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!

Augustine speaks...

Some thoughts from our classes today...

"...whenever you show greater concern for the common good than for your own, 

you may know that you are growing in charity." (Rule. 31)

"It is by love that we advance..." (Sermon 295.8.8)

"It is not words God wants of you but your hearts. 

It is with the heart that we ask; 

with the heart that we seek; 

and it is to the voice of the heart 

that the door is opened." (Sermon 91.3)

___________________
Tomorrow's plan?
A class trip to Ostia, harbor city of ancient Rome.

S. Bridget Waldorf, SSND

Streets of Rome

Today our class did a walking tour of some of the sites of Rome - in particular, we went to see the Basilica of Sant' Agostino. We also saw some great Caravaggio paintings, a past "house of ill repute", the tombs of both Saint Monica and Catherine of Siena and Michaelangelo's "Christ the Redeemer"
S. Bridget Waldorf, SSND

Casa di Fiammetta

Tomb of Saint Catherine of Siena

Michelangelo's
"Christ the Redeemer"

Facade of Basilica of Sant' Agostino

Tomb of Saint Monica, mother of Saint Augustine

Narrow Street

Caravaggio's "The Calling of Saint Matthew"

Caravaggio's "Madonna di Loreto"

Rotating Door at Spirito Santo Hospital
- used for delivering food to the patients -
or occasionally newborns in need of care would be placed here

When you read the Bible....

S. Bridget, S. Mary Juan, Dr. Louise Bourdua, Fr. Enrique Eguiarte

Classes this week were especially interesting as Fr. Enrique Equiarte, OAR shared St. Augustine's growth in the awareness of the love of God through his deep reflections on Scripture, leading him to a total conversion to Jesus Christ. 

Much time was spent on prayer and desire of the Holy Spirit to speak to our listening hearts through inspirations, warnings and messages.  We were given so much to reflect on each day.

Augustine would say, “At times, we can leave our interior, our hearts and forget God, putting all our attention in the material things. This is why Augustine lives the spirituality of continuous conversion. We can never reach perfection. Every day we have to be open to conversion."

S. Mary Juan Camacho, SSND

Post-Class Trip to the Pantheon

This afternoon we visited the Pantheon - also known in these parts as the Church of Santa Maria ad Martyres. Dating from 125 AD, this is the most complete ancient building in Rome and a favorite among tourists (and students like us!) Part of its magic is the oculus - the source of natural light which opens up to the sky and measures some 27 feet in diameter. Today, the structure is an active Catholic Church, dedicated to the Virgin Mary and martyrs - though it was originally commissioned by Marcus Agrippa to honor "all the gods" - pan theos.
S. Bridget Waldorf, SSND

Catacombs of Saint Sebastian

Our second week of classes in Rome ended with Mass and a tour of the Catacombs of St. Sebastian, which go all the way back to the first century.  It was here that liturgical celebrations dedicated to Saints Peter and Paul took place and where St. Sebastian was buried.  What an awesome experience to be walking down the same tunnels that early Christians walked to bury and pray for their loved ones. There are an estimated 7 miles of tunnels in the catacombs throughout Rome. For more details: http://www.catacombe.org/uk_index.html  S. Mary Juan Camacho, SSND

Tunnel within Catacombs

The ichthys or ichthus (/ˈɪkθəs/), from the Greek ikhthýs (ἰχθύς, "fish")

Devotional prayers to Saints Peter and Paul (who were believed to be buried at this site at one time). 

Mass with classmate,  Fr. Senata Robert Kinalegu, OSA (from the Congo)

At the Feet of a Master

Cardinal Prosper Grech, OSA

"If you wish to hear something good, sit down..." And with that, we were off for another session with our second week instructor, Cardinal Prosper Grech, OSA. This man is a skilled teacher - taking up pieces of a puzzle and helping us see how they all fit together - slowly, with purpose, and a dab of humor.  Never mind that he's 89 years old; his story-telling is clear and his accompanying sketches are something to behold. Today's topic was Augustine's interpretation of the Beatitudes...and in the future, the Our Father. Along the way we've discussed "What is the meaning of meaning?" "How does one argue for the value of the Old Testament?" "How do we interpret text?" Yikes. My head is swimming - but I can hardly wait for tomorrow.
S. Bridget Waldorf, SSND

Cardinal Prosper Grech, OSA and sisters in the program

Cardinal Prosper Grech, OSA and the Augustinians in the program