Time out

After Easter, Kev and I took a short flight on a tiny plane to Rimini which is on the east coast of Italy. We got a ridiculously good deal on a four-star hotel there. Originally we had planned to visit some lovely places in Europe but when the time came, we were just so tired that we decided that we  needed to rest. What better place to do nothing than in Rimini - it's a real dump. But that's ok. We ate, slept, prayed, and watched the final season of 24. (With this chapter of my life closed, I don't know how to go on).

The highlight of our week was breakfast. Each day we had a full buffet which was available until 11:00am. Most days we had cereal, fresh fruit, yoghurt, bacon, eggs, tomato, sausages, cheese, fresh fruit juice and coffee. There was also a sign for pancakes cooked on request. So we requested pancakes. We were the only ones who ever did this - I don't understand why. By about the fourth day, instead of going up to place an order, the waitresses came to us and asked if we wanted pancakes (remember, this was a buffet, not table service). By the fifth day we merely had to nod at them and the pancakes would arrive.

Rimini hasn't managed to escape from the 1980s...I think it's really stuck. Everything is old-fashioned, but not in a recreated way, it just never moved on. This suited me fine. One night we had dinner in a pub and a Simply Red album was playing. It reminded me of my dear friend Daniella who used to listen to them. So it was nice..the first time. By the third lap we were a bit sick of it. The food was good so we went back to the pub for dinner the next night and guess what album was playing. Yep! We asked the waiter if he could change the music. He asked why, knowing that we had been there the night before. We said that five times is enough! So he put on hits of 1985 instead.

After seven days of relaxation, we caught the plane back to Rome and the third millenium.

Easter

Once again, Easter in Rome was beautiful. We usually have a retreat for the Triduum at the Domus and invite others to join us. The location is not ideal though, so this time we went to a retreat centre just out of Rome. There were about 100 people all together.

We started with the Chrism Mass at St Peter's. There were about 2000 priests. This is so encouraging to see so many priests supporting their local bishop - in this case, the Pope.

Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI

After Mass we went to the retreat centre. At night the Triduum began with the Mass of the Last Supper. The Mass finished with a procession of the Blessed Sacrament to an area at the back of the church where we 'watched and prayed' with Christ in prayer. It was so beautiful.

We spent Good Friday back in the city. As usual our students dramatised the Via crucis at St Peter's Square (the ESM is the only group given permission to do this). It was so powerful and moving. Many people gathered around to watch. Here is an article about it printed in Zenit.

Jesus cries out in agony before dying on the Cross

Later we had the service of the Passion of the Cross at the Centro San Lorenzo. We spent most of the day in silence and fasting.

Holy Saturday was pretty quiet in the lead-up to the Easter Vigil. The Mass is really long but very beautiful. There are eight readings before the Gospel. When it came time for the first reading, we sat down and waited for the reader to go up the front. We waited....waited....no one. I started wondering to myself who was supposed to read. Then I had an agonising pang of terror. I was supposed to organise all the readers but simply forgot to do it. Luckily one of out students realised that nothing was happening so he did the first reading. Then Kev and I discretely asked others if they would do the other seven readings while the Mass was going on. Thankfully one of our Team guessed that I also hadn't asked people to write Prayers of the Faithful, so she managed to organise that too.  I was only given one job to do and I stuffed up. Oh well, it turned out ok.

After Mass, we all sang songs of praise with the word 'Alleluia' to our hearts content, after refraining for 6 weeks. Then we had a party. I felt really really old amongst all the young people with so much energy.  It was nice to be joined by four of our kids from last year.

Hele, Kev, Paul, Martijn, Maria Ana and Monika

We went to bed at about 2:00am. And got up not long afterwards to get to Mass at St Peter's.

Kev and Hele (photo taken by one of our students. We don't need our chins, I suppose)

Hele and Kev with our students

After Mass we went back to the retreat centre for lunch. Then packed up and returned to St Peter's for a time of singing/praying/evangelising with the WYD Cross.

This was the end of our retreat. We were all pretty tired, but had enough energy to stay up at the Domus and share some drinks and chips until pretty late.

Christ is Risen.....Alleluia!

Palm Sunday

Apart from the liturgy, Palm Sunday in Rome is special for another reason - it is World Youth Day! Usually WYD occurs in a different world city every two or three years. For all other years, WYD is on Palm Sunday in Rome. So this year, Kev and I spent the last four days at a WYD Conference with delegates from 98 different countries. The Conference took place in Rocca di Papa, which is in the hills above the lake at Castel Gandolfo. Kev was helping with all the music for the Conference. We were there from Wednesday until Saturday night. This was all in the lead-up to Palm Sunday.

Once again the ESM was part of the procession at St Peter's for Palm Sunday. We got there nice an early, and entered through the Bronze Door of the Vatican to wait for the procession to start. We were each given a massive palm. So while we all waited, we were constantly poked in the eye and donged on the head with other people's palms. It was fun!

Then we processed out into the Square amid the crowds of people waving palms. We cirlcled around the obelisk while the Pope arrived to pray the opening prayers.

The procession began again, and we walked up toward the basilica to be seated in front of the altar.

Hele & Kev

The Mass was long but so beautiful. Three of our students did readings. Another three of our friends received Holy Communion from the Holy Father (Bernard, Jill Ann and Carly).

Bernard receiving Holy Communion from Pope Benedict XVI

The WYD conference finished with lunch at the Centro San Lorenzo. After this, Kev and I went home....exhausted....with a busy week ahead.