Tuesday, July 5, 2016
We started our day with Mass at St. Peter’s Basilica
celebrated by Fr. Luke Sweeny at the altar of the Sacred Heart, beneath a
beautiful mosaic of Jesus with St. Margaret Mary. Afterwards we had time for Confessions and
private prayer in the Basilica. We were
also able to venerate the statue of St. Peter.
At 10:15 we met our tour guide, Robin, a novice with The
Spiritual Family The Work, who took us on the Scavi Tour beneath St. Peter’s. We were amazed at the beautiful excavations
and the stories associated with those who were buried in this area. The highlight of the tour was seeing the
actual remains of St. Peter. We paused
and prayed for the intentions of our
Holy Father and all Religious at this holy site. We were inspired by Robin and how he
connected the pagan symbols found on the tombs to Christianity.
We then walked across the way to the Congregation for the
Doctrine of the Faith, and met Fr. Oxley and Msgr. John Kennedy. We met in the Room of St. Dominic and Pius V,
where the priests explained the workings of the Congregation and answered
questions. These two priests were very
joyful and enthusiastic to serve the Church, even though they deal with
difficult issues. After a small
conference, they took us to their beautiful chapel where we spent a little time
with the Lord.
The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith is
constituted by the College of Cardinals and Bishops, at the head of which is
the Cardinal Prefect. The Prefect is
assisted by the Secretary, subordinate to him, the undersecretary. The Congregation staff is composed of
officials who, under the supervision of the heads of the various offices,
follow questions which fall under the competence of the Congregation and attend
to its various duties. The Congregation
has three offices, Doctrinal, Disciplinary, and Matrimonial.
We enjoyed some free time in the afternoon.
Fr. Sweeny and the group of pilgrims
On our way to the Scavi
Pictures cannot be taken during the Scavi tour itself
Msgr Kennedy & Fr. Oxley
In the chapel at the Congregation of the Faith
