Well the programme is well and truly underway. This is a great bunch of people, enthusiastic, keen and delighted to be here. On Saturday morning we took them into Rome to St Peter’s and to orientate them to the transport. For most of the Americans this is their first real experience of using public transport and even the most basic of procedures needs to be pointed out. But this group picked it up very quickly.
The time in St Peter’s was short but most went back on Sunday. For all, the visit there was the dream of decades. No matter what their age or what continent they came from, the awe and sense of privilege was simply lovely. For myself, I am finally not being so overwhelmed. This was now about my 6th or 7th visit to St Peter's and I was able to begin to appreciate the various details and how they fit together. Baroque art so easily appears to me as a barrage on the senses. Who knows by next year I might even start to like St Mary Major.
We went yesterday to what would have been St Benedict’s parish church and his lodgings as a student in Rome. On both places there has been further excavations since last year and new frescoes have appeared. We all returned exhausted. It is not the walking but the walking on cobble stones that seem to strain every muscle in one’s legs by the end of the day.
Today I gave my first classes and my lessons with Nola Smith, a wonderfully gifted Yeppoon Speech and Drama teacher bore fruit. I was loud enough for all to hear without a microphone! Thanks Nola. To me I sounded LOUD but not to them and they are the ones that are doing the hearing. In the first session I did Rome in the New Testament, which focussed on how an understanding of Roman culture enhances our appreciation of the New Testament. In the second session I gave a potted history of Rome. What ever way we look at a history, we do it through a chosen ‘lens’ – political leaders, economic aspects, military advances etc. For this session I used the history of the nuns of Sant’ Ambrogio, who were a community in Rome from 353 till their expulsion by Napoleon in 1810. The group loved it. It was such a delight to speak to such a receptive group about what is a passion in my life – the history of nuns, how religious women have lived in their differing societies and ages.
This afternoon we went into the area where there are the major ancient ruins of Rome, to Sts Cosmos and Damian to see the 6C mosaic and then the Colosseum. The mosaic has extraordinarily vibrant colours. No doubt it has been restored at some stage, but the colours just jump of the wall and ceiling.
Again this year there was a wedding taking place in the church – of an older couple and a rather drab affair. We all agreed that we thought little of the bride’s dress. But we said this very softly when we were well out of the Church.
The group we brought home tonight were well and truly exhausted. I must say I feel just a little satisfied. On the weekend they were so jumping with ‘What’s there to do, where can we go?” Now it was, can we have Compline early so we can go to bed!”
Ah tomorrow I get to stretch their brains for the day and then tomorrow night we have a picnic tea with the Sisters who run this pensione.