa O’Toole. The NAC is owned by the Unites States Conference of Catholic Bishops and governed by a Board of Directors.

The Casa Santa Maria is the house for American priests in graduate studies in Rome. This is where I and 70 other priests live. The Casa is found at Via dell’Umilta 30 in Rome, one block away from the Trevi Fountain, three blocks away from the Pantheon and right next door to the Basilica of the Twelve Apostles, where the relics of Sts. Simon and James the Less are buried.

I attend classes at the Pontifical Athaneum of Sant’Anselmo, which is the Benedictine university in Rome and is found on the Aventine Hill. Sant’Anselmo is home to the Pontifical Institute for Liturgy (PIL) where I am enrolled in the Propedeutic Year (a fancy term for studying Latin and Greek all day, every day) with an eye towards one day obtaining a Doctorate in Sacred Liturgy (S.L.D.)

Every morning I wake up at 4:30 am, get cleaned up, say Mass in our beautiful chapel, make my holy hour, eat breakfast and then take the bus to school.

Chapel at the Casa Santa Maria

On the way to school I pass by the house where St. Paul lived when he was under house arrest in Rome, the Piazza Venezia, the Roman Forum, the Colesseum, the Palatine Hill and the Circus Maximus. The bus stops at the base of the Aventine Hill and I walk up the old neighborhood of the Roman senators and patricians which is now a very beautiful and quiet place that is home to many embassies, fine hotels and fairly wealthy Roman residents.

Sant’Anselmo

After morning class I walk home down the Tiber river past many beautiful, though less historic, things. Lunch is at 1:00 pm after which I make some devotions and then do homework for a bit. I exercise for a hour in the mid-afternoon and resume study when I am cleaned up – this really helps falling asleep during language drills.

My books

I do my evening prayers at 6:00 pm and have dinner at 7:00 pm. After dinner is time to email, check news, write on the blog, Skype, read – try to act like a normal person. On Thursday evenings I head up the the Seminary, on Friday evenings I have my Circle and the weekends are various depending.

Some of the men in my Circle for priests

This is my life. This is how I live it and where I live it. I live in Rome.

To be sure, Rome is NOT home and never will be. I am squarely and American and clearly a son of Wisconsin and love no place on earth better than in front of my parents little house in my little hometown in the middle of nowhere that anyone cares about. Nothing will ever change that. I love home with all my heart and I miss my family and my friends more than I can say – I love you all and always will.

But I live in Rome. I don’t live in Madison or Waunakee or Prairie du Sac, I live in Rome. I don’t live in Italy (I will explain that later also) I live in Rome.

I did not choose this, I don’t really understand it but I love it.

I also hate it. You can’t love Rome if you don’t hate it. This is a city at war with its very self and has been ever since the Blood of the Savior came to and conquer the evil of the empire. Rome’s masters and lords are long dead and the empire they ruled has been divided up among many lesser lords. There are no Romans, no such person exists anymore. O, there are people who live in Rome, people who were born and raised in Rome, but there are no more Romans. Too many Goths and Visigoths and French and Austrians and Tuscans and Sardinians and Germans and Americans have come through and raped and pillaged and conquered. There are many crumbly bits and dead monuments to Imperial Rome and the ancient Romans. There is even a gaudy monument to a pretender Rome and fake Romans. But not the real thing.

It is an insane city, governed by a corrupt and inept political class and inhabited by people who simply don’t care, so long as the tourists (be they the powerful or the ordinary) come and spend their money and stay out of certain restaurants. This makes for an insane city where the amazing is simple but the ordinary is nearly impossible and so, if you don’t hate Rome it means you know nothing about Rome and only pay attention to the glitter and the sugar.

If you don’t love Rome it means you do not love Rome nor do you know anything about her for she is home to such wonders of the sanctity and theology and philosophy and art and architecture and music and history and wonder and awe.

This is where I live. I am so immensely privileged and wouldn’t wish this on anyone. I love it hear and never want to leave but I also hate it hear and cannot wait to get out.

I live in Rome.

More to come, if you care to read it.

Blessed are the Peacemakers

Sep9

I write this as I watch the Holy Father’s vigil of prayer for peace and after making a long and rather hot pilgrimage around the city of Siena fasting and praying in union with the intentions of His Holiness, Francis, Vicar of Christ, father of princes and kings.

Certainly this was a great thing requested by Pope Francis and it seems to have moved many around the world. We will see what fruit is born according to the grace of God and the will of the kings of this world. Perhaps all out war and the mindless death and destruction that comes with it will be avoided.

However, I think the Holy Father has something more than simply avoiding the bombing of Syria. His words seem to point to that, the six-point plan for peace released by the Holy See seems to point to that and our Lord Jesus seems to point to that.

For Jesus said, “blessed are the peacemakers” not “blessed are the peace talkers.”

Perhaps the death that is all-out war will be avoided. Bloodshed will not. In Syria, in Egypt, in Iraq, in Lebanon and multiple other places in the world, blood will still be shed. Christians in those lands have been, and will continue to be, marginalized, intimidated, beaten, tortured, raped and killed. Oddly enough, this has only increased since the so-called ‘Arab Spring’ and the rise of purported democracy in those lands.

So, if there is no air-strike on Syria, will there be peace? Hardly.

His Holiness Pope Paul VI famously said at the United Nations, ‘no more war, never again war.’ Pope Francis repeated it tonight in his feverino at the Vigil. It is a moving phrase, it has become a famous phrase. It is also a false hope.

“There will be wars and rumors of wars, but that will not be the end.” These of words of the God-man Jesus Christ, recorded in the Gospel according to St. Matthew. ‘There will be wars’ says Our Lord. No Christian can believe that there will never again be war. I know that Pope Paul VI was speaking to a crowd of many people who were non-belivers and it was the right message to deliver to the kings of the earth who will always be ready to kill for power and wealth.

But it is not a phrase for Christians. For Christians is: blessed are the poor in spirit, the meek, those who mourn, the pure of heart, those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, those who are rejoice in being persecuted because of the name of Jesus.

The West is falling. All the haughty and decadent princes of the U.N., the G-20 or whatever other incarnation they take, are lesser sons of greater fathers who inherited the greatest civilization ever to exist and turned into a plaything for greed, lust and envy. Neither they nor their subjects rally to be meek or to mourn. Oh, they love, ‘no more war’ but will never attain it because they do not, they cannot understand true peace as they sit on piles of so much gold like a million Smaug’s, thinking the wasteland around them is peace and and ignorant that their greed has led no a fatal weakness

And what about us? What about me? When was the last time I rejoiced in persecution? When did I last make peace? And with whom? Perhaps we too have been fools, believing in the fools gold of no more war and thus missing the pathway to making peace because we simply want to ask for peace. Thus, the selfish decadence of the black West grows apace even as it consumes itself in financial ruin and demographic suicide. “You say, ‘peace, peace’ but there is no peace.”

