Rome 2024 – St. John – St. Paul Catholic Collaborative

Update from the Synod: Day 5 – The Last Day

Today is Sunday, which is supposedly a day of rest. But we were excited to get up and go to Mass at the Jesuit English-speaking Oratory of St. Francis Xavier of Caravita.

Four of us were asked to take part in the liturgy. We foolishly thought that taking a taxi rather than walking a mile with the rest would get us there in plenty of time. We waited and ordered Ubers and taxis that never came. With twenty-five minutes to go, we ran to the church, pushing aside tourists packed around the Trevi Fountain and rushing into the church with one minute to spare. The priests were lined up and, without catching our breath, we were leading the procession!

Update from the Synod: Day 4 – Deacon Day!

On this day we found ourselves in the Saint Lawrence Basilica, built as a diaconiae (not to be confused by that word). A diaconiae started as a simple structure to serve the needs of the poor in the area. Over time it was developed and expanded to include an oratory where deacons could gather in prayer. To this day, this oratory contains the Easter Candle as well as the ambo for the proclamation of the Gospel. Eventually a sanctuary was added to the oratory. This three-part design of the oratory and the sanctuary is a graphic reminder of the deacon’s threefold ministry of the Word (oratory), Sacrament (sanctuary) and Charity (the nave). These three make up one sacred reality! Pope Francis resumed the ancient custom of entrusting a church to a Deacon…

Updates from the Synod: Day 3 – “For every Francis, a Clare.”

Early in the morning we went to the Basilica of St. Mary Major.

The Basilica ties its origins to a miracle that occurred in the fourth century: a snowfall on August 5 in Rome—a sign revealed to Pope Liberius in a dream. To commemorate that event every year on that date a snowfall of white rose petals cascades down over the altar. It felt dreamlike to be here! We had a special opportunity to celebrate Mass in one of the side chapels. Our two priests presided with their backs to us, tucked into that side altar in a church with snowfalls, Bernini statues, marbled mosaics and a relic from the nativity crib!

In the afternoon, Discerning Deacons and CEAMA (Amazonian Ecclesial Conference) hosted a panel in Pope Pius XI Hall…

Updates from the Synod: Day 2 – St. Phoebe Prayer Service

Our parishioner, Svea Fraser, is in Rome with the Discerning Deacons/CEAMA Pilgrims and will be sending us updates from their journey!

We gathered at the Migrant Statue Angels Unawares for a Visio Divina, a meditation inviting us to enter the lives and struggles of the 150 different people from different eras and parts of the world who are molded in bronze. It is truly a “visual prayer”: a prayer that is not just about migrants, but about all of us and the future of the human family. The Pope called it a reminder of the challenge of welcoming. Rising out of the center of the statue are two huge wings, a reference from Hebrews: “Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares”…

Updates from the Synod: Day 1 – Opening Mass

Our parishioner, Svea Fraser, is in Rome with the Discerning Deacons/CEAMA Pilgrims and will be sending us updates from their journey!

The Discerning Deacons/CEAMA Pilgrims arrived over the past two days, 55 pilgrims representing five countries and both hemispheres! Even before we got here, we were filled with great joy when we learned about the private audience that Pope Francis held for nine women from our group, among them Casey Stanton, Sister Elizabeth Young and the women leaders from the Amazon. It was a surprising opportunity for them to speak personally and offer support for a synodal church and to pray for him. As one of the Spanish speakers relayed to me, she could feel the weight of his mission and felt his compassion and the weight of the papacy on his heart, and his knees!