Friday 11 October 2013
OUR LAST SUPPER
After a memorable liturgy at the Shrine of St. Pio of
Pietrelcina (Padre Pio), we lingered for lunch, and then bid a fond farewell to
the picturesque San Giovanni Rotondo. We had another long drive back to Rome,
and this time we would hit rush-hour traffic going back into the Eternal City.
Paul Granato and Father Paul promised us a wonderful surprise for dinner that
night and we were all in eager anticipation.
About halfway to Rome we made a stop at the Santuario Maria
Santissima Addolorata in Castelpetroso, a province of Isemia on the Molise
region. This is a Marian apparition shrine but we were unable to enter the
impressive castle-like church. If you can read Italian, here is information
from their website:
Sure enough, we hit rush hour just at the outskirts of the
City as the afternoon receded into twilight. Paul G. kept looking at his watch
but he didn’t really look too concerned. Our buses dropped us off near the
Colosseum and we took a long leisurely walk through a park and down a narrow
alley in the gathering darkness. We sometimes had to duck out of the way as
honking Minis edged their way past our large group of pedestrians.
Finally, we reached our destination: Le Terme del Colosseo!
We stepped down through a dark doorway and were immediately enchanted by the
site of several tables exquisitely set for a five-course dinner. The dining area was one long tunnel of exposed red brick, bordered on each side of the room by wood paneling through
which soft lighting emerged. It was a wonderfully warm and inviting atmosphere.
As soon as we settled into our tables, the music started. We
looked up from our conversations and out came three singers dressed in
Renaissance attire. Waiters brought out the first antipasto course — I should
really say they “danced” out the antipasto — as our three singers regaled us
with the first of many popular Italian arias and ballads. This was magnifico!
We were obviously in for a memorable evening together in this, our Last Supper
together.
Rather than write about our dinner experience, I thought you
might enjoy a slide show I put together, with many photos from Mike and Kamio
Strassmaier. . .
(Video only viewable on computers, not on tablets or
smartphones. You can also view it on YouTube by entering “Le Terme Last Supper”
in the YouTube search field.)
Our days together seemed to go by so quickly, and yet two
weeks are ample time for us to bond and get to know each other well. We began at
the Cradle of Christianity in Constantinople (Istanbul) and Ephesus. We prayed
in mosques and celebrated our Catholic liturgy at beautiful basilicas in
Turkey. That only set the stage for our journey to Rome, and our prayerful
walks through the major basilicas and other holy churches, through the
Colosseum, St. Peter’s Basilica, the Sistine Chapel, and the remarkable General
Audience with Pope Francis. We ended our journey through “miracle country” —
Lanciano and San Giovanni Rotondo, where, through his holy relic, we were literally
blessed by St. Pio of Pietrelcina himself. And at just about every step
along the way, we celebrated the Eucharist.
So many memories! So much grace! Soon, it would be time to
go home and tell our friends and loved ones about this wondrous pilgrimage. But now
we all share a bond that will never be broken by distance or years. I am so
grateful!
Thank you, Father Paul and Sister Mary! Thank you, Paul and
Ann Granato! Thank you Deacon Matt and Audrey Sujkowski! Thank you, all my dear friends of Holy Apostles Year of Faith
Pilgrimage 2013! I hope these blogs will be a remembrance of the amazing
journey that we walked together. God bless you all!
In Christ’s love,
Ken
(Click on the “Fly Like a Bird” link above, then click the
Play arrow on the web page to hear the recording that Jesse Manibusan and I recorded of my
song.)
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