Yesterday, ie Sunday, was not only my feastday but Marcia’s as well so we went to an English Mass in a church next to the church of St Ignatius. Yes churches next to churches! I wonder how many there were before Napoleon confiscated much of the church property in the early 1800’s Not all was given back to the religious orders that were robbed. But as Michael K and I agreed would they want it all back. There is a point when history is no longer asset but liability.
We went to this Mass as monk friends of Marcia’s were meeting us there. Dan McCarthy is from Kansas, James Leachman from Ealing in London. After we went to a restaurant were they met every Sunday with friends. I met up with a number of Australians. If anyone is in contact with Dr Grove, tell him that Robert Borg from Broken Bay diocese was reminiscing about him in Rome. He would love that.
I was glad to go to an English Mass as Morning Prayer yesterday was in Latin and Italian and by the end of the Office my head was hurting. It was so good to go and pray and be carried by custom and to sing hymns one could put one’s whole self into.
Afterwards Marcia and I checked out the route o Sant’Ambrogio that Michael had shown me and she was pleased how direct it was. Today I’m going on the tour buses that go around Rome to try and get the shape of the city in my head and to hear some of the history as we drive by the sights. These buses have a flat fee for 48 hours so I can go round and round as long as I like.
How am I bearing up? Sleepwise I have had little effect from jet lag and from the first night was back into my own sleep pattern. But my ankles tell a different story. I find the walking on cobblestones, which pave all on inner Rome, difficult. Every step is on an uneven surface so the muscles are doing much more work than normal. And given my propensity to fall over, the back of my mind is always checking that my foot is down before I transfer my weight. I trust I will adjust. At least today, I’ll be on the bus.
Monday, May 19, 2008
Saturday
Yesterday( ie Saturday) I went into Rome to met up with Michael Kelly (a Sydney monk recently elected Abbot General of his congregation) and Fr Simon Tonini, a former abbot. But before meeting them I wandered around for awhile, principally down the Via del Corso. Mmmm it made CQ look good. I didn’t look up the guide book much just moosied along getting the feel. It is obviously a shopping district but didn’t appeal at all. On later reflection I would say it was a shopping district catering the tourist wanting stylish goods. Later in the day, when Michael and I wandered around the small back streets and there was a very different feel. Now there were shops in which I could do serious damage to the community budget. A paper/card shop comes to mind, with a delightful packet of 6 small gift tags for a mere $35 dollars – but wait for it there were envelopes enclosed. I didn’t indulge but then I can make cards just as nice but I’ll miss the envelopes.
But I am getting ahead of myself. Michael met me at Piazza Venezia and we went to San Stefano for Midday Prayer and lunch. The building there is various ages and the rooms, different shapes. One room with four walls did not have a right angle in any corner – what people could do when they made their building materials on site. The malleability is enormous. The Sylvestrines must have a tradition of employing good cooks. The simple meal was simply the best. Almost rendered me speechless. After lunch with the community, Michael, Simon and I sat down with coffee and brandy and yarned and laughed and solved all the problems of the monastic world. Simon is simply amazing. He is 87, looks about 70, but his heart and his head and his humour would be the envy of one 50 years younger. Conversations go everywhere with passion and humour. He belongs in my list of people that I want to be like when I grow old.
After this Michael and I went wandering, first to Santa Maria sopra Minerva – the only Gothic church in Rome. Of the major churches this one has appealed to me most and I think I will go back there, if for no other reason than to see the tomb of Catherine of Siena. It looks like it will repay time spent as there is such a variety of spaces and artworks within, all explained with Dominican panache. Then we did the Parthenon, such a milling mass of people and for the numbers it was not noisy, so obviously the high domed roof allows the sound to ascend and go out the oculus (the hole in the top). Now this is a church we could have in Yeppoon but I doubt it would be cyclone proof.
Moving in and out of these churches, it has struck me what a contrast there is between inside and outside. None of the old churches have windows so their ‘views’ are the pictures on the wall. But the inside is also with subdued light. Coming out of Minerva, I felt like we were coming out of darkness into light, but not the darkness of absence but the darkness of interiority, when one enters into oneself in reflection and lets the spirit play in silence and quiet.
In our wanderings we came on Campo de’ Fiori after the end of market session, and I must go back there. I like the Yeppoon market and I think I’ll like this very much. Then more wandering about, checked where San’Ambrogio was so that we don’t get lost when we bring the group here and then home via tram and train.
Something was wrong with the trains, I gathered that much, but as my train went through Aurelia, my stop at 140 kmh I realised that the timetable had changed. Still I got to see the countryside out of Rome. Where we are here is in the green belt of Rome, the outside edge of the city. This picture gives you some idea of where I am staying. This is the garden at the front in early morning.
