Gran Sasso and the Shrine of St Gabriel of the Sorrowful Mother

Today I went to Gran Sasso, to visit the Shrine of St Gabriel of the Sorrowful Mother. This shrine is built over the site where St Gabriel lived and died as a Passionist brother in the 1800s.

We have just arrived. Sr Cesarina, Sr Chiara and Sr Tarcisia along with other parishioners.

In the background is the old shrine built on the site of St Gabriel's grave.

A much larger shrine was built in the 1970's and inaugurated in 1985 by JPII.

Facade of the first shrine

One of two mosaics on the facade upper part of the Old Shrine. The second mosaic follows. 

A statue of St Gabrielle outside of the chapel where his remains lie in a reliquary.

A mosaic of several Passionist saints, including Maria Goretti on the right, who was a parishioner at a Passionist parish.

Isn't this a lovely tabernacle?

The bell tower. I even recorded the bells ringing at noon. As soon as I can figure out how to download the file from my cell phone to my computer, I will try to post it!!

Gran Sasso--the highest point in the Italian Appenine hills.

Must I say GORGEOUS?

Hope you enjoyed the pictures! I prayed for all of my friends and family today.

The Year of Faith Begins

On Thursday evening, October 11, I joined about 40,000 people in St Peter's Square. This evening marked the 50th anniversary of the opening of Vatican II and the evening on the day on which the current Year of Faith began.

50 years ago, Catholic Action in Italy organized an evening procession that began at Castel St Angelo and made it's way down the Via della Conciliazione into St Peter's Square. Thousand of people carrying candles acknowledging the momentous event that Vatican II was. That night, John XXIII welcomed the people in the square with an incredibly heartfelt, paternal, and poetic impromptu speech.

50 years later, Catholic Action organized the same thing. It was an incredible experience joinging 40,000 other candle holding people of all ages there to commemorate one event (Vatican II) and celebrate another (the Year of Faith). We sang, we prayed, we saw Pope John XXIII's speach from 50 years ago on the jumbotrons, we saw an interview with his secretary (90 years old now) recalling the events of that night 50 years ago and what led up to Pope John delivering that famous speech, and Pope Benedict appeared at his window in the papal apartment to speak and to give us his blessing.

Here are some pictures from the other night. Enjoy!

One of many families that we saw the other night. It was wonderful seeing so many children with their parents. It reminded me of the times when I was a child when me and my family went down Sunset Blvd in Hollywood in process to Blessed Sacrament Church.

One of the Junior professed sisters from Korea who recently came to study.

 

You can get an idea of the size of the crowd from this photo. Despite the immense number of people who were there--every inch was occupied--there was no pushing or shoving whatsoever.

A shot of one of the jumbotrons, with St Peter's in the foreground.

What I would do with a telephoto lens. This little white dot in the darkness is His Holiness,
Pope Benedict. And believe it or not, that's just about the perspective that we had of him as well.

 

And for the finale, here's a little video of the crowd.

It's Been a While

Hello everyone!

Yes, it's been a while since I posted. Life is becoming "ordinary". I am slowly finding out how every day life is lived here in Italy. For example...

Once I was finally had what is equivalent to a "green card" here, and had registered myself in the city of Rome, and had gotten my Identity Card, I was able to enroll in the national health care program. With that done, I could now establish a relationship with a doctor. So, I brought my health care record with me, thinking everything would now be nice and smoothe.

Think again! The doctor prescribed two of the prescriptions, no problem. When it came to lancets and stips to measure my blood sugar--"Oh, you have to visit the diabetologist." Well, that's a first--a diabetologist. I couldn't even pronounce it at first. Okay. Go to the diabetologist--who was WONDERFUL. Leave the diabetologist with: 1) an official diagnosis that I have diabetes (thank God I brought all my blood work from the US); 2) a "therapeutic plan" for the oral medication; 3) a "therapeutic plan" for 50 strips to measure my sugar per month. Now I have to go to the health care office so they can update my record--my superior went to do this for me. Once that's done I go back to my regular doctor so he can prescribe the medication and the lancets and strips. Go to the pharmacy and the medication has been cleared by the health care office, but not the lancets and strips. Wait a few days, still no clearance for the lancets and strips. Then it hit me: when my superior went to the office, they must not have noticed that the two identical looking "therapeutic plans" were for two different things. And once I thought everything had been taken care of, I got rid of all my duplicate copies of everything--and I threw out the identical looking "therapeutic plan" for the lancets and strips. Call my doctor because I believe I gave him a copy of that "therapeutic plan". He doesn't keep the paperwork in the office that I see him. It's kept in another office. Please pray that tomorrow when I call his secretary at the other office that I can finish this story.... And this is what Obama wants for the U.S.?

