A couple of reflections:

Hey everyone! I'm off to Frace for a couple of weeks tomorrow, but I wanted to leave you with a couple of reflections that I wrote up for class on my expereinces here in Rome. I hope you can enjoy them, and I'll write you all when I'm back in Italy again. Ciao!

February 5, 2011

            One of the most beautiful and powerful experiences that I’ve had thus far in Rome is walking through the ancient Christian catacombs. Though I was unsure of exactly what to expect when I arose that morning, I knew that I was about to be in a place that was part of the very foundations of the Christian Church.
            In order to get to our destination, we were able to travel along the Appian Way. The Appian Way, or Via Appia Antica, is the ancient highway of the old Roman Empire. Sts. Peter and Paul, as well as hundreds of other martyrs and saints, would have walked along this road themselves, their light sandals brushing over the dark cobblestones. To be able to travel along this sacred road, following the steps of the great servants of God, was a wonderfully moving experience and a great preparation for what we were about to see at the catacombs.
            Our first steps inside the catacombs opened our eyes to a whole new world. The underground tunnels were dark, damp, and cold. The passage way was narrow with slots lining either side where graves used to be. The size of the catacombs and the number of graves was almost shocking! Our tour guide explained the different symbols that were engraved into the walls and stones to remind the Christians of the ultimate purpose of their lives.
            The thing that struck me the most during my time in the catacombs was the depth of the faith of the early Christians and the power of that faith to still speak to my heart, thousands of years later. These early followers of Christ were willing to take great risks and go to great extremes in order to celebrate their faith. They lived secret lives, building underground tunnels in order to bury their dead and practice their faith. Yet the dim lights and gloomy atmosphere seemed to be considered as nothing to the Christians who looked to the light of Christ with childlike trust. What an incredible experience for me to be in such a holy place and to be inspired to trust in the Lord in the same faithful way as these Christians did! I think that it would be hard to find a place where I would feel more moved to expand my heart for the Lord.
            For me, the catacombs have proved to be a wealth of graces and a great witness of what it means to have a vibrant and living faith.

February 23, 2011

            Through my travel to one of the sights at the heart of the Benedictine order, Subiaco, and my study of Benedict’s Rule, my heart has been opened and enlightened in a new way to the beauty of monasticism.
            At Subiaco we were able to have a special encounter with Benedict himself when we sat in the very cave he lived in for three years. Though the day started with an early morning and included a hike up the side of a mountain, I felt very awake and alive when we reached the monastery. St. Benedict must truly be present in a particular way to those hearts who beg for his intercession in this holy place. As I sat in this special place, I was able to soak in the words of the Benedictine rule, which was being read aloud.
            My eyes were opened to the roots and foundations of monasticism and I came to realize the higher purpose toward which it was directed, which is so much a part of my life also. I learned that monasticism is ordered in a way to lead us to heaven, where we enjoy great unity with God. I realize that that my life should also be led in such a way as to aim toward my final home in heaven. Discipline and order in my life is for a higher purpose. One word of Benedict’s rule that still rests in my heart and probably always will is the word ‘listen.’ It seemed to be a bit easier to listen to the voice of God in the quiet sacred space of the cave. I know though, that the challenge for us students is to learn to listen to the soft voice even amidst our daily lives. Our time in Rome, visiting the holy sites and learning about our faith and our selves, is teaching us to do just that.
            “Listen carefully, my son, to the master’s instructions, and attend to them with the ear of your heart.” What a beautiful challenge that Benedict gives to the heart of each of us studying in Italy this semester.

More Wonderful Stories from the Eternal City!

Hello Everyone! I hope the month of February has been treating you all well...it's hard to believe it's already more than half over. Time seems to be flying by over here!

Last weekend was a wonderful and more relaxing weekend that we spent staying in Rome. On Friday, we visited a church called St. Crisagono, which houses the body of an incorrupt saint, St. Anna Marie Tagi. She was a wife, mother, and mystic. Her body is in nearly perfect condition and it seems as if she is only sleeping! We were also able to visit the Church of St. Cecelia, built over the house where the saint herself lived hundreds of years ago.

Saturday we got up early and were able to have Mass in the crypt of St. Peter's basilica, just feet away from the bones of St. Peter! The beauty of morning Mass at St. Peter's is something that I will never forget! After Mass we were able to visit the grave of Pope John Paul II, who is soon to be beatified. What a gift to be able to pray in front of the grave of so recent a saint! To top off our wonderful St. Peter's day, we were able to go up the many flights of steps to the top of the dome at step outside...what a view! It's incredible to realize how big St. Peter's actually is and how small Rome seems from the top! It's beautiful to see the arms of the square, ready to embrace the world, from the top as well.

