Pope Benedict XVI
Yesterday was a very special day for all of the first year seminarians at the Pontifical North American College. We were able to travel to Pope Benedict XVI’s summer residence, Castelgandolfo, for his Sunday Angelus address, prayer, and blessing upon the pilgrims. There were two full charter buses that transported us to the papal palace and we then entered a private entrance into the Papal Garden. It was very exciting to know that I was getting ready to see the Holy Father! When we departed the buses, we were free to walk around a little in the shade before moving to the public area of the palace. When we finally started walking towards to the piazza, we had to move to one side to let a car through. It was the Pope’s private car, but he wasn’t in it. Oh well!
We finally were able to position ourselves into the cortile (courtyard) next to one of the walls. There was so much excitement in the air as the minutes ticked away. Finally, just moments before the Pope came into view, the Swiss Guard stood at attention and everyone roared with cheers. Then Pope Benedict stepped out onto the balcony. Check out the video of the Papal Address by clicking here. Skip to 10 minutes and 50 seconds to see his special address to us and also for our class’ tradition of singing “Ad Multos Annos” for the first time to the Holy Father. It was an amazing experience and I will never forget it.
After the Papal Audience, we went to a restaurant that is a few blocks from the papal palace for Pranzo (lunch). It was a nice meal and we had a beautiful view of the lake that lies below the papal palace. After Pranzo, we were invited to tour the Papal Gardens by Archbishop James Harvey, Prefecture of the Papal Household. It was a great tour, but more importantly it made Pope Benedict XVI seem more real. I was walking on the path that we would walk on later that afternoon. I remember looking at several trees and thinking, “I wonder if Pope Benedict ever looks at that tree?”
We finished the tour by stopping at the statue of Mary that Pope Benedict XVI goes to every evening, while in Castelgandolfo, in order to pray the rosary with his two assistants. We were told that he prays there every evening at a specific time. Therefore, I was able to know that in less than one hour after leaving that spot, the Pope would come and pray there. WOW! That is mind bending!
It was a wonderful day and meant a lot to be in such close proximity to Christ’s vicar on Earth.
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- Me, Jason Doke, Ryan Browning, and David Esquiliano waiting to see Pope Benedict XVI.
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- Pope Benedict’s Car
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- Me and Msgr. Checchio before the Papal Angelus.
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- Moments before seeing the Pope!
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- Pope Benedict XVI gave a short talk on the importance of families.
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- This lake is behind the papal palace.
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- Walking through the papal gardens.
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- That was cool!
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- Archbishop Harvey feeds the fish near the place where Pope Benedict prays the rosary everyday.
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- We prayed the “Hail Holy Queen” prayer just one hour before Pope Benedict would pray the rosary from the same spot.
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- Msgr. Mueggenborg, Archbishop Harvey, and Msgr. Checchio moments before we entered the cortile.
Surviving the First Week of Italian
I have survived the first week of Italian lessons. I have learned a lot of vocabulary, but I think it will probably take some time to be able to put phrases together in a grammatically correct way! However, thanks to Paola and Elisa, I should be able to get pretty far in these four weeks.
My days in Verbania have been pretty methodical. I have been waking up around 7:30 am in order to get ready for my lessons, pray the Office of Readings and Morning Prayer, grab a quick croissant in the dining room, and then I find myself ready for my lessons at 9:00 am. I first meet with Elisa and we focus on vocabulary and speaking. At 10:30 am I get a quick break and then I start back at 10:45 am with Paola. Paola cannot speak any English, but our lessons are awesome. She is my grammar teacher and she is also blessed with a lot of patience. I finish up the one-on-one lessons at 12:30 pm, just in time for Pranzo (lunch)! Our meals are huge! I finally started asking for half-portions! The meals are normally three courses (a pasta dish, meat dish, and dessert). We wrap up Pranzo around 2:00 pm and then the afternoon is free to study on my own. I have been working with the Rosetta Stone computer program and also spend time going over my notes from my lessons. However, I do more than just study.
The afternoon is a good time to go for a walk or even a swim in the cool/cold Lago Maggiore (which I did this week)! The town of Verbania is a tourist’s heaven! There are little shops littering the alleys and there are not really a lot of tourists crowding everywhere. Verbania is a far cry from Rome!
After spending the afternoon studying, napping, and exploring, we celebrate Mass in the chapel of the Hotel (il Chiostro is a remodeled Augustinian Cloister) at 7:00 pm, followed by Cena (dinner). Cena goes on forever and is like Pranzo but with a salad added in there. We are done with cena around 8:30 pm and then we go our separate ways. This year there are 17 seminarians here from the North American College (nine New Men and eight Old Men). Therefore, there are many possible things to do and we often split up. I have went with a group of guys that walk to lakefront to have coffee every evening at a small, Italian, outdoor restaurant several times. It is nice to just chill out and enjoy the evening. However, the 2 euro 50 Coca-Cola is too expensive. I wish I liked coffee!
Below are some pictures of Verbania and Lago Maggiore.
My home for the next four weeks.
Verbania is located near the Italian/Swiss border.
Dan, David, and Ryan swimming in Lago Maggiore.
The 16th century belfry of the Basilica of San Vittore is beautiful.
Another picture of San Vittore.
