Thanksgiving

i hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving last week. Thanksgiving is "new man" weekend here at the nac. that means "spaghetti bowl" where the old men play the new men (we got whooped 40 something to 20 something with at least 4 ints and 4 safetys), "new man dinner" where all the new men make and eat a nice meal together (we did mexican food -which is just about impossible to find in Rome- and yours truely put the enchiladas together. we even had pinatas), and capping the weekend with the "new man show" a variety show that the new men put on for the school (we had the final practice today and it is so hilarious, if i can i'll send home a copy. i play a cheezy announcer for a cd infomercial). as you may know there was a consistory (the Pope made some US bishops into cardinals) here that weekend and so we hosted over 1000 people for that. things got spread out a bit, but it all still happened.

here is a great quote for you from the Christ the King homily for the Papal household and some pictures from Siena. i hope you are all well. please keep praying for me.

"Let us consider again theinscription placed above Christ: "This is the King of the Jews." The onlookers challenged him to manifest his royalty openly and many, even among his friends, expected a spectacular demonstration of his kingship. But he chose only to show his kingship in his solicitousness for one man, who was, in fact, a criminal: "'Jesus, remember me when you comeinto your kingdom.' He replied to him, 'Amen, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.'"From this point of view, the most important question to ask on the feast of Christ the King is not whether he reigns in the world but whether he reigns in me; it is not whether his kingship is recognized by states and governments, but whether it is recognized and lived in me." - Fr. Cantalamessa

pictures:

1. big pizza that we ate ($3euro/slice)

2. the piazza at Siena (they have an event every summer where they put 90,000 people in the middle and race horses around them)

3. my Jesu group with Siena in the background (me, Aaron from MN, James, Keith from IL, Jeff)

4. the courtyard of the place we stayed

5. hanging out in Siena with James (oddly enough, he's from Middlebury, VT) and some locals [please ignore the clerics]

Siena

trying to learn italian, i've been reading the Pope's Angelus message that he gives every Sunday at noon (www.vatican.va --> papal archives --> Benedict XVI --> Angelus). he always seems to realize the Scripture in such a deep way so as to communicate to me a message that hits me right where i need it, and one that i would have missed without him pointing it out to me. it has been a good habit, and i am thankful that he only likes to give 2 or 3 paragraphs.


this weekend i went to Siena with a small group of guys. we got to pray, speak of the the things God is doing in our lives and take time to reflect. we also had no schedule which was good for me. it is a small town, quieter and cleaner than Rome, and it was cold. there is a Eucharistic Miracle there and we just happened to go on the day that they have adoration with these miraculous hosts. it is also the home of St. Catherine, one of the 3 female doctors of the Church. i will go there again if i get the chance, and i recommend visiting it if you get the chance. please pray for me.


rome notes:
trip to Siena is definately worth it: round trip bus tickets for $24 (www.sena.it) a 3 hr trip each way from Tibutina bus station. lodging at St. Cristofero Church for a donation. lots of holy sites, food is a lot cheaper than Rome. try the Pici (pronounced: peachy) pasta, its only in Siena, but be sure to make reservations or you may not get in to any restaurant.


pictures: haven't aquired them yet, will post them next week

catacombs

today we went to the catacombs of St. Sebastian for the first time. two newly ordained priests took Jeff and i there, celebrated Mass with us in the cathedral of St. Sebastian, we walked through part of the 7 mile long catecombs where some 150,000 people were buried (it really is like a maze down there, you have to have a guide), then capped off the morning with lunch at Burger King. they don't allow pictures there so i can't show you what it looked like, but i can say a little about St. Sebastian.

