Providence College in Rome

We have arrived at the end of the semester here in Rome, and for our final site visit we toured the Catacombs of St. Domitilla outside the city walls on the famous Appian Way. (Catacombs refers to the various subterranean cemeteries outside the city walls of Rome, mostly Christian but also Jewish and pagan, and comes from the name for the valley where they first began; hence, the expression “ad catacombas.”) Unlike the Jewish catacombs (which we had visited earlier in the semester), the Christian catacombs (of which St. Domitilla is one of several) were not “merely” burial grounds. Christians, of course, venerate the dead, especially those who gave exemplary witness of the Christian faith (the martyrs hold first rank). Furthermore, whereas the Jews were forbidden to make sacred images, the Christians quickly departed from this tradition, especially as gentiles with their pagan tradition in the arts entered their ranks, and soon began the practice of sacred iconography. The very first Christian images can be found in the catacombs of Rome. At St. Domitilla, for instance, we see the famous graffiti of the anchor (an early symbol for Christ) and the fish (the fish was an ancient symbol for Christianity because the word for fish in Greek acted as an anagram for the titles of Christ: Jesus Christ Son of God Savior), as well as of the orans (a soul in prayer with outstretched open hands). Wealthy Christians would also decorate the arcosolium over their graves or the family mausoleum with beautiful frescoes. There are over 10 miles of catacombs at St. Domitilla, with over 100,000 graves (mostly of children). Our visit to the Christian catacombs coincided with our reading of the Book of Revelation, the final book of the New Testament, and provided a fitting setting to reflect upon the final victory and destiny of the Christian life which Rev. 21:3-4 announces: “And God himself will be with them; he will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain any more, for the former things have passed away.” And so this brings to a close our wonderful semester in Rome.

The following pictures, in order, show: the students outside the entrance to the catacombs; the subterranean basilica, which dates from the 380s; students listening to our tour guide in the subterranean basilica; image of the anchor and fish from a tombstone now found on the wall of the subterranean basilica; passageway among the 10 miles of passageways in the catacombs; tombs for poorer Christians along the passageway (mostly for children in this picture); tombs still sealed; statue of St. Caecilia as her body appeared when it was unburied on this spot; early fresco of the Last Supper; graffiti of the Chi-Ro; fresco of Peter and Paul in the arcosolium of the tomb of a wealthy Christian; relief sculpture of an orans from a tombstone; tombstone of a man named Arcireus who lived to the age of 75.

A couple of weeks ago the PC in Rome Program did a site visit to St. Paul Outside the Walls (in fact, it was the morning of the day on which Pope Francis was elected). This coincided well with our having just embarked upon the Pauline epistles in class (and where we remain still at this point of the semester). The grand basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls is built on the site of where St. Paul was buried (he was beheaded on the Ostian Way near what is now the Tre Fontane and was buried in the tomb of a noble Christian woman, where the current basilica stands). The basilica grew to become the largest and grandest of Rome, but burned down in the mid 1800s. It was rebuilt according to its former design and size. Excavations under the altar were done about 10 years ago, and in 2009 (at the conclusion of the Year of St. Paul), Pope Benedict was able to announce to the world that forensic evidence had confirmed that the bones of St. Paul are indeed under the altar in a stone sarcophagus. A confession was subsequently constructed, and the front of the sarcophagus can now be viewed. The confession provided the proper context for reflection upon Paul’s remark in 2 Tim 4:6-7: “I am already on the point of being sacrificed; the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” Just yesterday Pope Francis took formal “possession” of the basilica by celebrating the Third Sunday of Easter Mass there.

The following pictures, in order, show: the students in the outer courtyard of the basilica, next to the statue of St.Paul; a view of the front facade of the basilica; the nave of the basilica; the grand apse mosaic of byzantine style (this survived the 19th-century destruction of the basilica); the triumphal arch with its mosaic (which also survived the burning); roundels of all the popes with the coffered ceiling; the baldachino; the confession with the tomb of St. Paul; a closer view of the confession and of St. Paul’s tomb; another view of the front facade upon leaving.

