The Triduum in Rome- a Wonderful Blessing!

Hey everyone! Jesus Christ is risen today! Alleluia! Happy Easter!

I have finished celebrating the most beautiful Triduum of my life in the heart of the church here in Rome. It was absolutely wonderful! Though words really can't express it, I'll do my best to help you get a glimpse of what I experienced here in the last week.


The girls at St. Peter's


We started off Holy week with Palm Sunday Mass with Pope Benedict XVI in St. Peter's square. There were lots of people, and we were somewhere in the middle of a big crowd- but it didn't matter to us- we were all still moved by the beautiful Mass and by seeing and hearing the pope (or ‘il papa’ as we like to call him) speak to us. For most everyone this was their first experience of Mass with the pope. This was my second experience- my first being almost 3 years ago now. I can't even compare the two experiences though- they were both just very wonderful! After a day like this, I knew that Holy week was off to a great start!

We finished up with class on Tuesday, with our two finals. After that, we were free to spend our time soaking in Holy Week in Rome. On Wednesday a few of us stopped by St. Peter's square to see il papa at a Wednesday audience. We didn't attend the audience, but at least got to see him from the outside of the square. :) Holy Thursday we decided to go to Mass at the American Parish here in Rome so we could hear Mass in English. While we were sitting at Mass, one of the hospitality men asked four of us to carry up the gifts- and I was one of them. So I carried the wine that would become the Blood of Christ to the altar- on the anniversary of the Last Supper itself! It was wonderful!

It is tradition in Rome on the night of Holy Thursday to visit 7 churches throughout the city and pray in each one. The churches are all kept open late for this very reason, and so we took advantage. It was the most beautiful experience to walk as a group to these churches- we actually went to 9 of them. We call it our little "church novena." It was a lot of people's highlight for the week- it was the most beautiful Holy Thursday I ever had!

Good Friday was wonderful as well. That morning we climbed up the very stairs that Jesus would have walked up to be condemned by Pontius Pilate. I already explained this holy staircase, "Scala Santa," in a previous blog, so I won't explain again. The experience was again very powerful- and even more so because it was on Good Friday. It was almost surreal. I went to the Good Friday service at the church of Santa Croce in Gerusaleme- this church is built on soil from Jerusalem and contains the relics of the true cross, parts of the crown of thorns, one of the nails from the crucifixion, and the plaque that hung above the head of Christ on the cross. So we venerated the true cross on Good Friday. That night we went to the Colosseum to pray the Stations of the Cross with the Pope Benedict- in the very place where many martyrs died for the faith. It was certainly the most powerful Good Friday that I've had thus far.



Waiting in line for the Vigil Mass

 Saturday was the Easter Vigil- the highlight of my entire semester. I went to St. Peter's square at noon, to wait for 9 hours for the vigil to start! Call us crazy- we know we are! ;) But it was totally worth it. We were one of the first people in line, and managed to keep that spot for 9 hours, though our feet were tired and we were hungry. While waiting, we made plans for when the gates opened. We paired up and decided that one partner would run, while the other would take both of the bags and go through security. I was a runner. :) Jay and I were at the way beginning of the line and ran in and locked down AWESOME seats- aisle seats in the center of the basilica.  



St. Peter's at the Vigil Mass



Words cannot describe the beauty of the Easter Vigil Mass at St. Peter's. The incense, the lights, the sacred beautiful music- it was all wonderful! I had chills in my back several times and I was on the verge of tears as well! When the pope papa walked down the center aisle at the beginning with his lit Easter candle, he stopped in the center of the aisle for a good minute or two- RIGHT in front of us! We were only 3 feet of so away from him for those two minutes, and I'll never forget it. I could see something in his face- something moving. it was as if he was preparing to go into this celebration with all that he had. H was determined and he was going to worship the Lord with all that he was in the next 3 or so hours. I could not believe how easy it was to see this on his face- it was beautiful. At the same time, he looked old and frail- I could see the sacrifice of his life that he was making for the church. There I was, so close to the Vicar of Christ on earth, and so blessed to be there.

Another one of my favorite parts of the Vigil was when the Gloria was sung and more of the lights in the Basilica turned on- my heart skipped a beat. The very church at the center of the Catholic faith was so ALIVE with the praises of the Lord. It was one of the most beautiful experiences of my life. Of course the major highlight was receiving the Body of Christ- the Risen Lord came into me that night just as He has so many times before. But it was extra special to me this night- Jesus was very real to us there!! What a gift!