We were able to go to St. Peter's again on Sunday, and pray the Angelus with the pope on his usual Sunday morning appearances. We were also able to do some shopping at the weekly Sunday market. There are many little booths set up at the market, with people selling everything from boots and scarves, to kitchen supplies and purses. I have never seen vendors so eager to sell their products! You can hear them from across the area loudly yelling about the good prices that they are offering, and yet still being willing to barter with you and give you the product for a much lower price. I had fun observing and doing a little bartering myself! We had our usual Sunday night community night with Mass and dinner and our usual guests. A few of us girls baked and frosted sugar cookies for our dessert that night, which I think were thoroughly enjoyed by all!

We decided to celebrate Valentine's Day by going to the Trevi fountain, which is well known for being one of the most romantic spots in Rome. A couple of the girls even gave in to the rose-sellers who are always around the Trevi and bought a couple of roses, one of which I was the lucky recipient! The next day a few of us were sent out on a mission to get the tickets for the papal audience the next day. We were successful! I wrote up a special report for class about the papal audience on Wednesday that I thought I'd share with you all! Here it is:



Pope Benedict XVI!



It seems to be something like a dream for a Catholic soul to experience the powerful blessing of the pope, the glory of St. Peter’s Basilica, and the simple beauty of rain falling from heaven onto an upturned face all in one day and in the heart of the church! This dream has become a reality for me, through the grace of God brining me to study in Rome this semester.
            We all gladly got up early in hopes of getting in line early enough to get good seats to be close to ‘Il Papa’…our Holy Father! After fighting off the pressing crowds and running past the Swiss guards, we secured some great aisle seats near the front. After waiting a couple of hours, we cheered like crazy when Benedict XVI finally came out! It is an incredible thing to be so near the Vicar of Christ, the visible presence of Christ here on earth. A gift of this sort is very precious to the growing Catholic heart. We were even lucky enough to get our names read when the English speaking groups were introduced. To hear “The Students from the University of Mary from Bismarck, North Dakota” being announced in front of the pope himself was really thrilling! We were sure to cheer as loudly as we could so that we could enjoy a wave from him and we were met with success! The wonderful audience was completed with a final blessing from Benedict, which I was sure to let settle deep into my soul for the next few moments.
            Just when we thought our morning was complete, we stepped out into St. Peter’s square to find it pouring rain! A couple of us umbrella-less students, filled with the excitement and joy from the morning, ran out into the middle of the square to dance in the rain! To feel the drops of rain on my face reminded me of being caressed by the warmth of God and His grace. Receiving this wonderful gift from God while standing in the heart of the church was something I’ll never forget!  

After such an incredible expereince, our day was made!

The last couple of days we've spent letting ourselves visit some of the wonderful sites over again. We re-visited the Colosseum, the forum, and spent some time in Piazza Navona, my favorite piazza in Rome by far! We were also able to visit the Church of St. John Lateran today, and spend some time praying there. This church is the very heart of the Catholic faith...it's the Cathedral of Rome! The church contains the relic of the table on which Jesus would have celebrated the Last supper! It was wonderful to pray in front of this table, on which the first Mass was celebrated, for the priests of today, who are still offering Masses 2000 years later. The chair that the pope sits on when he makes an infallible statement (statement which the Catholic church proclaims is certainly true) is at the very front of the church. During such a statement he is said to speak "ex cathedra," meaning "from the chair." It's powerful to be in the place where so much of church history took place. The church is also lined with beautiful statues of the apostles...probably some of the most majestic and beautiful statues I've seen!

Thank you all for continuing to keep up with my adventures! It's exciting for me to share them with you all. Have a wonderful day!

Some of the girls, all dressed up for community night!

More Rome stories and a weekend in Germany!

