Litany of Thanksgiving

In gratitude to Our Lord for all the many blessings received

during these three weeks in Rome for the Domus Summer Program, in particular…

·        For the CMSWR—in thanksgiving for their dedication to the renewal of Religious Life.

·        For the Domus and its staff—in thanksgiving for receiving women Religious who wish to study in Rome, yet maintain the stability of Religious Life in Community.

·        For the benefactors and friends of the CMSWR—in thanksgiving for giving of their time, treasure, and talent for the up-keep of the Domus.

·        For the visit to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith which gave me a deepened understanding of the Church in Her pastoral charity for the faithful, especially the loving and respectful process by which correction is given in order to maintain the integrity of the Catholic Faith.

·        Father Bechina’s presentation on The Joy of the Gospel, and the invitation found therein for a renewed living of joy in my vocation.

·        For the grace of experiencing myself as part of the Universal Church down through the centuries; this awareness was especially strong in visiting age-old pilgrimage sites like St. Peter’s Basilica.

·        I am grateful for the power of beauty to draw my heart to Jesus—and to draw the hearts of others.  I am more appreciative of the symbols of life and rebirth in Sacred Art.

·        I thank the Lord that I have understood more clearly that the Lord has given me a gift of empathy—of seeing myself as family with others (EG 273), and I have experienced the family of the Church more profoundly . I recognize that evangelization begins with loving others where they are—and that it is not easy, but is made possible through the Spirit giving me new eyes.

·        I am overwhelmed by the generosity of others and the joy they have in giving.  I have been blessed by each Sister at the Domus and all those who gave their time and service.  I am in awe at the wide variety of gifts God gives individual for the good of others.

·        In thanksgiving for each Cardinal and priest who took their time to nourish our souls and minds with the Word of God and for witnessing the joy of the Gospel, and their love for our Holy Mother Church.

·        In thanksgiving for each one of our Mother Generals of our different religious communities who permitted us to take this spiritual journey and walk on Holy Ground.

·        For the gift of being able to walk in the footsteps of the Apostles, Martyrs, and Saints.

·        For the gift of being able to see the humanity of our Church through the lives that serve Her selflessly.

·        For the wisdom and experience of Sister Mary Kathleen and Sister Mary Hanah who served us with love, generosity, and laughter.

·        In gratitude to God for being chosen to make this Pilgrimage to Rome here at the Domus.

·        In thanksgiving for the CMSWR Board for allowing this Spiritual Renewal Program.

·        In Thanksgiving for all Priests, Cardinals, and Religious who work here in Rome and support the CMSWR Board.

·        Thank you for helping me to be more aware of being a daughter of the Church.

·        Thank you for the opportunity to walk with our heavenly friends.

·        Thank you for the beautiful Churches that give praise and honor to our King, His Mother and His followers.

·        Placing before the Lord, at the feet of Martyrs and Saints, the intentions I carried with me…those of my Community, family, and friends.

·        The companionship of Sisters from different religious Communities in which we shared, prayed, worked, laughed, and journeyed together in faith.

·        The visit to the Sisters in Grimmestein, Switzerland, where our founding Sisters came from. Plus, the opportunity to visit the religious shrines that tell the story of the Catholic Faith.

·        I am grateful to God for the opportunity to be in the heart of the Universal Church for these past three weeks.  This experience has deepened my love for our Church and has renewed in my own heart the desire to be a better daughter to her.

·        I am grateful to God for the beautiful sisters I have come to know.  I have been edified by their example and believe that these friendships will continue to be a blessing into the future.

·        I am grateful that we have been blessed to meet so many priests and prelates who whole-heartedly love the Church and her members. This example is edifying; their teaching has been informative and formative.

·        For a strong spirit of Charity among us.

·        For encounters with persons who shared their faith with us, especially Sister Irene, Nicola, and Sandro.

·        The gift to come to Rome. In thanksgiving to God and my Community.

·        In Thanksgiving for the lives of the Saints who walked before us and with us now.

·        In Thanksgiving to the CMSWR Board for giving us this opportunity during the summer.

·        For the generosity and loving kindness of Sister Pauline Therese, Sister Marina, Sister Hortencia, and Sister Angelica.

In gratitude to God for these graces, and for the many other blessings we have received,

we pray together:

Glory Be…

Days 20 and 21

July 13, St. Henry and July 14, St. Kateri Tekawitha

"Rome, sweet home" has become true for us! We have been able to find places we wanted to return to during these last two free days -- and some of us have even given directions to tourists! Not speaking Italian hasnt't been much of an obstacle, except when we bought pizza today and found out the listed price was by weight, not by slice. Go figure -- we didn't and were a euro off.

On Sunday one group went to Tres Fontaine where St. Paul was martyred and joined the Cistercian monks for a chanted Mass.

The pillar depicted in the relief above.

Some Sisters spent their final mornings at St. Peter's. (Early morning is so beautifully different from the touristy crowd later in the day. There is also an adoration chapel at St. Peter's and many churches were you can pray in peace.) Enjoy a few photos from a couple of Sisters who went "church hopping" on their last morning. All of these are within easy walking distance of the Domus.

