The Pilgrim’s Tale
Monday 2nd June 2008
Meeting – Airport at 2.00 p.m.
Arrive in
Dinner at a local Restaurant and check in at our Hotel.
The gathering at
Those on the right hand side of the plane had brilliant
views of
We meet Misia for the first time. The journey from the Airport
to the Restaurant is excellent. Can you
believe that within 10 minutes from the Airport we learned that the main road
along the entire length of
One ‘interesting’ bit of information… the Traffic Lights at
cross roads are only for decoration! A friend of mine in
On the way into
We also passed the
As we left the Restaurant that night, Fr Lawrence decided to say ‘good night’ to Pope Benedict – it was around 11.15 when he (the Pope, that is, not Lawrence), put his bedroom light out – some of us wondered if he’d been watching telly…I suspect he was putting the finishing touches to his latest Encyclical (letter) – I just hope it’s a good one….
Tuesday 3 June
After breakfast –
walk to St Peter’s for a tour of the Basilica.
After lunch visit the Catacombs – St Sebastian, and the celebration of
Mass - Paul’s Outside the Walls, return
to Hotel for dinner at a local restaurant...
7.15 – wake up call – hands up anyone who didn’t talk to the recorded message to thank them for the call...
How do we get used to ham and cheese sandwiches for breakfast?
How do we sum up St Peter’s?
It is just so difficult to imagine this part of
As for the ‘English Connection’ at the end of the tour…anyone called Stuart/Stewart is entitled to declare themselves a ‘monarch’.
Some rather strange folk decided to climb the ‘8th’
Hill of Rome and enjoyed spectacular views from the
On the way to the Catacombs we passed
The Catacombs…. I knew that only one tenth of the City’s burial area had been excavated…but I didn’t know that there are over 60 burial sites under the City. We celebrated our first Mass together in the Catacomb of St Sebastian and remembered our parish communities and particularly those who had died recently, Maria Henderson, Harry Case and Bishop Kevin. There is something very special being in the presence of the 100 thousand people who died in the first 3 centuries of the Church and were buried in this particular area. Theresa, our guide was just so enthusiastic and informed. How can she sound so fresh after 25 years in the job? She must simply be deeply committed and loves it. There was a powerful silence during Mass, though the fact that the lights went out every 10 minutes was a bit of a distraction! It truly was a place of memory, celebration and prayer.
On 29th June this year, Pope Benedict will
inaugurate the ‘Year of Paul’. Now I
think I heard one of our guides say that this was the 2000th year of
his ‘conversion’. I’m not great at
maths, but that means he became a follower of Jesus around the age of 8. OK – there’s a load of discussion as to when
Jesus was born – honestly – so I suspect I need to do a bit of homework to find
out what anniversary is actually happening.
The priest in charge of
Remember the evening meal?... Being evicted from one Restaurant and being made welcome at the second. Chips arrived – bring on Gorman’s from Denton Burn. How on earth can Italians eat chips without vinegar? It is just beyond me.
Wednesday 4th June
After breakfast take
seats in St Peter’s Square for the General Papal Audience. After lunch, visit St John Lateran and the
Scala Sancta…continue to Santa Croce.
Return to hotel and dinner at our local restaurant – Phil Carroll and
Lee Barrat – a student at the
6.15 – wake up call from the Hotel…Still talking to the answerphone... Set off for St Peter’s at 8.15, can you believe it? We discovered that there were a couple of women in the group who must have been in the Marines – how awesome they were, finding places about 7 rows from the front of St Peter’s Square… We were surrounded by Mexicans, Italians, Peruvians, Germans and chefs! Who will ever forget Fr Lawrence trying to persuade the chefs to produce pizza at 9.00am?
There was something just a bit special hearing ‘St Bede’s
and
It also struck me that we’re facing some tough decisions in our Diocese regarding the number of parishes and priests. There will be fewer of both in the years to come…but what really matters is the community, not the buildings.
I was really struck by the quality of the silence when Pope Benedict spoken in about 10 different languages. I hadn’t a clue what he was on about… and even in English it was a bit of a struggle. I think he was saying that it was important to read the Scriptures intelligently, carefully and with the insight of scholars…but only so that our reading is an aid to prayer. I’d be up for that!
I did notice that the Bishops, who were sitting up there at the posh end, were given umbrellas to save them from the sun! But only the ones facing the sun, the others with their back to the sun didn’t get them….they’ll know the next time.
