To Rome!

Assisi offered us a day of rest and quiet. With so much time to enjoy prayer and reflection, fellowship and laughter, we were ready to journey on to Rome.

On the way to Rome, we stopped in Orvieto. The town of Orvieto seems to be precariously set on the top of a butte. In fact, to reach the city, we had to take a funicular up the side of the hill. Our first destination was the Duomo of Orvieto.

The facade of the Duomo is astounding. Our guide rightly called it a summa theologica of our faith - Old Testament stories, the Gospel, Revelation, stories of Mary, the Apostles...these were all visible in the reliefs, sculptures, and mosaics covering the duomo.

We have seen so many churches that illustrate our faith - literally. Some themes and images repeat. Other aspects are unique. Yet each artist brings a different representation of the faith to his or her work. Each piece of art - be it sculpture, relief, painting, fresco, or mosaic - invites us to see God a bit differently, a bit more clearly.

As Orvieto is so small, there was only a small amount to see beyond the Duomo. After a great lunch (a recurring theme in Italy), we boarded the funicular again to head back down the butte to our bus.

The drive to Rome was unexceptional so many took advantage of the time to nap.

We reached Rome and before even heading to our hotel we went to the Catacombs of St. Callisto. Here we had a memorable moment on our pilgrimage.

The excellent guide took us far below ground into the catacombs. He told us the stories of how they were created and used (and not used - people never lived in the catacombs). He shared the haunting story of when people were martyred in the catacombs as they prayed Mass together.

When our journey through the caverns was complete we found ourselves in a room barely large enough to hold our group. With the backdrop of empty tombs and the reality of the stories we heard settling into our hearts, we celebrated Mass.

The Mass used the readings many of us have heard at funerals. During the intentions we were invited to offer the names of our deceased friends and family members up in prayer. With the weight of what we had witnessed in the catacombs and the personal weight of lost loved ones, all were affected. Tissues were shared as we shared the sign of peace.

As we climbed out of the catacombs, the daylight seemed so shocking and so comforting. It was an appropriate metaphor for pilgrimage and our experience of Mass below the ground on which we stood.

The rest of the evening was uneventful as we settled into our hotel, ate dinner, and relaxed before our first full day in Rome.

Again, if this pilgrimage sounds of interest to you, 

I invite you to consider joining us on the 2017 pilgrimage 

to Lourdes, Spain, and Portugal. 

See details here.