This morning we went to Fonte Colombo where Francis wrote the Rule, had his eyes cauterised and lived at various tmes before that very peacefuly in a lovely spot. I a, not dping well at uploading photos, not sure why, but the phone seemed to do better the. The ipad so I began to take photos on the phone but today that doesnt seem to work either. The wifi is nt good, in fact poor except in the conference room but if O go there people chat and nothing gets done. In my room I have to go out into the passage to pick,up a signal and sometimes I can charm it back into my room and sometimes not. At the moment I am in Andre's room and he is preparing his talk for this evening on Franciscans and the Incarnation.
We got to Fonte Colombo in record time and prepared for Mass, then avter thta had the historical visit. This is one of the friaries whh go back to Francis' time, though not the church we see today, chapel really. Because this is such a small group, only fourteen, we didnt divide them as we usually do, half coming to me for a recommitment ceremony and half going to Murray to visit the Magdalen chapel and see the Tau on the wall almost certainly painted by Francis himself. Instead they all came as one which was nicer when possible. I had lit the candles and was waiting until they came, watching a lizard running up a tree branch but I did not have a chamce to find out what he would do when he reached the end as he soon would, because the pilgrims arrived! Because of the steep slope of the land, he would have a long long drop if he dropped. But i guess he has more sense.
The recommitment is always moving, very simple a short scripture reading, a psalm which we said altogether, then they have a lit candle each from the ones standing on the small stone altar amid the mouse droppings! They read a statement of commitment all together, prepared and in the books, and we give them a card each signed by the three staff. It means, I suppose, as much as each one invests in it, but nearly always they do invest greatly. You dont come on a pilgrimage like this and then fool around.
Then they had some free time, photgraph time, prayer time, gazing into space time, some beautoful space to gaze into and the sky was a clear as can be, almost every roxk f the mountains opposite could be seen. The temperature last night went down to 11C so a big change from the temperature in Rome. In faxt, it was quite a shock to wake up in the morning and hear a cock crow, some rooks, a distant dog and a cow mooing,instead of two hundred cars and seven hundred motore bikes, all honking and hooting! Out of my window which over looks the front drive, I can see pine trees and grass and hear the permanently cross squirrel in the trees. The little cat Rocchi who was a small kitten last year, seemed to remember me and jumped up on my lap purring like a train.
All for the moment as it is almost time for the talk. I know I have heard it before but each time I rehear it, I seem to find something else good. Also if the new plan works, I shan't be here for this bit next year. The suggestion is that i come straight into Assisi for just over a week, travelling on 22 September and 2 October. This means I shall be home for the feast of St Francis which will be very good. Next year's programme we have done already so I know what I am doing, which seems to be five or six lectures and four historical visits. I said I dont mind how hard I work during that time. The two men dont want another person to come in to fill the gaps so that is how it will be, assuming it is passed at the annual staff meeting in November,
All for now, love to one and all
Ft
Tuesday, 20 September 2016
19 September
Today we went to Poggio Bustone, the place of pardon, also the place where Francis went very early on with a bunch of brothers. The locals thought they were scruffy and disreputable and shunned them. So to break the atmosphere, Francis went u to them and said Buon giorno, buona gente, Good morning good people, and the ice began to break. Today on his feast a friar goes round the village knocking on all their doors and saying Buon giorno buona gente! When we arrived for Mass we found a French Mass already in progress, but the nice guardian, who I remember from last year, said they would not be long. this turned out to be true and we began Mass. This is the sanctuary where Francis finally found a sense of having been forgiven by God and the friars make it a centre of forgiveness, schools bring children here for first confessions too. So those of the pilgrimage who wanted had the chance of confession. Andre' began by speaking about his niece who had had twins, and towards the end of her pregnancy, she was so big she felt there was no room in her for anything else! Sin is like that, he said, it fills us up till there is less and less room for Christ. So everyone went to confession!! After that there was some prayer space, the energetic ones, about eleven of them, climbed the mountain up to the top where there is a chapel and a cave where Francis used to stay with Brother Elias. once there they rang a bell as the tradition requires! Then they came down very pleased with themselves! I sat on a bench and thought some thoughts and wrote a bit more on this essay on solitude I am supposed to be wRiting for this book Andre is producing. I keep writing little bits but when I get home I shall have to see how to cobble them together!