Why is it so hard not find a way to help persecuted Christians? St. Paul writes, ‘do good to all, especially those in the household of faith.’ The Christians in Syria, Egypt, Palestine, etc. they are other ones who can bring peace to those places not the vain masters of the West. They can thirst for justice, they can mourn, they can forgive, they can serve, they can rejoice in persecution in those places. They can celebrate the Mass and bring Jesus Christ into that place.

What is the way to peace? Jesus.

What did He ask us to do? “Go therefore and teach all nations, baptizing them in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” How shall we go and teach? “Do this in memory of me.” “Seek you first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness.” “The Son of man came to serve not to be served.” “I was hungry and you gave me to eat, thirsty and you gave me to drink, naked and you clothed me, lonely and imprisoned and you visited me.”

“I am the way, the truth and the life.” The most moving thing of the night was seeing the Pope kneeling before the Jesus. There are many things to do but here is where it starts. Starts, not finished, there is much to do. But if it doesn’t start here is will always fail.

‘But what if people don’t want to start here, what if they do not, cannot, believe in Jesus?’ Then there will be no peace of any sort whatever. Indeed, the same Jesus said, “you will be hated by all on account of my Name.” And, “Do you think I have come to bring peace? No I tell you, not peace but the sword. From now on a house will be set, two against three and three agains two.”

Do you want world peace? You will never have it and worse, you are serving a false god.

Do you want every soul to serve Jesus Christ? That can happen, at the end of all things, that will happen. This, and this alone, will give the human heart peace.

“Blessed are the peacemakers, they shall be called the children of God.”

Jesus, have mercy on me a sinner.

I Listened to my Mother

Aug18

The last week or so has been extremely frustrating to say the least with delays in shipping, lack of sleep and delay in Italian study.

But, my parents have been the best. My dad has been doing yeoman’s work in getting my shipping situation worked out. It isn’t finished yet but we are moving forward. I am very lucky to have a Dad who always looks out for me and shows me what it is to work hard for people who are not yourself.

But sleepless nights – the worst form of jet-lag I’ve every had – combined with this frustration and delay have made the days difficult. So when I was on the phone with my parents on Friday, my Dad worked hard for me and was most reassuring. My Mom was extremely cheerful and encouraging as she could tell how frustrated I was. At the time I didn’t take it well. I’m sorry Mom, as usual, you were right.

In short she said, ‘go out, visit the saints, have a little gelato and read a book, let St. Aloysius be a friend since everyone else is away.’ I listened but was hardly receptive and she took all my angst with maternal cheer and showed me a lot of love.

When I woke up on Saturday morning, which is to say when I got out of bed around 6:45 since I woke up at 1:05 and couldn’t fall asleep the rest of the night, which has been par for the course. I was ornery, upset and rather down to say the least.

First, I chatted via Skype with one of the most beautiful women in the world. I am lucky to know her and she always brightens my day. I told her about my chat with my parents and she too encouraged me to take Mom’s advice and so I started the day. I was tired and irritable but off I went for the morning routine. It was slow to say the least but after the usual morning I decided I would heed my Mother and go out.

The day was getting hot and was still feeling annoyed and frustrated with life and because of the heat I decided to go incognito, that is to say I wore the black shoes, black pants and light blue polo. I bought a couple of new polo shirts before I left, the first time in 4 years, and boy they make these things out of some funky stuff, very light and cool which was so helpful. Thus clad I went out int the Roman morning about 10:30 and headed to St. Peter’s so I could go to Confession, it was time to unload some spiritual weight.

Speaking of weight, I’ve dropped about 7 pounds since I’ve been in Rome, the great effectiveness of the ‘don’t sleep and don’t eat’ diet.

I left the back door of the Casa Santa Maria at 10:36 am, a bit later that I might have wanted to but there were some emails to answer and laundry to do. It seemed like the mood to take the scenic route to St. Peter’s so I could pass through some of the lovely areas of a lovely city. You see, I live so close to so many wonderful places, as does everyone who lives in Rome. First I went past the Pantheon – it is a wonderful building with a beautiful fountain in the square and, while flooded with tourists it is always worth seeing.

While to bus moves faster and there are quicker paths to St. Peter’s, I wanted to go through the great Piazza Navona, the most beautiful piazza in Rome. It also seemed fitting as the Piazza Navona is the site of the martyrdom of St. Agnes, one of my great loves and whose intercession I very much need. It’s true that this is a great tourist hub but it’s one of the things I love about the Piazza Navona, the great baroque church of Santa Agnese in Agone, built over the site of her death, the great fountains by Bernini with giant obelisk in the middle. That doesn’t even mention the beautiful baroque buildings all around, the restaurants the all of the painters, photographers, sketch artists, dancers and various others things. It is the most fun at night, but even in the morning there is a great beauty.

The Piazza Navona

Even at 10:45 there was not much activity in lovely Rome but was very nice to walk when it was a bit cooler. The humidity is way up and it is better to be out while the temperature is cool and the shade is a particular helper. It is always odd to see this city slow and a bit empty, you realize how much tourism dominates the landscape. It was a pleasant walk through old street and along the old buildings. True, one might wonder, why so old, why not modernize more than they have? But there is more than nostalgia here, there is the hint of a world that paid more attention to interior realities or at least as much to interior realities as exterior ones. It is nostalgia, but more than mere nostalgia, it is a fallen world’s appeal to beauty and it makes for a nice walk down to the Tiber River.

I was sure to cross the Tiber along the Ponte Sant Angelo, which leads across the river to the Castel Sant Angelo, old fortress of the Popes on the Western side of the Tiber.

Ponte Sant Angelo

The angels along the bridge all hold the instruments of the Passion of Our Lord and, even though it is full of touristic types and the various persons hocking their junk it’s not that hard to be inspired to meditate on how the suffering of Jesus lead to the beauty of the Resurrection and life therein. Plus, when you cross the bridge you turn left and get a stunning view and straight walk right up to St. Peter’s Basilica.

Road to St. Peter’s

Not bad, right?

