Posts

Day 4: St. Joseph

From the beginning of the day, we took it as a quiet sign from God that we should spend the Feast of St. Joseph visiting churches dedicated to him.  After morning prayer at the Irish College and a quick coffee downtown, we made our way to San Giuseppe al Trionfale . The church isn't really that old; it was built in the early 20th century and entrusted to the Oblates of St. Joseph. It was intended as a center of devotion to St. Joseph, especially for working families and ordinary faithful. There is something appropriate about that: Joseph, after all, is the quiet patron of the hidden life, of labor, of fidelity without recognition. Once there, we were delighted to learn that the relics that normally live in a different church we had planned to visit (St Anastasia) had been transferred to this church for the feast day! The veil of Our Lady and the cloak of St. Joseph . For this solemnity, these sacramentals were here and available for veneration. I touched my scapular, consecratio...
Read more

Day 3: Papal Audience

Papal Audience this morning! HERE is what he said. We arrived early, the air still cold. Sitting in St. Peter’s Square, you begin to notice what Bernini intended. The colonnades stretch outward, forming what he described as the maternal arms of the Church--gathering, embracing, holding everyone together. That’s exactly what it felt like. People from every nation, every language, and yet one faith. We got to know a lot of people from all over the place in the US and beyond. So many mutual connections.  When the Pope passed by, he looked directly at me. For a moment, it felt very personal. I simply said, “We love you Pope Leo.” Pope Leo also blessed Antonio's niece, who is 3 years old.  Afterward, lunch at the Irish College, then back out. St. John Lateran, the cathedral of the Bishop of Rome, the mother church of the world. Not St. Peter’s. This one. There is something grounding in remembering that. Then the Holy Stairs. The Holy Stairs, or Scala Sancta, are 28 marbl...
Read more

Day 2: Assisi

Up early for Assisi. Been looking very much forward to this, largely because this year marks the 800th jubilee of St. Francis. His witness has not faded with time. If anything, it has grown sharper. His life still calls out simplicity, poverty, total surrender to Christ. We barely made the train. First stop: the Basilica of St. Clare. There, before us, the San Damiano Crucifix, the very cross from which Francis heard the words, “Rebuild my Church.”  Not an idea. Not a feeling. A command. Amazing to look at the original thing. I've seen versions of the Cross hundreds of time, at St. Francis Hospital, at Marian Univeristy, all over. Now I've seen the real thing. Nearby, the remains of St. Clare. As I approached, a woman nearby began shouting in distress. It was a jarring moment. Evidently an unhappy spirit was in her. What is holy casts out that which is not holy.  Along the walls were Clare’s words: “Gaze upon Him, consider Him, contemplate Him, as you desire to imitate Him...
Read more

Day 1: The Vatican

 Today began a short pilgrimage to Rome. We came to visit our seminarian, Antonio. I first met him when he was in sixth grade in Shelbyville. Now he’s in his third year of seminary, studying abroad at the Irish College. To see a vocation unfold over time like that, it’s one of the quiet privileges of being a priest.  We arrived around 9am, me with 20 minutes of sleep. I got settled at the Irish College, where preparations were already underway for the Feast of St. Patrick. A joy to be here of all places during these days! And among priests and seminarians, in a house that has formed so many for the service of the Church. We made our way to the Vatican Museums. So much beauty, but a few moments stood out. Caravaggio’s Entombment-- the sheer weight of Christ’s body, the raw humanity of it, draws you into the reality of the Passion. And Raphael’s School of Athens --all those great minds searching for truth. Every human heart is searching, but in Christ the search ends in encou...
Read more

Day 10: St. Paul's Outside the Walls and trip home

Image
Our final morning dawned early—our bags packed, hearts full, and just enough time for one last sacred stop before heading home. We went to St. Paul Outside the Walls , the great basilica built over the tomb of the Apostle to the Gentiles. The air was cool and still when we arrived, the rising sun lighting the golden mosaic facade of Christ blessing the world. Inside, the church was quiet and mostly empty, and utterly magnificent. Beneath the high altar rests the body of St. Paul himself , encased within a marble tomb that bears the words Paulo Apostolo Mart. —“To Paul the Apostle, Martyr.” Through a small glass panel you can see the stone coffin. This mighty preacher, traveler, and theologian ended his journey in humble surrender. A few details about this basilica are worth noticing. It is one of Rome’s four major papal basilicas and the only one that still stands outside the old city walls. The position of this church and the body of St Paul within it being "outside the walls...
Read more

Day 9: St. John Lateran, the Holy Stairs, Santa Croce, St. Mary Major, and ST PHILIP NERI!!!!!!

