La Settimana Sancta: oi.

Holy Week, oi. It was a long-long-long week. Rome is quite busy (as you would expect) during Holy Week, or La Settimana Sancta.

We started the Triduum (Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday) with Mass at Santa Susana, the American Parish in Rome. It is really refreshing to be able to participate in Mass in English as they are few and far between here in Rome. Although, my Latin 'Our Father' and 'Hail Mary' are getting pretty good.
We went to eleven churches that night to take part in a Roman tradition of visiting the Blessed Sacrament Chapels. Chris, Christine, Paul, Caitlin, Nick, Mary, and I all said prayers at each chapel to prepare for Easter.Then, we got back to the dorm and Mary, Christine, and I watched 'The Passion of the Christ' by Mel Gibson... we had a good cry.

Friday, we headed over to The Venerable English College for Good Friday service. This is always my favorite service of the Triduum. There is always so much emotion when the Celebrants lay prostrate before the altar. The English seminarians did a really good job of making it somber.

On Saturday, we began the day at the Holy Stairs. The Legend of the Holy Stairs is that they are the stairs that Jesus climbed to see Pilate on the night of His passion. It is believed that St. Helen, Constantine the Great's mother brought them from Jerusalem along with many other holy relics. The tradition is to go during the Triduum and to climb the stairs on your knees, not allowing your feet to touch. It was a really beautiful experience. It was painful too, but when ever your knees started shaking and you felt like you couldn't go up another step, you could look up and see the image of Christ on the cross. It sounds corny, but that really helped me to finish it up.

After that, we headed back to The Venerable English College for Easter Vigil Mass and saw our theology professor Msgr. Kevin Irwin. The Mass was longer than most with seven readings (the Pope only did four that night). Then, the seminarians treated everyone to champagne and chocolate, the first chocolate I'd had since Lent started. It was so good.

We got back to the dorms at about 1 am... but with the time change for daylight savings in Europe that was really 2 am. We got up the next morning at 6-ish and left to see the Pope at St. Peter's just before 8.

We got to St. Peters, got SEATS! and waited for Mass. The outside of St. Peter's was beautifully decorated with tons of flowers!

It was my last mass with Pope Francis and it was a really beautiful experience. I was so tired, but I was happy to be with Mary and Christine... and to be eating Peanut M&M's, I missed them.

 We had the most prime spots next to the nicest Italian Nuns and snapped our amazing pics of Papa Fran. Then, we waited for the Angelus. The last time (possibly) I saw Pope Francis speak in person was the same place I had seen him for the first time in person, the window in the front of St. Peters.

"And so we ask the risen Jesus, who turns death into life, to change hatred into love, vengeance into forgiveness, war into peace. Yes, Christ is our peace, and through him we implore peace for all the world...Peace in the whole world, still divided by greed looking for easy gain, wounded by the selfishness which threatens human life and the family, selfishness that continues in human trafficking, the most extensive form of slavery in this twenty-first century; human trafficking is the most extensive form of slavery in this twenty-first century! Peace to the whole world, torn apart by violence linked to drug trafficking and by the iniquitous exploitation of natural resources! Peace to this our Earth! Made the risen Jesus bring comfort to the victims of natural disasters and make us responsible guardians of creation... To all of you I affectionately say again: may the risen Christ guide all of you and the whole of humanity on the paths of justice, love and peace." - Pope Francis

After we got back (and NAPPED!) we made dinner in the dorm  kitchen together.

After dinner, I talked to my entire family through Skype. It was really great to see everyone and hear their voices. It made me a little homesick (this is one of the first Easters I've had outside of East Stroudsburg,  Pennsylvania) but I'll see them very soon!

Dad and I skyping.

"Dear brothers and sisters in Rome and throughout the world, Happy Easter! Happy Easter!" - Pope Francis