The latest site visit of the PC in Rome Program was to the Basilica of Santa Sabina, the mother church of the Dominican Order that sits on the Aventine Hill. We were privileged to have Fr. Dominic Izzo, OP, former Provincial of the Province of St. Joseph and PC alumnus and who currently lives at Santa Sabina as the socius for the U.S. Dominicans, guide us on our tour. The basilica dates back to the early 400s, and sits on the site of the former house of the Roman matron, Sabina. The house itself had replaced a temple to Isis. Pope Honorius III gave the ancient basilica to the Dominicans when he approved the Order of Preachers in 1216 (the land belonged to the family of Pope Honorius). The basilica offers the best preserved original colonnaded rectangular plan and architectural style of the earliest Roman basilicas in the city of Rome. Many famous Dominicans have lived at Santa Sabina at one time or another, including St. Dominic (whose cell can still be visited), St. Albert the Great, St. Thomas Aquinas (it was here that St. Thomas wrote the Prima Pars of the Summa theologiae), and Pope St. Pius V (who continued to make retreats here after becoming pope and whose cell can also be visited). The following pictures, in order, show: Fr. Dominic Izzo and the students in front of the main door of Santa Sabina; Fr. Izzo explains the story depicted in a painting of the life of St. Dominic above an ancient door of the basilica; the ancient cyprus doors of the basilica that contain the oldest known depiction of the crucifixion scene in wood (which is in the upper left panel); the interior (nave section) of the basilica; Fr. Izzo explains the church building while we sit in the schola cantorum; a view of the back of the church from the schola cantorum; St. Dominic’s cell; the cell of Pope St. Pius V; the view of the church from the window in the priory (and where the brethren would see St. Dominic prostrate on the floor in prayer during the night); view of the door of the reputed cell of St. Thomas Aquinas (first door on the left); the chapter room where St. Dominic put the habit on St. Hyacinth before sending him to Poland; list of all the famous Dominicans who have lived at Santa Sabina at one time or another; students wait in line to view the famous “keyhole” (the keyhole for the headquarters of the Knights of Malta which is just down the road from Santa Sabina and through which one can see the dome of St. Peter’s); the “keyhole” with the (barely visible) view of the dome of St. Peter’s.

As everyone — indeed, the entire world — knows by now, my eight-year old son, Dominic, who has cerebral palsy, received an incredible Easter blessing when Pope Francis stopped and embraced him while touring St. Peter’s Square after Easter Sunday Mass. While countless media outlets have covered this moving story (including FoxNews, CNN, CBS News, EWTN, Relevant Radio, Boston Globe, all the Providence networks, CBS in Boston, Fox in Boston, NECN, Inside Edition New York, and the list goes on), what has not yet been reported, but which I will now give attention to, is how this was a special blessing not just for my family, but for the PC in Rome Program. Ever since Pope Benedict announced his resignation two days before Ash Wednesday, we — students and professor alike — have felt especially fortunate to have chosen to come to Rome this semester. No one could have predicted the historic events that have transpired in the last 40 days. Who could believe our luck?! Yet little did we know what ultimately lay in store: a special, tender moment on Easter Sunday between a newly elected pontiff and a little disabled boy that would move the world, and move those of us in the PC in Rome Program in a very personal way. There were several students in the Square for Mass on Easter, and all were feeling the tremendous energy when the Pope started touring in his “pope mobile.” And when Pope Francis stopped to embrace my son, every student watching the jumbotron recognized it was Dominic (the students have had several opportunities to meet my family — being in Rome provides for ample moments, you know, for more intimate get-togthers). Some students were so excited and couldn’t wait to tell me. I had emails from a few of them awaiting me upon our return to our apartment. I also met up with a few students in the Square while awaiting the Pope’s “Urbi et Orbi” (To the City of Rome and to the World) message. “We saw your son being picked up by the Pope,” they exclaimed, “and we couldn’t believe it!” In the media attention that has followed, they continue to express how special they feel to be so intimately connected to an event that has moved the world. “THIS IS SO AWESOME!,” Jen DelVecchio wrote to me in an email this morning after seeing my interview on FoxNews with Megyn Kelly. “I guess we chose the right semester to come to Rome,” she added. Yes, Jen, I think we all agree with you on that! The Easter blessing for my son, Dominic, was also a blessing for the PC in Rome Program. The following pictures show, in order: the Pope holding my son, who has that wonderful grin on his face; a picture of the embrace taken by Verena Latsch (who was next to my wife in the Square); the lead picture from the Drudge Report on Easter Sunday; a picture of the Palm procession on Palm Sunday Mass in St. Peter’s Square (many students were also in attendance for that); Easter Sunday Mass in St. Peter’s Square; a picture from the crowd while the Pope was touring the Square in his “pope mobile” (and when I was clueless that he was about to embrace my son).

