CMSWR Rome Summer Renewal Program 2017

Day 10 Assisi Assisi was our destination today!  We rose in time to catch an early morning train to the beloved town of St. Francis and St. Clare, and attended the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass at Santa Maria degli Angeli . A view from the way to the basilica It was a day of dramatic skies and great beauty in the city. San Rufino We prayed at the font in which Saint Francis and Saint Clare were baptized, and followed them not only with our hearts and prayers but through the streets where they lived.

Day 9 A day with Pope Francis! Papa Francesco's Blessing from the "Pope-mobile" Today, we had the wonderful and unexpected opportunity to attend Mass with the Holy Father in St. Peter's Square for the Feast Day of Ss. Peter and Paul!  We arrived in time to have an excellent view and, at the end of Mass, were able to see the Holy Father from a close distance when he drove by and blessed us.  It was very moving to be present with the Church in this liturgy in which the Holy Father blessed the Pallia of the new Metropolitan Archbishops. A view of the façade of the Basilica from our place in the Piazza A picture at the feet of St. Peter Praying the Angelus with the Holy Father after Mass:

Day 8 Mass at the Church of the 12 Apostles A visit to the beautiful sepulchres under the Church Santa Maria Sopra Minerva: a prayerful moment with St. Catherine of Siena  Consistory in St. Peter's Basilica: We attended the creation of five new cardinals!

                                                                                             Welcome to Day 7 of the CMSWR in Rome! We began the day visiting the beautiful church of Sant' Andrea della Valle.  The exquisite paintings throughout the church depicted scenes from the life and martyrdom of St. Andrew the Apostle as well as our Lady and other Saints.  We enjoyed the time we had for prayer. Sant' Andrea della Valle - Main Altar Sister Mary Agnes was delighted that we returned to visit Sant' Agnese in Agone Church and prayed at the reliquary of the Saint! Sant' Agnese In Agone Church                     Next came the unique and wonderful opportunity to see the office and the bedroom of St. Ignatius of Loyola.  Father Sam Conedero, a newly ordained Jesuit priest, celebrated Mass for us in the room where St. Ignatius died and which is now a chapel. Office of St. Ignatius of Loyola.  St. Francis Xavier and many other Jesuits were commissi

Day 6 We started off the morning attending Mass at Santa Anna Church next to the Vatican. After that we stopped in at a Carmelite church, Santa Maria in Transpontina to pray for a few minutes. Then we met Mr. Richard Rouse, a member of the Council for Culture, part of the Roman Curia. He gave an enlightening presentation on how the Council helps to serve the Holy Father and Bishops, promoting the evangelization of culture in areas such as sport, art, science, music and women. On our way to St. Ann's Church On our way back to the Domus, we stopped at several churches: San Agostino, where the remains of St. Monica are; San Luigi de Francese, with three pieces of art by Caravaggio, including The Call of St. Matthew . Stay tuned to hear about the visit to San Agnese in Agone, which we discovered is closed on Mondays. Discovering that the church of St. Agnes is closed. In the Piazza Navona In the afternoon we met Father Steeves, a Jesuit priest who teaches at t

We attended Mass at Santo Spirito.  The 10 a.m. Mass is for English speaking pilgrims every Sunday. The church also has relics of St. John Paul II and St. Faustina. Sr Clare and Sr Karen in front of the first class relic of St. John Paul II  Following  Mass, we visited with some pilgrims and then we made our way to St. Peter's Square for the Holy Father's Angelus address.  We found a shady spot just outside the square.  Although we couldn't see him very well, his strong voice resonated in our hearts. Pope Francis is the small white speck in the window We walked home on a shady path by the Tiber River. We look forward to the adventures of the coming week!

Day 4 Solemnity of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist Background : Façade of the Lateran Basilica Foreground : Statue commemorating the dream of Pope Innocent III in which  St. Francis of Assisi was holding up the collapsing Church. (It was Pope Innocent who later approved the Franciscan Rule.) On this Solemnity of St. John the Baptist, we very fittingly visited the Lateran Archbasilica, known more commonly as St. John Lateran.  The Basilica is dedicated to Christ our Savior and, in later centuries, was also placed under the patronage of Ss. John the Baptist and John the Evangelist.  The Lateran is the Holy Father's Cathedral and, as such, is the Mother Church of all Catholic Churches throughout the world.  The site of the Basilica was given to the Church by the Emperor Constantine after his Edict of Milan which made Christianity legal in the Roman Empire. A great photo opportunity for our Marian Sisters of the Diocese of Lincoln whose community follows the

Day 3 Today we had the very special and unexpected privilege of attending Mass at the Tomb of Pope Saint John Paul II!   We rose early and were planning to meet a priest-friend for Mass at 7:45 at the Basilica.  For some reason, he never arrived...but, O Happy Fault , we saw another American priest, Father Gino, who was known to some of the Sisters at the Domus. Father Gino invited us to join him and his family for Mass in English...on the Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus...at the Tomb of Pope Saint John Paul II !!! The tomb of Saint John Paul II, St. Peter's Basilica After Mass, the security guard let us venerate the tomb and touch it while we prayed for a few moments.   How good our Lord is to us to give this unique gift on our first full day in Rome together! After Mass, we spent time in quiet prayer while visiting the Basilica. Sacred Heart of Jesus, we place our trust in You !

Day 2 Today, we were very grateful to have our Sisters from the Diocese of Lincoln arrive to the Eternal City! A warm welcome is extended to Sister Karen, MS; Sister Clare, MS; Sister Mary Maximilian, CK; and Sister Mary Agnes, CK! After attending a morning Mass at the Gesu' and having a little time for rest, we were graciously received by Father Oxley, a priest from the Toledo Diocese, who works at the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.  Father kindly gave us an introduction to the history of the Holy Office and shared some of what the congregation does today.  Father explained that the Congregation is charged with promoting and safeguarding the Catholic Faith in the area of faith and morals. Left to Right : Sister Mary Angela, RSM; Sister Mary Hanah, RSM; Sister Karen, MS; Father Walter Oxley; Sister Mary Maximilian, CK; Sister Clare, MS; Sister Gaudencia, OCD; Sister Mary Agnes, CK; Sister Caridad, OCD Here is the incredible view of the façade of Saint Pete

Day 1 We are very happy to welcome to Rome Sister Caridad, OCD, and Sister Gaudencia, OCD, from the Carmelite Sisters of the Most Sacred Heart of Los Angeles! The other Sisters of our Group--the School Sisters of Christ the King and the Marian Sisters of the Diocese of Lincoln--have had a true pilgrimage experience of travel: due to inclement weather, their flight was re-routed and they are now arriving a day later than expected. In the morning, those of us already here for the pilgrimage visited the rooms of St. Aloysius Gonzaga, S.J., on his feast day. In the afternoon, we visited the Basilica of St. Bartholomew on Tiber Island which has second class relics of twenty and twenty-first century martyrs from Europe, Africa, America, Asia and Oceana, as well as from those martyred during the persecution of Christians during the Nazi regime and Communism. Basilica of St. Bartholomew Side chapel of the Basilica commemorating Martyrs killed during Communism Praying with the

Domus Summer Renewal Program 2017 Benvenute a Roma Sorelle!