Until the fall of 2012, I had attended only a handful of Catholic masses in 60 years. Kathryn's mom, Avis, spent her final days at Nazareth Living Center in St. Louis. Nazareth was originally built as a retirement home for the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet and a large percentage of the residents are retired sisters. While Avis was at Nazareth , Kathryn and I took her to Mass in the facility every Sunday. The resident Priest and the Sisters were wonderfully welcoming and we enjoyed our Sunday mornings there.
Since we began travelling in 2008, We've visited some of the most impressive churches in Italy but mostly as tourists. But after our experience of last Fall at Nazareth and the naming of a new Pope, Francesco, earlier this year we really wanted to see the Pope while in Rome.
Saturday, in Milan, we visited the Duomo, supposedly the third largest church in the world. When we went in it was packed as a Saturday Mass was in progress. It was very inspiring to see such a large group worshiping even as tourists wandered around the perimeter.As an aside, we loved Milan. Planning to go back and spend more time in the future.
So, it was with great enthusiasm as we headed to St. Peter's square at the Vatican this morning for outdoor mass. The metro was jammed and the crowds walking to St. Peters from the metro stop was large. We hoped we would be able to see Pope Francis but what we didn't realize what that he would be officiating the mass and delivering a homily.
We did not have a ticket so we were in the open area behind the seating. As a concession to the 21st century, but I'm grateful, they have a wonderful PA system and three large screens setup in the square. So even as we were way back, we could see and hear.
After some opening music and a bunch of Ave Maria's, we could see that there was a procession coming from inside the basilica and and the end was Pope Francis. He emerged to polite applause from the 100,000+ in attendance. Not what happens for most parish priests but to be expected from a crowd hoping to see Pope Francis. The mass went on and the the Pope stepped to the alter and gave his homily, in Italian. (English translation - http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2013/09/29/pope_francis:_homily_at_mass_for_catechists/en1-732802 ) He is remarkably soft spoken and a gentle man. Even as I wasn't able to know what he was saying, it still felt great being there.
After the homily we moved on to let others move up to our vantage point. The experience was moving and I came away with a warm feeling towards the Church and their leader.
Ciao.
Giovanni
I read once that some years ask questions and some years answer questions.
2012 and most of 2013 only asked questions. One after another.
Giovanni and I have always been pretty rock solid in our spiritual beliefs. Then 2012 hit and everything was shaken to its core. What had previously been a source of great comfort, and a place for our service (both physical and monetary) became unrecognizable to us. The shifts and changes we experienced, the demands on us to accept, conform, and comply knocked us off center and left us spiritually homeless.
Since that time we haven't been at peace.
Sunday morning we joined 100,000 people (give or take a few thousand) in St. Peter's Square for a worship service. There was singing, praying, preaching. Nothing too radical. The experience took my breath away. It brought tears to my eyes. It was moving and healing and appropriate.
Pope Francis' homily could have been given 1500 years ago and it would have still been relevant. It could also have been given in any modern day church in the U.S. and been equally relevant.
There were no apologies for embracing traditions or decorum, dogma or doctrine.
The service was reverent, the crowd was respectful. In fact, this was the first time in two years I've felt totally at peace spiritually.
Today there are 1.2 billion members of the Catholic church, and its growth outpaces population growth every year. It was an honor to share space with believers and Il Papa.
Katerina
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