Dear St. Rita Families,
We made it back from Rome! It really felt like a lived Litany of Saints, since every place we visited had more saints than we expected. It was a privilege to pray in front of all of them, to ask their intercession for St. Rita, and to be humbled by their holiness. The second half of our pilgrimage started in San Giovanni Rotondo, the monastery where Padre Pio lived out his priesthood. I was very moved when I discovered that I would be able to celebrate Mass in the Church and on the very altar where Padre Pio celebrated most of his Masses throughout his life! The beautiful “Old Church” is attached to a bigger Church (Our Lady of Grace) of which Padre Pio himself commented, “It is too small!” The saint said that he would make much more “noise” after his death and that an even larger Church would be needed. Padre Pio is buried in the Crypt Church of that much larger Church – The Church of St. Pio of Pietrelcina.
In addition to these three Churches, there is in San Giovanni Rotondo the hospital that Padre Pio founded, the Home for the Relief of Suffering. There is also a house for priests in the city, and next to Our Lady of Grace Church is a beautiful set of the Stations of the Cross built into a large hill. Several of us had the opportunity to pray the Stations there – quite a moving experience!
Friday afternoon, after our Mass on Padre Pio’s altar, we jumped on the bus and made our way to nearby Monte Sant’Angelo, where is found the Sanctuary of Monte Sant’Angelo on Mount Gargano. This minor basilica was dedicated by St. Michael the Archangel himself back in 490 AD, and he appeared there two other times as well. Stones from the Sanctuary are considered first-class relics of St. Michael. This is one of the locations that sits on the Line of St. Michael, the long line of Churches and holy sites dedicated to the Archangel. The spiritual interpretation is that the line represents the Archangel’s sword, by which he cast the devil into Hell.
On Saturday morning, we had one last chance to visit Padre Pio before leaving San Giovanni Rotondo and making our way to Rome. It is about a 4-hour bus ride between the two cities, so of course we broke up the drive. We stopped at Monte Cassino on the way, which is the monastery of St. Benedict of Norcia and the final burial place of him and his twin sister, St. Scholastica. You may be more familiar with Monte Cassino because of the World War II battle that was fought there towards the end of the war. Adjacent to the monastery is a Polish Cemetery with many of the war dead from that battle. Interestingly, perhaps, is the fact that World War II was the fourth time in its history that Monte Cassino was destroyed (to some extent). More encouraging is the fact that the place of peace founded by St. Benedict still remains as a testimony to God’s enduring victory over sin and death. For our part, we celebrated Mass in one of the chapels there, visited St. Benedict’s cell, prayed at the joint tomb of him and his sister, and admired the beauty of that well-removed site of prayer!
Ninety minutes or so after leaving Monte Cassino, we finally arrived in Rome! Rome, as the heart of the Catholic Church, should hold a special place in our own hearts as well. It is the Church founded on the teaching and blood of St. Peter and St. Paul, and a place that every Catholic calls home. We should pray for the welfare of that Eternal City, for the Holy Father who is charged which faithfully shepherding the Church and the world, for all of those who work there in support of that mission, and for all pilgrims, visitors, and residents. The spiritual flourishing of Rome is very important for the Church throughout the world!
We stayed at Residenza Paolo VI, across a small street from the colonnade of St. Peter’s Square – very close! The first thing many of us did on Saturday night upon arrival was to visit St. Peter’s Basilica for a Eucharistic Holy Hour. It was very fitting for a parish that is so dedicated to Eucharistic Adoration! The next morning, Sunday, we took the bus over to the Basilica of St. Mary Major on the Esquiline Hill, where we celebrated Mass and had a moment to pray by the icon of Mary, Salus Populi Romani – Salvation/Health of the People of Rome. One of the four major Basilicas in Rome, St. Mary Major was built after a miraculous August 5th snowfall on the Esquiline Hill in the fourth century. In the Church can be found relics of Christ’s manger, the tomb of St. Jerome and of Pope St. Pius V, and of the famous Italian sculptor Gian Lorenzo Bernini.
From there, we drove to the Scala Santa, located near the Cathedral Church of Rome, St. John Lateran. The “Holy Stairs” are the stairs of the Roman Praetorium in Jerusalem, the very place where Jesus would have stood when condemned by Pontius Pilate, and when Pilate showed Him – scourged and crowned with thorns – to the people, saying “Ecce homo!” – “Behold the man!” (John 19:5). The Scala Santa were brought to Rome by St. Helena, the mother of the Emperor Constantine. You can only ascend the stairs on your knees, and since there are 28 steps, it’s a good way to pray the 14 Stations of the Cross, two steps for each Station.
Not far from the Holy Stairs is the Church of Santa Croce in Gerusalemme, where there are many relics of the Passion of Christ. A beautiful Church itself, it houses these holy relics in a side chapel. Just like the Holy Stairs, many of these relics were brought by St. Helen from Jerusalem as well. The Church is called “Holy Cross in Jerusalem” because one of the things that St. Helen brought was a literal boat-load of dirt from Jerusalem, upon which this Church was built. The other relics of the Passion there include some pieces of the True Cross, the finger of St. Thomas the Apostle (which he placed in the side of Christ), some thorns from Our Lord’s Crown, one of the nails, and a piece of the inscription that was hung above the Cross of Christ. Also in this Church is buried a little seven-year old girl who died in 1937. Antonietta Meo was a young girl blessed with some extraordinary mystical gifts after she injured herself and developed osteosarcoma. Her cause for canonization is open, and she has the title “Venerable.”
It was fascinating to spend much of Sunday morning praying with the Passion of Christ. While we rightly celebrate the Resurrection on Sunday, it is important never to forget that Resurrection only comes after the Passion and Death. It is the “much fruit” that Jesus promises for the grain of wheat that dies (Jn 12:24) – not just for oneself, but for many others as well! The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass that we celebrate every Sunday (and every day, too!) is a celebration of rejoicing and gratitude, and it is likewise a solemn remembrance of the Love exhibited by our God and Savior in His Passion and Death.
There is much more to say about the pilgrimage, but it is going to have to wait until next week! These few lines will offer sufficient reflection for the days to come.
In Christ,
Fr. Christensen