Image
Today began early, before the little town of Loretto had even stirred. The Basilica of the Holy House of Loreto opens at 6:45 a.m. , and we were among the first to arrive. The walk from our lodging was about 15 minutes—a steep hill down into the town, then a steep hill up on the way back. Inside that sacred church, in the hush of early morning, some of us  renewed our consecration to Our Lady while others made their consecration for the first time. We did it right in her own house; in  the very home where she gave her Fiat, we gave ours. Afterwards, we stopped for coffee in a little café near the square. The owner smiled proudly and told us that Pope Francis once ordered coffee there , and we saw his picture on the wall. Then it was time to drive back to Rome . Our first stop was St. John Lateran , the cathedral of Rome and the official church of the Pope , even more ancient in authority than St. Peter’s. The inscription above its doors (which are 2000 years old, the old...
Read more

Day 8: St. Peter's Basilica and Loretto

Image
The day began early, but there was already quite the morning bustle took over the streets. By the time we reached St. Peter’s Basilica , the line for entry was already quite long—no surprise in this Holy Year , when pilgrims from around the world come to cross the Holy Door and pray at the heart of the Church. As we stared at the dome of St. Peter’s, I thought of all the generations of believers who have stood right where we stood, hearts full of faith. We walked in and around a but before we were finally standing at the massive Holy Door —a tall bronze door covered with biblical scenes of mercy and redemption. It's the right most doors. Normally, these doors are sealed shut with concrete from the inside. But every 25 years , during a Jubilee or Holy Year, the Pope orders them unsealed , inviting pilgrims to pass through them as a sign of repentance and renewal.  Walking through the door is more than a tradition—it’s a prayer in motion, a physical reminder that Christ Himself is...
Read more

Day 7: Cross Mountain and the Eternal City

Image
A few of us woke long before dawn at  5:00 a.m. , cold air sharp and quiet over Medjugorje. We bundled up, rosaries in hand, and began the climb up Cross Mountain one last time. The sky was still black, stars bright over the valley. Yesterday’s homily on gratitude had struck me deeply, and so this time, I climbed with only one purpose—to thank God. No requests, no intentions, just thanksgiving. As we made our way up the rocky path, stopping at each of the Stations of the Cross , I felt the mixture of chill and sweat! When we reached the top, the sun began to rise , washing the white cross in gold. A small group was already there, praying quietly, and one young woman was holding a r elic of St. Carlo Acutis . We venerated the relic, and I couldn’t help but think what a gift it is to live in this time—to stand on this mountain with a saint of the new millennium, a young man who loved the Eucharist so much that he called it his “highway to heaven.” I know a lot of holy young folks ...
Read more

Day 6: Early outing, Blue Cross, Sunday Mass, Divine Mercy Shrine, and more

Image
Day six in Medjugorje began long before the sun rose. I took off around 2 a.m. and felt drawn out into the night. The streets were still and cool, the only sounds the faint rustle of olive trees and the soft hum of prayer that seems to hover over this whole town. I walked alone through the cemetery , where Fr. Slavko Barbarić rests alongside three other Franciscan brothers and many local faithful. The graves are simple, but their silence speaks powerfully. I paused at Fr. Slavko’s tomb and prayed a bit. The friars buried there gave everything for Christ and for this place; to stand among them in the dark, cassock brushing the dew-soaked grass, was humbling. Here's a picture from the night before: From there I walked to the Risen Christ statue , that striking bronze figure behind the church—Christ emerging from the cross, arms outstretched in triumph. The statue is famous for a mysterious phenomenon: drops of water seep from one of its knees, as if it weeps with both sorrow and...
Read more