This morning marked the occasion of the Mass for the inauguration of the Petrine ministry of Pope Francis. Before the Mass started, and under glorious Roman sunshine, Pope Francis rode through the crowd in St. Peter’s Square in the “Pope mobile.” Then, during the homily, Pope Francis appealed to the example of St. Joseph (the Mass was celebrated on the solemnity of St. Joseph) in order to entreat not only Catholics “but all men and women of good will” to be “protectors of creation, of God’s plan inscribed in nature” (an unmistakable reference to the natural law) and to “show loving concern for each and every person, especially children, the elderly, those in need, who are often the last we think about.” Appealing also to the example of Abraham, who was mentioned in the second reading, the Pope encouraged us to “hope against hope amid so much darkness, and so bring hope to others.” Afterward, the faithful milled around the Square and gingerly strode through the streets in a festive-like mood. And while zeppoles were difficult to find on this solemnity of St. Joseph, there was no shortage of gelato! (I saw a line of priests and nuns in front of one gelateria that stretched down the street and around the corner.) Below are pictures of where I stood in the Square.

These are historic, grace-filled days in Rome! Today was Pope Francis’ first public appearance since the night of his election. The occasion, of course, was the Sunday Angelus and blessing. Some students who stayed in town for the weekend were in attendance, as was my family. Another historic day, another packed St. Peter’s Square! (We arrived, in fact, more than two hours before the Angelus, and the Square was already three quarters full.) While standing there, the thought occurred to me that many Romans had probably opted out of making it to the Square for the big “Habemus Papam” announcement because of the cold rain that evening. Had it been a nice evening, my family and I probably wouldn’t have had a shot at making it into the Square. So I said a silent prayer of thanksgiving to God for sending the rain that evening, the rain that granted us the chance of experiencing a once-in-a-lifetime event (and I should note that the rain off that evening just as we arrived). I thanked Him, too, for making good — for the 266th time — on His promise to send us shepherds to guide His Church. For, that is what the papacy REALLY is all about, not the man with his limits and shortcomings who holds the office, but the Man who died for us and Who does not tire of guiding His Church through His vicar. With the Father and the Holy Spirit, this Man does not tire of showering upon us His unlimited mercy and forgiveness. “God never tires of giving us mercy,” Pope Francis proclaimed in today’s message, “but we sometimes tire of asking for mercy. We ask for the grace of never tiring of asking for pardon, for He never tires of pardoning.” Here are some pictures from the event.