Rome at night, with a view of the Tiber river and the Castle of Sant'Angelo

Hey everyone! I hope everything is going well back home. I know you have all been dealing with lots of snow, so I've been thinking about you and praying you all make it through. You should see the way Italians bundle up in big coats, scarves, hats, and glove for 50 and 60 degree weather! It makes me laugh because I think about you and how they would never make it back in good old ND. So congratulations on being troopers. :)

I've had a full and fun couple of weeks! We've finally gotten into the routine of classes an homework, so that's been keeping us pretty busy. For class we made a couple of excursions in the last couple of weeks to some different sites in Rome. We were able to see the "Ara Pacis," the altar of peace that was built during the reign of Augustus. It's a huge altar with detailed reliefs and images. We were also able to tour Santa Maria in Trestevere, the oldest church dedicated to Our Lady! There are many stories and legends regarding the church and the area over which it is built, which gives the church even more significance. Not far from Santa Maria we visited the chapel in which is the room where St. Benedict stayed while he was a student in Rome. You would never believe how small the room was...it was smaller than a twin sized bed with walls and floors of stone! It's amazing to think that St. Benedict lived there such a long time ago!

A bunch of us visited Orvieto last weekend, which is probably one of my favorite little towns so far. It's a medieval town build high on a mountain. You can still walk on the old city walls and climb down the famous well that was build so long ago. The well is famous for its size and winding sets of stairs leading to the bottom. The view from the city of Orveito is amazing...it's surrounded by fields and mountains in the distance. The city of Orvieto is also famous for a famous Cathedral, in which is kept proof of a Eucharistic miracle. The miracle took place when a doubting priest was celebrating Mass and the host started bleeding during the consecration. The blood dripped onto the corporal beneath it and to this day the corporal with the visible blood stains remains behind glass in the Cathedral in Orvieto. It's an amazing experience to be able to pray in front of such a miracle. Aside from the miracle, the cathedral is just simply beautiful, and probably one of my very favorite churches yet!!

Last weekend, three other girls and I made a trip to Germany for the weekend, and we all had a blast! We were able to spend a good amount of time in Frankfurt, and also in Marburg, a smaller and older German town. The first thing we did when we got the Germany, I must confess, is go to Starbucks! Italy does not have Starbucks, or any flavored coffee at all, so I've been missing my usual flavored lattes and such. A Starbucks stop just seemed essential. :)

In Frankfurt we saw a beautiful Cathedral and a Communications museum. We also saw some beautiful gardens that Frankfurt prizes. At the gardens were several building set up with different climate rooms in each building. It was fun to walk through the different climates and see the different plants and things that lived in each one. My favorite would probably have to be the rainforest room. We spent some time shopping in some places in Frankfurt as well. We climbed a tower-like building and were able to get an amzing view of Frankfurt at night. (on the left)

The second half of the trip was spent in Marburg. We got to go inside an old castle there! The castle is a museum now and had many different articles of clothing and furniture from that era. It was also on a big hill, so it offered to us a beautiful view of the city and countryside. We saw the cathedral at Marburg as well, which is actually the first gothic cathedral in Germany! It is named after a certain St. Elizabeth who used to be buried there, and so I definitely thought of my dear mom, Elizabeth, when I was there. :) It was nice to spend time just walking the streets of the city, because Marburg is one of the few little cities that wasn't completely destroyed during World War II. There were many old building and houses from before the war.
I learned a few German phrases while I was there, and it really made me think of home. After all, Germany is a big part of who I am! There was even a little slush on the ground, which made me think of your snow back home. :) One thing that really surprised me was the difference of the Italian culture from the German culture. After living a few weeks in the chaos of the Italians, I began to think that all of Europe was this way. But Germany was much more ordered, clean, and polite overall. It certianly resembled America more than Italy does. I am now beginning to understand that Italy is really in a league of it's own!

So my first trip out of the country of Italy has been a great success and pleasure. We made it back for our regular community night on Sunday. We were able to watch the super bowl live with you all that night, though it only started at about midnight our time! Many of us ended up going to bed around half-time, but we tried for a while at least! :)
We have been able to finally meet some other students from the USA studying here in Rome at different colleges. We actually are just a few minutes from another Catholic American college, and we have been able to spend a little bit of time with the students there. We were also treated to lunch one day at the North American College by the seminarians studying there from North Dakota.

Today we made a trip to Subiaco and spend the day there. Subiaco is the place where St. Benedict fled the world and lived in a cave for three years and eventually started his first monastery. We just finished reading the life of St. Benedict for class, so it was powerful to be able to see the place where it all started. It was definitely a hike up a mountain, but all worth in the end. The weather was so beautiful up there, and I was able to lie in the sun in my t-shirt and relax and read and pray for a couple of hours. I might have even gotten a little sunburn on my face! :) What a beautiful and fulfilling day!

Well I hope these few little updates can entertain you all a little. I think of you all often, and you are in my prayers!

The four of us in Germany!