Then back into the bus and back to the Cabrini Centre for pranzo. Andre' had a guest, the 5times great niece of Fr Pamphilo who was the Italian friar sent to USA in the late 1800s to minister to the Italian immigrants. Pamphilo or perhaps Pamfilo then went on to be the founder of the Province, and of St Bonaventure's University in Washington and of two religious congregations, two because he founded one then the bishop of another diocese wanted the sisters but their own bishop would not let them leave so Pamphilo founded another lot. Great man! With the help of zMargaret Crney when she was President of the University, they wanted to bring his body to USA but it could not be found. This is because in Italy they put the bodies in the grave or, more likely as in this case, into a sort of little house, then after some years, when the shelf fills up, they shovel the bones to the back and put the new body in front. All very well but who knows now which bones are whose? However the latest is that they are thinking of a way, possbly through DNA testing. He had seven siblings all of whom had seven or eight children, so there are millions of descendants from whom to get DNA. Pamfilo's niece, called Laura, is about late 40s, lovely girl. As I have never seen the city of Rieti, she took me in during siesta time, very noble of her. She showed me the city which is small, the cathedral and the old part, very picturesque. I have some pics which I will upload but have to go downstairs to get good wifi so will do it tomorrow. We were just passing the church door of the Poor Clares when the portiere epened it so we said hullo, and she turned out to be a very friendly and chatty Sicilian. She was very pleased to meet another PC especially from England where she thought everyone was a Protestant! We had a great chat, she told me the monastery is built on the foundations of the house of Angelo Trancredi, a former knight who joined Francis and that they still have a room which goes back to that time. The monastery was founded on 1230s, within the life-time of Clare. It housed 34 when she entered and now they are eight and all old. Every day they run what she called Mensa Santa Chiara, the table of St Clare, with the help of local lay people, and feed over 100poor people every day. Laura, my guide, told me that their abbess, who was younger, got worn out and left and transferred to the monastery of Camerino. As it happened, i had spent some time recently translating a letter from the sisters in Camerino appealing for help because their monastery is 3/4 destroyed in the earthquake, including the church. I have also done a letter from Fernando in Rome to cover the sisters' letter and sayng that there are five or six Poor Clare monasteries damaged n the earthquake. Even Cortona told me they had felt the shocks though had no damage. You wonder what will happen to all these monasteries, even more so when less than 50 yards up the road I found another Poor Clare monastery but did not introduce myself and nobody was around. in fact the place looks deserted, i hate to think what it is like inside. So sad. Then Laura took me home, having thoroughly practised my Italian and somewhat tired!
More anon, love to one and all ft
Then back into the bus and back to the Cabrini Centre for pranzo. Andre' had a guest, the 5times great niece of Fr Pamphilo who was the Italian friar sent to USA in the late 1800s to minister to the Italian immigrants. Pamphilo or perhaps Pamfilo then went on to be the founder of the Province, and of St Bonaventure's University in Washington and of two religious congregations, two because he founded one then the bishop of another diocese wanted the sisters but their own bishop would not let them leave so Pamphilo founded another lot. Great man! With the help of zMargaret Crney when she was President of the University, they wanted to bring his body to USA but it could not be found. This is because in Italy they put the bodies in the grave or, more likely as in this case, into a sort of little house, then after some years, when the shelf fills up, they shovel the bones to the back and put the new body in front. All very well but who knows now which bones are whose? However the latest is that they are thinking of a way, possbly through DNA testing. He had seven siblings all of whom had seven or eight children, so there are millions of descendants from whom to get DNA. Pamfilo's niece, called Laura, is about late 40s, lovely girl. As I have never seen the city of Rieti, she took me in during siesta time, very noble of her. She showed me the city which is small, the cathedral and the old part, very picturesque. I have some pics which I will upload but