By now it was a little before 11:00 and the tourists where out, especially around St. Peter’s. Two groups dominate the scene, Germans and Chinese. True enough there is every nation, race, language and tribe under the sun in the great Piazza San Pietro, there are special concentration of these two groups. As I walked up the the queue into the basilica I had a great fortune. I was trapped between tour groups, the one in back of me was German, the one in front was French. It is my own opinion that there is no language so strong and forthright as the German tongue and no language so light and cheerful as the lingua Franca. Were they here for pious reasons? Who knows. I listened happily to what seemed an odd yet beautiful symphony of chitter-chatter.

Saint Peter’s was as usual, packed with people and loud. The ushers try, to no avail, to lower the voices of tour-guides and tourists alike. There is nothing other than wide eyes and a bevy of camera, smartphones and iPads taking all manner of picture of everything. Some of this I understand, some I don’t get at all.

There must have been fifty or so people standing around the funeral monument of Queen Christian of Sweden. Famously and admirably she renounced the crown of Lutheran Sweden when she converted to the Faith in 1654. Her monument is in the upper part of the basilica while her body is buried down in the Vatican Grottoes. I wonder how many picture-takers at her monument know or cared about any of this? Did they have devotion to Queen Christina? Or did they, rather, see something pretty and take a snap like they did of every other pretty thing? My guess is that later – my guess is that all of the modern people, so surrounded and all sides by the sterile, technocratic, suburban convenience of their lives that can’t tell the difference between pretty and beautiful and that when they see anything that smacks of one or the other they must gobble it up with their technocratic power so as to posses it. Thus there is so much picture taking around Rome. There is a dying capacity to be taken into beauty, such a thing frightens us, it demands of us, makes demands of us. So we picture take – no need to be drawn out of myself, such a thing is to scary for the sovereign self.

You might find such a reflection odd in a post filled with pictures. I make a distinction – I have seen and meditated on all of these places I have photographed many times before and what you see are all the pictures I took and took for the purpose of this blog. Pictures have a great use, they can take us to a place where we are not and so the taking of some photos is a good, wise, even a holy endeavor. I simply wonder how many people spend their touring of great places behind a camera and in doing so may lose the capacity to enter into the thing before them.

No more sermonizing, for now. I entered the great basilica, fought the photographs for a dip in the holy water font, greeted our Lady’s image of the Pieta and made for the Blessed Sacrament Chapel.

This was harder than one might imagine as there was a great line to get in, guarded by the usher’s of the basilica. This is both a heartening and a sad thing. Heartening because there are so many who want into Our Lord’s Presence and because the church wants to make sure that place is kept for silence and prayer. Sad because so many want in to snap a secret picture and get out and it is a great effort to keep this holy place in a sacral sense. So, I simply stepped to the side to a window where I could catch a glimpse Our Lord through the window, made my greeting and then walked to the transept where confessions are heard.

Blessed be God! I made my confession to Christ Jesus through a Dutch Franciscan who exhorted me to pray in a beautiful way. I walked away with deep peace, feeling the humidity, but with a deep peace. Easily I made my way out as the area of Confessions in the one place where the tourist is kept out. Oh, there are artistic glories there to be sure, and great saints (Gregory the Great and Josephat) but only those who want Mercy make their way in.

After Confession I did go and wait my turn in line for the Blessed Sacrament chapel as it was only proper to a good deal of time with Jesus after going to Confession. The line had, mercifully, shrunk down quite a bit and after only about five minutes (including a bit longer delay due to the nuns who butted in line, which is a regular happening) I was in the chapel where I prayed for quite a while, about an hour. Our Lord was present in Eucharistic Adoration, which was especially beautiful – it is fitting beyond measure that Jesus Christ the Resurrected should be surrounded by all the splendor and beauty that the world can offer and have all that beauty fall into the simple white Beauty of the All-in-All that is Divinity on the altar, Whose beauty no earthly glory can match.

When the time of prayer was finished I walked out again, a bit sweaty but full of goodness in my heart. The basilica was a bit un-comfortable you see. The temperature was much cooler than outside, the thick stone kept things quite cool. But the humidity was also much higher. The doors and some windows were open and many, many people came in so as the humidity seeped in it had nowhere else to go and so hung in the air. By the time I was heading out and had a clear sense of that cool, clammy humidity. Plus, it was nearly 13:00 and so the heat outside was up and the full flood of pilgrims and tourists were filling the basilica. So I left the Light of the World and entered the light of the world to make my way home.

Brother sun was at full force by this time, it reached about 95 degrees and the humidity could certainly be felt. I had not eaten or drunk anything since I woke up and was feeling a bit un-comfortable. It was good to keep a little fast until confession and I have to say that my heart was full but I needed to find a little something to drink and so I did. It is fortunate that there are endless places for this right out of the square. I had three worldly goals that day; 1) buy soap, 2) buy a candle and 3) buy some flowers. The first was easily accomplished as I stopped at a place outside the square that sells many this’s and that’s made by various monastic orders from around Italy. I bought some very manly-smelling soap made by Trappist monks somewhere up north and felt that contemporary sense of moral goodness that comes from buying organic and went out into the Roman sun.

Shade is a great friend on such days and I have become quite adept at finding the shade. It isn’t that hard once mid-day has passed as there are many buildings around the city and so you find the shady side (I look so forward to the day when, “The sun will not beat down on them, nor any scorching heat.” Rev. 7:16) and walk close to the buildings. I walked back a different way than I came so as to go through and old part of the city and come to the Campo de’ Fiori, another one of the more famous squares (it’s more of a rectangle) in Rome. It was a bit sad as most shops were closed for the August holiday. I don’t begrudge them vacation but there are many art shops and other like places along those roads.

They are also very old roads with many of the old buildings.

Via dei Cappellari

I made particularly sure to walk down the Via dei Cappellari, which comes right into the Campo de’ Fiori and has this tavern right near the end.

I hope to one day to have a drink at the Crusader Pub, just to what it is like.

Campo de’ Fiori

While the Campo de’ Fiori was full of happy people, there were no flowers (fiori is Italian for flowers) and I suppose this made sense as it was about 13:30 and quite hot so I suppose that, if there had been any flowers, they would have wilted out in the heat so long. I thought I might search a couple of the local markets for some spirits and came to learn that Italians apparently do not have any affinity for bourbon so out I went back to the streets heading back to the Piazza Navona so that I might eat and then visit St. Agnese in Agone.

