Thursday, July 14, 2016
Our last full day in Rome!
After our delicious breakfast of Italian corn etti, we set out for Radio
Vaticana where we celebrated the Holy Eucharist in Latin. Our voices were heard throughout the world,
as the Mass was broadcast to many countries.
After the celebration of Mass, we had some time for quiet
prayer in the chapel. Then we were
privileged to meet with Sean Patrick Lovett, who has worked at Vatican Radio
for forty years. Flanked by a beautiful
mural depicting the Popes from Pius XI
to Francis, we started our conference with a question and answer session. Sean explained how Vatican Radio began in
1931 with Pius XI who was a “prisoner in the Vatican” at the time. He called the famous Marconi for help in
getting the Church’s message broadcast to the rest of the world. On February 12, 1931, the first message began
with the words by Pius XI, “To every living creature…” We saw the actual microphone made by Marconi
which was used for this historic event.
This communication continues to spread the truth of the Gospel to this
very day. We were amazed to hear stories
of his experiences with the Popes under which he served, and we were inspired
by Sean and how happy he is to serve God in this mission.
After this wonderful presentation, we dispersed to go
through the Holy Door at St. Peter’s one more time and receive the plenary
indulgence. The afternoon was free to pack
and get ready to return to our homeland.
Some of the Sisters went to San Francesco a Ripa Church, truly a hidden
treasure. They saw the room in which St.
Francis stayed during his trips to Rome, including the rock he used as his
pillow. They also were able to see and
venerate the relics of hundreds of Franciscan Saints which were hidden behind
beautiful paintings, but at the trip of a button rotated around for all to
see. It was truly amazing!
At 5:00 p.m. we had our final Holy Hour together, followed
by a festive supper in honor of Sr. Kateri’s feast day today. In the evening some of the Sisters walked to
the Vatican to get a view of St. Peter’s Basilica at night.
As the day came to a close, we felt a special bond after
being together for so long. Even though
we belong to different religious communities, we have truly been united as one
family during these three weeks. We
thank God for this wonderful opportunity and the many graces we have
received.
This was taken earler in the week - a confessional / ambo combined. A nice meditation on the connection between the Sacrament of Confession and the Word of God.
All the popes actively involved in Vatican Radio, with the creator of the Radio Guglielmo Marconi
Final Group shot!
The first microphone - made from the same type of marble as the Pieta
The reliquary in the room that St. Francis stayed when he came to Rome
A very nice statue in San Francesco a Ripa Church