With last night’s appearance of white smoke and ringing of bells, after only the fourth scrutiny of the conclave, we all, students and professor (and family) alike, found ourselves scrambling for St. Peter’s Square, eager to be a part of this once-in-a-lifetime experience! I myself was just about to sit down for dinner with my family (it was close to 7 pm). But with the announcement that the conclave had reached a decision — we could, in fact, faintly hear the bells of St. Peter ringing from our kitchen window — we abruptly left the food sitting on the table, donned our coats, grabbed our umbrellas (it was raining most of the day yesterday) as well as my wife’s parents, who had just arrived from an overnight flight a few hours earlier, and rushed out the door. Some students I know had been in the Square since the end of classes in the afternoon, and thus were well positioned since the very appearance of the white smoke, and others, like me, found themselves part of the “mad dash” (one student told me, “I sprinted and don’t intend to run like that again ever unless I am being chased by someone threatening to take my life!”). For my family’s part, we were happy to discover that getting on the metro was a non-issue (it didn’t hurt that the white smoke appeared after the end of the work day). When the metro’s doors opened at Ottaviano, the stop for St. Peter’s, it was electrifying to see the people (many of whom were priests and nuns) flood out of the train cars and bolt for the exits. Grabbing our 5-year old twins’ hands, we quickly joined in (it reminded me of the “running of the bulls,” only this was the “running of the pope”). While a human chain of carabinieri (Italian military police) blocked access to the Square, redirecting the “running of the pope” down around toward the Via della Conciliazione (the main street that leads into St. Peter’s), a few police officers were sympathetic to this family with its 8-year old special needs son and 5-year old twins and let us through (it’s never difficult to find expressions of humanity among the Italians). Weaving through the crowd, we parked ourselves in a spot with an unobstructed view of the loggia, not far from the obelisk. Happily, the rain had stopped and so all the umbrellas were promptly put away. While we waited for the senior Cardinal Deacon to introduce the new pope, the mood in the crowd was noticeably jubilant, excited, and ebullient — much like children on the morning of Christmas. Then, after about 20 minutes, the curtains behind the loggia parted, the crowd erupted in cheers, and the senior Cardinal Deacon stepped out to make the announcement that all had waited to hear: “Annuntio vobis cum gaudium magnum: Habemus Papam!” (With great joy I announce to you, we have a pope!). Then after a few-minutes pause, the new pope, Pope Francis, stepped out onto the loggia to give his first Urbi et Orbi (“To the City [of Rome] and to the World”) address. When he asked for a moment of silence to pray, it was remarkable to see this jubilant crowd of a quarter of a million faithful respect his request and become entirely quiet. Who but the pope could get an ebullient, energetic crowd of a quarter million to be silent and to pray?! When he finished by saying, “Have a good night’s rest,” the bells began to ring again and the crowd began to disperse. In a country where forming a queue is as unfamiliar as the Chinese language, it was impressive to witness the order observed in the departing of the Square and the courtesy people were eager to show each other. We as a family made it back to our apartment at about 10 pm and could finally sit down to enjoy our dinner (!). But a delayed, cold dinner was well worth the memory of being personally present for “Habemus Papam.” “What an incredible experience,” is how one student put it, and a second, “So amazing! A truly unforgettable moment.” Another student, Jen DelVecchio, put it best: “The whole experience last night is something I will never forget. I cannot believe I got to witness something like that!!” The installation Mass is set for Tuesday, the Solemnity of Saint Joseph. To be continued. The pictures below show, in order: the crowd rushing from the Ottaviano metro stop to St. Peter’s Square; a picture of our view of the Square with all eyes on the loggia awaiting the appearance of the senior Cardinal Deacon; a picture of the crowd stretching down the Via della Conciliazione; a picture of me with my children; a picture of the crowd leaving just outside the arms of St. Peter’s Square.

