Weekend in Assisi
This weekend was a great weekend because we were able to get out of language classes on Friday and travel to Assisi for a weekend get away. However, before leaving for Assisi, a Welcome Banquet was held in honor of our class (Class of 2013). The evening began with Vespers and then we were invited to the “Red Room”, which is only used to welcome visiting dignitaries to America’s Seminary in Rome. The reception area was beautiful and had huge windows with a great view of St. Peter’s Basilica, which is a few blocks from the seminary.
The view from the NAC's "Red Room" reception room.
After enjoying some conversation and appetizers, we proceeded to the cortile in front of the main chapel doors for the Welcome Banquet. The dinner was great and the Second Year seminarians worked so hard to make the evening a smashing success. After a great toast by both Msgr. Checchio and Michael Gallacher, a first year seminarian from the Archdiocese of Melbourne, Australia. After all of the festivities, I sat on the top level of the North American College with three other seminarians and we had a great conversation as we overlooked St. Peter’s Basilica and the city of Rome.
St. Peter's Basilica at night from the roof of the North American College.
On Friday morning we departed for Assisi really in the morning. Assisi is the home of Saints Francis and Clare. The Franciscan Religious Order bloomed from St. Francis’s example and the Poor Clare Sisters originated with St. Clare. The town is built on the side of a steep mountain, Mt. Subasio, and everything is focused on the lives of these two famous and great Saints. I was able to pray at many of the important places that served as the backdrop to St. Francis’ conversion and his new life. The highlights of the trip include visiting the Basilica of San Francesco, the Basilica of Santa Chiara, and St. Francis’ hermitage on Mt. Subasio. I was able to see the remains of St. Clare that are kept in the crypt of the Basilica of Santa Chiera and the crucifix in which spoke to St. Francis.
The Basilica of St. Francis is a huge structure and it shows how proud the town was and is for this famous Saint that was born and lived there.
The Basilica of St. Clare is beautiful and contains the body of St. Clare within the crypt.
One of the best, and worst, parts of the trip to Assisi was the hike I took up to the Hermitage of St. Francis. It is a 4 km hike straight up the mountain. All of my clothes were soaking wet with sweat by the time I reached the top, but the view that met my eyes at the top of the trail was amazing. The nature path was very narrow, one side stone and the other side a drop off. It felt like flying because of the height we were at and also because of the views we could see straight down into the town of Assisi and the lower valley.
The beginning of the 4km hike to the Hermitage of St. Francis.
The path up to the hermitage was very rocky and steep. It was a bit scary at times and I was exhausted.
This is one of the views you can see if you hike the 4km trail up the mountain toward St. Francis' Hermitage.
We took a break on the hike to take some pictures.
We had an outdoor Mass up in the mountain near the Hermitage.
I also really enjoyed going to a music festival within the walls of the fortress that is situated over the town of Assisi. It is really high up the mountain and provided great views of the city. We were able to listen to traditional folk music and enjoy the “block party” type of evening with the Italian locals and their families. We had a blast.
Rocca Maggiore is the fortress overlooking the town of Assisi.
We enjoyed an italian folk music festival with many of the locals.
Italians really know how to have a great time!
I am now back at the North American College in Rome. Just two weeks until my Italian Entrance Exam! I have learned so much in the past weeks and I hope I am able to put that knowledge to good use.
Getting Ready for a Change
Thank you for taking the time to read this blog. My name is Brian Buettner and I am a Catholic seminarian from the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City. I graduated from the University of Oklahoma with a B.S. in Zoology – Biomedical Science in 2006, and then attended Conception Seminary College where I obtained a Bachelor’s of Philosophical and Theological Studies. It seems like I have been in school forever, but this next step is going to be completely different from anything I have every done. I have been assigned to study Theology in Rome, Italy! I will be living at the Pontifical North American College and will attend classes at the Pontifical Gregorian University.
I began the completing the application packet and visa process in February and finished my last preparatory step two weeks ago when I shipped my personal affects to the Eternal City. I am now living out of just two suitcases. It is hard to describe what it feels like to prepare to leave the country with a one-way plane ticket. It is exciting because of the wonderful experience that I know is waiting for me in Rome, but it is so hard to leave my family, friends, and even my hometown. I will not be able to come back home to visit for two years. So many things have been swirling through my mind about what things will be like when I return. However, I am happy to know that I will be able to still be connected to everyone with today’s technology. I think e-mail and Skype will be a huge asset!
I wanted this first blog entry to be a very general introduction and I look forward to keeping this blog up-to-date.
