Easter Weekend in Rome

Saturday, April 11, 2009
As we planned to be up really late tonight we slept in this morning and rested until late in the afternoon when we caught the 64 bus to St. Peters Basilica. After what happened Thursday night at St. John in Laterano (remember how we got caught up in the huge crush of people) I was really having second thoughts about going tonight to the Paschal Vigil – the 9 PM Papal Mass at St. Peters – but Martha assured me that we would not try to get up front where the first rush of people would be and that Mary Frances would go early to hold a place in line for us. Arriving at 6:30 PM we found Mary almost dead center in the line at St. Peters. When they did open the gates at 7:30 we again saw a rush of people crowding to the security units…. Everybody wanting to get seats up front…… In fact they called an ambulance to take away someone who had been in that first rush of people…. After that they really started to control people better and only let a few at a time go through the gates…. By 8:30 we were in through security (just like at the airport), in the second set of doors and thanks to Mary Frances being aggressive we actually had seats on the outside of the middle aisle towards the back of St. Peters… couldn’t see much but we did get seats inside…..during the lighting of the Easter Fire they darkened the church and many had candles to light. I have a picture of Mary with one that she was able to get. Some selected people were baptized by the Pope and all the Holy Saturday evening rituals were happening…. But we could only got a glimpse now and then when everyone stood up and then sat back down....the trick, I soon realized was to take my time sitting back down and then I got a look at what was going on up front.

Because we needed to catch a bus (they stopped running at midnight) we had to leave before mass was over, but it was just great knowing that we had been able to be present for the Paschal Vigil Mass and actually got seats inside in the middle. It was a very long mass because of all the special things happening and they had five different readings, each in a different language. We had a couple with 5 young children from Ohio in front of us…. Image what it took to make a family trip like this to Rome for Easter… I was
Very impressed by the thought of the planning etc………..

Sunday, April 12, 2009
Martha and I planned to attend Mass at Santa Maria Maggiore this morning as its close enough to walk. We arrived for 8 AM mass….but no mass until 9 so we walked back to the Termini and around to the church we had visited yesterday (in roman days it was the Public Baths) Basilica Santa Maria degli Angelc & eMartiri or Church of the Angles and Martyrs. There we were just in time for an 8 AM Easter Sunday Mass. After mass we caught the 64 bus to St. Peters because even though we had not planned, nor did we have tickets for the 10 AM Easter Sunday Mass with the Pope in St. Peters Square, we did want to be in the area for the noon Urbi et Orbi Blessing by the Pope from his special window high above the entrance to St. Peters.

We were also to find Martha’s daughter, Mary Frances, her friends and to meet and have lunch with them and Father Jim (who has spent the last three years studying in Rome and is a long time friend of Eileen). Once we were allowed into the Square (a nice police lady gave us tickets so we could enter. Our first goal was to find the WC before the lines got any longer. We had to wait 45 minutes before we could get into the ladies room. You can not wait till the last minute and expect to find a WC without a long line. Then Martha was able to call her daughter and found that she and her friends were on the other side of St. Peters standing about half way up on the left side. Slowly but surely we made our way through the crowds to where they were standing…the good thing was we had a beautiful view of the events on the huge TV screen that was placed not far from where we were standing. Also we found enough space that I was able to make a sit upon out of my raincoat. Every one else stood for the two hour mass…..but I was very comfortable sitting on the cobblestones reading my mass prayers during a good part of it. When it came time for communion we were no where near close enough to be able to receive it from the Priests who roamed along the edges of the people who were seated and along the fence to give Communion to those lucky ones who were close. But the joy of being there was enough and I knew that we had already had communion this morning at our early mass. After Easter Mass and the Papal Blessing we walked as a group along the Tiber River crossing over at the Bridge of the Republica then winding our way to a small piazza and a restaurant called L’Angoletto where we had a three hour lunch/dinner that was so Italian And wonderful…..we finally bid adieu to the group and made our way back to the hostel where we took our friend Kristin, who is alone, out for another trip on the metro to show her Via Veneto (a wonderful exclusive beautiful area to walk and see how the rich and famous live) all the way from the Barberini Piazza area uphill to the Borghese Park while eating our last gelato from Rome as we strolled up and through the park…. What a great way to spend our last evening in Rome. I was so tired and really dragged my feet at going on this last walk but Martha persisted and I am so glad she did as we all really enjoyed ourselves and it was such a good end to a wonderful Easter Sunday.

Monday, April 13, 2009
This morning we were up early 5:30 to catch the first bus to St. Peters for Mass with Father Jim. He had received permission to hold a morning mass down under the main
Altar in St. Peters where the Crypts of Popes each hold small chapels that can be used for private masses. While we were walking Father Jim asked Eileen to do the readings during the mass. As I do often read for mass at home I asked if I could possible read the Responsorial Psalm after she had done the First Reading. To my honor she and Father Jim both said yes to my question so…… not only did I receive Holy Communion in St. Peters but I also had the great honor of doing a reading. What a way to end Easter Week in Rome.

I did attend three different masses, these past 4 days, with the Pope but was unable to get close enough to receive Holy Communion so this morning was very special to Martha and I in many ways. After mass, Father Jim gave us a private tour of Pope John Paul’s grave, which was nearby, before we went upstairs into the main rotunda area of St. Peters where he was able to show and explain many different areas to us. As this was very early in the morning so we had excellent views as usually the place is so packed with tourist’s milling around.. We left for our hostel about 9:30 so now must get ready for our train trip to northern France late this afternoon.