Andrea
and I try to make the B5 Pilgrimages a combination
of
visits to holy places that are connected with Christians
of the past who have struggled, as we do, to keep
the Faith , and may have received the title “saint”,
with the Christians who live in those places today.
This plan worked very well and the Holy Spirit
gave us plenty of opportunities to meet the local
Christians
and often took us by surprise. |
35 of us arrived in our hotel in Vatican
City on Saturday, 29th.May, after unpacking
I said, “Let’s go for a stroll and say our evening prayers in S.Peter’s
Square before supper.” There were crowds of people about. We make a gathering
in the colonnade. I got up to start the prayers and there was a sudden fanfare,
the crowds started shouting and waving red flags. Someone was being carried
in to a canopied podium on a golden throne. “It can’t be ?” “It
is !” At the very same place that Jesus’ disciple the Apostle Peter
was martyred was his successor – Pope John Paul 2- who had come to lead
the prayers for the Vigil of Pentecost. We couldn’t have had a more
dramatic combination of saints of the past and Christians of today ! We had
a Papal
Blessing for our Pilgrimage.
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St. Peter's
Square
Papal Blessing |
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The next day,
Pentecost Sunday, we were in the Roman catacombs
being shown around
the tunnels and tombs by a delightful American
nun Sister Martha. “I’ve only been
a nun for three years. I wanted to give my life
to prayer. I’ve ended up looking after
this catacomb museum and hardly have time for
Vespers!” (a bit like her name sake).
She brought us up out of the dark passages
into an
early Christian chapel complete with its
2,000 year old altar all laid out for our
Eucharist.
We could feel the prayers of the holy women
and men who had worshipped there down the
ages.
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Chapel at Catacombs
of Priscilla
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Our next
holy site was the great church of S.Paul’s
Without The Walls – the place where S.Paul
is buried. We were allowed to sit next to his tomb
with a vast 5th.century apse full of mosaics of Jesus
in majesty surrounded by his Apostles above our heads
as we sang, “For all the saints.” We
did many other things in Rome – visiting the
Forum, palaces, ancient gardens and little churches.
We were given a marvellous English afternoon tea
with fresh scones baked by the Bishop’s wife
at the Anglican Centre. Bishop John works as the
leader of this ecumenical Centre to welcome pilgrims
of all denominations and to keep in close touch
with the Roman Catholic Church. The Centre is housed
in
a 15th century Renaissance palace that belongs
to an Italian princess and her English husband.
They
met when he, as an English soldier liberating Rome
was billeted in the palace. Our dinner that night
was in a restaurant run by nuns who sang to us.
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Then we were off to find S.Francis. First
to see the little cave at Greccio in the hills
of central Italy where he was inspired to make
a Christmas scene and thereby invented for
us the Christmas Crib. The monastery was tiny
clinging to a wooded cliff overlooking a beautiful
valley. We had planned, with a friendly Chinese
Friar, to have our Eucharist in the modern
chapel but it was being used by American pilgrims,
so in good Franciscan style we improvised.
I got out my primitive communion set and we
celebrated Holy Communion on the openair terrace
overlooking the valley, in the glad company
of the trees, the running stream and the birds.
These were our companions as we sang Francis’ Canticle
of the Creation, “All creatures of our
God and King.”
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Holy Communion on
the terrace at Greccio |
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The Pilgrims
at Greccio |
Then on
to Los Angeles, the village below Assisi for our
hotel
and a visit to the little church where Francis
set up his first community of friars. This remained
the
main centre of preaching and care of the poor throughout
his life and this is where he received God’s
call to offer the ministry of penance and is where
he died. Imagine our amazement as we entered a
vast white church to find his little church sitting
under
the dome. His little church could hold about 12
people and was full of holiness. Outside in the
square we
watched a priest playing football with his youth
club and some of us bought books from the Franciscan
bookshop.
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Assisi is a medieval
town built part way up a mountain. As
we stopped outside S.Clare’s Church to
listen to our guide, I met an American nun,Sister
Rosina, who runs a pilgrim hostel and she explained
the
work of the Assisi Christians for the poor
and homeless of the area.
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Members
of the Third Order
(lay members of the Franciscan movement) opened
their chapel for our morning service and we
sang the popular hymn based on Francis’ prayer, “Make
me a channel of your peace.” At the great
Basilica of S.Francis we had a special guided
explanation of the famous Giotto frescoes that
tell the story of his life. After lunch some
of us walked down through the olive groves to
the little church of S.Damien. This is where
Francis was converted to become a servant of
Jesus as he knelt in prayer before the crucifix
in this ruined church and heard the voice of
Jesus, “Francis rebuild my church.” (It
is a copy of this cross that hangs in the Open
Door Café). S.Damien’s was full
of young people at their prayers and children
scampering about. I was impressed at how many
young people we saw throughout our journey
taking Christianity seriously. |
St. Francis Basilica
Assisi |
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In Ravenna
our local guide, who was fascinated by our pilgrim
shells, helped us to understand some of the stunning
Christian mosaics of the many ancient churches and
baptisteries.
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The
sun shone for our boat ride through the lagoon
to the water city of Venice. Our guide whisked
us through the crowds in S.Mark’s Square
for a long look at the mosaics that fill the
great basilica. The Pentecost dome was especially
impressive. In the centre was the Holy Trinity – a
dove sitting on a book which rested on a throne – then
red streamers went down to the twelve Apostles
sitting on their thrones. Beneath them were
pairs of men, with the names of the peoples
mentioned
on the first Day of Pentecost, one with a
beard one without, symbolising the passing
on of
the Faith from one generation to another.
Finally four great angels, holding up the
dome, held
out their hands blessing us below with the
Christian
message.
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Venice |
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We
deserved our swim in the hotel pool, but alas,
nobody had a rubber hat. Barbara came to our rescue
and we all shared hers !
We gave
thanks to S.Antony, at his great shrine church
in Padua,
for answering our prayers when we loose things.
Antony , a scholar and great preacher, joined Francis
and
helped forward the Franciscan reform of the Church.
We were drenched as we waited for our booked time
to see the newly restored Giotto frescoes at the
Scrovegni chapel but it was worth it. It was the
quickest 15 minutes I’ve ever had. Seeing
the Kiss of Judas and other famous scenes was like
meeting
relations for the first time.
Our pilgrimage was completed by attending the Sunday
masses at S.Mark’s Venice. There we were
again, sitting under those great domes, now filled
with
gorgeous music, first from the resident choir,
then a visiting choir from Texas.
Christian pilgrimages are all about Christians
visiting other Christians of the past and present.
We certainly
did an immense amount of this and we have much
more to tell you. Be sure, your guardian angels
are always
about you on the pilgrim journey – as Andrea
and I walked the back streets of Venice before coming
home we bumped into friends from North Devon. Jeremy
had been a pilgrim with me to the Holy Land in 1988. “O,
David, you’re wearing your pilgrim shell. I’ve
still got mine!”
Where next ?
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David
and Andrea Chance |
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