Rome Visit 2019

Day 1:
We arrived safely in Rome and headed to our first Basilica; St. Paul’s Outside the Walls. We discovered more about the story of St. Paul and were amazed by how spectacular the Basilica looked. Being at the Basilica was very special because we were able to pray at the tomb of St. Paul, an extraordinary start to our pilgrimage.

After lunch, we visited the Beda College were Fr. Stephen celebrated mass. The seminarians made us very welcome and spoke to us about their journey to priesthood.

Day 2:
We started our day at St. Peter’s Basilica where Fr. Stephen celebrated mass in the chapel of St John XXIII. Amongst the many statues and mosaics we found the statue of our patron saint, St. Helen.

We climbed the dome of the Basilica where we enjoyed a panoramic view of Rome.
After a lovely lunch, we visited the English College where we found out more about the martyrs who died for their Catholic faith.
We enjoyed a walking tour through Piazza Navona, the Pantheon and the church of St. Ignatius. We stopped for an ice cream near the Trevi fountain before heading back to Villa Palazzolo for a delicious evening meal.

Day 3
We had an early start today as we made our way to St. Peter’s Square for the Papal Audience. We listened to Pope Francis read the Gospel, reflect on St. Paul’s missionary journey and sang the Our Father together in Latin.
We used our map reading skills to discover historical monuments such as the Colosseum and Constantine’s Arch.
After lunch, we visited the Basilica dedicated to Saints John the Baptist and John the Evangelist. Finally, at the end of the day, we celebrated mass in the beautiful Basilica Santa Croce which houses relics brought to Rome by St. Helen.

Day 4
On our final day in Rome we took a tour around the Palace of Castel Gandolfo. Here we found out about the history of the Popes and viewed paintings, tapestries and liturgical vestments. There were fantastic views of Lake Albano, which is a volcanic crater lake, from the balcony. After a very spiritual 4 days, we are now on our way home to London! We have thoroughly enjoyed our pilgrimage to Rome.