pilgrimage to italy was the trip of a lifetime
Entering the Coliseum in Rome
On Tuesday, Nov. 5, while millions of Americans were focused on the presidential election, Fr. Mike Comer, Fr. A.J. Gedney, and almost 50 pilgrims set out for Italy.
Nearly half of the pilgrims were Mother of God parishioners, with the rest of the group coming from other parishes and beyond. It was a wonderful blend of personalities with good camaraderie, a lot of laughter, and of course, cherished unique spiritual opportunities.
Our time in Italy was one of “roots and beginnings.” Starting in Florence, we were able to get a sense of the importance of this city by celebrating Mass at San Marco, visiting the Academia Gallery to view Michelangelo’s David (the most famous statue in Florence and possibly all the world!), and spending time in breathtaking Santa Croce, Church of the Holy Cross, where many famous Florentines are entombed. Florence was truly the epicenter for Italian art and politics.
In Assisi, we walked in the footsteps of St. Francis and St. Clare and stood where the Franciscan community began! In Monte Cassino, we prayed and celebrated Mass where St. Benedict began the Benedictine order. In Rome, we bore witness to the roots of the Church while standing and praying where St. Peter and St. Paul were martyred, reminding ourselves of Tertullian’s statement, “The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church.” Our greatest challenge was to take in all that we saw and learned! Connecting this history to the experience of being in Pope Francis’ weekly audience was especially meaningful, and some of our group got to meet him up close!
Amid the spiritual engrossment, we were able to take a little “vacation day” and visit the stunning and captivating Amalfi Coast. We stopped in Amalfi, where everything was LEMON, and in Positano, where we had a delightful lunch while gazing at the Mediterranean Sea. We also visited the Pompeii archeological site, which was extremely interesting and left us grateful for two things: 1) That Mt. Vesuvius did not erupt while we were there, and 2) That none of us twisted an ankle, or worse, while on our tour. That was some rough terrain!
The Italian pilgrimage experience left each of us in awe collectively as we witnessed so much Church and world history, but also individually, as we were each gifted with personal insights and experiences.
Walking the ancient stone streets also left us in deep admiration of the strong ankles and overall coordination of our forebears!
I’m sure that I speak for the group when I say that we are still processing the gift of this pilgrimage, but if you are asking if we recommend that you go sometime, the answer is YES!
—Mary Ann Kelly, pastoral assistant and pilgrim
Nearly half of the pilgrims were Mother of God parishioners, with the rest of the group coming from other parishes and beyond. It was a wonderful blend of personalities with good camaraderie, a lot of laughter, and of course, cherished unique spiritual opportunities.
Our time in Italy was one of “roots and beginnings.” Starting in Florence, we were able to get a sense of the importance of this city by celebrating Mass at San Marco, visiting the Academia Gallery to view Michelangelo’s David (the most famous statue in Florence and possibly all the world!), and spending time in breathtaking Santa Croce, Church of the Holy Cross, where many famous Florentines are entombed. Florence was truly the epicenter for Italian art and politics.
In Assisi, we walked in the footsteps of St. Francis and St. Clare and stood where the Franciscan community began! In Monte Cassino, we prayed and celebrated Mass where St. Benedict began the Benedictine order. In Rome, we bore witness to the roots of the Church while standing and praying where St. Peter and St. Paul were martyred, reminding ourselves of Tertullian’s statement, “The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church.” Our greatest challenge was to take in all that we saw and learned! Connecting this history to the experience of being in Pope Francis’ weekly audience was especially meaningful, and some of our group got to meet him up close!
Amid the spiritual engrossment, we were able to take a little “vacation day” and visit the stunning and captivating Amalfi Coast. We stopped in Amalfi, where everything was LEMON, and in Positano, where we had a delightful lunch while gazing at the Mediterranean Sea. We also visited the Pompeii archeological site, which was extremely interesting and left us grateful for two things: 1) That Mt. Vesuvius did not erupt while we were there, and 2) That none of us twisted an ankle, or worse, while on our tour. That was some rough terrain!
The Italian pilgrimage experience left each of us in awe collectively as we witnessed so much Church and world history, but also individually, as we were each gifted with personal insights and experiences.
Walking the ancient stone streets also left us in deep admiration of the strong ankles and overall coordination of our forebears!
I’m sure that I speak for the group when I say that we are still processing the gift of this pilgrimage, but if you are asking if we recommend that you go sometime, the answer is YES!
—Mary Ann Kelly, pastoral assistant and pilgrim
