Wheels up

We're heading home... Sadness that such a wonderful experience, perhaps once in a lifetime opportunity, is over.



We all have things we are looking forward to. Free refills. AC. Our cars. Family and friends.



But we all have memories we will remember forever. The Garden of Gethsemane. St. Peter's Basilica. The Colosseum. Holy Sepulchre. Bethlehem. Swimming in the Dead Sea, the Sea of Galilee, and the Mediterranian Sea in one trip. This is just the short list.



But the time to board the plane approaches. We didn't have time to make friends with people here, but our friendships and fraternity within our group certainly flourished. We did have time to befriend places and their historical and religious significance. Hopefully these will enliven our personal commitment to God, his Church, and give us another set of tools to increase our fruitfulness as fishers of men and workers in the vinyard of Our Lord.

The Green Mile

Our last full day has come to a close.

For most of us, this consisted of (a long walk to) the basilicas of St. Paul Outside the Walls, St. Mary Major, and St. John Lateran, other churches, and/or the Colosseum and Roman Forum. Others spent time at St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican, even climbing the stairs to the dome (which provides a phenomenal vantage point for the Eternal City.) Each of the basilicas were breathtaking in their own way. It was definitely worth all the walking to cover the three in the same day. I am amazed at the sheer size (read: number of estimated football fields per basilica) of these edifices. Of note: there are 7 more slots for new popes at St. Paul's outside the walls (which has pictures lining the ceiling of all the popes in history - there is space remaining for 7 more.)

We closed the day with a meal celebrating Fr. Battersby's 10 anniversary of presbyteral ordination at a local Roman meal dispensing establishment. We toasted the Holy Father and Fr. Dan, who led us on this trip, and Fr. Battersby on his special occasion. It was a good Feast of the Sacred Heart, which was fitting, as we are from Sacred Heart Major Seminary.

Only a wakeup and travel remains for us...

Touring Rome

Fr. Trapp toured us around various sites in Rome this morning. It was a very quick overview of the highlights of Rome, ecclesiastically speaking. The Church with St. Agnes' skull. St. Maria Sopra Minerva. Gesu and the Jesuit Headquarters. Church of St. Robert Bellarmine. Castle d'Angelo. The Gregorian. The Pantheon (dedicated to the BVM; Victor Emmanuel II's remains are there as well.) The first Roman university. A building that was formerly a papal palace but is currently Italian state property. Several fountains and obelisks. The vestment and clothing manufacturers Barbiconi and Gammarelli's (we also saw Slabbinck and others.) A few of our group acquired birettas or surplices from Barbiconi (no pectoral crosses though.)

Then it was back to the NAC for a fine lunch and a break before our next gig.

The afternoon saw a meeting with Fr. Dan Gallagher, a priest of the Diocese of Gaylord and former Sacred Heart Seminary professor who currently works for the Vatican's Secretary of State. He gave us a tour through the Apostolic Palace. It was an experience. We had an awesome view of Rome, St. Peter's, and the Apostolic Palace from the roof/porch area. It was an "insider's look" at some places the average tourist doesn't see and it gave us a view of the city that the average photographer doesn't get. I'm a fan of that last part to be sure. As I walked the halls, I considered all the history that those walls have seen and, God willing, will see. I also wondered, who will be the next pope to emerge from those windows and when... Did I walk by the cardinal unsuspecting in the last few days? (I counted a lot of pectoral crosses today.) But then, such privileged places bring on such thoughts.

After the tour, many of us went to Mass at St. Peter's. (I think) an LA auxiliary bishop said Mass. I know he was from CA because he mentioned it when he introduced the choir at the beginning (which came from a college near his archdiocese - it was the only thing in English the entire time. Otherwise, we took in Latin and Italian. Beautiful languages, but I digress.) He was a bishop or an abbot. Pectoral crosses give that sort of thing away. It was nice to attend Mass with such beautiful music in the Church built to honor the Prince of Apostles (in spite of what the inscription on the front of the building might claim.) There was so much to see, I almost missed the Pieta! That's a testament to the size of the building.

Dinner followed at the NAC. American food. Wings, fries, pop/soda/coke (depending on where in the States you are from.) A premonition of our future? Or a welcome change from "the schnitzel" of Israel? Both.

After dinner, some went out for gelato, others prayer or sleep, still others other things - whatever one thought would make the best use of the short precious hours remaining in the Eternal City. It rained on and off a bit, but not nearly enough to keep us in.

Tomorrow is our last full day!