How can I ever thank Him for this night- this Mass? I really can't thank Him enough- it's all indescribable. It's beyond anything I ever could have imagined. I have discovered the beauty and the importance of Easter and the Resurrection of Christ in a whole new way this year. I remember being so full of joy after the vigil that I just had to dance in the rain with a friend. How GREAT is our God for giving us the gift of His son, for giving us this joy!! My prayer for the rest of the Octave of Easter is that you all may experience this joy too- that God will shower you with His graces in the same way He showered me.



Stef and Shaina making cookies for Easter!



Easter Sunday we all hid 'secret' baskets for one another and went on a hunt for them here on campus. We all laughed a lot and enjoyed the day with each other. We cooked a big dinner in the afternoon all together- like a big happy family here in Rome. Our dinner that night was our last community night- it was bitter-sweet. I am so thankful for the wonderful people and times I've had here, but it's hard to leave it all. I'm excited to come home to you all though, which makes leaving sweet and exciting, too!

We are spending the last couple of days packing, organizing, and preparing to leave. We are seeing a few last things in the city, but mostly we are taking it easy. It's crazy to think I'll be on my way home in less than 48 hours!

Thank you all for keeping up with my blog- I hope you've enjoyed reading it as much as I've enjoyed writing it. I hope the underlying message that came across was the greatness of God- because that's what this entire semester was all about. God has blessed me in ways that I never could have thought of myself- He has given me more than I ever could have asked for. Praise Him!

I look forward to seeing you all when I get back to Bismarck- I'm very very excited to see you all again and to know what's been happening in your lives! See you soon!!

Quality Weekends in Rome



Views of Rome: St. Peter's Basilica



Hey Everyone! I hope April has gotten off to a good start with you all. Hopefully North Dakota is beginning to show some signs of spring? Rome is sure warming up and it seemed to almost happen overnight!

Jodi and her friend, Katie, came to visit for a week and we had lots of fun! I was able to show her around all of the famous sites in Rome. The first couple of days we spent time at the Colessuem, the ancient Roman Forum, the Trevi fountain, and the Spanish steps. We also got some quality shopping time in, which ended up being a lot of fun. I had a pretty rigorous schedule for them the first couple of days and I think they were pretty tired! Later on I was also able to show them the Vatican and Vatican Museums (including the beautiful Sistine chapel), St. Peter’s Basilica, St. John Lateran’s (Rome’s Cathedral), and the Borghese Art Gallery. We also enjoyed some wonderful restaurants and of course, gelato and Italian coffee! It was exciting to hit all of the big attractions again. I continue to be amazed at how blessed I am to be living so near so many wonderful things!

During their time here, Jodi and Katie were even able to experience a transportation strike, which messed with our plans a bit, but provided us with some unexpected adventure at the same time. They were also able to experience what it’s like to wait an hour for a bus, get lost walking around because of my poor navigational skills, and get lost on a bus because of a new bus driver! On their last night we went out a Cecilia Metella- a wonderful restaurant on the ancient Appian Way. After a wonderful bowl of pasta, they headed back to American the next day with satisfied stomachs and many stories to tell.



Views of Rome: The Castle of Sant'Angelo



This last weekend I stayed in Rome and enjoyed visiting some places that I haven’t had a chance to before. I was able to climb the Scala Santa on Friday. The Scala Santa, or “holy stairs” are stairs brought to Rome from Jerusalem and are supposed to have been the stairs of Pontius Pilate’s Palace- the stairs that Jesus would have walked up to be condemned. Pilgrims climb up these 28 steps on their knees, praying on each one. It was such a gift to be able to do this on a Friday during lent. To think that Jesus himself would have also walked up these stairs one Friday so long ago was incredible. I was also able to see some of the relics of the passion of Christ: a nail, two of the thorns from the crown of thorns, a piece of wood from the true cross, and the sign that hung above Jesus’ head saying that He was ‘King of the Jews.’ So many beautiful and powerful relics- it’s so wonderful that we are able to see these things that were so close to Christ Himself!

We are currently in our final week of regular classes, and so the homework the last couple of days has been a little intensified. We’ve been having class outside because of the wonderful weather and that’s been a treat. We are also having our own version of homecoming week, called “Rome Campus Student Appreciation Week.” We’ve been having fun dressing up and showing our ‘school spirit’ for the Rome campus!

 Dr. Hall made it back from Assisi and seems to be doing just fine. He and his wife, Lenny, actually headed back to the states a week ago after we finished up classes with him. Thanks for your prayers for him!



Views of Rome: Inside the Colossuem



Our time here is Rome seems to be quickly coming to an end- only two weeks left! We are trying to soak in all that we can in these last few days. I’ll keep you posted on how everything continues to go. You are all in my prayers!