Pope Benedict ended his statement by saying that he blessed
those present as well as the families and parish communities of those present,
especially those who are sick or housebound. There were people around us from
all over the world – from
We were introduced to the word Recycling…with a whole new meaning. Basically it seems to mean that
you pinch bits of other buildings, probably built centuries earlier, and
beautify your own, spanking new building. So, for example, a big chunk of St
Peter’s came from the Pantheon, built in 23 BC, refurbished in the first
Century and helped to decorate the ‘new’ St Peter’s from 1550 AD onwards. Same with the Coliseum, grab what you can and
go for it. Not too surprising to
discover that most of the farms built between
Interesting to hear that there are more trees in
Another fascinating phrase used quite often by Guides – Daniela,
Maria and Eduardo – was ‘according to tradition’. I’m thinking about ‘According to tradition’,
St Helen went to Jerusalem and discovered the ‘true cross’…’According to
tradition’, we have nails from the Crucifixion, thorns from the crown of thorns
and steps from the Temple of Jerusalem – all within a few hundred yards of each
other near the Cathedral of St John Lateran in Rome. It is fascinating, because the phrase
‘according to the tradition’ of the Church is really a constant repetition over
many centuries of stories told from hundreds of years ago…they may not actually
reflect history. One of our group asked
me if these stories were true. I didn’t
find it easy to answer and simply said:
‘Can I answer a different question?
The question I want to answer is:
‘What is a Myth, what is a
Legend?’ I would say that a Myth is
something that never happened, but is always true…. (If you’re into all of
this, look at anything Joseph Campbell has written about Myths and Legends…). I
don’t honestly believe myself that these are the original nails or thorns – but
maybe what is important is to reflection on the Suffering and Passion of Jesus
and what that really means – so I have no problem with the bits and pieces on
show, so long as they lead to reflection and prayer about the original
story. For me, it’s as simple as
that. I’m not too bothered about the bits; I’m seriously bothered about the
original events and what they mean for us today.
Back to
I was really interested in the story about Helen giving over
part of her house as a place for worship in the early 4th century –
and this becoming, eventually, part of the Lateran complex and cathedral. I’m sure that the early Christians did meet
in houses – Churches didn’t exist for a couple of hundred years. They needed to be ‘discreet’ because of
persecution from time to time in
I also felt quite chuffed celebrating Mass next to the Tomb of Pope Leo X111 – the pope who penned the first ‘Social Encyclical’ in 1891 about the rights of workers. He’d been encouraged by bishops from this country who were worried about the plight of workers in the docks in London and the mines elsewhere – by pressure from bishops in the US who were very concerned about cotton pickers (a new form of slavery) and various other European bishops giving out about those working in heavy industry and not having space for family life, freedom to meet or freedom to worship. Overall, a good document: ‘Rerum Novarum’ …’On New Things’…
Fascinating to bump into Sr Imelda that evening – a
religious sister from this country working in
Greetings to Phil Carroll and Lee Barratt at our gathering that evening. I seem to remember that some of our group did set out looking for various ‘dancing venues’. Being totally boring, I went to bed!
Thursday 5th June
Morning at Leisure…
Afternoon – a coach
journey into the Alban Hills, visiting Castelgandolfo and Frascati. We celebrate Mass in the Cathedral. Return to
At 7.30 a group of intrepid travellers set off for the
One of our group managed to miss what she referred to as ‘the two fingers’…I guess we all knew she meant the ‘Story of Creation’ – but she did have to go back through the whole museum just to make sure she’d seen the bit she really wanted to see….
Castelgandolfo is 24k from
At lunch time we discovered that one of the more ‘mature’ members of the group had re-enacted one of Marilyn Monroe’s more famous poses – on the steps with the up-draft, in a restaurant the evening before, and that another had filched an original artefact from an Egyptian grave site in the Valley of the Kings – I guess an early version of ‘Lara Croft, Tomb Raider’. I didn’t realise such respectable women engaged in such activities – maybe I have much to learn….
Frascati Cathedral to
celebrate Mass…as
Across the square there was a disgustingly welcoming Ice Cream place where we sampled some of the local produce…Frascati…much better than Tesco’s…
Evening Meal in Trastevere…after which
Friday 6th June
After breakfast,
visit St Mary Major where we will celebrate
St Mary Major is one of the 4 main pilgrimage churches in the City. While celebrating mass we remembered Andrew Shaw – ordained today, Harry Case – Requiem today and Michael Conaty – Golden Jubilee today. On the grounds that our bus driver was a woman, we also invited one of the women in our group to read the Gospel – and the roof remained on the Cathedral…
To get there we went over the ‘
Actually, if the same Dr Paisley’s car has a European Union flag on the number plates, he is supporting the Immaculate Conception! The European flag is based on the white stars often seen around the head of Mary in front of a blue background – honestly… My source for this is Bishop William Kenny who used to be the President of CARITAS EUROPA, and he was born and baptised in Benwell, so he must be right.
Talking about statues of Mary, I was really taken by that in Mary Major – Regina Pacis – Her left hand is firmly outstretched with the message: ‘No more war’.
