Group Photo: House Where St. Benedict Lived as a Student

We began the day at Sant'Anselmo, the university operated in Rome by Benedictines, with a lively and interesting presentation by Fr Gregory Collins, OSB, who teaches there.

His presentation had us trooping through the streets of Rome, visiting many early churches and learning about the stational aspects of liturgy.

One of our stops was at the house where St. Benedict is reputed to have lived - briefly - as a student in Rome. He became disgusted with the licentiousness of student life, and fled from this house to the cave in Subiaco that we visited earlier.

Fr Gregory is visible in the photo, standing beside Fr. William Graham.

(Sister Edith(

Santa Susanna

Today, we were able to worship at the American parish in Rome: following the U.S. ordo (so today was Epiphany again!) and using familiar prayers and language.

Santa Susanna is one of the oldest churches in Rome; people have been worshipping on this site for 1700 years, since the martyrdom of Susanna herself. The current church is built over the ruins of the original church (which was itself restored more than once).

After Mass, we were give a tour by Fr. Greg Apparcel, rector of the church.

After studying the story of St. Susanna in the paintings, we were allowed to descend below the altar into the ancient church, and see the site where the first prayer and worship occurred on this site.

(Sr Edith)

La Befana - January 6

When we arrived in Rome, we encountered little dolls of witches on sale everywhere, and were told she is La Befana, and is celebrated at Christmas. Many of the dolls look more like American decorations for Halloween, so it was hard to understand why she is so beloved. Today, I found out. Today, the Feast of the Epiphany, and the journey of the Magi, is the day of Le Befana. I had the good fortune to meet La Befana on the street, distributing sweets to children. (I will post her picture later.) Here is the story of La Befana:

As legend has it the three Wise Men were in search of the Christ child when they decided to stop at a small house to ask for directions. Upon knocking, an old woman holding a broom opened the door slightly to see who was there. Standing at her doorstep were three colorfully dressed men who were in need of directions to find the Christ child. The old woman was unaware of who these three men were looking for and could not point them in the right direction. Prior to the three men leaving they kindly asked the old woman to join them on their journey. She declined because she had much housework to do.

After they left she felt as though she had made a mistake and decided to go and catch up with the kind men. After many hours of searching she could not find them. Thinking of the opportunity she had missed the old woman stopped every child to give them a small treat in hopes that one was the Christ child. Each year on the eve of the Epiphany she sets out looking for the baby Jesus. She stops at each child's house to leave those who were good treats in their stockings and those who were bad a lump of coal.

May we each search for the Christ child this year, carrying joy and celebration with us as we go. Buona Festa!

Sister Edith

Sacro Speco, Assisi

We had a wonderfully spiritual tour of Sacro Speco, the churches with St. Benedict's holy cave -- with wonderful photos -- but (unfortunately) no uploading possibilities in this Internet cafe.

Yesterday (Thursday) we spent exploring Benedict's spirituality, both his attention to an ordered way of life and the way of love in community. Today we are in Assisi, experiencing another of the great charisms of the church: that of St. Francis and St. Clare. Their lives of poverty, and of joy in all of creation, are evident everyewhere in this medieval town. We visited San Damiano, the church which St. Francis rebuilt stone by stone, and the Cathedral of St. Clare. Like Subiaco, there is too much here to see (or take in)in one day. We will have much to chew on for months to come.

(As soon as I can get better access, the photos from Subiaco will be posted on Flickr with a linke here)

(Sister Edith)

On our fourth full day in Rome, we visited the Vatican Museums, with a guided tour by Fr. Graham. Although it was somewhat crowded (this is still the Italian holiday season, and there are lots of Italians who have come to Rome to see the sights!) we were able to spend time with Michelangelo's Pieta, and to be immersed in the richness of the Vatican collection.

Catacombs of Saint Callixtus

Catacombs of Saint Callixtus, originally uploaded by cssrome.

We toured the Catacombs today. Photography is not permitted; this photo is from the web site of the Catacombs of Saint Calixtus.

Capuchin Crypts: Memento Mori

A previous group of students studying Christian Faith in Art asked that a trip to the Capuchin cyrpts be included in the tour. These crypts represent a spiritual work of art, designed for its impact on the emotions and the soul. Fr. Graham found these crypts to be a powerful experience of the connection between faith and art, and has included it in every trip since.

Capuchin friars, hundreds of years ago, desired to express the Christian belief that death is not the end of life, but its beginning - leaving behind the temporal (including our bodies) for the eternal. They also wanted to keep that reality foremost, to avoid any strong attachment to the things of this world.