have to go downstairs to get good wifi so will do it tomorrow. We were just passing the church door of the Poor Clares when the portiere epened it so we said hullo, and she turned out to be a very friendly and chatty Sicilian. She was very pleased to meet another PC especially from England where she thought everyone was a Protestant! We had a great chat, she told me the monastery is built on the foundations of the house of Angelo Trancredi, a former knight who joined Francis and that they still have a room which goes back to that time. The monastery was founded on 1230s, within the life-time of Clare. It housed 34 when she entered and now they are eight and all old. Every day they run what she called Mensa Santa Chiara, the table of St Clare, with the help of local lay people, and feed over 100poor people every day. Laura, my guide, told me that their abbess, who was younger, got worn out and left and transferred to the monastery of Camerino. As it happened, i had spent some time recently translating a letter from the sisters in Camerino appealing for help because their monastery is 3/4 destroyed in the earthquake, including the church. I have also done a letter from Fernando in Rome to cover the sisters' letter and sayng that there are five or six Poor Clare monasteries damaged n the earthquake. Even Cortona told me they had felt the shocks though had no damage. You wonder what will happen to all these monasteries, even more so when less than 50 yards up the road I found another Poor Clare monastery but did not introduce myself and nobody was around. in fact the place looks deserted, i hate to think what it is like inside. So sad. Then Laura took me home, having thoroughly practised my Italian and somewhat tired!
More anon, love to one and all ft
Saturday, 17 September 2016
17 September Tagliacozzo
today we all. Piled into the us again, the same grumpy driver doing everything he could to redeem himslef. He took us by a new and much better route onto the autostrada and off we went towards Tagliacozzo,malmost two hours' drive. We drove up into the Alban Hills, covered with trees and with bare rock coming through dramatically. Tagliacozzo is a small hill top village in what is now the ski resort area (or will be when it snows) but is also the resting place of the body of Thomas of Celano. francis' first biographer. When we arrived, finally but after a good ride, we walked up the narrow cobbled streets through the small piazza and on up to the 13 th century friary at the top of the hill. There the guardian greeted us, as friendly as he had been inprevious years and, truly or not, gave every impression of remembering we three which is always nice. After a quick look round we had the two lectures, on the sources for Francis and the sources for Clare and there was a very lively discussion at the end which was also nice. We had Mass in the church wirh the body of Thomas of Celano lying in his iche in the wall. he too seems mostly incirrupt in that the face, hands and feet yousee are his actual ones. His feet, turned up at the bottom of the glass case, looked rather flattened, more like flippers and his face was a dark greyish brown colour. We wondered what he thought of his grey conventual habit, it is a convential church! Andre gave the homily about thr power of words and then of The Word, and we prayed for all writers which was nice.
Then we progressed to the Hotel Mariana for the lunch of the year. We had a mere four courses with several side sihes ending with a pale of choice desserts each, a profoterole, fresh with real cream, a small pot of ice cream, and a sort of white tiramisu but when we asked him what it was called he said it was not tiramisu but a speciality unique to his house and, we suspect, his mother since although pretty ancient, she is clearly the queen of the kitchen! We were all overfull, just what I ahe come determined to avoid, and took some scarmoza home as a soggy bag. Scarmoza is a delicious dih of cheese which would not be difficult to do, it is not unlike the hot cheese we used to have in Arundel, but thr slices are thin, dipped in flour and the fried in olive oil until the have browned a bit,
Finally really fulll ans cheered by the fact that one of them got locked in the loo but was fianlly rescued, we piled sleepily int the bus. The driver had had the same lunch and was not at all grumpy. He said he made what sounds like a ery nice onion chutney that he called marmalade, and tomorrow he is going to give me the mrecipe. Encouraged y this he then said he had made a specail liqueur and if we brough glasses, we could try it. So tomorrow we will climb in the bus armed with 16 bicchierini and see what happens!!!