Enough of that. For the first time in my life I witnessed one of this fabulous processions that you read about in novels. Last Sunday our parish celebrated the feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. After the 6pm Mass, the men who belong to the Third Order of Carmelites carried the HUGE statue of OLMC, which if I understood correctly weighs several tons, through the streets of the neighborhood. It was a two hour procession. We stopped along the way to let the men rest. We prayed the rosary and in between each decade there were periods of silence, intercessions, and a beautiful introduction the mystery. When we stopped in front of the Church of Santa Anna, which is the church just inside of the Vatican gates, we stopped for special prayers for the Pope. But the men also held up the statue of Our Lady so that she could salute her "mamma". It was incredibly precious. Here are some of the pictures that I took with my cell phone.

Here comes the statue out of the Church. As you can see, she just makes it through the doors.

Thanks be to God there was a wonderful turnout!

Our weather here has been hotter than normal too. I am looking forward to getting out to California at the beginning of August for a few weeks of vacation.

I LOVE Surprises

One of the things I love about my ministry is that I never know what will happen during the day, who I will meet, what questions I will be asked, etc.

The other day a group of pilgrims from the U.S. came into our store. I asked them where they were from and learned they were from Boston. They told me the names of the priests who organized their pilgrimage, and I knew one of them. The next thing I knew, a woman walked from the opposite side of the book store to where I was, and I couldn't believe it. I knew her from when I worked at our book center in Dedham just before making perpetual profession. In fact, she attended my final profession. We lost touch with each other. Well the Lord sure took care of that! We are now in touch again so that she can be present at my 25th Anniversary celebration next year! How incredible is that?

Then Pentecost Sunday came. It was our free Sunday, but in honor of the feast we decided to get together for lunch and one of the sisters offered to cook. When I walked into the dining room, I realized that they were throwing a surprise party for me. At first I saw Italian flags, then a papal flag, then European Union flags. I didn't see the American flag till last. When I saw that, I wrapped my superior in a big bear hug.

So what was the reason for the party? I am now officially "Italian-American" as one sister put it. I have me Italian residency, I have registered myself in the city of Rome, I have my identity card, and I have enrolled in the state sponsored health insurance program. The sisters were so excited about this that they wanted to celebrate this!

Then today I went to our general mother house to begin my spiritual exercises. At my door was a bag filled with gifts. The Lord provided me with PEANUT BUTTER for my retreat!, pistaccios,  (through Sr Germana, an American sister who lives at our Generalate) two REAL pie plates, and a meat thermometer (through Sr Marlyn who returned to the States today).

How I love surprises!

My First Trip and More

April 25 in Italy is a National Holiday. It is Liberation Day--the day that the Italians remember the moment in their history when the "Americans" liberated them from the Nazis. It was wonderful to hear the sisters recounting their own experiences. One of the sisters said, "When we start talking about when the Americans came, we never stop." The memory that is the strongest with the sisters was the white bread that the American soldiers handed out to everyone. One of them said that they had only seen bread like that in pictures.

Since it was a holiday, my entire community, as well as the student community, went on a sightseeing trip together. We went to Livinio, a Roman seaside town where legend has it that the twins who founded Rome were born. Forgive me, but I only remember the name of one of them--Romulus. Can you guess why I remember that one and not the other one? After having a wonderful lunch and taking a walk on the beach in Livinio, we headed off to Nettuno, another seaside town, where St Maria Goretti lived. As always, here are some photos.

Lavinio--I felt like I was back in California. Beautiful day.

Here we are in Nettuno. I took this photo from the beach. The building you see in the background is the Basilica where St. Maria Goretti is buried. This is the same place where she would have gone to church. The Church was rebuilt on the same location as her parish church. So, this church is literraly "on the beach."

The reliquary holding the remains of St. Maria Goretti. What impressed me most was how small she was. I had also forgotten that she was about 11 1/2 when she was killed....

