Wednesday, April 20, 2011

A very quiet two days

Hi Everybody,
Just to let you know that all is well here in the Eternal City. There has not been much to report.
After Palm Sunday, next couple of days have been very quiet.

There was a lecture Tuesday morning on canon law. We looked at some case studies involving marriage jurisdictions, territory of parishes, and church personel issues. I am not going to bore you with the details. These issues are the reason Father Rodney was sent back to school to earn an advanced degree in this stuff. Frankly, he's welcome to it.

This of course is not to belittle or to minimize his work. I can't begin to tell you the ways he has helped the church in his work. Its just that it makes for very tedious blogging.

I have been practicing the piano quite a bit. The pieces I will be perfroming on Ischia are a somewhat more challenging than I thought. So I have been doing some serious work in preparation to perform with people I have never met before. It is all very exciting.

Most of the students and faculty at the North American College are away. There is a skeleton staff on duty, including the kitchen. So meals have been better taken at some of the local eateries. The seminary has an every other year for Holy Week program. It is celebrated one year in house, one year away. Students are allowed to travel elsewhere for Holy Week and the semester break which is alway Easter week. This year happens to be an away year. So many have taken advantage of the travel permission.

Tomorrow, I will attend the Holy Thursday Mass of the Lord's Supper at the Casa Santa Maria. This is the division of the North American College which houses the priests who have been sent back to Rome to acquire post-graduate degrees - Doctorates and Licenses.

On Friday, I will be distributing Holy Communion at the Service of the Lord's Passion at St. Peter's Basilica with the pope.

I will distribute Holy Communion for the Papal Masses at St. Peter's at the Easter Vigil and again on Easter Sunday morning.  Easter Sunday will be an interesting day for us here since there will be no meals at the Seminary and all the restaraunts are closed. Also there are no cooking facilities at our Casa O'Toole. We may have to go shopping before Sunday arrives.

I know that Father Rodney was conducting rehearsals tonight for the altar servers for the Sacred Triduum. Things are underway for Holy Week. I will try to get as many pictures as I can. Remember the instruction we received on Palm Sunday? I expect the same instruction to be given for our Triduum too. But I will do what I can.

Blessings to everyone. My prayers are with you all as you come together for the holiest day of the year - the Triduum.

Fr. Rick