Our Lady of Good Counsel - Genazzano, Italy

Shrine of Our Lady of Good Counsel

Saturday’s Augustinian pilgrimage took us to Genazzano - a lovely town an hour southeast of Rome. We visited Santuario Madre del Buon Consiglio where the original miraculous fresco of Our Lady of Good Counsel has had its home since 1467.  According to tradition, in that year a mysterious cloud crossed the sea and left on the unfinished wall of the parish church a fresco of the Virgin Mary and Christ Child, later given the name of “Our Lady of Good Counsel”.  Since then hundreds of pilgrims, including a number of popes, have come to entreat our Lady’s intercession at the shrine.  The Augustinian Order has maintained care of the church since 1356. As we celebrated mass in this holy place, we lifted all of you, our family, friends and community members into the loving hands of Our Lady of Good Counsel.  S. Mary Juan Camacho, SSND

Gateway to ambo
within the church

Facade of the church

Genazzano street

Genazzano flower shop

Papa Francesco!

Waiting for Pope Francis' arrival

Since arriving in late January, we have spent seven Wednesday's here in Rome. Today, we finally made it across the street to St. Peter's for the "Udienza Generale di Sua Santita Francesco" - the Papal Audience. Pope Francis has been using these weekly audience opportunities to say something about the different roles within the family. Here's a summary of what he shared about grandparents:

Taking a look at the children

Real photo from today - just added frame and date

Dear Brothers and Sisters: In our catechesis n the family, we now reflect on the role of grandparents. The Gospel offers us the image of Simeon and Anna as two older persons who hope in the Lord's promises and then, when perhaps least expected, see them at last fulfilled. Simeon and Anna are models of spirituality for the elderly. They point to the centrality of prayer; indeed, the prayer of grandparents is a great grace for families and the Church. In prayer, they thank the Lord for his blessings, otherwise so often unacknowledged; intercede for the hopes and needs of the young; and lift up to God the memory and sacrifice of past generations. The purifying power of faith and prayer also helps us to find the wisest way to teach the young that the true meaning of life is found in self-sacrificing love and concern for others. Young people listen to their grandparents! I still treasure the words my grandmother wrote to me on the day of my ordination. In a society which overlooks and even discards the elderly, may the Church acknowledge their contribution and gifts, and help them to foster a fruitful dialogue between the generations!

Swiss Guard

Classmates being playful on a sunny morning

Augustine as Teacher

"My attitude, as I teach you,

is to remember and keep in mind my duties as a servant.

As a result, I speak not as a master, but a minister;

not to pupils, but to fellow pupils;

not to servants, but fellow servants."

Augustine - Sermon 242, 1

"Do not grow complacent with what you are.

Where you have become pleased with yourself, there you get stuck.

If you say "that's enough," you are finished. 

Always add something more.

Keep on walking.

Always forge ahead."

Augustine - Sermon 169

This past week in class - more wisdom from Augustine and his 21st century scholars:

Fr. Gary McCloskey's offering on Catechesis and Pedagogy was most interesting and practical. For Augustine, the relationship between teacher and students was of great importance, as was the humility of the teacher. One could argue that Augustine was advocating for "student-centered learning" long before it became official educational parlance. Knowing his audience and their ability to understand prompted Augustine to write with appropriate, differing styles. 

Fr. Anthony Banks guided us in the development of documents, constitutions, and other juridical structures of the Augustinian order. We got into a lot of discussions on the constitutional changes that were made in our respective congregations after Vatican II and learned about the various members of the Augustinian family.

S. Mary Juan Camacho, SSND

Friends, San Giovanni, Scala Santa & Scavi...

"Friendship should not be bounded by narrow limits...

There is no one in the human race to whom we do not owe love, 

even if not out of mutual love, 

at least on account of sharing in a common nature." 

