Today we were blessed to begin our day in the depths of Rome’s Christian Holy Ground: the catacombs. We arrived at the Catacombs of St. Calixtus around 10:30am and began our tour of the ancient Christian burial site outside the walls of Rome. We meandered our way through the many hallways that used to be filled with the remains of the Roman Christian faithful. Along the way we saw where the tomb of St. Cecilia, Pope St. Sixtus, and many martyrs used to be before being moved to the churches within Rome. At the end of our tour we had Mass in the chapel where St. Partinio was buried. It was incredible to ponder the thought that we were celebrating Mass in the very same place that many Christians risked their lives to participate in the Holy Sacrifice and receive the Blessed Sacrament.
Yesterday we found ourselves back in St. Peter’s Square…along with thousands of other people. When we arrived around 12:30pm, a time which we thought would get us into St. Peter’s pretty quickly, we soon found out that getting in was going to take a long time. Providentially, Fr. Mariano was able to find a tour guide who was able to get us into both, St. Peter’s and the Vatican Museum without having to wait in the extremely long lines.
We first toured the Vatican Museum and the many treasured pieces of art that she holds.
We just got back to our accommodations in Segni after an incredible experience at the Canonization Mass. Word is going around that almost six million people were present in Rome today for the Canonization! This just goes to show the impact that these two great Holy Fathers had on the Church and the lives of many individuals.
We left Segni this morning at 3:30, making it into Rome around 5:00am. As soon as we stepped foot off the bus the adventure of getting to St. Peter’s began. Our goal was to make it into the square for the Mass. It was slow going for about the whole morning until around 8:30 when we finally made to the edge of the square and at the front of the human barricade letting pilgrims enter in groups at a time. After having to practice much patience (with others and the tight situation) we finally made it so as to enter the square, but barely. Nonetheless we can say that we were in St. Peter’s Square for the Canonization of St John Paul II and St. John XXIII!
As we walked to Mass we could see the sun coming up over the horizon slowly illuminating all the cities and villages in the valley below. If it couldn’t get any more picturesque, we then preceded to have Mass in a church that dates back to the 13th century: San Pietro (Segni). In his homily, Fr. Mariano prepared us for what we will see in the next couple of days. He said that Rome is well known for her architecture and art, but what makes this so important is the reality of salvation in Christ and personal sanctity. We will especially encounter this tomorrow, he said, as we take part in the Canonization Mass. Infallibly, the Holy Father will announce that two men have reached heaven and they are valid witnesses to the Christian way of life.
Yesterday we enjoyed our last day in Poland. After a quick breakfast and final goodbye to the wonderful people at the Totus Tuus Retreat Center we departed our unforgettable accommodation site for the Shrine of Divine Mercy. The Shrine was located about 40 minutes outside of Krakow, allowing some of us to catch-up on a little more sleep.
As soon as we arrived at the Shrine we made our way to the Convent Chapel of the Sisters of Divine Mercy. Why have Mass in the Convent and not the Shrine itself?
Today was different from all the others we have experienced thus far on our pilgrimage. It will be one of those days that we never forget; one of those days that is memorable in a disturbing sort of way.
Today we visited the Nazi concentration camps of Auschwitz I and Auschwitz II, also known as Birkenau. All of us knew what we were heading into. No high school or college history curriculum would dare skip its horrors. Therefore, many of us probably knew general facts and figures, but none of us knew the reality. Today that changed. Although we will never know the reality of he concentrations camps as the prisoners themselves did, today history came to life as we followed their footsteps.
"Sub tuum praesidium confugimus Sancta Dei Genetrix"
3:59am
4:00am
Beep, beep, beep.
Yes, getting up early this morning was a struggle for some of us, myself included, but needless to say it was worth it. After our early wake-up and a quick breakfast we were already on the road to Jasna Gora before the sun even came up.
Jasna Gora is the "spiritual capital" of Poland. In its monastery chapel sits the throne of Poland's only queen in history, The Black Madonna of Czestochowa. It is the most visited shrine in all of Poland and now I understand why: she is Poland's and Poland's Beloved Son's (JPII) protector.
I think that one of the biggest graces for all of us taking part in this pilgrimage will be the grace to know who John Paul II was on a much deeper level. There are plenty of books that can be read about his life and many of them are excellent. However, there's something about walking in his footsteps that teaches you more.
Today we visited the birthplace and childhood home of John Paul II and the Marian Shrine that changed his life and planted the seeds of his great Marian devotion.
The first stop this morning was the small town of Wadowice, located about 20 minutes from the retreat center in Krakow. Arriving to the town, we first visited the Parish Church of Wadowice. It was in this parish that John Paul II was baptized and received his First Holy Communion. In fact, JPII visited the parish in 1979, and while he was there he said, "When in thought I look back over the long path of my life, I reflect on how the surroundings, the parish and my family brought me to the baptismal font of the church of Wadowice, where I was, given on 20 June 1920 the grace to become a son of God, together with faith in my Redeemer." There is a large image in the Church commemorating his visit and it shows him kneeling in front of the baptismal font clinging to it in prayer.
Now I know why John Paul II loved Catholicism, Poland, the arts, and the outdoors. It's because Krakow is alive with all of it.
Today, we arrived at the Krakow airport around 10:30am and then took a short bus ride into the city where JPII spent a majority of his life after childhood. Our first stop was the Wawel Hill, upon which rests the Wawel Cathedral and the Wawel Palace. Unbeknownst to us, today was a National Holiday as part of the Easter celebrations, and so many people were out on the streets and making their way to Mass. (It is refreshing to see a culture that still respects and values its Catholic roots.) This also meant that when we arrived to the Cathedral we had to wait an hour for the Mass to finish before being able to enter.
We left DC yesterday, bright and early, after a 6:00am Easter Morning Mass at the seminary. A couple of hours and a car ride later we arrived at JFK ready to fly to Poland.
Our flight to Moscow was pretty uneventful. (Thanks be to Sochi 2014, Aeroflot had all new planes.) For most of the parents, this will be something relieving to hear.
There were, however, some memorable events. We had no turbulence. We did have a salad and fish for breakfast...must be a Russian thing. And they always served your drink first before coming back with the meal later; meaning that if you weren't smart (like me) and downed your drink as soon as you got it, then the rest of your meal you just had to do without. Unless, that is, you were brave enough to ask for more when you got the chance.
Most of the pilgrims slept between movies and prayers, while some of us wish we could have slept. After a nine hour flight we finally arrived to Moscow. Our layover gave us just enough time to strech out legs and check the "Russia" box on our list of countries that we can say we've been to. We then boarded our connecting flight to Krakow. You can read about day two and our first day in Poland in the blog post that follows.
Thanks be to God we have made it safe and sound. Continue to pray for the fruits of our pilgrimage, especially for our openness to the graces that God wishes to bestow on each of us while we continue this journey of faith and hope. Enjoy the photos from our departure in the gallery below!
Seminarians of the Institute of the Incarnate Word keeping you up-to-date about our pilgrimage to the canonizations of Pope John XXIII and Pope John Paul II.