Sebastian was a Roman in the early centuries after Christ, and when Christians started to be persecuted under emperor Diocletian he joined the Roman army to protect his Christian brothers and sisters secretly. Diocletian didn't know he was a Christian and made him head of the Praetorium. when the kingdom was divided into seperate governances, the emperor Maximian also appointed him to head of the Praetorium. the persecution of Christian under these two emperors was severe, and when Maximian found out he ordered Sebastian to be executed, despite the high esteem he had for him and his loyal years of service protecting the emperor. they tied him to a post, shot him full of arrows and left him for dead, but he didn't die. tradition holds that a holy woman nursed him back to health after this event. then, instead of fleeing, he sought out Diocletian and chided him for persecuting Christians so. for this act he was clubbed to death. among other things St. Sebastian is a patron for all soldiers for his bravery and faithfulness. as veterans day is so close, please offer a little prayer for all of those who have loved their neighbor so nobly in military service, ask that St. Sebastian pray for their souls. thank you to all you who have served.

rome info:

the catacombs of St. Sebastian are right near the catacombs of St. Callistus on the old Appian way outside the walls of Rome. you go past the Circus Maximus on the Appian way, past the church of Quo Vadis. from the nac it takes a little over 20 minutes in taxi (15 euro) or bus-hop and take a little longer. to enter the church there it is free, tours last about 30 min, but you may have to wait a while for a guide to come who can speak your language (5 euro/person). definately worth going, but take it slower than they make you go. try to take in where you are and the faith that those people had to openly declare their belief in Christ, loving Him above any particular thing or consequence, knowing that the penalty would be death if they maintained their conviction.

pictures:

1 - aarows and crossbows of the swiss guard

2 - a view of the stairs i get to walk up and down every day to get to my room.

3 - a reminiscent view of the vatican gardens at Castel Gondolfo with a glimpse of the landscape

visiting info

its been one of those weeks where it seems like no matter what you do you can't get anything done. reading has taken a major hit and i need to get on that today. we are gearing up for "new man weekend" where the "new men" put on a variety show for the rest of the college, prepare a dinner, and the highlight of it all the "spaghetti bowl." this Thanksgiving weekend program is a football game with "new men" vs "old men" where it is set up for the "new men" to lose, but we've got other plans. i think i'm playing a receiver in the game, i'm a writer for the show, and hopefully i can just be a set up/clean up guy for the dinner. i'm looking forward to it. sorry no pictures this week, but here is some information if you ever want to come visit:

things to do:
St. Peter's Basilica - tomb of St. Peter
St. Paul's Outside the Walls - tomb of St. Paul
scavi tour - going underneath the crypt of St. Peter's (must be 15 or older, $10/person)
send an email to scavi@fsp.va with the following info:
1. I want to visit the excavations underneath St. Peter's Basilica
2. language you want (=english)
3. total number of visitors NAMES IN BLOCK LETTERS
4. dates available to visit the scavi (from.... to...)
5. contact person
6. address in Rome (also hotel room number if necessary) with telephone number and email
7. home address
8. date and "signature"
Sistine Chapel
Pantheon
Coliseum
San Clemente - 3 cathedrals built on top of eachother
visit Assisi - 3hrs or so on train from termini for less than $10 euro
the best advice i have is pick a couple of things you want to see and really experience them, don't worry about seeing everything.

places to stay:
there are many hotels, apartments, and religious places to stay, but if you want to stay near the NAC (10-15 min walk to St. Peter's) the best place is right across the street for $50 euro/night:
Suore di S. Dorotea
via del Gianicolo 4/a
00165 Roma
tel: [011-39 from US] 6880-3349
if you have more people coming, its probably better to get an apartment set up.

other info:
average meals can cost from $10-$30 euro if you eat out
bus/metro tickets cost $1 euro
only go to taxi's at a "taxi stand"
Fumincino (FCO) seems to be the preferred airport
there are discount airlines in Europe that can get you cheap flights to certain places ($20 from Rome to Ireland for example, i've heard as low as $1), but they have strict baggage requirements, also be mindful of the airports they use (ryanair.com)
the dollar here is like it used to be for us to go into Canada ($1 euro = $1.45 as of today)
prepare to walk a lot
knowing italian helps, but you can survive without it in Rome
also, know that i would like to help you as much as possible, but don't any really good deals (cardinals get discounts not seminarians), and remember i'm still learning my way around so i don't know as much as you might like