Fr. Rick's Sabbatical: I met Cardinal Sean O'Malley today

Deacon Riley Williams and I just returned from dinner. We decided to walk down to St. Peter's Sqaure, cross it, and go to a street filled with restaurants, including one called Osteria Mozzone - a family-run place that is beyond all the more tourist places. We really wanted to see what was going on at the Piazza. As we approached the Piazza, we were met by Cardinal Sean O'Malley of Boston. He was very pleased to see us. We had a nice chat. He asked me, "When did you arrive in Rome?", I answered, "February 13, Your Emminence. I am in the sabbatical program at the NAC". I told him a bit more of my program and the Lilly Grant. After he congratulated Riley on his upcoming ordination, we continued on our way to the restaurant.

After a lovely dinner, and solving all the problems of the church, we started back to the NAC.

STOP!!!!!

All the streets that would take us back towards the Gianicolo Hill where the NAC is located are closed. People are approaching the barricades in a swarm. Many Italians police speak English and French. Almost none speak Polish. Now Riley and I have to backtrack, walk all the way around the Castel St. Angelo - a circuitous route about one mile longer than we need to. All the way, we are climbing over people lying in sleeping bags across the sidewalks ready to spend the night. These people are not going to get any closer than this. I can only imagine the rush of people as they are allowed to enter the Square tomorrow morning.

I have a ticket into the beatification which must be supported with a picture ID - my passport has to come with me in the morning. And the weather is unstable. I am seriously considering, as are many of the priests here, whether 6 hours in the rain, ending up with a soaking wet cassock, will gain us any graces.

We'll see.

Earlier today, I participated in the last of our Institute field trips - the Basilica of San Sebastiano and the Cistercian Abbey of Tre Fontane. The tradition says that Tre-Fontane is the location of the beheading of St. Paul. The tradition also says that after he was killed, his head rolled down a hill, bouncing three times. At each place where his head landed on the ground, a fresh water spring welled up. The three springs still run beneath the church built to mark Paul's execution and the remarkable phenomenon.

This is the typically simple structure of a Cistercian Abbey Church. Liz Lev, the art historian who has directed many of our tours spoke of this church some weeks ago. As we looked at all the baroque churches with marble exteriors and richly decorated interiors of marble, mosaics, and frescoes, she told us about this Abbey Church of Tre. Fontane. If you strip away all the marble, mosaics, and frescoes, what you get is Tre-Fontane. Most of the churches in Rome started their life as a brick structure to which all the decoration was added.

Next to the Abbey Church is the later baroque church built over the three fountains or springs brought to surface by the bouncing of St. Paul's head on the ground.

The sanctuary of the church of the Tre-Fontane.

We celebrated Mass together in this church. Our celebrant today was Monsignor Robert Lawrence, who today, marked his 45th Anniversary of ordination to Priesthood.

Monsignor Robert Lawrence of the Diocese of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania celebrating Mass on the 45th Anniversary of priesthood. Ad Multo Annos!

In his thoughtful homily, Msgr. Lawrence spoke of how Rome was the place where the faith and culture of the 1st century world came together in the persons of Peter and Paul, and in the community which formed under their leadership and teaching. One an undecated Jewish fisherman, the other, an intellectual and Roman citizen. In this city, they met the same fate - martyrdom for Christ as each one proclaimed the good news of the risen Lord. From this city, the faith was spread throughout the world. Our sabbatical program in the city of Rome brought together a diverse group of priests devoted to proclaiming the same message of Peter and Paul. And from this city we will return to our homes and parishes where the work of spreading the good news will continue.
Thanks, Bob.

The mosaic in the apse of the church

Next we moved onto San Sebastiano:
It is one of the famous seven churches of St. Philip Neri, who began the practice of visiting the seven churches as a lenten devotion. St. Sebastian is a 1st century martyr, a centurion of the Roman arny who converted to Christianity. For this he was martyred by the archers of his own regiment. He was buried here in the catacombs over which the basilica was built. Now his remains have been placed in the altar of a chapel in the basilica that bears his name.

San Sebastiano

The side chapel where Saint Sebastian' body lies for the devotion of the curch.

The basilica contains two significant works of art. The first is the sculpture of San Sebastian lying in death. It is located in the base of the altar above his tomb. The concept for this statue and the initial drawings of the design are by Bernini. The statue was carved by his student, Giorgietti.

The Body of San Sebastian, designed by Gian Lorenzo Bernini, carved by his student Giorgietti.

Also in the basilica is the sculpture of a bust of Jesus, called "Il Salvatore". This was done by Bernini himself.

"Il Salvatore" by Gian Lorenzo Bernini

After visiting the Abbey and the Basilica, we stopped at an Italian National Monument marking atrocities from WW II. It is the site of a mass grave of 335 Italian civilians who were executed after the Italian underground resistance killed 32 german troops. The civilians were rounded up at random, many were Jews, and one priest, some as young as 14, and shot at this site of a quarry. Because the young german soldiers who were to perfrom the excutions had troubled conscineces about this act, their officers gave them liquor. Unfortunately, it reduced the accuracy of their firing. Many of the victims were merely wounded. The bodies, some still alive were thrown into the quarry, and the quarry was detonated, burying the victims. Shortly after the war, the site was excavated, and eveidence shows clearly that not all had died before the quarry was caved in. Pope Pius XII dedicated this site in 1948.