Catching up

Well, it has been a few days, and I've been to every Station Church this week, so there's a lot to say. Luckily for you, I'm not going to say as much as I probably could!

Before I get into that, though, I suppose I should probably mention a special event that took place last weekend. As some of you may have heard (through various news services), Pope Benedict was scheduled to visit the San Lorenzo Youth Centre (yes, Centre) on Sunday, March 9, to celebrate Mass on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the Centre's foundation. And so he did. The interesting part of the story - at least, for me - is that because I offer Mass at the Centre every once in awhile, I was invited to be present for the Pope's visit! I caught wind of this several weeks ago. Unfortunately, a couple of bishops were the only ones allowed to concelebrate the Mass, but I was invited nonetheless to be present.

The church of San Lorenzo in Piscibus is very small, and located just off the Via della Conciliazione - the long, straight road that leads up to St. Peter's. There were only about 200 people there, and it was crowded. Needless to say, it was pretty awesome to be in such an intimate setting with the Pope. It seemed almost like he was just the parish priest, celebrating his Sunday Mass with his parishioners. He had prepared notes for the beginning of his homily (when he greeted all the cardinals, bishops, etc.), but set those aside to deliver his reflection on the Gospel for the day. He gave a beautiful explanation of the story of the raising of Lazarus and the meaning of life and death.

I had a pretty good view of the Holy Father during most of the Mass, but for part of it, there was a pillar between us. I was probably about 10 paces away from him, and between us were the cardinals: Levada, Stafford, Ruini, Martino, and one other I didn't recognize. I took comfort in the fact that even they were not concelebrating!

After Mass, the Pope pretty-much headed straight back to the Vatican. Mass was at 10:00 and he was to deliver the Angelus address at noon. So there was little time to greet and meet the people. However, I was only a couple of yards away from his car as he climbed in and departed. It was a good experience, all in all.

Now, the Station Churches. Monday's church was the church of San Crisogono. Chrysogonus is mentioned also in the Roman Canon at Mass, and his church is built over the site of an ancient house-church where Christians would gather (probably in the 2nd or 3rd century) to worship. There is an extensive excavation under the church, which I explored for the first time on Monday. Very interesting. This church is under the supervision of the Trinitarian Fathers, and a lay member of their order, Blessed Anna Maria Taigi, is entombed in one of the side chapels. She is quite well preserved. Most of the time, when a body is "put on display" like hers is, there is some kind of metal or wax covering for the face. However, as near as I can tell (and I've gotten a pretty close look!), there is nothing over Blessed Anna Maria's face. She has been dead over 100 years.

Tuesday's church was Santa Maria in Via Lata, or St. Mary on a Side Street! This is another small church right in the heart of the city that has been there since at least the 5th century. At the very front of the church is the 13th-century icon of the "Virgin Advocate," to whose intercession many miracles have been attributed. There is a tradition that says that St. Paul spent two years of his imprisonment here (on this site, that is) under house arrest, and apparently there are some rooms below the church, but we have never been allowed to venture down there to see them. Those nuns in charge of this church can be strict!
Wednesday's church was San Marcello, named for Pope St. Marcellus, who probably died on this site in 308 or 309. There is a miraculous wooden crucifix in one of the side chapels; it survived a pretty severe fire in 1519. After that, it would be carried through the city by the Romans in times of stress or in preparation for some big event. For example, just before the opening of Vatican II, it was carried in procession through the city. One of the laypeople at the Station Mass told me that it was also employed in 2000 (the Jubilee Year) in the ceremony in which Pope John Paul II asked for pardon for the Church from anyone whom she may have offended or against whom She may have sinned.
Finally, today's Mass was at Sant'Apollinare. I don't know much about St. Apollinaris, aside from that he was a 1st-century bishop in Ravenna (northern Italy) who was martyred. The church is beautifully decorated, and was recently restored. It "belonged" to the Jesuits for some time, but is now in the hands of Opus Dei. The Pontifical University of the Holy Cross (Santa Croce) is adjacent to the church. Opus Dei operates that university, and some of our seminarians and priests study there. They tell me it is a little more American-friendly than many of the other universities...
On a very happy note, I can report that I have actually begun to write my tesina (thesis). I've been doing a lot of reading and taking notes over the last few weeks, and now I've begun to organize that material and present it in my paper. It's kind of exciting, even to have just two paragraphs written!

One of the priests on the faculty here told of a friend of his who has written quite a bit. This priest said to the friend, "Gee, you must enjoy writing." The friend responded, "No. I enjoy having written!" I can identify. I will be extremely grateful when this project is complete! Thank you for your prayers....and keep them coming!