So now i am more or less up to date. Tomorrow is a lexture on prayer,mwalk to St Peter's for the Sunday audience, bqck for pranzo and off to Rieti in the coach. So my toothbrush is packed and this is more or less up to date. Andre had two cousins up from the south and here for supper last night, so he invited Murraya nd myself to sit with them ober supper as they speak nnenglish, though the older one Marissa, says she reads it but is baxd at speaking. So i have invited her for a crash course in Hollington! We shall see! Love to all ft
Then we progressed to the Hotel Mariana for the lunch of the year. We had a mere four courses with several side sihes ending with a pale of choice desserts each, a profoterole, fresh with real cream, a small pot of ice cream, and a sort of white tiramisu but when we asked him what it was called he said it was not tiramisu but a speciality unique to his house and, we suspect, his mother since although pretty ancient, she is clearly the queen of the kitchen! We were all overfull, just what I ahe come determined to avoid, and took some scarmoza home as a soggy bag. Scarmoza is a delicious dih of cheese which would not be difficult to do, it is not unlike the hot cheese we used to have in Arundel, but thr slices are thin, dipped in flour and the fried in olive oil until the have browned a bit,
Finally really fulll ans cheered by the fact that one of them got locked in the loo but was fianlly rescued, we piled sleepily int the bus. The driver had had the same lunch and was not at all grumpy. He said he made what sounds like a ery nice onion chutney that he called marmalade, and tomorrow he is going to give me the mrecipe. Encouraged y this he then said he had made a specail liqueur and if we brough glasses, we could try it. So tomorrow we will climb in the bus armed with 16 bicchierini and see what happens!!!
So now i am more or less up to date. Tomorrow is a lexture on prayer,mwalk to St Peter's for the Sunday audience, bqck for pranzo and off to Rieti in the coach. So my toothbrush is packed and this is more or less up to date. Andre had two cousins up from the south and here for supper last night, so he invited Murraya nd myself to sit with them ober supper as they speak nnenglish, though the older one Marissa, says she reads it but is baxd at speaking. So i have invited her for a crash course in Hollington! We shall see! Love to all ft
16 September with large groups on either side singing loudly in some unknown to gue! However this year, we made our way straight to John XXIII as soonas everyone was through security and had walked throug their second holy door
I got, up an hour early by mistake so thought I would continue with this and try to catch myself up before we leave Rome.
On 16 September, we had the great St Peter's day. This always involves an early start as they like to have the Masses finished before theyoen the doors to pilgrims and worse. So we had Mass scheduled for the tomb of John XXIII though until it happens, you never know if it will happen. But this year it did. The last coupld of years we have been bundled into an underground and airless chapel but this year we were in luck. So as soon as everyone had been through security and walked through their second holy door in two days, we all made our way to the tomb of John XXIII for Mass at 8.00. There was the usual crowd but the pilgrims were very adroit at seizing a seat on the two benches as soon as one became free. Then we saw Murray vested in red making his way from the far off sacristy preceded by a minute server who cant have been more then ten and who had Murray firmly under control! We had a lovely Mass and a beautiful homily from Murray about thenincarnation and how it is happening all the time in us, ending with a poem from Simeon the New Theologian,who died in 10something about how the reality of the incarnation is such that when I look at my hand, i am looking at Christ's hand and that this is truth not fantasy which has the power to transform the way we see ourselves.
After Mass ther was a break because tour style visits cant start until 9.00. Although all this organising is a biit of a nuisance, you can se ehow they are trying to make this central church available to all and still keep it as a place of prayer even though some thousands pass through it every day. No small task.
Andre gave his usual excellent presentstion which takes over an hour. We hire headphones so he speaks into a small microphone, there were dozens of such groups going round in dozens of languages and all on a sllightly different wave length of radio so we dont hear each other. Very clever.
Almost as soon as we had entered St Peter's, the rain poured down in gallons, but by the time we came out, it had stopped, good timinng going on somewhere! After Mass, Murray appeared ina smart white T Shirt with the year of Mercy logo on. He said he had got soaked and dripped all overe the marble floor of the sacristy and had to buy a new shirt! The sisters who run the sacristy all came to his rescue and toook his shirt to dry during Mass. He then went back to Tra Noi. The pilgrims had time on their own in the basilica and then pranzo out on their own. I went with Michael, pne of the pilgrims, to he hom sort put the SIM on his phone as well as dping the same for myself and also to put money onAndre's phone. I did this first then Michael the Australian pilgrim took all te wind out of our sails by going up to the clever ypung Chinese lad at the counter and addressing him in fluent
Mandarin! So I left him to it as he was clmearly ok! The clever lad could not do my phone as it was a different server, Wind not Tm. So I took a taxi to another shop, waited half and hour only to be told they did nt do Wind either. So i began dolefully to walk to the next one, almosta mile up the hill in heavy traffic when, much to my relief, it began to rain so I decided to go home. On the way I went into a panneteria and bought two fresh panini, some cheese and olves with chilli in which the woman kindly made into two big baps for my lunch. This cost me 3 euros, about £2.50, and included two pars and some grapes and I had a lovely lunch Listening to music and relaxing.
