Rome
The Eternal City
It would take an eternity to see everything in the eternal city! As you spend time in the heart of the Church, you will experience the gift of the Universal Church. People from around the world have been captivated by generations by the beauty of this ancient city.
These are only a few of the many saints whose tombs can be reverenced here:
St. Peter, St. Paul, St. Philip, St. James, St. Ignatius, St. Philip Neri, St. Lawrence, St. John Paul II, St. Catherine of Sienna, St. Monica, St. Agnes, St. Cecilia, and so many more.
From the Collect of the Memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church:
O God, Father of mercies,
whose Only Begotten Son, as he hung upon the Cross,
chose the Blessed Virgin Mary, his Mother,
to be our Mother also,
grant, we pray, that with her loving help
your Church may be more fruitful day by day
and, exulting in the holiness of her children,
may draw to her embrace all the families of the peoples.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son,
who lives and reigns with You in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
Pray with the Saints
Here are some resources to prepare for this pilgrimage:
“Dear young people, love Christ and love the Church! Love Christ as He loves you. Love the Church as Christ loves her.”
#catholicpassportrome
Florence
The Birthplace of the Renaissance
Florence is famous for its art and architecture. The city is the capital of Tuscany and it was the home of Dante, Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Raphael, Botticelli, Donatello and many others. There is beauty around every corner!
The Duomo, by Ian Furst [CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], from Wikimedia Commons
Pray with the Saints
Here are some resources to prepare for this pilgrimage:
“In order to communicate the message entrusted to her by Christ, the Church needs art. Art must make perceptible, and as far as possible attractive, the world of the spirit, of the invisible, of God.”
#catholicpassportflorence
Fabriano
The Resting Place of St. Romuald
Fabriano is in the Ancona province of Italy and is a bit off the beaten path for most pilgrims. Rose included it on her itinerary this summer because she will be there on her baptismal day, June 19, which is also the feast of St. Romuald. St. Romuald was born in Ravenna in 956 and he founded the Order of Camaldolese.
From the Roman Missal - Collect of St. Romuald
O God, who through Saint Romuald renewed
the manner of life of hermits in your Church,
grant that, denying ourselves and following Christ,
we may merit to reach the heavenly realms on high.
Through our lord Jesus Christ, your son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
The Tomb of St. Romuald
Pray with the Saints
Here are some resources to prepare for this pilgrimage:
“ In the Psalms there is one way. Do not abandon it.”
#catholicpassportfabriano
Camaldoli
The Camaldolese
Saint Romuald founded the Hermitage of Camaldoli in 1023 near the center of a wooded mountain chain of Arezzo, Italy. Today there are Camoldolese hermits and nuns all around the world.
The Hermitage at Camaldoli, by Sikda [CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)], from Wikimedia Commons
Pray with the Saints
Here are some resources to prepare for this pilgrimage:
“When God’s call is total, as it is in the monastic life, then the person can reach the highest point that sensitivity, culture and spirituality are able to express. ... The monastery is the prophetic place where creation becomes praise of God and the precept of concretely lived charity becomes the ideal of human coexistence; it is where the human being seeks God without limitation or impediment, becoming a reference point for all people, bearing them in his heart and helping them to seek God”