We prayed our Hour of Adoration together in the upper Church for the intention of vocations. Then we had some free time to look around, pray on our own, etc.

Of course, you know I always have my eye open for handmade items. This altar cloth was exquisite.

This past Sunday I got together with another Sister whom I met when I visited the Basilica of St Agnes at the end of March. She is an Ursuline of the Sacred Heart. She is Chinese, born in Malaysia, immigrated with her family to Australia when she was 11, and ended up in Italy after joining her community! Whew! We saw quite a few things together.

After eating lunch at the Villa Borghese, a large park very much like Central Park in New York, we made our way to Piazza Spagna. The attraction there at this time of year is the flowers that decorate the steps. Couldn't help but make an arrangement with me in it!

Here is the full effect--well, almost the full effect.



A friend of mine from my days in New York is in town. Her daughter works for the World Food Organization. I'll be getting together with her for lunch next week. Then on the 19th, I'll be joining her and her family for the confirmation of two of her grandchildren.

And surprise, surprise! Someone came into the book center with a gift for me from another friend in New York. Anyone who knows me can guess what the gift is... Peanut butter! Yum, Yum. Good thing is that Sr. Giovanna, after spending many years in Canada, developed a taste for Peanut butter as well. So, two of us are enjoying a taste of home!

Lord You Never Cease to Amaze Me

About 4 years ago when I was in New York, I went with another sister to a pre-release viewing of Enchanted. A couple sitting behind us introduced themselves to us--they were quite intrigued to see two nuns in the theater. That chance meeting kicked in a succession of events that ....

Some time later, I accepted an invitation from BustedHalo to participate in a Young Adult retreat and make myself available to any of the young women who might want to talk. There was a young woman there who I thought looked awfully familiar. I sat near her during lunch, and the gentleman who was sitting next to her looked familiar too. But the more I tried to figure out where I had seen them again, the more puzzled I became. Finally, the young woman refreshed my memory--they were the couple that had been sitting behind us when we saw Enchanted.

Later in the afternoon, this young woman came to speak to me. She revealed a deep fear that she had regarding having children. I don't remember what I said to her, but since I left New York I have often wondered how she was doing and what her final decision was regarding having a child. Well, yesterday I got my answer!

I saw on facebook that it was this young woman's birthday. So I sent her a birthday greeting, wishing her an Enchanted year. Her response to me blew me away: "WELL Said SISTER! Life has become Enchanted since I met you! You are right about motherhood. Thank you for your valuable advice! I can not tell you the impact of your provided words. All I can say is thank you, thank you, thank you!" Then I noticed a baby in her profile picture! And this baby's middle name is the same as mine!

Incredible. Since yesterday I have remained absolutely amazed and filled with a sense of wonder and gratitude. Somehow, the words the Lord inspired me with have given life to another human being. Another human being is breathing, is giving joy to her parents, is being held in the loving embrace of the Father because I went to see Enchanted, because I was invited to a retreat.... This is one of the greatest blessings that I have ever received.

"My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord and my spirit exalts in God my Savior.
For he has looked with mercy on my lowliness....
For he who is mighty has done great things for me
and holy is His name."

Easter and an Adventure

I apologize for keeping all of you in suspense about how Easter went. And, after promising to take pictures of my first attempt at cooking in Italy, I also have to apologize that I completely forgot to take pictures.

The meal was a success, but what I went through to get it on the table is quite another story. I made sure that I found an Italian recipe for the lamb online; and last I knew lasagna is supposed to be an Italian dish. I thought the only new thing I was introducing was biscuits for the anti-pasta. Boy was I in for a surprise.

The week before Easter I tried to make sure that I had all the ingredients I needed. I had handed in a detailed list, but soon found out that because someone new was cooking, a few sisters were a little anxious that I would be able to deliver, mostly because I had told them I would be cooking the lamb on the stove top rather than baking it. It seems that according to tradition, the lamb is ALWAYS baked. But due to the fact that the ovens would be occuped with other things, I could not bake the lamb.... Even though I tried reassuring them that I knew what I was doing, they certainly did not have proof of my skills yet, right?
Saturday afternoon comes around and I joined Sr Ercolina from my own community, and a Korean student, Sr Ancilla, from the 1st flood student community. We rolled up our sleeves and got to work preparing the lasagna so we would just have to pop it in the oven on Sunday, and prepared all the vegetables I needed to stew with the lamb. With that done, I went to the Easter Vigil at the North American College at 8:30. Easter morning rolls around and I rolled out of bed and went straight to morning mass at 7:00 so I could be in the kitchen by 9:00.