Greetings from Rome during this most exciting time of Sede Vacante and the much anticipated beginning of the papal conclave! Tourists have been flocking to the Vatican post office to purchase their Sede Vacante stamps and an envelope with the special Vatican seal commemorating Pope Benedict’s historic resignation (see pictures). After watching Pope Benedict fly off by helicopter (see picture), the Roman faithful are about to find out who his successor will be. The students, for their part, who were interviewed this morning by the Providence Journal, are eagerly anticipating what none of them (obviously) have personally experienced before, and some are considering camping out in St. Peter’s Square drinking cappuccinos while awaiting the white smoke! (Some students, in fact, are faced with a tough dilemma: go ahead with their pre-arranged plans for travel this coming weekend, or cancel these plans so that they don’t miss out on the opportunity to be personally present for the grand announcement of “Habemus papam!”, should it occur on Friday or over the weekend.) The students now know what times to expect the smoke during the conclave: at 10:30 and noon for the two morning ballots, and 4:30 and 6 for the two afternoon ballots. Will the smoke be black (no decision) or will it be white (we have a pope!)? Once the white smoke appears, accompanied by the ringing of the bells at St. Peter’s, everyone in Rome who wishes to make the mad dash for St. Peter’s Square (and we thought the public transportation system in Rome could barely handle the normal flow of commuters the way it is!) will have about an hour to make it. (I’ve assured my students that, should it happen during my class, we’ll end abruptly and race each other to the Square.) During that hour, the newly elected pope will try on his papal garb that Gammarelli’s, the famous ecclesiastical clothier in Rome, will have prepared for him as he readies himself to be introduced on the loggia of St. Peter’s to the throngs below. Famously, Gammarelli’s makes three sizes for the new pope, small, medium, and large, since it isn’t known what the size of the new pope will be (hopefully one of them will fit)! These three sizes hang now in the display window of Gammarelli’s, and PC’s own Fr. Thomas Petri, in Rome during Spring Break, was spied by a photographer from Catholic News Service coming out of Gammarelli’s. The picture has since gone viral (see below)! And a fitting picture it is, since the pope wears white on account of Pope St. Pius V, the 16th-century Dominican pope who retained his Dominican habit after ascending to the throne of Peter. And, for those interested, there IS a Dominican cardinal elector participating in this conclave (Christoph Schöborn of Austria). We await with anticipation…

This week, while awaiting news concerning the papal conclave during this Sede Vacante period, the PC in Rome program enjoyed another historic site visit in the Eternal City. We first visited the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, or St. Mary Major, so-called because it is the largest and most important church dedicated to Mary, the mother of the Lord (the church was built just after the Council of Ephesus in 431 declared Mary Theotokos, “Mother of God”). Among other things, this church boasts magnificent early 5th-century and 13th-century mosaics. Next we visited the Basilica of Santa Pudenziana, the church built on the site where St. Peter was offered hospitality in the house of a certain Senator Pudens and his family, who were among Peter’s first converts in Rome. The apse of this church boasts one of the oldest mosaics in the city, as it dates from the end of the 4th century and is Roman in style and antedates Byzantine influence. The last church we visited was the Basilica of Santa Prassede (Pudenziana and Prassede were the two daughters of Senator Pudens). In this church are the most important 9th-century mosaics in Rome (they are Byzantine in style). In particular, it contains a little chapel (Chapel of Zeno) that is completely covered in mosaics, the only one of its kind in Rome. Shown below, in order, are: the students near the front entrance of St. Mary Major; the front facade of St. Major Major; mosaics along the right side wall (supported by Ionic columns) of St. Mary Major depicting scenes from the life of Moses and Joshua; the interior of St. Mary Major (showing a bit of the coffered ceiling, gilded with gold from the New World offered to Pope Alexander VI by Ferdinand and Isabella); mosaics on the triumphal arch of St. Mary Major depicting Christ’s nativity and infancy; the students in the entrance area to Santa Pudenziana (which is below street level); the apse mosaic of Santa Pudenziana, depicting Christ in Roman dress and in imperial position, and the apostles portrayed as Roman senators; the students at the entrance of Santa Prassede; the interior of Santa Prassede, with the mosaics on the triumphal arch visible; the apse mosaic of Santa Prassede; the vault mosaic of the Chapel of Zeno in Santa Prassede (Christ in a roundel, held up by four angels, and of clear Byzantine style); lunette on a wall showing, on the top, the Lamb of God on a mound with the four rivers of Paradise flowing from it and to which deer have come to drink, and, on the bottom and beginning from the left, Theodora (the mother of Pope Pascal I, who had this chapel built; she is portrayed with a square nimbus to indicate she was still living when the mosaic was executed), St. Prassede, the Virgin Mary, and St. Pudenziana; lunette with a richly ornamented throne and golden cross on it, and St. Peter on the left and St. Paul on the right; lunette with Christ and Sts. Zeno and Valentine.