The end of the school year approaches

We have had a very busy week. Friday we had a meeting with the Directors of each of the four Emmanuel Schools of Mission (Kev and I are the only married couple !!! The rest are all men - two priests and one lay man!!!). The other Schools are in Germany, France and the Philippines. In the evening we had Mass at the International Youth Centre that was set up by Pope John Paul II, and is also entrusted to the Emmanuel Community. The Mass was celebrated by Cardinal Rylko who is the President of the Pontifical Council for the Laity. He is directly responsible for the Emmanuel School of Mission in Rome, because the School is under the patronage of the Pontifical Council for the Laity. Afterward the Mass, we were all introduced to the Cardinal.


Cardinal Rylko, our boss Fr Xavier, and the other Directors of the four ESMs

Then on Saturday and Sunday we had meetings with the International Youth Team, with representatives from all over Europe. By the end of the three days we were exhausted.

But it didn't end there. The Australian students put on their "Australian Cultural Night". They seated everyone in rows as though we were on a flight to Australia, and the presentation was the inflight entertainment. Some people were upgraded to first class and were given special treatement. Drinks and snacks were handed out during the presentation of Australia - history, music, interesting facts, Australian icons, etc. It was so well done. Kev was one of the pilots.

Kev was allowed to fly the plane with a beer in hand

It was great fun. This was followed by a BBQ and then some bush dancing. Kev also performed "And the band sand Waltzing Matilda"......

The only time that I will let Kev wear this hat in public

That was three days ago. Tonight the ESM had a special guest for dinner. Seeing as it is almost the end of the school year, Cardinal Rylko came to visit the ESM. He met with each of the students individually before we all sat down to dinner together. The dining room has never looked so good - the students did a great job!


What a banquet!!!

During the meal, Cardinal Rylko invited each student to share the greatest experience that they had during the year. It was amazing to hear about the wonderful things that God has done in the hearts and lives of these young people. They are a great source of joy and hope for our Church!


Cardinal Rylko and the ESM class of 2009-2010

The Cardinal thanked the students for their commitment to the School and for their great witness. He also thanked the Emmanuel Community for looking after the School, and guiding the young people. He then prayed with us and blessed us. Then he finished with, "See you in World Youth Day Madrid", which received a great applause!!!!

YEAR FOR PRIESTS

Yesterday was the Feast of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, and also the closing of the "Year for Priests". I went to Mass at St Peter's Square for this wonderful occasion. It was such an amazing experience to see Our Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI surrounded by 15 000 of priests as they celebrated Mass together. I have never seen anything like it before. I have never been to a Mass like this where the number of celebrants out-weighed the number of the laity so significantly. It was so moving to see the joy of the priests as they obviously felt the support of the Pope and their brother priests, especially in these difficult times.

15 000 priests concelebrate Mass with Pope Benedict

"Benedict XVI's words were full of encouragement for the priests. The Bishop of Rome told them that the priesthood is "a gift concealed in 'earthen vessels' which ever anew, even amid human weakness, makes [God's] love concretely present in this world." http://www.zenit.org/article-29584?l=english

Paul Goes Home
Paul went home on Thursday after a three week trip in Europe. It was sad to see him leave as we had so much fun with him here. We finally managed to have dinner with him in Trastevere which is the groovy part of Rome, especially for going out in the evening.


Dinner in Trastevere

So, now that my brother has paid us a visit, we look forward to other trips from the Wagners and Philippous!!!! Who will be next?

Sorrento on the Bay of Naples - not on the Mornington Peninsula!

We just returned from a fantastic weekend away with Paul - who kindly treated us to a luxurious stay in a hotel in Sorrento.

We left early Saturday morning for a two hour train ride to Napoli, and then caught a local train to Sorrento which took one hour. I had already been to Sorrento twice before and love it. I went once in 1999 with my friends from Sydney who stayed in a fancy hotel while I stayed in the youth hostel. Then I went there again in 2003 with some other students from the ESM. We stayed in a caravan park. This time we did it in style!

When we arrived in Sorrento, we had lunch at a restaurant in the main square, then looked around the shops. Then we caught our shuttle bus to our hotel which was 20 minutes out of the town, up the mountain overlooking the Bay of Naples. We were very impressed!



The Hotel Vue D'Or

We spent the afternoon relaxing by taking a dip in the pool and then reading our books on one of the two sun decks, which also overlook the marvellous bay. In the evening we had dinner in the hotel's restaurant which also overlooks the spectacular bay.

The next day we went to Holy Mass in Sorrento, and then we went our separate ways. Paul hired a motor scooter and went down the Amalfi Coast....



While Kev and I wandered around town then spent the rest of the day by the pool - we really needed a rest!


Living it up

We met up again in the town for dinner. Paulie only had one beer with his dinner, while I drank a whole bottle of wine!

My bottle of vino and Paul's glass of beer

You gotta see these signs in Italy! I remember this intersection from seven years ago when my friends and I rented motor scooters. Back then each place name was on a different sign - at least now they have made it a bit more uniform. But when you are trying to balance on a bike, and doing your best not to go over the cliff, the last thing you want is to turn a corner and come across this fork in the road. There is not much time to read the 22 places on the left hand sign and the 26 on the right hand sign. Meanwhile, cars are piling up behind you and coming straight for you while you try and decide which direction you need to go. It actually looks like a joke but it is for real!


Time for a quick decision!!!


On Monday, we checked out of the hotel and went to Pompeii. I was so proud to be at such a special place with two very well-behaved and indiscreet Aussie men.


"The Basilica"

This is the oldest surviving Roman amphitheatre, and was built around 70BC. For many people this was a place of major interest for it's historical importance. For Paul and Kev, it had a remarkable resemblance to an Australian Football stadium.


Paul takes an imaginary 'mark' on Kev's sunburnt and back-pack burdened shoulders

When we had walked around for almost four hours in the heat, we decided to head back to the station. The map indicated that we didn't need to go back to the main entrance, but could go to another station near one of the smaller exits. Just to confirm this I asked one of the staff where the nearest station was, and showed him my map. He said that we needed to go back to the start. I questioned him and showed him the station on the map. He insisted that we needed to go back to the start. We decided not to believe him and take a chance. Just as well. The other station was about 10 minutes away. The main entrance was over half an hour away. I just don't get it - he must have known!!!!

We got the train to Napoli to fulfill our plan to have a pizza from the home of pizzas, but we couldn't find anywhere that served any. We walked around for about 20 minutes, but had to settle for pasta at a little restaurant because we didn't want to travel too far from the station (for two reasons - we had to catch a train in one hour, and coz, well, it's a very interesting city!)

The train trip back to Rome was uneventful accept for the yelping dog in the next compartment that prevented half the people from relaxing, and had the other half thinking it was really cute. You can guess which category Kev and I fell into on a two hour train journey.

It was a great weekend

By the way, Paul went to Greece last week and not Estonia.