They chose to work in a most unusual medium: the bones of the deceased members of their order. They received permission to unearth the remains of 4,000 of their confreres, and use them to create works of art.

These are truly artistic works. The monks had an eye for the natural curves of the human structure, and developed designs based on these curves: borders, patterns, and more. Each of the six rooms is different, filled with intricate patterns.

The primary purpose, though, is the spiritual impact. Several of the rooms include a skeleton, dressed in his Capuchin robes, standing as though to work, walk, or preach. In the last room, three skeletons stand to one side. A small sign, printed in several languages, reads:

"As you now are, we once were. As we now are, you will one day be."

Bernini - St. Theresa in Ecstasy

Students in TRS 2777 had read about Bernini's sculpture - how he tried to capture the richness and the sensuality of St. Theresa's mystical experience of Christ. Several had written short papers on the subject - but had never seen the sculpture itself.

Today, we were able to visit the church where this magnificent piece of art is housed. The church itself is not well known, nor does it house any other art works that are highly regarded. Yet it receives a steady stream of tourists, all come to see this one piece.

I have posted a small picture of the statue itself, but it simply cannot do justice to the experience of seeing it in person.

More information is available on Wikipedia .

Group Photo Coliseum

Group Photo Coliseum, originally uploaded by cssrome.

We all visited the Colisseum today. Fr. Jim Hentges took a group photo so we could ALL be in it. Notice the huge smiles on our faces: we are having a great time. (Sr. Edith)

Arrived! And Learning in Rome

We arrived yesterday, and are well settled into our rooms at Domus Carmelletani. So far, we have not had good luck gaining Internet access. This computer - the only one in the house - will not let us upload our photos. So you will have to make do with our descriptions.

The Illume agent met us at the airport, and we sailed through customs. The weather here is amazingly warm, and we saw date palms everywhere. The Domus is near the Vatican (walking distance) and the Tiber. A religious house of Carmelites, it is now run as a simple hotel. The rooms are clean, comfortable, each with its own bathroom and TV - but clearly remade cells, none very large. Mine has an excellent view of Castel Sant'Angelo, about one block away.

We were served a "simple" Italian supper: an appetizer course of cheese, an eggplant salad, and toast with an asparagus pate spread. This was followed by a pasta course - beautiful al dente rigatone with a delicate tomato sauce. The main course, veal lightly breaded with cauliflower, was accompanied by a salad. Dessert (!) was fruit. If this is simple, imagine a complex meal!

Today, we went to the only English-language Mass in Rome, in a 17th century Jesuit chapel. Fr. Jim Hentges, CSC, gave us a brief tour of the chapel, then took us to the Church of St.Catherine over Minerva (the church of St. Catherine of Siena, where she is buried, was built over a temple to the goddess Minerva), the Pantheon, and a glorious public piazza filled with food and trinket and gift stands.

In Italy, the season from December 8 until Epiphany on January 6 is celebrated as one long holiday. Tonight, the New Year will be greeted. Already, the streets are being closed off as the restaurants set out tables for the feasts that will take place.

We wish you all the best and happiest in the year 2007!
(Sister Edith)

In Flight: Chicago to Munich, and past the Alps

After our long layover in Chicago, we were ready and eager to go. Finally! Europe! The flight was large, so there was plenty of time to snap pictures around the cabin after we got settled. Even to catch each other in the process of boarding.

We have a Flickr! account - a few random photos show up in the sidebar to the right. To see more of our photos, click on the Flickr! badge. We'll keep uploading as we go, and sharing our best shots.

Our flight took us over Boston, up the coast towards Bangor ME and and St. John's, Newfoundland - then across the Atlantic. United Airlines now has an in-flight map in the chairback video screens. We could watch our progress across Europe, track how many miles we had flown, and read how far and how long it was until our landing.

Our route across Europe skirted the boundary of Switzerland. Night had passed and the sun was rising on the Alps. One of our students had the bright idea of capturing some photos of the mountains. Through the wonders of digital cameras and the application of Photoshop Elements, our travelogue includes aerial photography of the alps.

Next stop: Rome!
(Sr. Edith)

We're Off!

The official first leg of our pilgrimage together began with our 12:30 p.m. flight from Minneapolis to Chicago. With no set plan, we converged on our gate at the airport, and were glad to find other familiar faces.

For those of us in Duluth, the pilgrimage began quite a bit earlier - and provided the occasion for fervent prayer. A soft rain fell throughout the night and froze, smooth and slick, on all the roadways in the city. Drivers crept along, carefully keeping their distance; a few cars had already hit the ditch. The 150-mile drive to the airport took us through snow and fog. No wonder we were happy to see each other when we arrived at the gate.