Very near the square, almost on it but not quite, the is a restaurant called 4 Colonne that had caught my eye a couple of years ago and has been highly reviewed by the Roman restaurant critics. Previously the expatriates I was with that it would surely be ‘too touristy’ because it was so close to Navona. Indeed, I have found that, while there is truth to the clear tourist restaurants that only the expatriates – the long standing tourists – complain about touristy restaurants. Here is a little secret: there are nice restaurants near the famous places too. Why? Because the beautiful places are beautiful to both locals and tourists, why shouldn’t the locals want to eat while looking at something beautiful.

So in I went and found a beautiful place. It was small and very clean with high walls and simple decor that was an interesting combination of classic and contemporary feel. Outside was a small deck with only about seven or so tables and from where I sat I could look out and see about half the Piazza Navona, including the great fountain in the middle. It as shaded and a light breeze was going which made for a comfortable place. Plus, it is just off the square and so it was rather more quiet. I read from the fiction I am currently enjoying and had a lovely lunch. It was excellent! The table setting was classic yet un-complicated the service was the best I have ever had in Rome and until that moment I had no idea how good carbonara could be. The only thing that could have been more pleasant would have been good friends about.

When lunch was finished, it was a little after 15:45 I walked through the square and went into St. Agnese in Agone, visited or Lord in the Tabernacle and then went to the back chapel which contains the skull of St. Agnes. I must confess that I find the church of her burial, the basilica of St. Agnese fuori la Mura, to be a much more consoling place and easier to pray. But I wanted to greet my little saint – some have heard me say that, while I am completely celibate I do have a girlfriend, St. Agnes, who always does something to help me out or make me smile. There are always so many people who come in to see the great dome of the basilica and wander about that it is not easy to pray there, so I visited Our Lord who remains where He belongs, dead center in the sanctuary of the church, and then to visit St. Agnes’ relics and ask her help in keeping a pure heart and chaste life.

It is a beautiful thing too when you step out of that church as you open right on to the great Fountain of the Four Rivers by Bernini.

Fountain of the Four Rivers

From there it is not far back to the Pantheon. I hoped the Vodaphone store might be open and I could finish the work to obtain a cell-phone but it was not so, another time. I did wander about some shops and look at many of the fun things but had no intent to buy. What a great area of Rome I live in, in the picture below you see the Pantheon just on the right and straight ahead the street that leads up the the Piazza San Igancio and then to the Casa Santa Maria.

My mother had suggested I go pray by St. Aloysius and so I thought to do so. It didn’t take long to get to the church of San Ignacio (St. Ignatius) which does not have the relics of St. Ignatius but rather the bodies of St. Robert Bellarmine, St. John Berchmanns and St. Aloysius Gonzaga. I love this church, above the central nave is a painting that represents the evangelization of the world, there is an amazing side chapel of the Crucifixion, the Tabernacle remains in the center of a beautiful sanctuary and just off in the right side transept is the altar of St. Aloysius under which is his body. I sat down to do my afternoon mental prayer there. It was a bit difficult as the church as quite humid and I forgot that the late afternoon is particularly full of visitors and so it was a bit distracting with all the goings on.

Nonetheless it was good to be there and pray and after the time of mental prayer go to the Marian chapel to say my Rosary. It all made for a great sense of peace in my heart, my mind and my soul. I walked out into the beautiful square, which I have tried to capture in photos – it is an amazing baroque square and only about three blocks away from the Casa Santa Maria and two blocks from the Pantheon.

Look outside the front of San Ignacio

Facade of San Ignacio

San Ignacio on the right, road to my house straight ahead.

By the time I was walking home I thought, why not head up the the Trevi Fountain, it’s not far from my house and I might check out the stores in between. What great idea that was! True, it was hot and the day was getting long. All around me were the red and glistening faces of the tourists who had been running all around holy Rome and, no matter how much shade you might find, it wears on a person, a day of walking everywhere up and down the hills in the heat and humidity. I was so amazingly pleased at the following:

1) There are all kinds of super-neat stores that sell all sorts of stuff I was looking for!

2) Rome is full of stores selling terrible liquor and finally I found two, less than a block away that sell the good ones!

3) The Trevi Fountain is about three minutes away from my front door! Sure, it is packed with people all of the time, but it is really very beautiful and a fun place to be.

What a day, and by now it was after 17:00 and I was feeling rather tired. I walked back home and took a long, cold shower. After that I made some coffee – needed to stay away until at least 21:30 – and read from my novel. I had a lovely Skype with the Fassino’s and my parents, started writing this post and then went to bed.

Laus Deo, I slept for the first time in ten days! Seriously, I have had a terrible time sleeping and last night I slept twelve and a half hours! Today has been a very smooth day – prayer, Mass, a short walk, lunch, reading, typing, about to Skype with some friends.

All thanks to the good work of my parents and some particular enouragement from my Mom. Thank you, I love you!

Listen to your mother, things might work out, at least if she is as good as my Mom! So many beautiful things are all around us. True, Rome has things more famous and many saints, but I bet there are beautiful things near you as well.

Buon Domenica to you all, I love you from my priestly heart all the way from felix Roma!

(sorry if there are spelling/grammar errors, I did’t edit the post.)

Assumpta est Maria in Caelum – and she will help us get there too!

Aug14

“Love for our Mother will be the breath that kindles into a living flame the embers of virtue hidden in the ashes of your indifference.” – St. Josemaria Escriva, The Way #492

When I was younger, an early teenager, my family was on vacation at Pennisula State Park in Door County, WI. We camped there most summers for vacation and some of my happiest memories took place at that wonderful park.

One day in the late morning, around 9:30/10:00 the old man who was camping next to us called my brother and me over to his site, he wanted to show us something. Like us, he and his wife had a large fire the night before and had stayed up rather late watching it burn down. By this time in the morning all you could see was a pile of grey ash. It smelled like nothing and, of course, you couldn’t breath in deeply lest the ash choke you. There was no heat, no real warmth at all coming from this dry heap.

The old man brought over some dry leaves and small sticks. He put his hands into the pile of ash and gently pushed them to the side until he found, deep near the bottom, a small white ember on which he blew very gently, turning it the vibrant red to tell us fire was contained therein. Slowly and methodically he showed us how to pile the dry grass, then leaves, then small twigs until a fire was going and we could place on the logs and had a huge fire going that seemed to add light even to the morning sky.

As you can tell, this memory always stayed with me and when I first read the above quote from St. Josemaria some years ago it came immediately into my mind.

