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     Hello, everyone! Just a brief update. I arrived home, safely and soundly (and with no traveling misadventures) in the afternoon of Friday 23rd. I got a window seat and was able to see the Alps (EEEP!!! :D :D ), and I believe I saw one of the English Isles. I also saw New York City from the air.

     I've adjusted very well to the time zone change, thanks to the sleeping I did on the plane and the fact that I didn't go to bed until 8 on Friday. Sunday was my Thanksgiving, and I was very grateful both for the homey, American food and for the Rome Semester. This past semester has honestly been one of the best things that's ever happened to me. I thought to myself on Thanksgiving Day (my last day in Rome), that while it did not feel like Thanksgiving at all, I had never been so thankful.

     I have my summer job back, thankfully, and will resume work on Thursday. I mean to continue chronicling my time in Rome until all of the major things are blogged about... Or just blogged. Not sure how to properly use "blog" as a verb. After all, it's still a very young verb.

     Anyway, until then!

My Last Sunday

     Today is my last Sunday in Rome. It's pretty sad, even though I'm fairly ready to go back home. I went to Mass at St. Peter's today, the last Sunday Mass at my special parish. Turns out that today is the Feast of the Dedication of the Basilica (St. Peter's), so they had special choir pieces for Mass, as well as a program that I got to keep. :-D  I always love those. You can't keep the ones for normal Sunday Masses because they reuse them.

     Celebrating Mass were a cardinal, 15-20 monsignors and bishops, and 40 priests. Helping with Mass were 10-20 altar servers, the choir, and sundry Vatican workers.

     Oh, those Vatican workers. Those dear, dear Vatican workers. Some are helpful, some are not. Some are young, some are old. Some wear this kind of suit, some wear that kind of suit. Some are cranky, some are normal, and some are flirts. (Really, though, they have nothing else to do while they are standing around. And they ARE "Romantics" in one sense of the word.) We have the grouchy guy very annoyed at everyone trying to get in through the exit, and then we have the guys who welcome you into Mass with (literally) open arms, slight bows, sweeping gestures, and smiles. They make you feel like a VIP when you do that, especially when you see that the same guys in uniform suits just stopped five other people from coming in. (If it's clear that you don't want to go to Mass but only want to explore and take pictures, they won't let you in. It's really good, though. Helps keep a proper atmosphere for the people who want to pray and go to Mass.) Don't expect such treatment unless you're a young woman without male companions, by the way. If you're a guy, they might be polite and nice to you, but not half so much as they would to a girl. That's the way things work here in Italy. In France, too. And probably Spain, but I can't say. (But hey, at least you guys don't have 40 year old men hitting on you. :-P )

     In fact, I think we made this particular guy's day. The ushers at St. Peter's walk through the aisles when taking up the collection (the pews are farther apart there than they are at home, so there's room), so they are right in front of you when you do or don't put money in. Well, Katie Shannon and I managed to cough up all of eleven cents, it being our last Sunday in Rome and all. Putting in those three measley coins somehow made the usher break into a big smile. (I'd like to point out that he was a young usher. The ushers usually are young. Probably because they have an easier time weaving through the pews and stepping over coats and purses than the older guys.)

The cardinal blessing us after Mass

     I'll miss the silly Vatican workers, even the ones with the awful Italian haircut that has been dubbed the "Lazy Mohawk." I'll even miss the policemen who kick me out of the square and the guys who insist, "Prego," that I leave this area of the church to clear the way for the next Mass.

     I'll miss having the Gospel sung, having plenty of priests, having incense, having Latin. I'll miss the Pope.

      Speaking of the Pope, I went to the Pope's saying of the Angelus, which he does every Sunday and then blesses everybody from his window.