Augustine, Letter 130.13

We're studying all sorts of good material about Augustine this week - including his take on friendship (above). In addition to classes, we've also continued to visit sites around Rome. This past week's highlights included a journey through the Basilica of St. John Lateran (San Giovanni in Laterno), some moments at the Sacred Steps (Scala Santa) and, today, a Scavi tour - a visit to the Tomb of Saint Peter and the Necropolis under the Vatican Basilica. 

Saint Bartholomew

Saint John Lateran is home to beautiful sculptures of each of the 12 apostles as well as a fragment of the table believed to be the one on which Jesus consumed the last supper.  Prior to Saint Peter's becoming home to the popes, St. John Lateran was the official papal residence for the first millennium of Christian history. 

At St. John Lateran - S. Bridget and Fred, 
an Augustinian friar from Kenya 

Scala Santa

The Sacred Steps aren't far from John Lateran; according to tradition they are the very steps that Jesus climbed to meet Pontius Pilate for his sentencing. St. Helena, the mother of Constantine, had the stairs transported from Jerusalem to Rome in the 4th century. As is the practice, a number of us from class scaled the 28 steps on our knees. The marble steps are encased in a protective framework of wooden steps.

The Scavi tour brought us back into the first three centuries following the death of Jesus Christ. We descended beneath St. Peter's Basilica and walked through narrow "streets" to view mausoleums, touched walls built by Constantine and got three different glimpses of the Tomb of Saint Peter. Cameras weren't allowed, but one could check this website out for more info: Scavi

S. Bridget Waldorf, SSND

Admission ticket for the Scavi Tour

Rome at Night...

Last Saturday evening, Sister Dominica treated us to a tour of Rome by night. We ventured to lots of places in a short time and found the night-time views impressive - and ended the evening in typical Italian style - by visiting the gelateria! 

S. Bridget Waldorf, SSND

Carlo Menta Restaurant in Trastevere

Our last stop....

Santa Maria in Trastevere  - check out the
mosaics on the facade of the church.

Santa Maria in Trastevere

Santa Maria Maggiore

Floor mosaic in Santa Maria in Trastevere

Piazza Navona - Four Rivers Fountain

St. Peter's Basilica - Vatican

Obelisk at Night - St. Peter's

Colosseo and Constantine

Arch of Constantine

Our Saturday class visit to religious and historic sites of Rome, under the guidance of 

Fr. Miguel, OSA began with an exciting ride on the Metro, a first for many of us.  It was challenging to keep all 21 of us together so no one would be left behind!  To make things more challenging, we needed to catch the Blue Line Metro off the Red Line Metro to get to our destination.  All turned out though and we arrived at the great Coliseum, which dates back to AD 80.  We were not able to go into the structure but used our imaginations to recall the deadly combats of the gladiators and animal fights that were held for public entertainment.  We then saw the Arch of Constantine and walked around the Roman Forum, which was the spectacular showcase of the Roman Empire.  A highlight of the day was seeing a typical Roman home (Casa de domo).  It was in a home similar to this that the early Christians would meet for breaking of the bread and sharing the Word. S. Mary Juan Camacho, SSND

S. Mary Juan outside of the Colosseo

Aerial View of Colosseo

Typical Roman dwelling

Ostia oh Ostia!

Fr. Brian - our knowledgeable Augustinian guide

As promised, our class visited the ruins of Ostia - a harbor city of Rome dating back to at least the first century. In addition to seeing the ruins and imagining what life would have been like nearly 2000 years ago, Fr. Brian stopped to read from The Confessions so we could also connect with Augustine as his life unfolded in the 4th century. It was here that Augustine's mother Monica died in 387 - but not before settling a discussion on whether she would be buried in Italy or her native North Africa: "Put this body anywhere. Do not let care about it disturb you. I ask only this: that you remember me at the altar of the Lord, wherever you may be."

S. Bridget Waldorf, SSND

The Ostia Forum - the center of the city's activities.

One of the structures that gives insight into Roman architecture;
though this building only has 2 stories, historians believe there was at one time 4 stories.

S. Mary Juan and Fr. Brian standing at the bottom of the Ostia Colosseum

Interesting "faces" near the theatre

The Romans had local pubs too!