The ceiling of Mary Major is covered in gold – said to be
some of the first gold brought from the ‘Americas’ following the journeys of
Christopher Columbus and others from 1492. Another example of ‘Recycling’? I
wonder if anyone asked the Aztecs and Incas if they’d mind all their gold being
removed to beautify a Church in
There were frequent references to
In the afternoon we wandered…Piazza Novona, The French Church and Caravaggio, the Pantheon, Spanish Steps and Trevi Fountain. It doesn’t surprise me that the current world motorcycling champion is Italian – Valentino Rossi – they’re quite extraordinary negotiating those narrow streets.
Evening Meal... Beautifully cooked, presented and accompanied. It seems this particular restaurant is frequented by Bishops and Cardinals – maybe they’d heard we were in town and took evasive action…
Saturday 7th June
After breakfast,
travel to Assisi, Lunch opposite the Basilica of Santa Maria del Angeli where
we celebrate Mass.
Check into hotel in
the old town.
5.45 I went down to the
During the prayer time on the bus,
So how do you put a smile on the face of an extremely ‘sad’ looking Poor Clare – give her a collection basket with notes in it…
We celebrate mass in a small chapel – a huge contrast to the
massive cathedrals and basilicas we’ve been in for the last few days. The hugely varied shapes and sizes simply remind
me that all local Christian communities are different, very different, and
their Churches reflect those differences. Once again, the bottom line is that
it’s the community that makes up the Church, not the buildings. Indeed St Francis himself made that mistake
in the early years after his ‘conversion’.
When asked to ‘Repair the Church’ – he took it literally, and started
mending the roof. For a man who didn’t
think his brothers should live in a monastery, there are some pretty stunning
buildings commemorating his presence in different places in this part of
Some phases overheard during the party on the ‘Terrace’...
‘Of course there’s a choice of wine, there’s red or nothing, you simply choose the red!’
‘I was going to bed, but I do feel obliged to be sociable’.
‘I used to go on Bridge holidays, but from now on I think I’m going on Pilgrimage’.
‘We should all do what Francis did!
WHAT? Have a row with your dad and run down the street naked’?
Sunday 8th June
After breakfast, a
guided tour in the steps of St Francis and St Clare. Mass celebrated in the Basilica of St Francis
After lunch, visit
the Hermitage on Mt Subiaso, then to San Damiano.
6.00 am wondered up to the Castle above the town. Two other folk there, both English and both complaining about the food in their hotel the evening before! It was a beautiful morning.
Interesting that the only Church in
Straight opposite our hotel was the Via Raphael Merry
We celebrate Mass in the Basilica – a very different experience, 12.00 and hundreds of people milling around in the Church at the time. For the second day running, Misia does an amazing job placating a very ‘sad’ looking sacristan. We suspect this one was top of the premier division. We have to be finished within 45 minutes. I have heard of those who have gone over and the books taken from the altar and candles blown out. We were out of there in 30 minutes – no doubt fear can be an extraordinary motivator. Just a little difficult to reconcile with the idealism and hospitality of Francis and Clare...
San Damiano… the place where St Francis ‘heard’ the voice from the Cross telling him to ‘repair the Church’. His conversion wasn’t instantaneous. He’d already broken from his family – freed from being chained up in the cellar of his house by his mother… He then spent time in deep uncertainty, sleeping in a ditch, curled up and in darkness – wondering all the time what he was meant to do. No wonder he could come up with phrases such as: ‘All life must sing of pilgrimage and exile’.
Monday 9th June
After breakfast, en
route to Ciampino we visit Greccio – lunch followed by celebration of
Depart Ciampino
8.50pm arrive
6.00am – visibility very poor on the top of the hill! Yet there is a Japanese tourist taking photographs of shapes in mist. Fascinating. I’m sure I read somewhere that this is a particular genre in Japanese art – the mist is a symbol of mystery, disguising the future and what it holds…
Greccio – the place where St Francis ‘invented’ the Crib. I think it’s true to say that he began with a ‘live’ play to bring the message home to villagers. So few people could read or write that mosaics and paintings, frescoes and statuary were the ‘bible of the poor’. Francis didn’t just look to bringing the Infancy story into people’s imagination; he also developed what we now call the Stations of the Cross.
We all need to visual and the images to provoke our imaginations. We also need to, occasionally, look beyond the visual to search more deeply for the meaning. Someone exercised their imagination when the decision was made to declare St Clare as the patron saint of television…given she lived 700 years before it was invented.
What an amazing view from the Restaurant Terrace – again another place visited by Pope John Paul 11 – but then there weren’t too many places he didn’t visit!
We didn’t get back in time to participate in the Blaydon Race – the 9th of June and that – but I have no doubt that the experience will have been very special for each one of us in different ways.
Thanks to all, especially Paul, Lawrence and Misia… no doubt
she’s even now explaining the mysteries of the
I can’t believe that I’ve not heard the name Constantine mentioned for 5 days, nor have I seen a picture or statue of St Sebastian – and, you know, I’m not too worried..
Jim O’Keefe 2008 Pilgrimage