     Just now I got back from Vespers sung in French by the Community of Jerusalem at Trinita Dei Monti, the church at the top of the Spanish Steps. It was lovely, although just before going in to Vespers I had to say "Basta" (in the leave-me-alone sense) for the first time: Some genius vendor sees me sitting on the steps, and decides to say "Miss!" Not having the decency to note the fact that I was ignoring him and then act accordingly, he shines one of those laser-toys in my face and says, "Hellooooooo!" Therefore, I said "Basta." He acted confused, "Basta?" (As if he didn't know what that meant....!) Then I got up and left in a dignified and justified huff.

     Back to Vespers: It was very nice to hear French again. There's something calm about read French in comparison to read Italian.

     And now, back to studying and my Chicken Cordon Bleu.

 

My favorite side chapel in Trinita Dei Monti. Indeed, one of my
favorite side chapels ever. Other favorites are the Adoration chapel
 at St. Peter's and the chapel of Santa Maria in Cosmedin which houses
St. Valentine's skull.

 

The Rest of the Last Free Weekend

     Here I shall tell to ye the rest of my doings this past weekend. (Monday was a part of this weekend, by the way.)

     Saturday, my roommate and I went to Largo Argentina. Largo Argentina is a small group of ruins between Castel Sant'Angelo and the Pantheon where a lot of stray cats live. No, I'm not making this up. See for yourself:

 

 

 

 

     That afternoon, I went to Santa Maria in Trastevere, a church with some very cool gold-background mosaics.

 

Apse (dome behind the altar)

 

Facade of the church

     From thence I headed to San Pietro in Montorio, which is in the same part of Rome. However, I could not get into the church itself, which was annoying, because I have to learn about that church in order to complete some of my homework. At least I did get a very cool view from the hill it was on. I also found the only piece of funny graffiti I've ever seen. I think it's been here for a while, because I'm pretty sure I've seen someone else's picture of it.

     Sunday I rose later than I wanted to, heard there was a thunderstorm, and justified my going back to bed by telling myself that I did not want to walk to St. Peter's in the middle of a thunderstorm because that would be imprudent. Thus Sunday turned into a very lazy day indeed, and I did not go to Mass until 5:30 pm. I went for the first time to the church that is just down the block from our hotel, Santa Maria delle Gratzie. Italians are very unorganized and disunified. At almost any given point in Mass, there was one person standing, one person sitting, and sometimes one person kneeling. They can't make up their minds as a whole! I am not rebuking for the elderly people sitting while other people were standing. I am against perfectly healthy looking people under 60 sitting when they should be standing or kneeling, standing when they should be sitting or kneeling. The hymns had terrible melodies. They were strange, did not follow normal song procedure, and when the cantor sung them, it didn't even sound like normal Italian. It was unclear singing that echoed at lot. Bottom line: I am very glad that I decided almost immediately that St. Peter's was to be my parish, and not the church down the street. Yes, you have to get up earlier, walk farther, and wait in line to get into church, but it's so worth it.

     Sunday night, I ended up "circumnavigating" Vatican City without fully intending to. I was just walking around with some of the Rome group and chatting, and then it was like, "Let's go this way, I've never been this way. Ah, sure. Why not?" Then we saw that we were already at the back of St. Peter's, so we HAD to keep going all the way around so we could say that we walked around a country. They say it's a two mile walk. It took about an hour to an hour and a half. Didn't really keep track of the time.

     Monday morning, I had planned only to go to a “normal” Mass at St. Peter’s and then talk to Fr. Bergida (the priest who led us on Pilgrimage Week at the beginning of the semester and whom we see at least once a week). What actually happened was quite different, but really cool: We got in line to see if we could catch the Ukrainian Catholic Mass which was being celebrated for the Feast of St. Josephat, who is buried in St. Peter’s. St. Josephat was martyred sometime between 1500 and 1700 for trying to bring the Eastern Orthodox church back to the Pope. “He was called the ‘Thief of Souls,’ he was so successful,” said Fr. While in line, we met these Americans who wanted their picture taken with Fr. (not sure why, I mean, they were Catholics, so it’s not like they never see priests, but anyway).

