Hello readers.  I wrote the message below to my women's prayer and bible study group at home.  I thought it was worth sharing more broadly.

Hello Women of St. Bernadette from Rome!

Courtney, Karen and I are three of 38 pilgrims being led by Monsignor Smith on a pilgrimage to Italy.  Today (Thursday) was a highlight.  We attended the Deaconate Ordination of Pat Lewis, a man who grew up as a member of St. Bernadette.  Thirty-five young men make their vows as a Deacon today in St. Peter's Basilica. God willing, they will all become Priests in May and June next year.  These young men can now preach, bless things (not people), and baptize.  They have also chosen a lifetime dedicated to Christ and therefore a celibate life.

I can't even begin to describe the joy and love of that Mass.  Monsignor Smith was one of 150 or more co-celebrants.  Sitting just a little left and a story above the tomb of St. Peter was an experience that I would wish for all of you! 

This afternoon, I took a walk across Rome.  My goal was to pray a decade of the Rosary in five different churches.  The focus of my walk was to get to Santa Sabina, a church build in the 4th century.  It was there that St. Dominic built his monastery in 1220 and where St. Thomas Aquinas studied and prayed. 

As I walked along the Tiber River, I realized that Basilica S. Bartholomaei in Insula (the church of St. Bartholonew) was on the island.  I walked over the bridge, resisting the call of the souvenir peddlers and the gelato shop, to the church.  It houses the remains of St.  Bartholomew and has two beautiful paintings - one of the visitation and the other the annunciation. I found the Annunciation unusual in that it has both God the Father and the Holy Spirit in it.
There, I paused to pray a decade of the rosary and then lit a candle and prayed for the Women of St. Bernadette.  Specifically, I prayed that through our work, we would strengthen our relationship with Jesus and that we would bring many women to a better understanding of the Catholic faith.

I wish every woman in our group could have experienced this trip.  We celebrated mass in inexpressibly beautiful and sacred surroundings.  We walked in the places that St. Peter and St. Paul were martyred.  We saw the light go off in the papal apartment at 11 one night and saw him in person.  We prayed in front of the crucifix that St. Catherine of Sienna used.  We walked into the tiny, one room chapel used by St. Francis.  And we ate delicious food, laughed until our sides hurt and toasted our new friendships with smooth Roman wine! Our pastor poured himself out in homilies that touched our souls and challenged us to life faithful Catholic lives.
I look forward to seeing all of you soon.

Your sister in Christ,

Mary Ellen