After an uneventful first flight, we're stretching our limbs for the next leg: a 9-hour flight to Munich leaving around 6 p.m. With the seven hour time zone shift, it will be full daylight when we arrive. We have a few hours here in Chicago, time to explore (especially for those who have never flown before) and work out the kinks.

For the students, this is part of the holiday side of the course, but blogmasters and professors keep on working. The 20 students in the course have already written several papers, considering particular works of art which we will see in Rome. Those papers don't grade themselves, so the layover is work time as well.

Look for us again, further along the road.

Preparing for Rome: Electrical Appliances

I'm in charge of taking a laptop computer along, so that we can keep up this blog. The wonderful folks in our IT Dept assured me that this laptop was able to adapt automatically to Italy's electrical system, but I'd need adapters for the plugs.

I believe the IT Dept, truly I do. But I wanted some independent verification, too. The information at About.com made me feel quite secure about the laptop.

It also made me hope that none of us are planning to bring hair dryers, especially without a power converter. The story of the unintended candlelight dinner is sobering.

Here's the link to advice on using power appliances oversease.
(Sr Edith)

In Rome Now: Crossing the Street

[A new link has been added: In Rome Now, with lots of information about galleries, events, shopping - and SURVIVAL. The following somewhat daunting post comes from the Survival Guide.

We're sure that your mother taught you how to cross the street: wait for the green light, look both ways, that sort of thing. This course of instruction will prove perilously inadequate in the center of Rome.

Let’s say you are standing at the crosswalk on the Corso Vittorio Emanuele II at eleven o’clock on a weekday morning, You look both ways. At eleven o’clock on a weekday morning, the traffic flows heavily on the Corso from both directions. So you wait for a break in the traffic. At eleven o’clock on that same weekday evening, you may find yourself still standing at the same crosswalk, hoping that the traffic will eventually break.

For the novice Rome pedestrian, a better course of action is to wait for a native. Natives cross the street without waiting, and often without looking right-left-right to see what’s about to smash them. They enter the crosswalk in the firm belief that the drivers of the approaching vehicles are in no mood to commit manslaughter. Miraculously, the Red Sea of traffic parts and the native pedestrian almost always makes it safely to the opposite curb.

Protect yourself with such a pedestrian. Cross right along with him or her, preferably to his or her right so that the odd murderous driver will hit him or her first, thus buffering the impact on your own body. Should you be fortunate enough to come across a traffic light, do not rely on the green walk signal. This generally is timed to last two seconds or less, followed by a longer amber warning signal. Cross on amber or you may never cross at all.

E-mail Option

There's something new in the sidebar - an option to subscribe and have links to new blog items sent to you by e-mail.

How it works: Subscribers will get one e-mail per day, with links for any new postings on the site.

CSS Rome-ers: This may help your family and friends stay up to date with our travels and reflections in Italy.

Breaking News - Tomb of Saint Paul

News reports say that a group of archeologists who have been excavating a crypt - long hidden by an altar - at the Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls have concluded that the sarcophagus they found does indeed contain the remains of Saint Paul.

For the past three years, archaeologists have been excavating underneath the altar to remove two huge slabs of marble and now, for the first time in almost 1,700 years, the sarcophagus of St Paul is on public view.

Saint Paul, one of the earliest believers, is known to have traveled widely on missionary journeys both through his own letters - which make up the largest number of books in the New Testament - and through the story of his travels recorded in the book of Acts. His last letters were written from Rome, where he is said to have been beheaded in AD 65 by the Roman emperor Nero.

His sarcophagus will be on public view for the foreseeable future but the church is yet to rule out the possibility that one day the interior itself will be opened and examined.

Team Members

CSS in Rome will be a team blog, with posts provided by all the students studying Christian Faith in Art this semester. In the next week or so, we will begin to introduce ourselves and describe something about our plans for this trip.

Blogmasters go first. I'm a Benedictine sister, a member of Saint Scholastica Monastery, who teaches sociology and statistics at our college. This will be my first trip to Rome, and my first trip to Europe in a very long time. (I spent a summer studying at the Sorbonne in Paris when I was in college, in the last millennium.)

I am most looking forward to our visit to Subiaco, where Saint Benedict, the founder of our order, lived in a cave in the first fervor of his religious journey. Other sisters who have been to Rome say that their visit to the Sacro Speco was the most memorable of their experiences. (See the link to Subiaco in the sidebar for pictures.)