     We only made the end… less than half of Mass. We got there sometime during the Liturgy of the Eucharist. This was the first non-Latin Rite Mass I’ve ever been to, so that was really exciting. I’ve been wanting to go to a Byzantine Rite Mass (not the same as Ukrainian Rite, but close, I’m sure) for a long, long time. The Mass was either in Greek or Ukrainian; I couldn’t tell. I want to say it was in both languages. It was celebrated by—unless we are gravely mistaken—the Metropolitan of the Rite, the bishop in the black and white vestment with the crown.

Picture from the Papal Mass in early October

 

     There was a lot of singing during Mass, both chanting and polyphony. The choir was a good choir, though small; I only wish I could have understood what they were singing. Receiving Communion was a very different experience. The Eastern Rites use leavened bread, not wafers, and one always receives Communion under both species, the Body and the Blood—at the same time. I couldn’t see whether the wine and water were poured into a ciborium, or the bread was put into a chalice; both species were in a cup-like vessel, and you were given Communion with a shallow spoon. No, you did NOT close your mouth on the spoon. You also didn’t say anything before you received, unlike the Latin Rite, where the priest says “The Body/Blood of Christ,” and we say “Amen.” Speaking of which, they pronounce it “Ameen.”  I learned that they really do bow and bless themselves a lot during Mass. I remember reading the rubric (right word??) for the Byzantine Liturgy at some point in high school, and I noticed a lot of symbols that indicated that the Sign of the Cross was to be made. I thought, “Man, that’s a lot of times. I doubt they really do it every time it says to.” Well, they do. They also bow when they do it, and they make it differently than we do. They touch their shoulders in the opposite order of the Latin Rite.
     After Mass, prayer in front of St. Josephat's tomb, and the chat with Fr., I had coffee at a new place which Fr. recommended. It was on the expensive side, though. That's one of the great things about All Brothers': they are the only coffee place that close to the Vatican that doesn't jack its prices way up. Most of the other places near the Vatican do.
     Last night was even MORE excitement: I got to hear the Westminster Cathedral and Pontifical Sistine Choirs live at St. Mary Major, free. It was part of a Vatican-sponsored festival. They were truly amazing. I was so happy to see all the little boys being normal little boys: talking nervously among themselves, squirming... I have disliked boys' choirs, but the voices last night were angelic, particularly this one boy who hit a very high note, held it, and was clear the entire time. That was during "Christus Vincit," arranged by James MacMillan, who is actually a modern composer. I tried to put the video directly into the post, but it was taking way too long. The song is longer than a normal song on the radio or a Sunday hymn would be, but I encourage you to listen. It's quite unique.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lqNVgHYZtIY 

Ceiling in St. Mary Major

Choirs :)

     So there we have my weekend! I got to do some things that I've been wanting to do for a while, and some things that I'd never thought about doing, but were amazing nonetheless.

San Giovanni e Fontana di Trevi

     Sitting in the Metro, the infamous sound was heard yet again: "Prossima fermata: Barberini, Fontana di Trevi. Uscita lado... destro?"

     That being said, I went to the Trevi Fountain today; but that was about the last thing I did.

     This being my last free weekend (second to last weekend, period) in Rome, I planned on sleeping very little and running about lots. Did that happen? Not really.

     I got up late, got coffee at All Brothers, bumped into an older American couple who confused me, was asked by the owners if I was from Boston, got a Corrieri della Sera paper for Daddy, and asked some Vatican workers for the Cupola hours.

     Came back to mine room, and left shortly thereafter for St. John Lateran, which was happily was on the red Metro line, not the blue line. Went to St. John Lateran and took pictures. I really was not terribly impressed with most of the church. It just seemed too... normal. The side chapels and the apse were lovely, however. The outside was cool as well, and it looked an awful lot like the facade of St. Peter's. It was nice to not have to wait in line to get in, like you do to get into St. Peter's and Notre Dame. However, the scarf salesmen were quite obnoxious outside the Lateran. Well, they weren't bothersome and frightening, but neither did they leave us alone the way that the ones along the Vatican Walls do. Then again, those ones probably know us all and know that we won't buy anything.

