Another update!

Hey everyone!

I finally got around to posting another update. It's been tough to find the time...these first couple of weeks are pratty intense and don't follow our normal schedule. Instead of our regular schedule that we will have with just 3 hours of class, for now we are pretty much in class from after breakfast until supper. Crazy! But here you go:

First of all, I realized I've been forgetting to mention the deacons that we met here! On the second day we were here, a couple of American deacons (who will be ordained priests this summer) came to campus and gave us an italian lesson. They are going to be at our campus at least twice a week to help out and just hang out. They are both a lot of fun! They remind me of some of the young priests from back in Bismarck, which is a nice reminder of home. I just thought I better mention them, because we've already spent a few days with them, and they remind me of all of you back home!

On Saturday we started with the Roman Forum. This was the center of religious and political life in ancient Rome. We really got to understand what the forum really meant back then, and with a good imagination, it almost seemed like you were in the middle of a magnificent part of history with large basilicas, temples, and pillars all around! Pasqueline did a wonderful job explaining the architecture also. I have never appreciated the forum more, even though I’ve learned about it and seen it all before! After the forum, we made our way up Palatine hill (another great hill in Rome, next to Capitaline hill). There we saw the house of Augustus, a great emperor.  His house was not as big as I was expecting, which was interesting. Some of the original painting on the wall was still there, which is rare, so it was great to see. The palatine hill had some beautiful trees full of oranges and such in some gardens. We didn’t have time to go inside, but it was beautiful to see from the outside. We met at Constantine’s Arch and Pasqueline was able to explain in great detail the different parts of the structure.So Majestic! Next, we walked to some of the Roman Baths…the “Thermae di Caracalla.” I could not believe how huge they were! The baths were public places where the Romans would come to clean themselves and then enjoy a bath in a swimming pool. They entered through a room and first undressed, entered another room to exercise, and then entered a series of hot and cold rooms for a time before the slaves would clean their skin. After they were clean, the Romans would head to the pool and relax, mingle, and swim. There were large gardens outside of the baths where people could come to visit also. I was most surprised by the size…you could fit all of Kirkwood mall in the baths! And back then it would have been covered in marble with large arches everywhere, and it MUST have been a sight. We went to the Pantheon last, which was awesome. There is no dome like that in the world. It used to be a temple dedicated to all gods ( a pagan temple) but was given to the pope in the 6^th century, who dedicated it to all early Christian martyrs. There were many alters and marble all around…it was beautiful!

Sunday we had a free day, so a few of us went to St. Peter’s square in the morning. We were able to see the pope!! It was very exciting. Every Sunday he greets the crowd in the square and prays the Angelus with them at noon. So we got so see him greet us (he even spoke a little bit in English) and pray with us. When he was speaking English, he told us to “open wide the doors of your heart to Christ.” It was beautiful. Then he gave us his papal blessing! After the meeting with the pope, we got some coffee and lunch, and then went back to the square and enjoyed the afternoon. We just sat by the pillars in the arms of the square of St. Peter’s.  There was a light breeze, warm rays from the sun (we even were able to take our coats off for a bit!), and I was reading a book on the Church Fathers.  I have always wanted to spend a leisurely afternoon like this in the square, and now that I have it was even better than I thought. And I will be able to do it many more times, I’m sure. That night we had our first community night, which includes Mass, a social, some games, and a big meal with all of the students and some guests. We will have them every Sunday night from now on.

Monday we were back to touring all day again. The first church we saw was the church of St. Clement. This was an interesting church because it consists of a medieval  church which is build on top of an older church, which is build on top of an ancient home. We were able to visit all three levels. We spend a lot of time focusing on the mosaics on the top level, which was wonderful. We learned all about the symbolism of mosaics. You can find some great pictures of this church online. Next, we visited another church that I can't find the name of at the moment. This church was also filled with beautiful mosaics, including a beautiful one in the apse. There was a chapel off to the side in this church, which was breathtaking. It was covered in mosaics. Now the mosaics only cover the ceiling and half way down the wall, but when it was built the mosaics would have reached all the way to the floor. The little pieces of the mosaic were aligned in and uneven manner in order to catch more of the light and reflect it in a more brilliant way. In the same chapel was the pillar that was used at Christ's scourging.  Last, we visited the church of St. Mary Major. This is one of the four major basilicas of Rome. It was exquisite, of course. The front and sides are covered with symbolic mosaics. The ceiling is completely covered in gold (said to be from the first gold that Columbus brought over from the new world) and even the floor is beautiful.  The bottom or the church contains the manger that Christ slept in!

Today we toured St. Peter's Basilica and part of the Vatican Museums. Everytime I enter St. Peter's it takes my breath away, no matter how many times I've seen it. I always feel perfectly at home there, and perfectly content. Pasquelline described many of the different sculptures and mosaics. I can't even begin to describe it, it's one of those things you just have to expeience. I plan to spend much of my time here in Rome in St. Peter's, the home to all Catholics. :) The Vatican museums were also wonderful. Again, there is just so much that I can't really being to describe them. I never knew how huge the museums really were! They were awesome though. We saw some very famous sculptings and paintings, including some from Da Vinci, Raphael, and Michelangelo. If you ever have time, its fascinating to look at pictures and read about the Vatican churches and museums.

Well that's it for now. I hope everything is going well back there! God bless!

Abbey

PS- I apologize for the spelling errors in my posts. I sometimes write these in a hurry, and make mistakes. Thanks for your patience with me!