Hello Everyone! I hope all is well. Things are continuing to get more busy and crazy around here, so I apologize for the slower updates. Let me start where I left off…in Poland!
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| Pope John Paul II's room as a Parish Priest |
Poland proved to be probably my favorite trip of all so far. There is so much that this country has to offer, and it is so beautiful! We stayed in the city of Krakow, where Pope John Paul II used to be archbishop for some time. We were able to see many sites relating to him. There was a small museum there which included many of his possessions and gifts that he received during his papacy. The apartment in which he stayed while he was a simple parish priest was also part of the museum, which was really incredible. We saw from the outside the building of his residence while he was archbishop. Just across from this was a church that he often prayed in. It was beautiful to pray in the same place he did …to pray to him and ask his intersession in the same place that he once asked for the intercession of others!
We also saw the great cathedral on top of the hill just outside the city center. This was a VERY beautiful cathedral that I was simply enchanted with. The style and art was so much different than the things I have been seeing in Rome and France, and it really had its own unique beauty and charm. Aside from being enthralled with the art, it was almost surreal to be walking in the same cathedral that Pope John Paul II was so involved with….was the archbishop in! Krakow has a rich history with its many kings, and there was a wonderful castle on the same hill, right next to the cathedral. As a result, there were many royal tombs in the crypt of the cathedral which we able to see as well.
My favorite church in all of Krakow and certainly one of my favorite churches in Europe as a whole was the Church of St. Mary in the city square of Krakow. This beautiful church was a place that John Paul II used to celebrate Mass often. I got up a little earlier than everyone else one morning and walked to the square, soaking in the fresh morning air, to spend some time alone with John Paul II in this beautiful church. It has been wonderful to get to know him in a whole different way throughout my time in Poland and I know that my relationship with this future saint will continue to grow after being so near to him!
We were able to experience Auschwitz one day as well. It was a colder and cloudy day, which seemed really fitting for the tour. The whole place seemed cold and heartless…you just knew that many lived were taken here. It was really surreal to be in the place that I have heard talked about so much. The tour was very informative and it showed us many different aspects of life in the camps. There were many different exhibits in the different block houses, some of which contained the possessions of the people who once lived there. It was an experience I will never forget, I’m sure.
The last thing we saw in Poland was the Shrine of Divine Mercy. It was amazing to be in the very church where Jesus appeared to St. Faustina so many years ago, and to see the original image of Divine Mercy that St. Faustina described. After seeing Auschwitz, I couldn’t think of a better place to go than to this shrine…it was such a place of great hope and mercy! “Jesus, I trust in You!”
So all-in-all, Poland was a wonderful trip. I could sense the faithfulness of the people in the city….there were so many people-young people- at daily Mass. This is another reason why I think I found Poland so attractive. It was exciting to see a faith so alive and thriving!
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| Some of us girls with Lenny, our 'grandma' here on campus |
Last weekend we took a class excursion to some different cities around Italy. We were able to see Norcia (the place where St. Benedict was born), Monte Cassino (the place where he built his great monastery and is now buried), and Assisi (home to the great saint Francis). All of these places were beautiful and very enjoyable. In Norcia we were able to have Mass with the community of Benedictine monks there, and it was one of the most beautiful Masses that I’ve been to in my life! The chant, the incense, the Latin, the reverence, the monk habits, and the intense focus on the Eucharist made the whole thing glorious. I’m reading a book about the Mass that describes it as heaven on earth, and when we were celebrating Mass with these holy monks it was easy to recognize that you were seeing a part of heaven!
Assisi was of course wonderful. Assisi is famous for being a quaint and peaceful little medieval city where Saint Francis is from. It’s certainly one of the precious gems of Italy. We were able to see the place where Sts. Francis and Clair were buried, as well as some other important Franciscan sites. My favorite part was probably a hike in the beautiful morning air up to the hermitage that Francis built.
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| Enthusiastic and Crazy Fans! |
In between the trips, my time in Rome is always eventful as well. Among the many things, there was a runner’s marathon here in Rome and one of my wonderful friends, Jen, ran it along with the director, Katie, and her assistant, Jeremy. So the rest of us got all dressed up and cheered like crazy for them all….I think we were by far the loudest fans there!! It was a sport in itself to try to figure out how to meet them along the run as many times as we could. We studied our metro map and ran all over Rome to cheer them on. We had a blast as a group, and it’s all we talked about for a good week here at the house! So congrats to Jen for running a marathon in Rome…one of her life goals!
My dear sister, Jodi, is coming to Rome tomorrow! I’m excited to show her some of the great sites around the Eternal City and share some of the beauty and loveliness that I’ve experienced here with her. I’m excited for some more quality time with the city and I’m also excited for a break from airports and train stations! ;)
I do have one prayer intention to leave you all with: our main professor here, Dr. Hall, suffered a mini stroke last Sunday in Assisi. He is doing very well now and they don’t think he has any permanent damage or anything, but they are still doing some tests and he’s still in the hospital in a town near Assisi. So if you could all pray for a speedy recovery and return for him, that would be greatly appreciated!
You are all in my prayers, as well! Have a great day!
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| All of us at Monte Cassino |
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