We started the day with Deacon Victor’s first Mass as a Deacon. It was a beautiful church and Deacon Victor gave a very touching homily and I don't think there was a dry eye anywhere in the church!
We took a group picture. It was very special to be at Deacon Victor's first Mass!
Here's a statue of Padre Pio helping Jesus carry his cross.
Relics of Padre Pio
John Paul II’s beanie, called a zucchetto (which we could touch!) We heard a story that the pope would leave his zucchetto at a church after visiting it (for a relic after he was dead) and the church would give him another one. That is why there are several zucchettos of JP II around the world.
After Mass Tyler and I walked back to St. Peter’s Square and met Fr. Boone (the Priest from Loras College who was also in Rome while we were there.) It was a very cloudy day and started to rain as we were walking (the only day it rained while we were in Rome.)
He took us to his favorite Italian restaurant for lunch. It was a blessing to get to spend time with him in Rome and Tyler and I keep saying how we need to have him over for dinner and make home-made pasta for him. (He went to the seminary in Rome for four years before he was ordained a Priest so he has fond memories of real Italian pasta.)
And what do you think we did after lunch? Had gelato of course! We had to squeeze in a few more before we left.
Then we got on a bus at the hotel and went to the last two Major Basilicas, St. John Lateran and St. Mary Major, as well as a little church along the way that held an amazing surprise for me!
First we went to St. John Lateran. Here is a website for a virtual tour of the Basilica since our pictures don’t do it justice. http://www.vatican.va/various/basiliche/san_giovanni/vr_tour/index-it.html
This Basilica is the cathedral church of the Diocese of Rome and therefore is called the Pope’s Cathedral. Among other special notes, it is said to have the relic of the head of John the Baptist.
After visiting the Basilica we went across the street to the Scala Sancta, the Holy Stairs. This was a beautiful experience. I had read about it, but it’s not the same as being there. It is said that St. Helena had these stairs brought over from Jerusalem to Rome. These are the steps that led up to the praetorium of Pontius Pilate which Jesus climbed during his Passion. The steps are covered to protect them from the thousands of people who come and the tradition is to ascend the steps on your knees while praying some form of prayer remembering Christ’s passion.
I will always remember this prayer experience. It was very painful to ascend the steps on my knees, but I couldn't help but think about the pain Jesus suffered before and during his crucifixion.
Then we went to very small, not well-known church that was on the way. It was the Basilica of Santa Croce in Gerusalemme. On the way, someone was telling us about a young Roman girl who was buried here. She died at the age of 7 from bone cancer. When we got to the church and I saw her tomb, I started to cry.
To rewind a bit, some of our good friends from Ave Maria, FL have had this beautiful devotion to little Antonietta Meo, also known as Nennolina. My friend Christine had told me a little about her and I had seen a prayer card at her house. So when I saw the picture by the tomb and her name, I realized that this was the tomb of the little girl that our friends have talked about! It was a beautiful moment and it begun a love and devotion for Tyler and me to little Nennolina in praying for our future children.
We were able to pray in front of her tomb, and to see some of her toys and clothes.
She offered up her suffering from her cancer to Jesus in the most beautiful way. She wrote over 100 letters to Jesus and Mary and one of her quotes was, "When I suffer, I immediately think of Jesus so I don't suffer anymore! It's simple not to suffer: don't think of your pain, but think of Jesus', because He suffered so much for us that you won't feel anything yourself."
Before she died, she told her mother,"In a few hours, I will die, but I will not suffer anymore, and you shouldn't cry. I should have lived a few days longer, but Saint Theresa of the Child Jesus said, "it's enough!" After she died, her mother had a vision where she saw Antonietta in heaven.
It was so special to be there in the church where she was Baptized and spent much of her time in prayer. Tyler and I took a few holy cards that were touched to her tomb and continue to ask for her intercession for our future family. Her canonization is in process and one miracle has been attributed to her. If you want to read more about her, check out http://www.nennolina.it/bio_index_EN.htm
Then we went to the last of the four major Basilicas, St. Mary Major. This was one of the first churches built in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary. I think it interesting that the building of the basilica was started right after the Council of Ephesus in 431 which proclaimed Mary was the Mother of God.
It was very dark inside, in lots of places (like the other churches of Rome) you had to put coins in to light up the paintings. The ceiling was laden with gold from the New World.
A few pictures of us hanging out in front of the Basilica before we left for dinner:
Then we got back on the bus and went to our last Italian dinner.
We had spaghetti with mushroom and peas to start off with.
Then veal in a lemon sauce with a side salad.
And for dessert, a white cake.
We all shared lots of laughs and even more with the after dinner liquor.
Finally to end our trip to Rome, we walked to Trevi fountain.
It is a tradition to go there on your last night in Rome and to throw a coin into the fountain, which means you will return to Rome. We liked that thought!
And of course what did we do on our walk back to the hotel? You guessed it...got gelato for the last time.
I have to include this last picture to end the blogs about Rome. Tyler had a great attitude about not being able to watch college football while we were away (except if you remember about the adventure in Assisi) and the minute we got into the airport in the states, guess what was playing? College football. Not just one game, but several games.
Tyler and I often think back about our adventures in Rome with his parents and everyone on the trip. We are so thankful for the experience and miss it a lot. We look forward to going back one day and visiting some of our favorite places as well as exploring new ones!
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