The Infinite God flooded our hearts with Spirit and fire on the day of our baptism and fanned into a burning flame when we were confirmed. This is divine truth, a cosmic reality. But it does not always feel so. The Maker of all comes into our souls during the night-time of the stain of original sin and lights a huge and undying fire. Yet, you may say, it seems to have died out. There is no bright light, no warm heat, nothing to ward off the darkness and shadow all around me. Indeed, there is nothing in my soul but a pile of ash. O, perhaps in my youth the fire burned bright, when I was good, when I was child-like, when I believed in goodness of God and His creation.

Vanity of vanities, all things are vanity, and chasing after the wind.

Yet there is one who knows a greater truth and has been given the power to show it. “Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son and shall name him Jesus.” The flame was first burning in her, as a secret, in a hidden place, not yet for the world to see. Even after His birth He “went down to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them. ” He was hidden with her until the time of His manifestation before all Israel.

“Behold your mother” He says from the Cross. She, the Virgin Mary has been give a particular power – to bring Christ Jesus to birth in souls until the end of time.

Statue of Mary in the Garden at the Casa Santa Maria

Mary know the pathway through the ash-heap of life down to the bright fire within. You see, there is nothing we can do the will put out Jesus Christ. Oh, we might cover over His light and fire with all manner of things, all the dust and ash of the world but He is never utterly gone from the baptized soul. Does He seem far away, hard to see, hard to follow, hard to trust? Well call out His name, Jesus!

Is it hard to even call out His name? Mary will help, she will clear off the ashes. God will never force anything but He is the All-Holy One, the burning fire. Mary can clear the way and give a gently breathe to fan the little flame in your heart. Devotion to her will make you, and me, and everyone a great and burning fire of Jesus Christ. Do we wish to be burning like the Holy Spirit? Well, imitate the Apostles before Pentecost who were “gathered in prayer, with Mary, the Mother of Jesus.”

Tomorrow, August the 15th, is the Solemnity of the Assumption of Mary into Heaven. I am rather alone in this huge building in this huge city. The humidity is up. My packages still haven’t arrived and probably won’t until Monday (thank you ferragosto.) I’ve asked a few time, “God, what am I doing here?” It’s hard to pray, hard to focus, hard. . .

Why complain, why stare at the ash heap of my whining and indifference? Mary will help, she will help to breathe these things into a living flame – the flame that is Jesus Christ.

Not the Best Day but Not Bad

Aug9

So it was out into the Roman morning around 8:45 am as I had woken up early – namely I didn’t sleep a wink last night – did my thing and turned in my papers for the famous permisso soggornio (sp?) The permisso is one more nonsense Italian rule to bilk people out of money. It is like a visa that says you have a visa, which you already have and paid $140 for so that now you get to pay 160 euro for the second visa that doesn’t say anything your actual visa doesn’t say.

The morning was very nice, it was humid but very cool and there was NO ONE out and about. True, most of the stores were closed but I got to stroll the Roman streets in peace and a bit of cool. I returned about 11:00 and was really tired since, as mentioned above, I didn’t sleep at all. I was to wait for a phone call between 12:00 – 13:30 from my Italian helper at the Casa to go out and actually send in the stuff to obtain the permisso. The phone rang promptly at 13:13 and down I went.

I will spare you the details of our very, very Italian adventure as it would be very hard to maintain charity. But a few notes.

1. It was hot – not like yesterday (which was a balmy 104 F) but today was only about 90 F today and thus a bit more bearable. However, the humidity was not fun and the plastic on plastic clerical collar was un-fun. Also, side note: I have not seen ONE cleric since I have been here. Clearly the Roman clergy are smart enough to get out during ferragosto.

2. I think I know how to get around Rome better than my Italian helper. Don’t get me wrong, I would not have been able to do it without him as the whole permisso thing is an arcane circus but he was all over the place for no clearly discernible reason. The heat did not make things better.

3. People are different. When we finally got to the desk at the Post Office with all my materials official, the lady at the desk took issue with our presentation. My Italian handler took issue with her taking issue and it was on! I mean these two were pointing and shouting and yelling and fist-pounding right there in the middle of the office. I can take a lot but soon uncomfortable took hold. Of course, she held all the cards and my handler stormed out to the photocopy place across the street, made one more copy of my passport and returned. Amazingly, the gal at the desk let us in a head of the line and processed my permisso application while the two of them had a pleasant chat about the cafe down the street sharing a few laughs. WHAT! Five minutes earlier they were at each others throats, now, having a pleasant chat. Moral of the story, people are crazy beautiful and I’m out 160 euro. Political side-bar: this is what the nanny state costs.

When I returned it was to the horror of Italian customs. In short – my shipment to Rome (clothes, toiletries, books) has been held up in Milan since Monday. Why? Because one box has TOO MANY ‘personal sanitary items.’ Really? Do they hate people coming into the country who keep themselves clean and well groomed? It has taken 5 days to get the blessed email, yikes! It has been a huge headache, costs money and will delay my trip to Siena, which bums me out immensely. Please pray.

I did go out to dinner with young Fr. Andrew from Chicago who arrived at the Casa today. He is as pleasant as pleasant can be and we had a nice walk in the warm Roman evening and enjoyed dinner. It was great to take one’s mind off of disappointing things.

This city is so beautiful with such great architecture, character, beauty, the glow of the river the ambiance of the buildings all lit up. You have to love it. Home sweet home in my little room in my huge house in my Eternal City. I really wanted to yell and shout today but a look at an image of the Virgin Mary helps and chatting the spiritual life over penne puttanesca in the Roman nightlight can sooth the soul.

Nick and Emily, many blessings to you I will be missing you and praying a great deal for you. My whole heart is for you.

An Evening Adventure

Aug8

Sorry for too much but my mind is over-active before bed after a cold shower (nothing like on a hot night) and before I pray and try to sleep.

Around 18:30 (we work on the 24-hour clock around here and I will use it from the time out – this is 6:30 pm for those unawares) I headed out of the Casa Santa Maria, affectionately know as ‘the Casa.’ I had been in all day trying to work on my package delay with FedEx, unpack the simple things in the suitcases, try to get a lay of the land and taking an afternoon nap. The Casa is quite empty, and I mean empty. Not even the Real Presence remains in the Tabernacle. There are only odd markings of humanity here and there – an odd sound down the hall, a sleeping bag found in the air-conditioned TV room, things like that. But not actual people.

