Well what a day Saturday was. First up was the excitment of seeing Mary MacKillop on the front of St Peters in readiness for the canonisation tomorrow.
Sian and I joined a group of friends to explore some of the special Churches in Rome. We headed to St Clements which is incredible. A beautifully restored Church where Mary MacKillop often heard Mass and recieved support and guidance from the resident priests. There are layers of archelogical findings beneath that eventually lead to a early Roman gathering place. Very interesting indeed.
Then we went to St Paul of the Cross. Got there at a rather interesting time the bride was about to arrive. Still we had time to gasp at the wonderful decorations of the ceilings and walls, not to mention the remainders of Paul of the Cross under the altar. Mary MacKillop was given a fragment of his bones to help her cause.
Then an exciting ride in a taxi that had brought a wedding guest to St Peters to meet up with Jill. Having been given some money for something special they headed for lunch. The real thing antipasto, pizza and a great red wine!
There was a quick trip to the hotel to get glammed up and then we were back in the city for an amazing vigil. It began with offical speeches that gave the context of Mary as a woman for the contempoary world whose legacy included the genorosity of the Sisters of St Joseph, a multimedia presentation of Mary's life followed. It was stunning - using video, music, drama it told the basic story in a moving and creative way. The evening concluded with prayer around the cross that had travelled Australia. Included was the litany of Mary MacKillop and lots of singing. A fitting and moving conclusion to the evening. Many a tear was shed
Leaving we met John Dew who invited a few kiwis out for an anticipatory celebration drink and nibble which rounded off the evening well.
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