Papal Visit

Our first of 3 full days at the NAC. 6:15am Morning Prayer and Mass. 7am breakfast. We left at 8:15 for the papal audience. We had some good seats to the Holy Father's right (you can check the photo album linked on the left.) He said this and greeted us specifically "From the United States, priests and seminarians of Sacred Heart Seminary.") He even turned for a good photo. As is customary, he blessed religious items. All in all, it was a pretty "standard" audience, but my first, so it was a memorable experience to be sure, if not simply due to the heat (ecclesiastical dress and hot sun for 4 hours made Ryan and his water bottle the most cherished item in the group.) It was awsome to consider all the history that happened below the very spot we were seated and in the very buildings that surrounded us.

Small world: We ran into the abbot and abbess from Abu Gosh (the Benedictine monasteries at which we attended Mass on our first Sunday in Israel.) They were on our plane, they were at our audience, and the abbess even sat one row and one seat in front of me. The abbot had a front row seat, which was in fact only a few short rows in front of us.

After a sung Pater Noster and the blessing (in Latin of course), we ate. Lunch was pizza, calzone, or pasta. For me a coke, for others pop/soda or water.

Then we split up to cover parts of the city of our own choosing. I joined up with Jon, Ryan, and Dan. We went to some old Roman sites, including the Colosseum. Dan and I engaged in a lively discussion of the movie Gladiator. We also visited three churches, of which Gesu was one (where the Jesuit headquarters is located.) Some interesting features to each church. Getting out of the sun was nice too.

Dinner at the NAC at 7pm. Pasta, salad, and a cake that was like a cannoli. Good stuff.

Some of us prayed privately, others attended the (optional) praise and worship held at the NAC. Some went out for gelato. Others retired early. It was largely a day of our own design, and we used it to pursue our interests in the Eternal City. For my part, not a moment was wasted.

With only 2 days left, we won't even scratch the surface of Rome on this visit, but thank God for the opportunity to experience anything of it at all...

Roma!

We've landed in Rome, arrived and settled into the NAC (North American College), and we had a good pizza dinner just around the corner at Trattoria Pizzaria. Bene! Now, time to sleep. We've got an audience with the Holy Father in the AM.

Viva Roma!

Good bye Israel

We're in the Tel Aviv airport awaiting or Alitalia flight to Rome. It is hard to believe that our 3 weeks and 2 days in Israel have come to a close. We look forward to continuing our trip in Rome. Jon and Ryan have swapped their Holy Land guide books for Italy/Rome guide books. Fr. Dan and I are experiencing a little stomach discomfort, but the rest of us are healthy and ready to go in Rome. I for one look forward to the best food on earth - Italian. And shortly for dinner even.

But at this point, the reality is setting in: we're going to be home in a few days. This is sad in that we are just becoming acclimated and know our way around. Now it is time to leave. In many ways, it's like making a friend that you must soon part with.

But it is a sweet sorrow. No one can be disappointed with Rome ahead on the itinerary.

Trinity Sunday

Today was a light day. We went out to Taybeh (Biblical Ephraim) for Mass in Arabic at Christ Redeemer Church. The pastor, Fr. Radd, was very welcoming. Fr's Trapp, Byrnes, and Battersby concelebrated. Steve proclaimed the second reading in English, Fr. Trapp added a few intercessions in English to the Arabic general intercessions, and some of the Eucharistic Prayer and the Doxology were in English. Otherwise, including the sign of peace, it was all english. (I particularily enjoyed the Celtic Alleluia before the Gospel, with Arabic refrain.) The choir was nice and it was a unique experience to hear so much Arabic praising Christ (we have been present in the Old City for the Islamic call to prayer, which is done in Arabic.)

After Mass, we went with some of the local teens to the ruins of St. George Church, built by the byzantines and rebuilt by the crusaders. The characteristic cross baptismal font and byzantine tile could be seen at the site. The teens were very helpful and appreciated a chance to practice their English (a few french words fit in, but we are familar with the Spanglish phenomenon ourselves, so were very forgiving.)

Fr. Radd and the parish treated us to juice, coke, and chocolate wafer cookies while Fr. Radd answered our questions. He is a very animated speaker and captured our interest for almost 50 minutes. The meeting ended with the gift of one of their "Peace Lamps," which they are distributing to motivate prayer for peace in the Holy Land. (See their website for details.)

Lunch ensued at a local restarunt (chicken and rice.) Then we returned to the compound for a relaxed afternoon. Some took naps, did laundry, or read. We will gather for EP II of Trinity Sunday at 6:45 followed by dinner and a free evening.

Fr. Battersby is experiencing the lost luggage scenario, in simili modo to our other men at the beginning of our trip. Again, may this be a case for St. Anthony and not St. Jude.