I left in clandestine garb, shorts and white shirt. This was mostly to stay cool as it was about 97 degrees and rather humid so thus clothed I went out into the Roman summer evening. I was greeting by a group of about 5 Polish girls wearing bright neon colored shorts. It was jarring to say the least as their faces did not match their bright short. Indeed, like everyone else, they were red-faced, glistening slightly and looking oppressed by the heat. As I walked the streets – it was better since the sun was low and the buildings kept most places shaded – most everyone looked the same, red-faced, a wet sheen and looking mostly like they wanted to find some place cool.

A short walk gave lie to the myth that Europeans don’t like air-conditioning. Not true. Every restaurant and store has A/C and every apartment building has the units plastered on the back-side. They don’t like paying for A/C and so it is hot in people’s home but the stores and restaurants are niiiice. Heck, even the tobacco shop had A/C. It made sense too since the streets were littered with people feeling the heat. It was not pleasant. Of course, it’s better for the weather to be not pleasant when you can have a cool gelato while looking at the Pantheon with a little violin music in the background. Not pleasant, but not bad – better than sweating in some anesthetized suburban park – but that’s a different post.

My first mission was to search out the cellphone company stores in the area. With some sound advice from good Fr. Putzer I found the Vodaphone/WIND store and was able to check out their offerings. I wasn’t sure where the TIM store was but I followed my Roman gut and found it only three blocks away. In short, I have pretty good options and hope to have an iPhone and a plan that allows me to call home soon. We will see.

On the walk back I went to the Cartoleria Pantheon, which I love. It is a store entirely devoted to stationary, pens, seals and every sort of journal, etc. It is delightful. I bought some stationary on which to write home. By now is was about 19:45 pm and the heat was not letting up. People were looking for places to eat and those walking about seemed mostly like they wanted to be not on the street, which was understandable.

I walked to the Piazza San Ignacio hoping to eat at the restaurant there. The square is one of the nicest in Rome as it is surrounded by three sides and beautiful baroque buildings and on the fourth side by the church of San Ignancio which, has a beautiful facade and houses the tomb of St. Aloysius, one of my great patrons. Also, it was big enough that a light breeze was moving through it making heat a bit more bearable. Sadly, the restaurant was not open – not sure why, it was open yesterday. Perhaps it is the weekly schedule, perhaps the ferragusto, as they call it. In fact, many places are closed. Mostly standard shops, like clothes, etc. and all the ecclesiastical stores are on vacation. There are even some cafes, restaurants and touristy places that are closed for some weeks as the Romans look to flee the heat.

So, I went to the little restaurant right outside the Casa and sat down for caprese, piazza and insalata pomodoro (that’s a bowl of tomatoes) and a cafe. I read my book waiting for the courses and tried to mind my own business, which was not easy.

First, the table next to me was an interesting and loud couple. She was a Swede and he an Italian. The language of choice: English, loud English and her favorite word was s***. They were both ex-military (she was a translator) who had met on some NATO missions. They both agreed that The Congo is the worst place on earth and that the American military was the only group that new what was going on until Obama became president – just reporting what I heard. The conversation broke only for moments when he would reach over and kiss her fingers. Ackward? Sort of, mostly I was reading my geeky book (by geeky I mean awesome) book about Athanasius Kirchner – shout out to Will L.

There was a little reprieve when the nice American couple sat down in the next table over. They were recent college grads and even more recently married taking their honeymoon in happy Rome. My heart was a moved to think about a number of the happy couple I recently married and those to be married – EMILY & NICK I LOVE YOU – in coming days. All in all I kept to myself but was enchanted by all humanity around me.

Eventually the cafe had been drank (drunk?) and it was time to head home. Home. This is is now and, strangely, it feels that way. As I walked the streets of Rome I didn’t feel like a stranger, I felt like a local, like one who belongs here. Maybe that’s just sentiment but it’s still true, or at least feels true.

I am home.

But lonely a bit. No one else is here. I have the entire palace empty to myself. When I pulled out my keys I noted the little charm I had attached to it. My little heart – Libby – had given me a charm she made shortly after she heard I was leaving for Rome and I put it on my Roman room keys. I hadn’t really noticed it until just that moment as I put the key into the door of the Casa feeling all alone in my huge Roman home.

I realized I am not alone. There is a good God Who brought me here. Parents and family that will always support me. Friends who will pray for me and help me if I need. And Libby.

Not bad at all.

There are still a few mountains to cross but I will get there. Pray for me.

Welcome to Rome

Aug8

There are no pictures as my technology is not yet up to speed for such endeavors, so you are left with my thoughts.

First – fly Swiss Air if at all possible. It was the second cheapest flight I found and by far the best international flying experience that I have had, which makes it two for two for Swiss Air. Check-in was easy, bags (two of them!) flew for free, the plane was clean and actually smelled nice! The flight crew was beyond friendly and kind. Airplane food is airplane food but I will say, thank you for a brownie! All in all, I slept about 5.5 hours of the 8 hour flight and was feelin’ fine. My trip in the air could no have been more pleasant.

Taxis to Rome are all the same, some are expensive and some are cheap, that’s the only difference. I did appreciate that the driver took the way down the Ostian Way, past St. Paul’s outside the Walls, the Colosseum, the Roman Forum, St. Mary Major and into the old city. It was a happy welcome.

Rome is hot, hot, hot. We are into the upper 80’s by 10:00 am and well into the mid-90’s by noon. The humidity is down a bit so the shade is some relief but the daytime is very hot. It is a little after 4 pm local time as I write this and the heat is on!

The Casa Santa Maria is a relative ghost-town, no one is here. I did meet a Croation confrere earlier this morning but otherwise not much happening at the Casa. The bathrooms freak me out a bit but not hard to get used to since, well, it’s the bathroom. I made my arrival at the Casa at 11:04 am local time and made my way up to my room and began to un-pack. When this finished it was the mad dash to find the internet.

You see, there is a little (big) problem. Namely, the packages I shipped to Rome are stuck in a FedEx warehouse outside of Milan while there is some hold-ups with Customs. I have communicated many times with the good folks at FedEx but have not received the proper paper-work from them and, as such, do not have any of my packages. This is an approaching disaster as I am supposed to go to Siena on Sunday and, if the packages are not here, do not have much in the way of clothes, toiletries, etc. for six weeks in Siena.

So we struggle and hope here in the Roman heat.

Around 3:00 pm I hit the proverbial wall and had to take a nap. It was a fine sleep until 5:30 pm. I awoke, went to the chapel to pray (note: not even Jesus is here at the Casa, He has vacated for the heat of August) and then try to figure out the rest of the night. I read a bit and went out.

