St. Peter's Sing-along
Hello again!
Here goes a bit of an overdue update, as a result of the busyness of these last weeks. I do realize that not being updated because there has been so much going on sounds ironic. After all, isn’t that the main reason for reading my posts? I can assure you, however, that the majority of my time has been spent in the safe haven of the Gregorian Library studying and writing papers for finals. (*Future Rome student tip: Ask about getting a Gregorian library card. It is a new option as of last year and the library is great for studying and equipped with wireless for your research projects.) The good news is that even locked in the library most of the day, due to the long walking commutes and the bright sun of Rome, I’m still going to return home with more sun than the average Minnesotan in early June!
OK, how about a little life outside of the library now? At our last community night dinner we had the privilege of hosting US Ambassador to the Holy See, Mary Ann Glendon. If you don’t know exactly what this position entails don’t worry, neither did most of us here at Bernardi, and as the Ambassador herself said, neither did she when she accepted the position, though I’m inclined to think she was just being polite in regards to our own ignorance. In brief, her job is one of diplomacy between the Vatican State and the US Government. Her main point which stuck with me was what an exceptional time this year has been for relations between the US President and the Pope, and how Bush so graciously welcomed the Pope for the first time outside of the White House. I don’t know what the response has been in the States regarding the Pope’s recent visit, but I can tell you that in Europe, and especially in Rome, those interactions speak highly of US politics and do not go unnoticed.
Lastly, I’d like to close with a story of what started as a rosary and turned into a sing-along, all in St. Peter’s Square! The evening was organized by Fr. Corola. It began with a picnic dinner (father is quite fond of picnics) while we waited together to maintain our prime seats for the Popes candlelight rosary that evening. The rosary was beautiful and I am always struck by how strong the Pope's presence is. I just can’t help but be moved every time he raises his hands to salute us. His presence is not one of youth and beauty, but one of true strength and joy, and every time I see him, a little bit of that joy comes through as a smile on my face. After the rosary, we kept our candles burning and out came the guitar. I don’t know whether it was because we looked like a bunch of hippies singing songs in St. Peter’s Square, or whether it was the real sense of joy in the notes which we sang, but regardless, we managed to attract a faithful audience of about 50 people and a couple extra voices too. For me, that night was a real verification of how much we have grown together as a group and a community, because we stayed together that evening in a way which wouldn’t have been possible at the beginning of the semester. Singing at St. Peter’s was definitely a gift and a great memory of my semester here in Rome.