It was a free afternoon, i did some trabslati for CTC about the earthquake in Italy, some of the Poor Clares have had massive damage and are in dire financial straits as they have not yet paid for the last lot of repairs from the previous earthquake,i also spent some time reading up about Margaret of Cortona as we are going to her shrine instead of the capuchin place at Le Celle where the parking has become so difficult. I am sure somethi else happene but it eludes me utterly.mso sorry. Love to one and all ft
On 16 September, we had the great St Peter's day. This always involves an early start as they like to have the Masses finished before theyoen the doors to pilgrims and worse. So we had Mass scheduled for the tomb of John XXIII though until it happens, you never know if it will happen. But this year it did. The last coupld of years we have been bundled into an underground and airless chapel but this year we were in luck. So as soon as everyone had been through security and walked through their second holy door in two days, we all made our way to the tomb of John XXIII for Mass at 8.00. There was the usual crowd but the pilgrims were very adroit at seizing a seat on the two benches as soon as one became free. Then we saw Murray vested in red making his way from the far off sacristy preceded by a minute server who cant have been more then ten and who had Murray firmly under control! We had a lovely Mass and a beautiful homily from Murray about thenincarnation and how it is happening all the time in us, ending with a poem from Simeon the New Theologian,who died in 10something about how the reality of the incarnation is such that when I look at my hand, i am looking at Christ's hand and that this is truth not fantasy which has the power to transform the way we see ourselves.
After Mass ther was a break because tour style visits cant start until 9.00. Although all this organising is a biit of a nuisance, you can se ehow they are trying to make this central church available to all and still keep it as a place of prayer even though some thousands pass through it every day. No small task.
Andre gave his usual excellent presentstion which takes over an hour. We hire headphones so he speaks into a small microphone, there were dozens of such groups going round in dozens of languages and all on a sllightly different wave length of radio so we dont hear each other. Very clever.
Almost as soon as we had entered St Peter's, the rain poured down in gallons, but by the time we came out, it had stopped, good timinng going on somewhere! After Mass, Murray appeared ina smart white T Shirt with the year of Mercy logo on. He said he had got soaked and dripped all overe the marble floor of the sacristy and had to buy a new shirt! The sisters who run the sacristy all came to his rescue and toook his shirt to dry during Mass. He then went back to Tra Noi. The pilgrims had time on their own in the basilica and then pranzo out on their own. I went with Michael, pne of the pilgrims, to he hom sort put the SIM on his phone as well as dping the same for myself and also to put money onAndre's phone. I did this first then Michael the Australian pilgrim took all te wind out of our sails by going up to the clever ypung Chinese lad at the counter and addressing him in fluent
Mandarin! So I left him to it as he was clmearly ok! The clever lad could not do my phone as it was a different server, Wind not Tm. So I took a taxi to another shop, waited half and hour only to be told they did nt do Wind either. So i began dolefully to walk to the next one, almosta mile up the hill in heavy traffic when, much to my relief, it began to rain so I decided to go home. On the way I went into a panneteria and bought two fresh panini, some cheese and olves with chilli in which the woman kindly made into two big baps for my lunch. This cost me 3 euros, about £2.50, and included two pars and some grapes and I had a lovely lunch Listening to music and relaxing.