First I paid a visit to Our Lord in the Tabernacle at the church of St. Ignatius (about 3 blocks away) and then to the tomb of St. Aloysius. After this I bought some water for drinking in the room and went to dinner near the church of San Ignatio. Caprese and pizza capriccosia hit the spot and I was back home around.

It was another bought of frustration with the good folks at FedEx and then time to read and go to bed.

I have spent this morning (now it’s almost 4:30 pm) researching to buy a cell phone and waiting for the sun to go down a bit before I head out.

This is perhaps my worst post to-date and I hope to have more interesting things to say during my Roman time but I did make a resolution to post every Wednesday and, well, it’s Wednesday.

All those back home, I love you, I miss you, I pray for you! Mom & Dad, thanks for everything, I love you! Your Excellenty, it was great to talk to you, thanks for this opportunity. Sr. Josephine, it was great to see you! MoJo, I loved, loved, loved your wedding and was so happy that I got to visit with you on Sunday. Fr. John – do great things brother, thanks for everything. Fr. Tait – keep it real brother. Interns and Maddie and all the St. Paul’s friends, thanks for the smiles.

Time to shower (boo-ya-ka-sha to afternoon showers) and head out for the evening doings.

O sweaty Rome!

Rome Experience – Day XVIII

Jun17

Well, we saw a ton today! I have pictures from my morning adventure but not from the afternoon, for those you can visit the Rome Experience blog.

The Morning – Casa Santa Maria

Once Dr. Liz Lev was off and running with her class I departed for the Casa Santa Maria, the house in Rome for priests in graduate studies. A happy religious sister greeted me at the door and took me to see Elizabetta who coordinates the doings of the house. Now, by house I mean old palazzo of one of the minor noble families. It had four levels, with the chapel, refectory, library, offices on the first floor and rooms for the men on the other floors. I was taken to Elizsabetta’s office and, after some Italian shuffling of papers and looking very confused, the proper paper is found and the key to room #320 was found.

She summoned one of the cleaning ladies, who was entirely pleasant, and took me up to my new room

It was small to be sure and I will have to rearrange the furniture, but it is home. I have only one window and it looks out to the Biblicum, but it faces north and does not get direct sun (which is nice because of the heat) but always has some light. I was grateful for the smallness of the room and while a bit distraught at first but think I have found a way to arrange things in a decent way.

I went up to the storage area to get some of the things Fr. Tait Schroeder left for me. Chief among those was the air-conditioning unit which will make life much more pleasant. I clearly got one of the smallest and least desirable rooms, but I hope that I will have a large enough heart to set good example and remain in this small room.

However, I was shocked at the poor quality of things. Much of the furniture was broken. The sink was dirty and did not work well. The hallways are poorly painted, cracked and crumbling. The bathrooms were terribly kept – they clearly do not have enough staff. The first floor (where all the public offices are) were very nice but I was surprised at the poor quality of the places where the Bishops of the United States ask their priests, who are to give years away from family and friends, to live and give themselves to study. I don’t care about large or fancy, I don’t want the big room or best location, but dirty and falling apart was surprising.

Sorry to complain, because there are some very nice places. There two rooms ones the first floor that have been turned into Latin-rite chapels and one Byzantine chapel. Neither are fancy but both are are clean and very nice. Then one comes to the library.

It is nicely decorated and seems to have a large collection. I was rather spoiled by the library at Mundelein Seminary so it is not quite what I am used to, but looks nice. There was also a terribly decorated but very roomy study room next door.

Then I walked down the hall and found the refectory (an ecclesiastical word for dining room.)

As you can see it is wonderful. The room is well laid-out, nicely painted and was very clean and ordered with a great picture of Pope Pius IX at the back of the room.

The best is the chapel:

As you can see, it is a baroque gem, absolutely beautiful with a great tabernacle, lovely side chapels, an image of Our Lady of Humility above the altar and statues of some of the virgin martyrs above the doors. Speaking of, look who I found:

What happiness to know that every time I walk out of the chapel I can take a little strength from St. Agnes!

By this time the need was to get back to CIAM, so I thanked Elisabetta for her work and had a pleasant ride back to CIAM. It was surprisingly nice since the heat was up, namely the humidity was way up!

The Afternoon – Baroque beauty

So, as mentioned above, I don’t have pictures so a brief run-through:

First was the beauty of the fountains in the Piazza Navona by Bernini which are an homage to the ancient world, a return to the glories of the baroque and a clear symbol of the triumph of the Cross of Jesus Christ.

This probably blog heresy, but I just finished with a couple of Skype calls and am off to bed because I am tired. Perhaps more tomorrow.

Rome Experience – Catching Up – June 13 – 16

Jun14

So there have been some full days, all good, but full. Here are some brief notes:

Thursday, June 13th.

We headed off to the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross, also known as Santa Croce. It is the alma mater of my dear friend and the Diocese of Madison’s newly minted Judicial Vicar, Fr. Tait C. Schroeder, J.C.D. It is a lovely walk, though the heat has arrived and so it is a little less pleasant, through the streets of happy Rome. Once the men were in class I went to chat with the vice-rector about some less than perfect things and when that was finished enjoyed some cafe e postre with Fr. Kime in the Piazza Navona.

We had a bit of free time in the afternoon and then took a little adventure to Villa Tevere, the headquarters of Opus Dei and the place where St. Josemaria Escriva is buried. It took a while to get there but the men were in good spirits and we were ushered into a lovely room and had a had a young numerary tells us about Villa Tevere.

While there I saw this picture:

It is a representation of the founding of the Priestly Society of the Holy Cross (of which I am a part), the branch of Opus Dei to which secular (diocesan) priest can become a part. It has been one of the greatest blessings of my life to get to know St. Josemaria Escriva and the spirituality of Opus Dei.

After the presentation we were able to visit the chapel in which St. Josemaria is buried under the altar. It was an immense blessing to have about 40 minutes there to pray with the men of the Rome Experience. When we left that place there was a more pleasant spirit than on any other day of the Rome Experience and we had a long but joyful ride home.

Friday, June 14th

Another day off to PUSC. I did not join as I had to 1) acquire funds, 2) pay for headsets, 3) contact Cardinal Burke’s secretary and 4) make preparations for the arrival of James Francis Cardinal Stafford. The men returned warm but feeling warm but ready to host a Cardinal for lunch.

