Day 29
Dear Friends,
Today was very interesting. Not having Fr. Trapp around was certainly strange, but we remain in the very capable hands of Msgr. Monforton, who brought us to St. Peter’s Square early this morning. After a short exchange with a few of the Swiss Guard, we were taken to our seats for the general audience that the Holy Father holds every Wednesday. Our seats were spectacular; we were in the fourth row immediately to the Holy Father’s right. We were surrounded by a lively French-speaking community, and there was a lightness to the whole audience, which was much appreciated since the sun was bearing down on us for two hours before the audience began, then another two hours or so during the event itself. It was quite an experience to be so close to the Holy Father, especially being at St. Peter’s. Simply unforgettable.
After the audience, we split up in a few directions, but everyone had only one goal: pranzo. A group of us went to a place called Mazzicone at the recommendation of Msgr. Monforton, who claimed that they made the best carbonara in town. I have to say, I think he’s right. Of course no meal is complete until desert, so we walked a few blocks to the Old Bridge for some wonderfully large scoops of gelato.
We split up even further at this point, so I decided to act as Roman as possible and take a nice nap after all that food. After waking up, I headed out again in the hopes of attending Mass at the Altar of the Chair in St. Peter’s, a typical daily Mass that usually begins at 5 p.m. Well, at 5 p.m. an enormous procession began with roughly 40 bishops, at least two cardinals, and more servers than you could shake a stick at. All I could think was, “What in the world is going on?”
It turns out that for important feast days, such as Corpus Christi, the bishops in town celebrate solemn vespers (chanted Evening Prayer) before Mass at the Altar of the Chair. It was all in Latin, which was a very beautiful demonstration of the universality of the Church for me. To my left was a couple who spoke German, to my right was a nun who spoke Italian, and in front of me were a few people who spoke French. However, in that moment, we all dropped our native languages and prayed communally in the language of the Church. It was a nice time of prayer for me, and I enjoyed it immensely.
It’s odd to think that tomorrow is our last full day over here. At times it feels like we’ve only just arrived, at others it seems as though we’ve been here forever. It’s been a trip of a lifetime, and I’m excited to see what happens next. Please continue to pray for us, and know that our prayers are certainly with you.
God Bless,
Paul Erickson
You all were seen on EWTN!