The last few days in Rome have been incredible. Thursday morning started with the Vatican Scavi tour. It was so moving to be able to go and pray in front of the tomb of St. Peter under the Basilica - literally the rock upon which the Church was built. After that we had the opportunity to pray in front of the tombs of many of the popes. After we finished at St. Peter's we made our way to the other 3 of the four major basilicas in Rome. First we went to Santa Maria Maggiore. That basilica is so beautiful and we spent some time in Adoration there. After that we went to Saint Paul Outside the Walls - also beautiful. We met some Benedictine monks and went to confession. Finally, we made it to Saint John Lateran where we finished the day with Mass. After Mass I joined a friend for dinner with some friends/seminarians going to the Pontifical North American College. We had a great time!
Friday morning we had an early start to the day and made our way to Subiaco where St. Benedict spent three years and built 12 monasteries. After being poisoned for the second time (and saved by the raven), he moved to Montecassino where he founded the first abbey, wrote The Rule of St. Benedict, and eventually died. In Subiaco we got to visit the cave where he spent most of his time while he was there. When we got to Montecassino we were able to pray in front of the tombs of St. Benedict and St. Scholastica. Most of the monastery was destroyed by an accidental bombing by the Allied Forces in WWII and it has since been rebuilt. When the monastery was destroyed, there were more than a dozen monks inside and all of them survived. Also, a bomb landed on the main altar above the crypt, but it didn't explode. The remains of St. Benedict and St. Scholastica were preserved. How awesome is that?! Both places were beautiful and tucked away in the mountains. It was a great experience.
This morning we did the Vatican Museum and saw the beautiful Sistine Chapel. When we finished there we had three churches in mind that we wanted to visit. Our first stop was the Church of the Twelve Apostles (again, I love that one!). However, when we got there, there was a funeral going on so we had to skip it. The next church on our list was the Church of St. Agnes where her head is kept. When we arrived there we found a Mass going on for the celebration of a 25th wedding anniversary so we had to keep making our way down the list. Finally, we wanted to visit the Basilica of St. Augustine and see the tomb of St. Monica. Of course, when we walked in, we found a baptism. Lots of sacraments being celebrated today! Luckily for us, the baptism was wrapping up and we were able to spend some time praying in that church. There was a beautiful statue in the back of the church called the Madonna del Parto (Virgin of Childbirth). During our journey trying to find each of these churches we found several other small churches including Sant'Andrea della Valle, the Church of the Holy Eucharist, and the Church of St. Mary Magdaline.
Quick photo with the Swiss Guard! He was very serious.
The wood of the manger underneath the main altar in Saint Mary Major.
Hooray! Chapel of St. Benedict in St. John Lateran.
The monastery that we visited in Subiaco.
The only painting of St. Francis that was done before his death in 1226.
Statue of St. Benedict in Montecassino. Only his head and hand were destroyed in the bombing, the rest is still the original artwork.
Oh would I love to go to vespers here! The choir at the Abbey at Montecassino.
No pictures allowed in the Sistine Chapel, but here's a little taste of the beauty from one of the other rooms in the Vatican Museum.
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