Apse with golden mosaic and awesome altar

Gate of a side chapel

     The next stop was this multi-level department store nearby. We had fun staring at ugly clothes and pretty Christmas decorations. It was nice to be in a Penney's-like place again.

     By the time we came out, it was getting dark, even though it wasn't that late. After getting lost and seeing the Four Fountains, we finally ended up at the Trevi Fountain, which was very crowded. I did indeed toss a coin into the fountain. I also killed a pair of shoes. Yay!

 

One of the Four Fountains. I took this picture a month ago on my church-hunt.

 

It was very pretty at night.

  

 

    Random note: it will be really nice to get home and be able to wear clothes that are more colors than black, green, and blue. I love those colors, but I'm getting kind of sick of wearing the same thing over and over again.

Stuff and the Venerable English College

     Yes, I know I have been really, REALLY bad, and it's dinnertime, and..... But I will say a few words. Firstly, it looks like I'll have to finish my chronicling of this semester even after I get back home, since there's so much I've not mentioned and it's my last two weeks.

     Now for a brief update: Today was my Italian final, yesterday we went to the Vatican Museums, Monday we went to Santa Sabina, Sunday we went to the Venerable English College (British Seminary in Rome; that's it's name), which I loved.

 

The Venerable English College

 

     It was really nice to be in Catholic Little Britain, with British accents. I didn't feel like a foreigner, though, I felt really welcomed and at home. I'm wondering if maybe the Brits feel towards us Americans the same way that I feel towards them here in Rome: "A Native speaker of my language! A person I can understand effortlessly, and who understands me! I don't know you at all, but I love you!!!" They were just so.... They seemed really happy to have us there. It was the warmest welcome we've received this semester.

     The chapel was a little strange, though very beautiful. We walk in, and we sit down. That's not so strange, except that our rows of pews were facing other pews filled with British high school boys. And our group consisted mostly of girls, since about half of the guys were on a retreat at a monastery in Norcia. I'm just glad that they were five years younger than me; it would have been very awkward and distracting otherwise. Instead it was mostly just funny. Why were the pews arranged like this? It's a choral thing, for praying back and forth. You see this when a group of people pray the Divine Office: about half the people pray one stanza of a psalm, the other half do the next, and then it just keeps going.

 

The tabernacle, viewed from the cleristory. Yes, I know, it's not in the middle. The chapel was
slightly redesigned in the 80's, and not everyone is happy with the current layout. Still, it's a chapel.

 

The ceiling! I couldn't stare enough at it.
 

Being upstairs was really cool.

 

     Although I enjoyed myself overall, I was never so conscious of my American accent as I was that day. British priests, British lector, British choir, British people in front of me. It was a terribly weird feeling, like I was offending everyone's ears (though I probably wasn't).

     The choir was the most beautiful I've heard in a long time, maybe the best I've ever heard. I wanted to cry.

     They had an awesome little garden which had benches that were partly made of columns from a temple to Saturn. (And it was even a rainy, grey day when we went. How British! :) ) The only thing I didn't like about the garden is that it facilitated a frightening moment: I managed to get a bee stuck in my hair. Not joking. I'm just glad Theresa managed to get it out quickly and without angering it.

 

Bench resting on capitals from columns of a temple to Saturn

 

Goldfish!

 

     So much history in that building. It's been a seminary for 500 years, some 40 martyrs studied there. The chapel where we had Mass is the same one that those martyrs prayed in, they have of their bones under the altar. And it was such a cute, cozy building!

 

Nothing warms your heart and makes you laugh quite the same way as does seeing a
 marble plaque with a Latin inscription containing a distinctively British name.

