Day 17
Visit to the Congregation for Catholic Education

 After attending morning Mass at the Church of the Twelve Apostles, we stopped to venerate a relic of the foot of St. Mary Magdalene, which is in the Church of St. John the Baptist of the Florentines on Via Giulia.

A view of the sanctuary of St. John the Baptist's Church

The relic of St. Mary Magdalen's foot is enclosed in a golden foot-shaped reliquary

We had the privilege of visiting the Congregation for Catholic Education to learn about the Dicastery's role in helping to support local efforts in Catholic Education and in promoting a vision of quality Catholic Education worldwide.  The Congregation is located right outside of St. Peter's Square.

A view of St. Peter's from the doorstep of the Congregation

The front of the building where the Congregation is housed
A happy surprise of the day was finding the street named after Father Pancrazio Pfeiffer! Father Pfeiffer was instrumental in assisting Pope Pius XII to negotiate more autonomy for the Holy See from the Rome-occupying Nazi Army during World War II.  Due to this autonomy, the Church was able to secretly open numerous convents, rectories, and ecclesiastical buildings to hide Jews who were being taken in mass numbers by the Nazis to concentration camps.



In the afternoon, Father Fredrich Bechina, FSO, Undersecretary for the Congregation for Catholic Education, came to the Domus to share with us a very thought-provoking conference on the challenges in formation in consecrated life in light of the changes in culture and society.

We concluded our time with Father with a Eucharistic Holy Hour and Benediction.

Another great day of blessings from our Lord!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Day 15

Image
We started the day with prayers at the Domus, and then all attended Mass together at the Gesu', which is nearby. It is a beautiful Jesuit church, and we love it more every time we visit. From there we took the bus to a part of Rome where we have not yet been, to visit St. Agnes and her sister. The nave and altar in the Church of St. Agnes Outside the Wall St. Agnes and her sister St.Emerentiana are buried together in this tomb. Sister Mary Agnes studies a small tombstone of St. Agnes. Then we went to the nearby Mausoleum of St. Constance. The Mausoleum of St. Constance Inside the Mausoleum One of the frescoes inside the mausoleum This sarcophagus looks like a jewel box in this photo, but it is large enough to fit a small car inside! From there we went to the Catacombs of St. Priscilla, but since one is not allowed to take pictures, we have the memory in our hearts. Then we had a bus ride home which we will remember as it was a typ...
Read more

Day 13 Churches in Trastevere

Image
Day 13 - Churches in Rome Christ with Mary on the throne We started our day with Mass at Santa Maria in Trastevere.  It is one of the oldest Churches in Rome and is dedicated to Our Lady.   Above the tomb of St. Cecilia We then walked to Santa Cecilia to pray at her tomb.  We spent some time looking what is beleived to be the remains on the St. Cecilia's house located underneath the main part of the Church. The Chapel below Praying at St. Cecilia's tomb Finally, we stopped at the Church of St. Bartholomew the Apostle on an island in the middle of the Tiber River.  In 2000, it was dedicated by St. John Paul II in honor of the Martyrs of the 20th and 21st Century and holds many relics of these great saints.
Read more

Day 18 Old places, new discoveries

Image
We began the day by visiting old places in a new way. Sister Mary Agnes, Sister Mary Hanah, and Sister Mary Maximilian went to Saint Peter's Basilica first thing in the morning in order to go up to the cupola. The climb up was more of a challenge than usual: there were no lights to guide their steps, so the Sisters went on in the dark. This sounds like a spiritual lesson, and maybe it was... and they made it to the top. Outside the Base of the cupola               View of Sister Mary Agnes from inside the cupola The Altar of the Chair from inside the cupola The Sisters looking down on the Altar of the Chair Outside the cupola -- the Statues of Jesus and the Apostles Looking up from the base of the cupola at people on the highest level Celebrating the victorious climb -- with ice cream and the Apostles!  Meanwhile, on the other side of town, after attending Mass at the Gesu', Sister Karen, Sister Clare, ...
Read more