Pilgrim's Diary |
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Tomorrow the parish pilgrimage leaves for Rome!
We are going to see some amazing places—not only Rome and the Vatican
but also some of the most beautiful spots in southern Italy, including
Sorrento and Amalfi! I
guess I should start packing. I wonder where I put my
international plug adapter? It had better turn up before tomorrow.
And where did I leave my passport...? And... we’re off! Our flight took off on time and
now we’re en route. They just served dinner. Two hours down,
six hours to go. Yikes. A few of the
other pilgrims are competing in a trivia contest but I think I’ll try to
get some sleep. (Ha, ha.) Amazing to think we’re going to wake up in Rome!
Well,
we hit the ground running for sure! Rome is quite amazing.
(And yes, I know that's a bit of an understatement!) You’re
in a modern city, bustling with life, and then you turn a corner and you
see ancient ruins, which have survived
thousands of years. It seems like there’s a splendid church on
every corner. I can’t wait to explore more. One complaint:
the way people drive here leaves something to be desired. And I
never did fall asleep on the plane. I've literally got spots
dancing in front of my eyes!
After breakfast we boarded our buses and went out to the great Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls. On the bus I sat next to the 'prima donna' of the choir, who, as it turns out, isn't a prima donna at all! Our own Cathedral Choir sang at the 10:30am Mass at St. Paul's, and then we had a guided tour. It’s truly magnificent. In some ways, I think I like it even better than St. Peter’s! It was fun to explore the mosaic portraits of all the Popes in the clerestory, from St. Peter right up to Pope Benedict XVI. We all got to pray at the tomb of the great apostle St. Paul beneath the high altar of the Basilica. After the excitement of the morning, we were all ready for an espresso doppio. In Italy, you can get fabulous espresso almost anywhere... and it's cheap! (Note: there's not a Starbucks in sight!) In the evening, the Cathedral Choir sang a grand concert at
St. Ignazio, named for St. Ignatius Loyola, and one of the centers of
Jesuit presence in Rome. There were hundreds of people there to
hear the music. I have to say, it made me proud to be a
Seattleite! On the way back to the hotel we stopped
at the Trevi Fountain. You know what they say: if you throw
a coin into the fountain, you’re sure to return to Rome one day. I
hope it's true! People speaking every language under the sun were
crowded around, tossing coins and getting their pictures taken, and
eating gelato. It's a scene like no other!
We had the afternoon and evening free. A few of
us got together for lunch in the Piazza Navona and then did some
shopping on the famous Via dei Condotti. We found the famous
church with the "Bocca della Verita," which means "mouth of truth" (I
guess we've all seen Roman Holiday with Audrey Hepburn too many
times). Today we saw two of the most important churches in Rome, St. Mary Major and St. John Lateran. We also went to Santa Croce, where we had the opportunity to venerate the relics of the true Cross, brought to Rome by St. Helena, the mother of Constantine. Then we went back to St. Peter’s where the Cathedral Choir was the principal choir for the feast of the Chair of St. Peter. I was surprised to see the famous statue of St. Peter dressed in elaborate red vestments. Turns out, this is one of only two days in the entire year when he is dressed in this way! Pretty special. In the evening, we were treated to a gala dinner at
Benito’s, a wonderful Roman restaurant. It was great to be
together. I think our table made enough noise to be heard all the
way to St. Peter's.
Right after the audience we boarded our buses and
headed for Southern Italy. It was an amazing drive. We saw Monte Cassino, where St. Benedict established the first
Benedictine monastery back in the 500s. Then we went on to
Napoli - Naples. I had no idea the city was so beautiful, and the
Cathedral of San Gennaro (St. Januarius), where the choir sang, was
truly magnificent. By evening we had arrived in Seiano,
overlooking the Amalfi coast. What a spectacular landscape!
But I'm exhausted. Goodnight, diary. In the morning we went to Pompeii. Our tour
guides helped us imagine life in this ancient city, a way of life that
was destroyed in a single day after the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD
79. It's hard to get your mind around it... a bustling city buried
in a single day. The mountain seemed pretty calm today (thank goodness!).
Now we're on our way to Sorrento to see the famous Blue Grotto. I'm bummed that our pilgrimage is almost over :(.
I've prayed in beautiful places and made some wonderful new friends.
This last day has been great. On our way back to Rome, we
stopped at the Cathedral of Saint Andrew in Amalfi, where Father Ryan
celebrated Mass and the Cathedral Choir sang one last time. We saw
some wonderful towns on the sea coast. So many places… so
little time. By the way, all of us on the Green Bus have decided
the Green Bus is THE BUS TO BE ON. The Green Bus Rules! |
Download registration materials here!
In the afternoon, I took a nap at the hotel and then
did some shopping before going to St. Peter’s Basilica for the evening
Mass. The Cathedral Choir sang and Father Ryan concelebrated—he
was ordained at St. Peter’s 45 years ago this year. It was an
exciting privilege to be able to pray with him in this holy place.
There's really nothing else like it on earth!
I
dragged myself out of bed very early this morning to be able to
participate in Mass at the Tomb of St.
Peter, celebrated by Father Ryan. Then it was time to get ready
for the audience in Pope Paul VI Hall, a cool modern building with
rather uncomfortable chairs. The atmosphere in the room was
perfectly electric when Benedict XVI appeared. Not only did
everyone jump to their feet--they all jumped onto their seats to see
him. The Cathedral Choir sang
a brief piece for the Pope and the pilgrims from all over. It was wonderful to be gathered with people
from all over the world. We heard English, Spanish, Italian,
Polish, German, French, Czech, and many other languages I couldn't even
recognize! You can see, hear, and almost touch what
it means to be Catholic.
Thursday, February 24