 

     The hurrican was apparently global news: during the Prayer of the Faithful, the US was specifically prayed for. That was another nice touch, hearing us mentioned in Mass.

 

I think this was the original entrance to the chapel.

 

     After the tour of the College, we went and got coffee at Sant' Eustachio's, which has been mentioned in the New York Times. It was very good coffee.

The Forum and the Coliseum

-- On September 30th --

 

     So we were supposed to go to the Forum and the Coliseum on the same day we went to the Capitoline Museum, but there was a dumb strike that day. The Romans love the sciopero. We had to go on Sunday, which was very annoying at first, but that’s okay. I wasn’t able to go to my usual Sunday Mass, but the Vigil was not crowded at all and the psalm cantor had a beautiful voice, so it was all good.

     So off we were, Sunday morning, towards the Metro. This was the first time I took the lovely B line. By lovely I obviously mean creepy. Take a look at this beautiful train we kind of didn’t want to ride:

  

     It was worth it, though, because the first thing we saw when we stepped out of the station was the Coliseum.

     After waiting for quite a while and finding a vestige of 3^rd Century Peanut M&M’s, we finally entered the Forum with Prof. Lev, one of the coolest teachers ever. She can make just about anything into a witty, sarcastic, and intelligent joke. It's amazing.

 

      Not long after we got there, it started raining. So we had the lovely experience of the ancient Roman Forum in all its... wet splendor. It was still cool, of course, and the rain really wasn't that bad at this point.

Trajan's arch, built after the Romans destroyed the Temple of Jerusalem in the
 first century AD. It even has a relief depicting a menorah on it, which is cool

The emperors' backyard

This is probably my favorite part of the Forum. Look closely at the window of the emperors' palace;
click on the pictures for a larger view if you need to. :D And then tell me that isn't awesome and comforting.

     The next stop was the Coliseum, which we did not have an actual tour of, but just explored on our own. I was actually less impressed once inside than I thought I'd be. Well, downstairs, anyway. Upstairs was pretty cool, though getting there was minorly arduous, thanks to the many and precariously steep stairs.

Best part of the Coliseum. It made me so happy to see a cross on this site
 where so many innocent people had been killed in the name of "entertainment."
The Coliseum has been declared sacred ground, and the Papacy has prevented
it from being torn down, since it is a monument to the martyrs.
 

Though, I have to say, we make a pretty bad bunch of Caesars. Cruel, hearless, and all that.

      Shortly after the group picture was taken, it started raining again, this time harder. It sure didn't dampen Erin's spirits, though!

My roommate having a Titanic moment in the rain, at the Coliseum.
Yeah... Somehow it works, though. :)

     (Although I had lived in Rome from 1997-1998, I had actually never been into the Coliseum until this trip. We drove past it every week to church when we lived here, but never went in.)

     And here is definitely the most humorous part about seeing the Coliseum in the rain:

     A Roman centurion holding a pink umbrella over some lady whose clothes match her umbrella. Tell me that isn't one of the cutest and funniest things you've ever seen. I dare you! :)

Meditation (sort of) and Summary of What's to Come

     Okay, I know I've been abominably bad this past week and a half, but I have had makeup classes (making up for time lost, not cosmetics), a test, a paper, a presentation, a trip to Florence, a Canonization, a tour by the president of the college, and lunch with a cardinal; so I hope you'll forgive me my business. (I also have a trip to Paris coming up this weekend.)

     However, I am not going to write about that here. I will instead share with you some of what I wrote in between homework this evening as I sat in front of St. Peter's. It's kind of messy, but that's because it's diary-style, not academic paper-style.

