 |
| Roman Catholic rosary |
At the time of my second visit to Rome on a study tour, I was already in the Episcopal Church, but, as we were scheduled to attend a general audience with Pope John Paul II, several Roman Catholic friends asked me to have rosaries blessed by the pope. I agreed, but when the time came for the audience, I realized that none of my friends had given me rosaries, and I would have to provide them. Hmm... Did my friends think the pope tossed them out like Mardi Gras beads?
 |
| The facade of Santa Brigida on Piazza Farnese. |
During the visit, our group, which was engaged in a study of a particular aspect of the history of the Vatican which I've now forgotten, stayed at the Convent of St Bridgit of Sweden on the Piazza Farnese, a lovely place. The single rooms were sparsely furnished with simple but lovely antique furniture - all that we needed, but no excess.
One of the conditions for staying at the convent was that we had to take breakfast and luncheon meals in the dining room, which was no great sacrifice as the food was very good. For the evening meal, we were allowed out. We had a key to the main door of the convent, but the key and the lock were old, and one evening we were quite late and could not get the key to work, so we had to ring the bell. I'm certain the nun who came to let us in was awakened from her sleep, and we felt like wayward adolescents who'd stayed out past curfew.
None of the sisters spoke English, and only one spoke Italian, so communication was a challenge, but we managed with one of the leaders of the study group, who spoke fluent Italian, doing most of the talking. I even managed with hand gestures and pointing as the day for the audience with the pope arrived, and I needed rosaries. The sisters came to the rescue, for they made rosaries and sold them in their tiny shop for a very reasonable price, so I bought the five or six rosaries for my friends there and dutifully remained after the audience to have the rosaries blessed.
 |
| St Bridget - Salem church, Södermanland, Sweden |
Well, as Woody Guthrie said, I roamed, and I rambled, and I followed my footsteps, but not to this land of yours and mine, but rather to Rome. As you see, I did not make a long story short. I could go on, but, I won't.
Images from Wikipedia here, here, and here.
I have never been there. But you don't hate your Roman background that I find with so many who have come to TEC. Me neither. I am just so saddened with the decline of the Church and the over throw of Vatican II.
ReplyDeleteMuthah, there's so much that I'm grateful for in my RC background, but, like you, I'm very sad to see the direction the leadership has taken the church in recent years.
DeleteVery interesting report, Mimi.
ReplyDeleteThanks, JCF. We were not certain the after-hours tour would happen until the very last minutes. Once we were inside, I expected any minute for an official to approach and ask our group to leave, but we were allowed to complete the tour. The experience was beyond marvelous.
DeleteA lovely little travelogue. And you were just steps from Campo de' Fiori! While at the Vatican, did you catch a Scavi tour? That was one of the highlights from my travels to Rome. Visiting the Sistine Chapel with the masses was a disappointment. There was such a din in the room of shoulder-to-shoulder tourists that a guard had to shout for quiet every few minutes. Very unholy.
ReplyDeleteThe group that conducted the tour was called University Vacations; I took several of their study tours, and all were excellent. I Googled to see if they still do the tours, and I found nothing, so they may no longer exist or may have changed their name. The group in Rome was small, only about 13 or 14 of us, or we would not have been able to stay in the convent.
DeleteMy first visit to the Sistine Chapel was just as you describe, but the second was heavenly. One member of our group lay down on a bench to view the ceiling, something that would not have been permitted when the chapel was teeming with visitors.
The Scavi tour must be reserved directly through the Vatican Excavations Office--I wondered if your tour company arranged it for your group. It's a 90-minute guided walk under St. Peter's through all the rooms and crypts that have been excavated and preserved. It's hard to book as only a certain number of people are allowed each day--both because the space is fairly cramped and because the right air temp and humidity must be maintained. The guides present the excavations as a sort of unraveling mystery until they reach the site of St. Peter's tomb, and then the tour ends at a section of the papal crypt where JPII was entombed. There might be a bit of embellishment in the tour script, but it was very enjoyable, and the archaeology is quite amazing.
DeleteWe did not take the Scavi tour, but it sounds fascinating.
Delete