St. Ignatius:

Pantheon:

Saint ___ ?:

Saint Augustine:

Madonna of the Pilgrims

St Louis of France:

Immaculate Heart of Mary:

Day 18 and 19

July 11th, St. Benedict, and 12th

Sister Irene of Das Werk led us on a most amazing Scavi tour today (Friday)! Her knowledge of the history of excavations and building, her love of the Church and our first Pope St. Peter, and her beautiful spirit made this a "Multo bene!" day. This is the most informative website I could find on the necroplis beneath St. Peter's and the rediscovery of the tomb of St. Peter directly beneath the main altar. However, I promise reading this will not be as riveting or make much sense without Sister Irene. At the end, we prayed a fervent Apostles' Creed at the tomb of Peter and remembered all of your intentions for which we have promised to pray.

Because photos were not allowed during the Scavi tour we will show this picture of the Sisters with the motorini which are always parked just by the front door of the Domus. Yes, there may be some wishful thinking -- although I think you'd be looking for martyrdom to take one out on the streets of Rome.

We are down to our last few days in Rome -- and time to write is short. If I had time I would want to tell you about

+ the tour of the catacombs of St. Priscilla -- easier to get to than the other catacombs and has the oldest image of the Blessed Virgin Mary holding Jesus and oldest image of the three kings. Our tour guide was great -- particularly because he knew the way out! (Seven of us on Thursday 7/10)

+ our near arrest -- we met at the obelisk in St. Peter's square for a photo and held up blank sheets of paper to use for a thank you. The Italian police were vigilant in their concern not to allow demonstrations within the square. We were so grateful that Sister Kathleen could explain our purpose. We dispersed quickly!

+ Father Bechina's talk to us at the Congregation for Catholic Education on Friday. We can feel a legitimate pride for the way the Church promotes human dignity through service to the world. (Father is in leadership in an international conference for education. He also explained the unique diplomatic role of the Vatican State since it is not bound by allies and has an interest in the rights of people everywhere.)

+ Father Bechina's four conferences on "The Joy of the Gospel." This would definitely be a great document to study and discuss with a group -- so practical, so real, so full of love for Christ, His Church, all the people of God. Father Bechina of Das Werk lives this document.

+ Mass on Saturday at San Andrea delle Valle, then time to pray at St. Philip Neri. We planned to join a 10:30 tour of the saint's rooms, but found out that in July and August you need an appointment. After interceeding with St. Philip Neri, he sent a young man who is a guest/candidate to give us a wonderful tour. His love for his spiritual father was so evident. Several of us continued on to pray at Chiesa di Sant'Agnese in Agone.

+ An after dinner walk up the street to the Pantheon where a large group of singers were giving a concert. A few blocks away we stopped to visit Jesus at a church that has Eucharistic adoration. The Lord has tucked little surprises for us in every nook and cranny.

+ You'll be surprised to hear that we had some gelato -- the gentleman on the left is the owner. Another gentleman offered to take the picture for us and his family happily joined us. We see many Sisters daily and many people who are gracious to us. We have become part of the decoration of Rome and have probably been added to many Facebook pages of tourists as we often see cameras surreptitiously aimed at us and occasionally receive a direct request. May we be billboards for Jesus!

Day 17

July 10th

A few of us ventured out early to catch the sunrise over St. Peter's.  Of course you can't "see" the horizon over St. Peter's and there was a bit of rain... but the clouds building and dawn breaking was incredible.  And that's what made it so beautiful... not experiencing what "I" had intended, but what was given by God!  Such beauty!  Oh to pray the Office of Readings while gazing upon this beauty was an experience I will hold in my heart for a long time to come.

Check back for the completion of this day!

Day 16 

July 9th, Sts. Augustine Zhoa Rang and companions, martyrs 

What is the cause of delight during a pilgrimage? 


Being at places where the Word of God echoed so profoundly in hearts that men and women radically changed their lives to live in union with Jesus Christ? Visiting buildings that represent a faith and hope so strong that generation after generation renews and embellishes the beauty for the glory of God? Praying in the presence of those whose love of Christ is even greater than their love of earthly life itself? Yes, these and more bring delight that is planted deep in our memories.

Our pilgrimage to Assisi began with a train ride toward Perugia. We are fortunate to have three communities of Franciscans represented this summer: Sisters of the St. Francis of the Holy Eucharist from Independence , MO; Marian Sisters of Lincoln, Nebraska; and the Disciples of our Lord Jesus Christ from Amarillo (Prayer Town), Texas. We participated in an Italian Mass at the Basilica Papale di Santa Maria degli Angelie. Inside in the center of the church is the small chapel, Porziuncola, that Francis and his followers rebuilt by hand. The spot where St. Francis died was directly to our right. 

We then traveled by bus to the Basilica di San Francesco. 

After an hour of prayerfully diciphering the frescoes from the 1200's, we hiked up the steep hill to a great little restaurant for an authentic Italian meal. 










