Villa Corsini

~October 31st~
A rainy day, but Liz and I needed to get out of our apartments and go see something. So we took a quick and not-too-wet walk down the street to our local art gallery, Villa Corsini. I have never seen so many beautiful Madonna and Child paintings in one place. We weren't technically allowed to take pictures, but some of the images were just too beautiful to pass up. By the end of our walk through we were wishing we could have a post card of practically every painting. 

Cute chubby cherubs hanging some garland. Chubby cherubs like these even made it into one of Steve's projects! They are very inspiring. 

Jacob's Vision.

David.

La Mentorella

~November 2nd~
Frater invited me to come along with him and Bishop Daneels to a little hill country day trip. Rome is the kind of city that makes a person really need a little hill country every now and then. Bishop loves to go hiking up near La Mentorella, a church built on one of the caves where St. Benedict is said to have lived for some time. La Mentorella is at the top of the hill just opposite Subiaco. Pope John Paul II often visited La Mentorella and did a lot of hiking in the trails surrounding the church. 

The church, sanctuary of Our Mother of Grace. 

St. Benedict's cave. 

"Do not ring bell if your heart does not beat as a Christian."

Inside the church, a small church but very beautiful and peaceful. 

Canonization

--October 21st--
Pope Benedict added seven Blesseds to be enrolled among the Saints. Among these holy men and women was St. Kateri Tekakwitha. It was a powerful experience to be present as our Church recognized the great holiness and faith of these Saints and raised them as leaders and examples to us all. The Holy Father gave a strong homily that included short biographies about each new Saint. 

Saint Kateri

No zoom!

We happened to sit right next to some friendly Dominican sisters from Nashville. This is Sr. Kateri Rose.

Day trip to Villa d'Este, Tivoli

Today I took the train to Tivoli with Judy and two of her friends who are here visiting. Tivoli is a quaint town about an hour and a half east of Rome. One of its main attractions is the Villa d'Este. The Villa was gifted to Cardinal Ippolito d'Este, who built it up and surrounded it with these spectacular gardens loaded with cascades, pools, water jets, and fountains. The Villa was then passed on to Cardinal Allesandro d'Este who further repaired and extended the gardens.