Then it all began. I had never used the kitchen on the 1st floor, I don't have a vocabulary yet for things in the kitchen, and my assistant, Sr Ancilla, can hardly understand Italian. Great ingredients for a comedy of errors. Add a stove that desperately needs to be upgraded, and you have the makings of a very trying situation for any cook. Every time I lowered the heat on the stove, the flame would go out.  And the flames don't go on automatically--you have to use a match to start them every single time. I had decided to stew the lamb on the range, rather than bake it..... Oh dear. So, Sr Ancilla became the flame starter of the day. I don't know how many times I asked her to start the flame again.
Then it was time to put the lasagna in the oven--Sr Ancilla, how does the oven work? Okay, she puts the oven on. Hmmm. 30 minutes go by and I'm still not smelling lasagna. I open the oven and it isn't hot at all. By that time, I was pretty exasperated to say the least. Thank God by that time there were other sisters in the kitchen helping with last minute preparations. They graciously agreed to watch the lasagna because I had to go to the third floor to use that oven to bake the biscuits! Whew!
Well, we got all the food on the table in time. The sisters loved the biscuits that I had baked for anti-pasta--hot biscuits with Italian cheese? nothing like it. I savored my longer than necessary so the lasagna could bake a little bit more. Then we brought out the lasagna. I don't know how many of them asked me what it was.... And to top it off I got a few blank stares when I told them it was lasagna. They had never had lasagna like that before. Needless to say several went back for seconds! Yes!
Then out comes the lamb. Most of them helped themselves to little bitty pieces. Then once they tasted it, went back for more. And I received quite a few compliments. So, my first cooking experience in Italy, while a bit nerve-wracking to say the least, turned out to be a good one overall.
Now on to my adventure. I had been invited along with the 2 Pakistani sisters in the student community to go out to a house we own along the beach where a group of sisters are preparing for final vows. There are three American sisters there. We set out at 7:00 and arrived at the end of the subway station to look for the bus that we had been told would take us to Tor San Lorenzo. We found a bus going there, but it didn't leave till 9:30. We had been told there was one leaving at 8:00. I reach into my purse, take out the community cell phone to call the sister who invited us only to discover that I had left her phone number at home. And, I haven't memorized my own home phone number to call someone to get the number for us. So, we came all the way back home, called the sister who was expecting us, went to Mass, got back on the subway, ended up back at the bus station. It's 11:30. The only bus with the name Tor San Lorenzo visible didn't leave till 1:30. But now I can call someone!

I get on the phone and tell the sister that the bus she told us to take doesn't leave till 1:30. But the information that sister Germana had found on the internet said that the bus we need leaves every hour on the hour and that the bus has "Nettuno" as the destination on it. There were at least 5 bus areas with "Nettuno" on it..... We finally found on that seemed to be the right one--it was leaving at 12:00 the next one was leaving at 1:00. It was the only one that seemed to have hourly departures. So, we're standing there for about 15 minutes, and Sr Fouzia says to me, "I think I see Tor San Lorenzo listed as one of the stops on the sign." At that point I look up, sure enough, in fine print on the sign 3 feet above my head I can fainly make out of the blurred letters "Tor San Lorenzo."
So we get on the bus, but still have no idea what the name of the bus stop is. Sr Germana will find that out for us as we are traveling out there. I agreed to call her at 12:30 for her update. 12:30 comes along and her phone goes to voice mail. So I text her. Then call her, still voice mail. Then text her. Then call her.... Thank God I had written my home phone number down on my earlier return trip. I can call home and have them call the land line to let Sr Germana know her phone is not picking up a signal! And, thanks be to God, my superior knew the name of the stop that we needed.
We finally made it out at 1:00, just in time to eat a feast that the sisters had prepared. And although it rained the entire time while we were out there, the company and the time that we enjoyed with them were certainly worth the "adventure" that accompanied our journey!

The moral of the story is, 1) always travel in the company of a 20-something who can read things you can't anymore; 2) it's time to get my own cell phone!