Meanwhile, in Rome...

Sunset on the Mediterranean; view from Ariccia.

Greetings from the Eternal City! I arrived here on September 2 to serve as a translator for my congregation's General Chapter, an international meeting that establishes the priorities for the. next 6 years and then elects the Superior General and her council to take them on. So far the priorities have been established, and the new Superior General has been elected. (She is Korean, our first Asian Superior General. It is also the first time in my religious life that the Superior General is younger than I--and by 9 years!) Today and tomorrow the sisters will be electing the six councilors. During the voting, all non-voting personnel vacated the premises--a retreat house in Ariccia, on the edge of an old (hopefully extinct) volcano, and overlooking Lake Albano, the same crater lake that the Pope's summer residence of Castel Gandolf looks down on. But from our vantage point, when the day is clear enough, we can look to the northwest and also see the Mediterranean, 20 miles away. 

So I am in Rome while the voting takes place in Ariccia. That has given me two days to wander around Rome, revisiting favorite spots and discovering new ones. On Wednesday I was not alone. A Pauline Cooperator named Patt was in town with a women's group and had the morning free, so we spent it together, picking up religious articles for the Pope to bless and enjoying a really good lunch. Yesterday I was on my own. I let providence plan my itinerary; I only had one fixed goal for the day, and that was for a guided tour of the catacombs under the Basilica of St. Agnes on the via Nomentana. I took the first bus that came my way and followed that route until it met with the tram into the heart of the historic district. From there, I walked to the Jesuit's mother church and lit candles at the tomb of St. Ignatius. Then I meandered to what I had hoped was a significant museum, but it was closed for repairs. So I meandered some more and found a little Church dedicated to the Blessed Mother. A saint (founder of a religious order) was buried there, but I forgot who he was. There was a lovely painting of the birth of St. John the Baptist, and a Conversion of St. Paul that I had never seen. I tried to take pictures of them; sadly, my phone's camera leaves much to be desired. 

Tourists in line for the Bocca di Verità

My next stop was the slightly decrepit (and under restoration) church of St. Nicholas. This was the site of not one, not two, but three Roman temples, the remains of which are still visible. The columns in the nave were all different, scavenged from various Roman sites. Because of the restoration work, I was unable to see what the altar and sanctuary were like. I will have to come back! A block on, I found the Vestal Temple (as in Vestal Virgins), and then the "Bocca di Verità" in front of St. Maria in Cosmodin. The line for the Bocca di Verità (the Roman version of a whistleblower's drop) went halfway down the block, but there was no line at all to enter the church, so I happily went in. Eastern chant was playing on the sound system, a way to keep visitors in a reflective frame of mind. This Melkite Catholic Church (Byzantine-ish) started off 1700 years ago or so as a soup kitchen and social services ministry, a diaconia.  It only became a church later. I was able to go down below the altar where there were many wall niches which once held relics. Now the only relic you can see is upstairs: the skull and bones of St. Valentine (yes, that St. Valentine). 

From there, I set the GPS for St. Mary Major, since it was about noon and most churches close at that hour. My route took me to the Forum, but to cut across I would have to go through security (and pay an entrance fee?), so I took another path and ended up climbing the Capitoline hill, past the Ara Coeli, and then down the "Via dei Fori Imperiale" toward the Colosseum, and then up Via Cavour to the Basilica. After waiting in line to go through the Holy Door, I found myself in another (slow!) line passing by Pope Francis' grave. It took a while before I could really wander freely in the Basilica! But I did, finding the Adoration chapel and praying a Rosary. 

After a bite to eat (I had already gone through my snacks!), it was time to go to St. Agnes. According to the website, the Church would open at 3. I got there way too early, but that gave me a chance to explore the area: all of the gates were open.  

To my surprise, I found signs for a "mausoleum." Turns out that Constantine's daughter built her own mausoleum right on the grounds of the cemetery where St. Agnes had been buried. It is still standing today, a little round church (though the enormous porphyry sarcophagus is now in the Vatican Museum). The original mosaics (fourth century!) are still on the ceiling of the aisle that encircles the sanctuary. Too bad I didn't have a 50c Euro coin to turn the lights on, but then, the Romans didn't have electric lights either, so I was seeing things in the filtered sunlight just as they did. 

After exploring the little chapel, I ventured toward the "new" Basilica (seventh century; the Constantinian basilica was so big it collapsed under its own weight; only the apse wall remains).
There was a pretty grand marble staircase going down about 20 feet, so I followed it down. It took me into the Basilica itself, where everything was draped in plastic (So much for seeing the famous mosaics there!!!). An exit led me to the visitor's office, and just in time, too! A German tourist had been inquiring about a tour and was told that they were not able to give tours to individuals. Then I showed up! Voila! The two of us got a guided tour of the fascinating catacombs under the Basilica. There are still many intact burials there, with the niche still secured behind clay tablets. So many interesting details! No photos were allowed, so you will have to go see them yourself. There were even a few niches framed in glass, and the skeletons of those who had been laid to rest 1700 years ago were visible. Many of the intact funeral monuments were for toddlers. A Roman child was lucky to live past two. The tour ended at the 16th-century silver urn with the remains of St. Agnes and St. Emerentiana, her foster sister, killed a few days after Agnes (while praying at her tomb!). 

Meanwhile at the Vatican, the voting members of the General Chapter had a private audience with Pope Leo. You can read all about it. I just want to draw your attention to the book and the music that he is receiving from my provincial. The music is a song that I wrote during the pandemic; I wrote the lyrics, that is. A Chicago friend wrote the music, which I was able to record over the summer (with the help of a New Orleans friend). Now you can listen to it, too (and maybe share it on your social media or use it at your parish). Here is the link for the audio and for the printable music: https://pauline.org/pbm-resources/eyes-aflame/ Also, if you know anyone who reads Czech, my book is now available in that language!!!

Today I had hoped to visit St. Cecilia's in the Trastevere district, but my plans were disrupted by a strike and a protest. Maybe tomorrow. I will catch up on odds and ends here at the Generalate, preparing my luggage for the return to Boston next week (after the Jubilee of Consecrated Life and Mass with Pope Leo).  Your prayers are much appreciated for our new General Government and for our sisters all over the world, especially in places that are plagued with persecution and violence.