 

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     Oh my gosh, I’m like the luckiest kid ever. I’m doing my theology homework in St. Peter’s Square, and the Pope’s at home, and I can see the lights are on in his windows; I’m listening to “Ave Maria” in one ear; the other ear hears seagulls flying above my head, their white bellies against the dark blue sky like moving stars, more like snow, with their pretty voices. I can hear the fountains behind me, and pilgrims and priests are walking past me every few minutes. There are still tapestries of the new saints hanging from the windows of St. Peter’s, AND my computer shows that there’s a network called “SANTOSPIRITO” that I could connect to if I had the password. It’s a fairly clear night, the weather is lovely. The Swiss Guards at St. Anne’s were wearing the stripes, which means a special occasion is tomorrow (because tomorrow started at Vespers or some other prayer this evening). I am drinking water from  the drinking fountains in St. Peter’s Square; and as my computer’s background, I have a picture which I took at the Papal Audience, in which I sat in the FIRST row, and the Pope-mobile was RIGHT in front of me. I almost could have touched the Pope! I’ve seen him in person like 4-5 times, heard his voice live at least as many times. I’ve gotten his blessing thrice, once for each time I’ve gone to a special thing. I was at the Canonization of like the second Filipino saint EVER and of St. Kateri, which is huge for America. I’ve heard the Pope in ten  different languages at least. I don’t even know how many times I’ve been in St. Peter’s Basilica, for Mass or not. At least ten. I just can’t believe this. The Pope is practically my next door neighbor! If I ran out of my bed and there were no cars, I could probably get to the Holy Walls in under 60 seconds. 60 seconds! I’m in St. Peter’s Square on average at least three days a week. Probably more like four. I’ve had the chance to gain SO many indulgences since I got here and I don’t even know it. I had lunch with Cardinal Arinze yesterday. I sat next to the president of my college at lunch today in a totally informal setting; he gave me a hug and remembered my NAME when he saw me yesterday. How many people can say they’ve done that? Gotten a hug from the president of their college?! And in St. Peter’s Square?! How many?! How many people have had the Pope mention their college? Not while we were here, but I know he has before. Man, I’m one lucky kid… To have been in the Vatican enough times that you recognize about five of the people who work there. That many times! I can follow the Latin Mass (Novus Ordo) pretty well without having anything in front of me, I can sing at least the first verse of "O Sanctissima" by heart; I actually know the meanings of some terms that so many people take for granted, like “cosmos.” Heck, I even know why we think of apples when we think of Adam and Eve! So much stuff that almost no one knows anymore. I can follow chant notation; I can’t read it, but I can see when to go up and down, and when to hold. I can PRONOUNCE Latin! I can pronounce it ecclesiastically! I understand the symbols in Christian art, I know the stories in the Bible and the stories of the saints. Not many, but a number.     St. Peter’s is like LOTR. [The Lord of the Rings] Actually, I should say that LOTR is like St. Peter’s. You notice something different every time you’re here. I just noticed either more gold or more lights or both on the cupola. Just WOW.     I also saw them open the special doors in the Holy Walls when they had to fix something.
     I also know what incense smells like, and have noticed the different smells of different kinds.
     And the moon is REALLY bright and really clear. And I see bishops every time I pass through here; or at least everyday. And on Sunday there are always bishops and a cardinal concelebrating Mass.
     Now it’s getting cold. I just want to sleep here. [NO, I wasn't going to. I'm not that stupid.] It’s so peaceful at night, even with people taking pictures and goofing off.      I’m now listening to Christmas songs, the more traditional kind. The REAL traditional kind. I can’t imagine how cool it would be to be here at St. Peter’s for Christmas if it snowed and there were pine branch decorations… That’d be so cool. But I think the American idea of Christmas is not what would be experienced in Rome so much. That’s more English and German.      Everybody keeps staring at me. I guess it IS weird for someone to just be sitting on the ground against a fence facing St. Peter’s, especially when they’re typing on a computer. I’ve never seen anyone else do that, but it can't be THAT weird. Who cares. I’m not doing anything wrong. And the police must’ve seen me, because the laptop is bright. And they don’t seem to care. I’m not  blocking traffic, I take up less than half this aisle. And I’ve had a number of Americans pass by.