| Friday, February 12, 2010 |
| Made it to the first weekend!!! |
I can't believe I've only been here a week--it feels like so much longer! I love living in Rome, and I love the community with which I am living! :-D
Thursday, I had a lot more free time than usual, so I had the chance to do a little exploring around the Angelicum. I didn't go too far because I didn't have a map, but I was still happy with what I saw! :) We had a presentation in the morning called "A Dominican University," outlining the history of the Dominican Order and the Angelicum, which is run by Dominicans. I knew the Dominicans were awesome before, but I think they're even more awesome now! Plus, Fr. Alejandro, the priest who gave us the presentation, was really funny! (OH!!! Pittsburgh students---I saw Fr. Brian Welding in a video they showed!!! He was still a student there at the time, and they interviewed him to ask what he thought of the Angelicum! :-D)
At lunch, I went to the San Andreas delle Fratte, a church which is small, but significant!!! First of all, this is a church where a Marian apparition occured, which inspired a Jewish man to convert to Catholicism. Secondly, this is the church where St. Maximilian Kolbe said his first Mass, and also where Fr. Kim said his first Mass. And lastly (I was here for this one!!!), it was where Angel and Melissa made their Marian consecration last year!!! I was so happy to be able to pray for them in this church again! I know I'll be back--it's only a 5 minute walk from my school!
After I came back from the walk, I went to the garden by our school to relax awhile. The garden is beautiful, and one of the most quiet parts of the city I've found. I think I'll be spending a good deal of time meditating there. :)
Then, we had Italian class, and after that, went to see some churches before Mass. We saw the tomb of Sts. Philip and James the Lesser before going to the Gesu. The Gesu is where St. Ignatius of Loyola's body is, as well as the hand of St. Francis Xavier!! Since St. Francis Xavier is the patron saint of missionaries, I took this wonderful opportunity to pray for the FOCUS missionaries, especially the ones at Pitt! Also, I prayed for my friend Trey, who took St. Francis Xavier as his Confirmation patron! :-D We were going to stay for Mass at the Gesu, but then we found out that the Mass wasn't for another hour, so we went to the Chiesa Nuova instead. The Chiesa Nuova happens to be the church where St. Philip Neri's body is!!!!!!!!!!!! I was SO ecstatic to be going to Mass there, since he is the founder of the Oratorians! Of course, I prayed for all the Oratorians there and thanked God for the influence they all have had in all of our lives. Seeing 5 saints in one day? I'd say that was productive. :-D
Today, we had Monte Casino!!! I can't really explain it, only to say that karaoke, poker, Bananagrams, and Apples to Apples were all involved. What a fun day it was!!!! :-D We all ended up singing and dancing several times. And I did "Piano Man" with my friend Meghan. I absolutely love my community!!! OH, and we sang an Italian song today!!!! It's called Tutta mia la citta (or something like that lol).
Who knows what our first weekend will hold? :) |
posted by Kristin @ 5:58 PM  |
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| About Me |
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Name: Kristin
Home: Pittsburgh, PA, United States
About Me: Seeking my true Fatherland as I travel this spiritual journey with Our Lord Jesus Christ. I hope, with the help of God, to follow in the example of the saints and strive for holiness.
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