Cardinal Stafford arrive a few minutes late bur ready to go. We had lunch and then a fine get-together. Cardinal Stafford is the Major Penitentiary Emeritus of the Apostolic Penitentiary – the dicastery of the Roman Curia that deals with matter of conscience (mostly involving the Confessional) that are reserved to the Pope. He spoke to the men about his work in Rome and then gave them a strong exhortation to live lives of prayer and deep community. He also took questions for about 25 minutes before time was up.

The Cardinal was very kind to give me a ride to St. Peter’s Basilica as I had to pick up tickets for Sunday’s Papal Mass and it was very hot. He was particularly encouraging when I told him I would be moving to Rome – it’s nice to have a Cardinal’s contact info. when you are preparing to move to Rome!

I had a restful afternoon , prayed and then went out to a very fine dinner with Frs. Kime and Mahar, three seminarians from the Archdiocese of Cincinnati along with Fr. Ryan Ruiz who is from Cincinnati and is currently in the Liturgical Theology program at San Anselmo (the same one I will enter) and live at the Casa Santa Maria (where I will live.)

Saturday, June 15th.

It as a clear and beautiful morning. At 10:30 we started walking down the happy street to the Palazzo Cancellaria to visit His Eminence Raymond Leo S.R.E. Cardinal Burke, Prefect of the Apostolic Signatura. In short, it was wonderful. We stopped in the church of San Lorzenzo a Dammaso to visit our Lord Jesus in the Sacrament. Then we went up the to the Signatura where Cardinal Burke greeted us, spoke for about 10 minutes regarding his work in Rome and then 40 minutes of Q & A. It was awesome – he was clear, direct, kind and brief in each instance. The men loved it! We took a fun picture and then were on our way happy as clams.

The rest of the afternoon was free and I used it to meet up with one Stephanie Dunbar, former FOCUS missionary extraordinaire and a good friend to me. We met at St. Mary Major to pray the Rosary and then walked down the Via Merulana to St. John Lateran for a little prayer. It was a lovely afternoon and very nice to catch-up with Steph.

The walk back was interesting as we got about three block back up the Via Merulana when we ran into Rome’s gay-pride parade. Quite a place for a priest indeed! My heart was sad but my soul was hopeful as I could see the Our Lady’s basilica the whole way up and was reminded how much she loves us all and prays for us!

I got home for a shower (I was a bit damp) dinner and a nice Skype chat with the future Mrs. Josh Eckl which ended just minutes before I got a message from the good Fr. Tait Schroeder, we chatted about all doings Roman, Madison and beyond. It was great.

Then I prayed, went to bed and slept like a stone.

Sunday, June 16th

Today as a sad (I miss my Dad) but lovely Father’s Day. I did get to Skype with Mom & Dad for about 30 minutes which was wonderful.

In the morning I trotted off to the Basilica of St. Paul’s outside the Walls on a pilgrimage to pray for my parish (St. Paul’s University Catholic Center) and concelebrate the main Mass with the monks. The pilgrimage was humid and a bit sweaty, so I had something to offer. I prayed, vested and got ready to concelebrate. In brief, the basilica is beautiful and easy to pray in. You can’t help but be moved celebrating Mass 20 feet from the tomb of the Apostle St. Paul. However, the liturgy in Italy has a long way to go, may Msgr. Guido Marini live forever! At this Mass – Vestments: D-, Music: B, Ars Celebrandi: C-, Vessels: C, Reverence: D, Homily: D-. Still, the monks were very nice to meet and I got to chat with Abbot who as also very encouraging about my studies.

After Mass I stood dead-center in the basilica, staring at the huge mosaic of Our Lord Jesus Christ in the main apse and at the tomb of His chosen Apostle to the Gentiles and recited None (also lamely known as Mid-day Prayer.) It probably didn’t look like much but my heart was full. Then I bought some soap in the bookstore (I’m out and sweat a lot) and then got back on the happy Metro on the way back.

The return trip was much nicer as I was heading toward’s St. Peter’s when everyone was heading away as the Papal Mass had finished about 30 minutes earlier. I sat the whole way home and got two of the air-conditioned trains which was really good since by now I had already perspired a decent amount. It was interesting walking by St. Peter’s Square. All of humanity was spilling into, out of and all around the square. There is something beautiful about the throng of humanity all embraced by the arms of the church so beautifully symbolized by the colonnades of St. Peter’s. Now, scripture says that while man sees the outside, God looks at the heart – which is a good thing since on the outside the mass of humanity was sweaty, poorly-dressed, bawdy and smelled a lot like perspiration and urine.

On a celebrity note, I spoke briefly with Msgr. Guido Marini (mentioned above), the Papal Master of Ceremonies. He was standing outside St. Anne’s gate signing autographs for a bunch of noisy American college kids for whom I had instant respect since their Catholic nerdiness was up enough to know who Msgr. Guido Marini is. The future is bright!

I went home to cool off, call Mom & Day, a surprise happy-chat with Mr. & Mrs. Stabo, shower and prepare for Adoration. At 6:00 pm we gathered in our little chapel for Adoration, Vespers, a preached meditation, silent prayer and Benediction. After prayer we had dinner together, a short get-together, said the Rosary and then off to finish this post, which is now done.

I’m going to bed. Thanks for all the Father’s Day wishes from everyone. I love you all with my priestly heart and can’t wait to be home, which is odd since tomorrow I’m picking up the keys to my new Roman home.

Rome Experience – Day VI

Jun5

Let me be brief.

After a morning of great lectures by Dr. Liz Lev and Fr. Anthony Robbie we enjoyed lunch and headed out to two great places.

First, a tour of the catacombs of Priscilla where one finds some or the oldest examples of Christian art in all the world, including the oldest known depiction of Our Lady. How beautiful to experience and what depth of formation given to these men regarding the history of Christian iconography.

Next, walk to the Basilica of St. Agnes through a wonderful Roman neighborhood. Never have I seen so many children in one place in Italy. It was such a heartening experience in a nation with one of the lowest birth-rates in the world. One more reason to love St. Agnes, her neighborhood is alive and her parish is hoppin’.

All I will say about visiting the Basilica of St. Agnes outside the Walls is that it was good to be near her. She has taken good care of my priesthood, of my soul and always helps me out. After a brief tour of the basilica and mental prayer together upstairs I had only about 5 minutes with St. Agnes in the crypt. All I needed for a good day.

We came back to say vespers, eat dinner and have a nice get-together, ending with a blessing from newly ordained priest.

After a nice chat with my Dad and a conversation with Mrs. Stabo it was off to write and to bed.

Love you all from Rome!

Last Lights Off The Black West

Sacerdotal Scribbling from the Edge of a Dying Culture

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