But I am getting ahead of myself. Michael met me at Piazza Venezia and we went to San Stefano for Midday Prayer and lunch. The building there is various ages and the rooms, different shapes. One room with four walls did not have a right angle in any corner – what people could do when they made their building materials on site. The malleability is enormous. The Sylvestrines must have a tradition of employing good cooks. The simple meal was simply the best. Almost rendered me speechless. After lunch with the community, Michael, Simon and I sat down with coffee and brandy and yarned and laughed and solved all the problems of the monastic world. Simon is simply amazing. He is 87, looks about 70, but his heart and his head and his humour would be the envy of one 50 years younger. Conversations go everywhere with passion and humour. He belongs in my list of people that I want to be like when I grow old.
After this Michael and I went wandering, first to Santa Maria sopra Minerva – the only Gothic church in Rome. Of the major churches this one has appealed to me most and I think I will go back there, if for no other reason than to see the tomb of Catherine of Siena. It looks like it will repay time spent as there is such a variety of spaces and artworks within, all explained with Dominican panache. Then we did the Parthenon, such a milling mass of people and for the numbers it was not noisy, so obviously the high domed roof allows the sound to ascend and go out the oculus (the hole in the top). Now this is a church we could have in Yeppoon but I doubt it would be cyclone proof.
Moving in and out of these churches, it has struck me what a contrast there is between inside and outside. None of the old churches have windows so their ‘views’ are the pictures on the wall. But the inside is also with subdued light. Coming out of Minerva, I felt like we were coming out of darkness into light, but not the darkness of absence but the darkness of interiority, when one enters into oneself in reflection and lets the spirit play in silence and quiet.
In our wanderings we came on Campo de’ Fiori after the end of market session, and I must go back there. I like the Yeppoon market and I think I’ll like this very much. Then more wandering about, checked where San’Ambrogio was so that we don’t get lost when we bring the group here and then home via tram and train.
Something was wrong with the trains, I gathered that much, but as my train went through Aurelia, my stop at 140 kmh I realised that the timetable had changed. Still I got to see the countryside out of Rome. Where we are here is in the green belt of Rome, the outside edge of the city. This picture gives you some idea of where I am staying. This is the garden at the front in early morning.
Friday, May 16, 2008
Dear all, finally settled in the guest house had a few days rest and work and now ready to keep up to date with you.
The flights went well. From Brisbane to HogKong I had a personable American who lives in Cairns with his yoga teaching wife. He himself earns his living giving financial advice and doing stints working for NGO's, frequently in Africa, an interesting combination.
On the flight from Hong Kong to Rome, I had a Prague born man, who came to ba a resident of China, via the USA. He currently has a leather tannery and goods factory. With just a little prompting he got onto the relative merits of leather hides from different parts of the world. Hides from Australia are better than hides from Brazil - they can cut around the barbwire marks but not the numerous pockets from tick bites. Goat hide from Indonesia is better that hides from Spain, etc. Then he really warmed to the subject.
I had to wait about an about 1 1/2 hours for the Marcia and Karen to arrive and then Rebecca an Amercian Benedictine who is librarian at the North American College in Rome, met us and brought us to here (which I will call the Casa - for this blog). That is luxury to be met after a long flight by someone you know and who knows where to go.
The Casa sisters were delighted with our arrival. Obviously this Renewal Program is one of the highlights of their year. On the practical level it means that they don't have changeover of guests for over five weeks, but more importantly, they enjoy the stimulation of Benedictines from differing traditions - just as the ones coming enjoy the international orietnation of these Tutzing sister. A Korean, Sr Celestine worked this for our arrival.
She is going to show me how she does it when the rest of the Program sisters arrive.
The community at present consists of Koreans, Philippinas, Germans, a Kenyan, a Nambibian, a Brazilian, etc. Some are away doing visitations in Africa or South America or home for medical check-ups. Obviously they prefer home to here for medical matters.
Parts of the Mass can be in a number of languages but so far we have had only Italian, Latin and English. I really hope we have a little Swahili before I go.
I'm settling in well except for 
the security! These are the keys we had done in the guest house. The one for the bedroom, turn twice, the front door, turn once, the grill (heavy - wrought iron) turn four times, the front gate, turn only once. And this seems to be standard for all around here, and I presume Rome. High walls, grills, TV surveilance. And it seems that it is necessary if you want to keep your things. Personal safety is not the issue, I believe, it seems that the thief will not hurt you. But I do wonder about a society that is so deeply ingrained with suspicion and with such an attitude to other people's proerty. As you will remember from last year Lesvos was the polar opposite of this, theft was virtually unknown on the island, in spite of the large tourist numbers.
So much for this morning. Today, I'm meeting Michael Kelly (for htose who do not know him he is an Australian monk who as last year elected Abbot General of his Benedictine congregation - the Silvestrines). We will have lunch at San Stefano. Fr Simon Tonini is there - delight - and then Michael is going to 'do' part of Rome with me.
Off to Lauds now
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