Day 17 - July 10, 2016
We attended Mass at Holy Spirit Church, very near the
Vatican. It is the pilgrimage church for
the Year of Mercy, and Mass was in English!
A young man received his first communion during the Mass, and Father’s
homily was on the inn keeper in the parable of the Good Samaritan. Lay people
need to remember that the inn keeper was simply doing his job – he even got
paid – and yet how important his role was to the healing of the man who had
been attacked. We, too, in doing our
daily work, living our daily lives, can be instruments of God’s love and mercy.
We then attended the Angelus at noon for the last time this
visit. It is a wonderful experience of
the Church – international, and everyone is so excited to see and hear the Holy
Father. It is an experience of a fond father with his children,
encouraging, praying, reflecting with his children, and then urging us out of
the heat and on to lunch.
The afternoon was free, and some of the Sisters went to
visit the motherhouse of the Daughters of Our Lady of the Garden, Sr. Daisy’s
community. We were cheerfully received by
her Sisters. After a visit to the Chapel, one of the Sisters explained the life
of their founder St. Antonio Gianelli as we looked on his relics at the side
altar. Superior General Mother Gladys joined us for refreshments, and then gave
us the grand tour-through the lovely garden where we oohed and aahed over the
lemon, kiwi and fig trees, then all the
way up to the tower that overlooks the city of Rome. We saw the Coliseum, the
Victor Emmanuelle Monument, and St Peter’s Basilica in the distance. Next we
proceeded down to the basement, where Mother Gladys pointed out the tunnels
where the Sisters hid while the Nazis were in the city, and their ancient “washing
machine,” which is a huge stone pool with one area for scrubbing and another
for rinsing. It was really cool. The warmth of all the Sisters was so genuine,
we felt right at home. Clearly Sister
Daisy is a well-loved member, whose charity was reflected in the faces of her
sisters, including 82-year old, 4 ½ foot Sister Nisa who hugged and teased her
heartily.
A pilgrim-Sister praying before the altar of Pope St. John Paul II
Papa!
Above the entrance of the Motherhouse for the Daughters of Our Lady of the Garden
Sr. Daisy pointing out their mission houses
The view from the top of the building
The unique washing machine