It was a free afternoon, i did some trabslati for CTC about the earthquake in Italy, some of the Poor Clares have had massive damage and are in dire financial straits as they have not yet paid for the last lot of repairs from the previous earthquake,i also spent some time reading up about Margaret of Cortona as we are going to her shrine instead of the capuchin place at Le Celle where the parking has become so difficult. I am sure somethi else happene but it eludes me utterly.mso sorry. Love to one and all ft
15 September San Francesco a Ripa and St John Lateran
Dear All
We have had a full few days and it is already hard to remember them. I keep hoping to get into a regular pattern but so far have not managed it.
Three days ago we have our first full day with a morning visit to San Francesco a Ripa which is the only church in Rome dedicated to St Francis. it is built on the land of Francis' great friend and supporter, the Lady Giacoba dei Settesoli, and as we drove there past the huge Circus Maximus we saw the tower which is all that remains of the great Settesoli palazzo. arriving at the church we had Mass celebrated by !Murray, homily from ft on the cloud of witnesses that go with us, and historical visit by Andre. Then back into the bus to return to Tra Noi for Pranzo. As usual we asked the bus driver to return past the Gianicolum where the view of the whole of Rome is so spectacular. However he did not want to for some reason so he said he did not know the way. This is the equivalent of a London taxi driver not knowing where Buckingham Palace is! It did not get him very far since Andre said firmly that it did not matter bevause he knew the way well. Anyhow we went and the view was as spectacular as one could wish but the driver got his own back by saying he was not allowed to stop and let us off. this is possiblh true but has never been a problem before! Anyway we drove around and this little confrontation was lost one the pilgrims fortunately. But as we had this driver for the next three days, it did not bode well. In fact after pranzo when the bus came to take us to St John Lateran, there was a different driver and a general air of pouring oil around!
St John Lateran was as impressive as ever, and much more enjoyable now we dont try to have Mass there! So we had a peacful historical visit but before that was the door! Prior to leaving Tra Noi we had a short ritual based on going through a holy door, with a scripture reading and a short reflection, then when we got there, we gathered outside the door and said three short prayers and then, in silence, walked through the door. The huge doorway of St John Latern was decorated with flowers (artificialI am sorry to say but very colourful) with the inevitable armed guard discreetly nearby. But as I walked through the door, I was overwhelmed, to my total surprise, by a sense of doing something momentous and important and full of grace. So you never know! Then we took them round the interiror, as big as one and a half football pitches, and saw the tomb of Innocent III as well as Leo XIII? Ther was time then to look around and take more photos of the amazing floor, like the one at the head of this blog. After supper i think some of the energetic went down to St Peter's again which is not all that far and people dont want to miss a thing though you cant get in at that hour. This is not because it is shut since it is open but the queue to get in is all the way round the piazza and takes ages to wend its way through security. We had also had the group photo taken at St John Lateran this year because, owing to security, you cant easily get a group out of St Peter's for a photo and back in again.
I think I will post this and then tell you about St Peter's and Tagliacozzo separately. i am getting messages that this system is working OK for most people, I,hope that is true and not a fantasy.
Love to one and all, i remember you all in almost everywhere!
We have had a full few days and it is already hard to remember them. I keep hoping to get into a regular pattern but so far have not managed it.
Three days ago we have our first full day with a morning visit to San Francesco a Ripa which is the only church in Rome dedicated to St Francis. it is built on the land of Francis' great friend and supporter, the Lady Giacoba dei Settesoli, and as we drove there past the huge Circus Maximus we saw the tower which is all that remains of the great Settesoli palazzo. arriving at the church we had Mass celebrated by !Murray, homily from ft on the cloud of witnesses that go with us, and historical visit by Andre. Then back into the bus to return to Tra Noi for Pranzo. As usual we asked the bus driver to return past the Gianicolum where the view of the whole of Rome is so spectacular. However he did not want to for some reason so he said he did not know the way. This is the equivalent of a London taxi driver not knowing where Buckingham Palace is! It did not get him very far since Andre said firmly that it did not matter bevause he knew the way well. Anyhow we went and the view was as spectacular as one could wish but the driver got his own back by saying he was not allowed to stop and let us off. this is possiblh true but has never been a problem before! Anyway we drove around and this little confrontation was lost one the pilgrims fortunately. But as we had this driver for the next three days, it did not bode well. In fact after pranzo when the bus came to take us to St John Lateran, there was a different driver and a general air of pouring oil around!
