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