Back from Rome

Hello, I am back from Rome and Assisi as of Sunday evening and just trying to get back into the flow of things, as well as get readjusted to the cold. Italy had beautiful weather with very little rain and a lot of sun. It was all so jam packed with activities, but some of the highlights include going to the park after buying fresh tomatoes and half a roasted chicken from the market. One of the sisters and two other classmates and I spent our first afternoon just enjoying the sun and each others company. Every evening in Rome we had a holy hour, which was time of prayer before Our Lord in the blessed sacrament. I found that these evenings were really refreshing and allowed me to recollect my thoughts and heart. Our holy hours took place in a little convent where the sisters were always so overjoyed to see us and tended to us very well. They didn't speak english so we would all just smile a lot and look at each other : ) Another highlight was seeing Papa Benedict on Sunday morning!! Upon hearing his voice on the loud speaker, my friend and I ran to the square where tons of other people were gathered to hear our spiritual father. He spoke a few words on the gospel and then in every language addressed every group that he knew was present. I was just struck by the reality that as Papa, he is truly the servant of all and works unceasingly for us.

Another highlight was all the beautiful churches and so much art work, too much to the point that I was unable to absorb 90% of what I saw. Probably one of the most impressive things to me were the mosaics from St. Clement's Church which is from the 4th century, the 4th century!! One of the amazing things about Rome is how many witnesses to the faith are buried in each church, especially the Church of St. Prudessa where she is known to have cleaned and saved the blood of many martyrs to point to the preciousness of each life and the sacrifice they made for Christ.

There is too much to tell and so many little highlights from each day. Some of the best moments are always those unexpected encounters such as just rejoicing in the sun or the rain, or a dash to the metro, or finding a shoe store, or buying postcards, the simple things in life. It is funny how going somewhere else makes me realize the importance of being present to the moment no matter where I'm at, whether it is here at the Kartause, on main campus, or in Arvada.

Assisi is a beautiful little Italian city on a hill where I got to run all over the streets that St. Francis, St. Clare, and the brotherhood of Francis called their home. One of the highlights was walking up to the hermitage of St. Francis where the brothers would take retreats out in nature, in little caves. It was raining all the way up (a steep hike of about an hour after which I was super sore for about 4 days) but once up there it was well worth it. I ended up staying in the chapel to pray and found myself included in the Stations of the Cross and evening prayer in Italians with the Capuchin friars who run the hermitage!! One other student stayed as well, walking back with her as the sun was setting was truly a delight.

There is much, much more to say, but I took all of you on my heart throughout Rome and Assisi. I hope all are doing well, I very much appreciate every person who has written me. All of my midterms have come back and so far so good ; ) This weekend I'm staying back so maybe I'll have the chance to write a bit more, but know that I'm looking forward to seeing you all again soon enough. Much love ~ Monica