St John Lateran was as impressive as ever, and much more enjoyable now we dont try to have Mass there! So we had a peacful historical visit but before that was the door! Prior to leaving Tra Noi we had a short ritual based on going through a holy door, with a scripture reading and a short reflection, then when we got there, we gathered outside the door and said three short prayers and then, in silence, walked through the door. The huge doorway of St John Latern was decorated with flowers (artificialI am sorry to say but very colourful) with the inevitable armed guard discreetly nearby. But as I walked through the door, I was overwhelmed, to my total surprise, by a sense of doing something momentous and important and full of grace. So you never know! Then we took them round the interiror, as big as one and a half football pitches, and saw the tomb of Innocent III as well as Leo XIII? Ther was time then to look around and take more photos of the amazing floor, like the one at the head of this blog. After supper i think some of the energetic went down to St Peter's again which is not all that far and people dont want to miss a thing though you cant get in at that hour. This is not because it is shut since it is open but the queue to get in is all the way round the piazza and takes ages to wend its way through security. We had also had the group photo taken at St John Lateran this year because, owing to security, you cant easily get a group out of St Peter's for a photo and back in again.
I think I will post this and then tell you about St Peter's and Tagliacozzo separately. i am getting messages that this system is working OK for most people, I,hope that is true and not a fantasy.
Love to one and all, i remember you all in almost everywhere!
Wednesday, 14 September 2016
Dearest All, I have just spent half an hour writing up our doings for the last two days, then pressed the wrong button and lost the lot! Ah well, as they say, what a pity!
Just briefly to bring you up to date. On 12th we had a bisy day and went up to Assisi to collect pilgrims
Handbooks from the office there, to shop for the Christmas Pranzo in Rieti, to contact Sr Ectorina at the Cabrini Centre in Rieti and confirm dates, numbers, times of arrival etc etc etc. All done.
On the way back we stopped at the Springs of Clitunno near Assisi, at my request. I had been before but they are so beautiful and tranquil, water gushing n many small springs from beneath the rock of Subasio into a wide shallow lake which is always clear because the water is always n the move, gently but un mistakably. I am very interested in the long tradition of healing n that area. San Damiano was a lace of healing which is why the chapel was dedicated to St Damiano, and before that, in pre Christian times, to Cosmas and Damian, the two Roman gods of healing. There are also other springs higher the flank f the mountain near San Damiano which have been healing springs again from Roman times. So the tradition which connects Clare with healing has a long root.
Yesterday we did very little. Andre is still n jet lag, he reckons a day for every hour's change of time which is a useful rule of thumb.murray, who is lactose intolerant, ate an ice cream and forgot to take his pill because we were having so much fun, had had stomach cramps all the previous night. I am in my usual crude good health but felt tatty in sympathy. Also the pilgrims were due the next morning. At that stage, nobody wants them to come but by the time we have been at the airport for a bit, the excitement begins to build and the sense of starting a work, which simply grows as they turn up one by one. This was all the more so as everyone had their luggage and all seemed younger than sometimes with no health issues except one lady who turned up pushed in a wheel chair. to say we were struck dumb is a mild account! Pilgrimage is called the prayer of the foot, so how do you do that in a wheelchair and, even louder, how were we going t do it for someone in a wheelchair. However, i had a few words with her and so did Murray and it seemed she is more mobile than appeared. Anyway she walked spunkily to the far end of the airport and managed the coach with no fuss, and found her room, came to dinner, all normal. Sighs of relief from the staff thinking of some of the places and all the steps!!! Now everyone is having some riposo and we hope they turn up for the first session at 5.00pm. I must go down to the shops and sort out y Italian phone as some other staff person must have used it and gobbled up all the credit and also let the SIM not working. Charming. I know there was a guilty Other as the messages included one from the server saying Welcome to France' and another saying 'welcome to USA'! I know they were not me!
It is extremely hot here and the cicadas are blasting away like car alarms making it sound hot as well. However your true Romans have got their jackets on because it is September and there might be a draft! All for now, watch this space ft
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