Saturday November 28, 2009

We boarded a pullman first thing in the morning and headed outside of Rome along the ancient Appian Way to the Catacombs of St. Callistus. Callistus was a deacon in the early Church who was put in charge of the catacombs. He eventually became the Pope and was martyred. At least nine popes were once buried in the Crypt of the Popes. They were eventually taken by Pope Paschal to Santa Praesede. This was also the place where the tomb of St. Cecilia was discovered.

We had Mass on the same ground that the early Christians celebrated Mass. Quite a powerful moment.

Then we went to Tre Fontane, the site of St. Paul's Martyrdom where three miraculous fountains appeared where his head rolled. St. Bernard of Claireveux and his monks took care of the site for a period of time. Now the Trappists care for the site.

Following the path of St. Paul, we continued to the tomb of the Apostle at St. Paul's Outside the Walls.

We lunched in the San Paolo neighborhood and then metroed to the Colessium.











In the evening we attended First Advent Vespers with Pope Benedict in St. Peter's. This is a wonderful ceremony that celebrates the new liturgical year. Because only the true faithful know about this event, it is usually possible to get quite close to the Pope. This photo was taken by one of our students.