Finally, we walked across town to the basilica of Santa Chiara (Clare). Her incorrupt body is displayed for veneration in the crypt and the original cross from San Damiano hangs in a side chapel.

We again thank the CMSWR board, our individual communities and all our benefactors who made this amazing experience possible!

Days 14 and 15

July 7th and 8th

The more blessed we are, the less time we have to blog about it!

Our Monday afternoon pilgrimage to St. Paul's outside-the-walls is amazing in itself, but add a tour by the archpriest of this basilica, Cardinal Harvey, and it is phenomenal! For one, all the lights are turned on when he comes in. Two, he has a passion for this spiritually historical site when he tells the story of its building, and rebuilding after the fire of 1823. Three, he takes time -- especially as we prayed in the crypt in which the sarcophagus containing St. Paul's remains is now able to be seen and venerated (and the guards quietly closed the gates while we were there). Three, he is another beautifully humble, holy and humorous man of God. 

Four, he visited with us as he treated us to gelato at the end of the tour! I wish we all had a chance to meet all our cardinals in this way -- the family of the Church seems much warmer, much closer to our hearts when "the Curia" is filled with familiar faces.

In the morning we again made excursions on our own, some back to St. Peter's, some to St. Mary Major for Mass, then Santa Prassede where there is the pillar of the scourging, San Alfonso with the icon of our Mother of Perpetual Help and San Pieto in Vincoli which displays the chains St. Peter had in Jerusalem and in Rome. The latter filled me with profound gratitude for the gift of being set free to live in greater interior freedom.



We will have one more time in which we can choose places to visit. Those of you who have been to Rome, which church(es) are a "must see" for you?

"The heavens declare the glory of God!" On Tuesday we had a delightful visit to Castel Gondolfo. Father David Brown, SJ, celebrated Mass in the parish church for us, then gave us a tour of the working telescope at Castel Gandolfo and the new center for astronomical research which is at this extra-territorial part of the Vatican in the far end of the garden. Their main research telescopes are now in Arizona due to the light pollution of Rome. 

We also drove by the Vatican farm and saw the papal chickens, and heard there were papal cows, but did not see a papal bull. (A Catholic pun -- if you didn't groan, it may help to know that a certain type of statement by a pope is called a papal bull.)

The group photo is taken from the roof of the pope's residence in Castel Gandolfo overlooking Lake Albano. You can practically breathe in the beauty.

The final part of this day was a trek to Subiaco to see the monastery of St. Scholastica and the Sacred Cave of St. Benedict. Words cannot describe, but here are a few in an attempt: cliff-hanging monastery, layers of chapels carved into stone, walls filled with Christ-centered frescoes, steep deep ravines, cities perched on mountain tops, deep admiration for our Benedictine forebears.

Days 12 and 13

July 5th, St. Anthony Zaccaria and July 6th, 14th Sunday in Ordinary Time

As we met Cardinal Stafford in the piazza in front of Santa Maria in Transtevere, a camera crew met us and began filming. The church was to be the site of a wedding of a Belgium prince and an Italian woman later that afternoon -- the Cardinal made some spontaneous remarks and graciously promised our prayers for the royal couple.

This Church was one of the first dedicated  to the Mother of God and houses an icon from the 7th century, as well as mosaics from later times. It is likely that the letter of St. Paul to the Romans was sent to the Christian community in Transtevere (which means across the river.) Currently the community of Sant'Egidio, laity dedicated to international solidarity, meets here.

Cardinal Stafford celebrated Mass for us in the side chapel of Santa Maria della Scala (Mary of the Stairs). Above the altar is a reliquary with St. Teresa Avila’s right foot. Despite the fact that she was a discalced Carmelite, she established 17 monasteries before her death. That foot traveled many miles for the glory of God!

Attached is a pharmacy the Carmelite friars began in 1597 and closed in 1964.  It was truly amazing. The display of 240 medicines corresponding to 240 parts of the body is in the case behind us. They have hundreds of dried herbs in boxes and camphor oil from 150 years ago that looks good enough to use. Most famous is a special compound made of 67 ingredients including viper flesh. 

After this excursion we enjoyed conversation with the Cardinal during a long dinner at the Domus.  We, and the whole Church are blessed with this faithful, humble, humorous and prayerful priest!

The rest of the afternoon was free. Some Sisters walked to St. Peter's to see it at dusk. Others visited San Bartolomeo all'Isola, a short walk from the Domus on Tiber Island, then St. Cecilia’s Church and the crypt below which has a beautiful burial place and excavations of her home. Her executioner is also a saint!

I needn't tell you how we celebrated our ability to venture out on our own -- there are over 50 flavors we haven't experienced yet! Rome feels a little more familiar every day.

On Sunday we made a pilgrimage across Ponte Sant'Angelo, the bridge with Bernini's ten angels holding the instruments of the passion. We had an English Mass in Santo Spirito, then went to the Sunday Angelus greeting. It will be our last time to see Pope Francis.

In the evening the Sisters enjoyed a beautiful concert by the Pontifical Institute of Sacred Music.