Desert Flower: the last days in Italy

Friday, August 16. We awoke and ate a light breakfast and set off on our way. We got on a bus that took us to the summit of the hill upon which Assisi is built. Guided by Brother Alberto, we began our tour of the town. First we visited the church which in the days of Francis had been the cathedral of the town. It is the place where Francis and Clare were baptized and received first communion and confirmation. Today, the bishop no longer dwells in this place however the church is extremely beautiful. In the square of the church, the trial of Francis took place, brought to justice by his father after he had distributed food and clothing to the poor from his father’s storerooms. We continued on to the church which had been built by the family of Francis. In the church is the room where Francis’ father imprisoned his son before the trial and the original door of their house is still standing. After a visit and the retelling of the life story of Francis by Alberto and Apolinary, we continued our tour. After a steep descent, we reached the Basilica of Saint Francis in the town, wherein is preserved the body of Francis. The church is also important from an artistic point of view because the frescoes were painted by the Renaissance painter Giotto, the first to use perspective in his painting. After a tour of the church and a prayer at the tomb of Francis and the first friars, we were given an hour to visit the church by ourselves. Some went for confession, some continued the tour and others went to buy souvenirs. After a free hour, we had the privilege of having mass in the main chapel of the church. After a moving mass and another good sermon of Father Apolinary, who spoke about the life and teaching of Francis, we returned to our sleeping quarters. We organized our things and continued on to the station. Two hours later we were in Rome. We had dinner, invited yet again by Father Nunzio. After a satisfying meal we went to sleep, preparing for a visit of Rome the next day.

Saturday, August 17. We awoke to our last full day in the city. After breakfast, we set off to tour the city as much as possible. We began in the Piazza di Spagna, one of the main squares in the city. After a short tour and an explanation from Apolinary, we scattered, some to shop and others to sit in a café. After half an hour, we gathered and continued on our way. We visited the Church of San Andrea delle Frate in which the Virgin Mary appeared to Alphonse Ratisbonne and after this event he was baptized. In this same church, Saint Maximilian Kolbe celebrated his first mass as a newly ordained priest. When we visited the souvenir shop, the woman there was so surprised to hear that we were from Israel that she gave us each a medallion of the Virgin Mary for free. Outside, two friends of Benny from his days in Rome joined us. We decided to go to the Colosseum. On the way we passed before the altar of the nation and the balcony from which the announcement was made in which Italy joined the Axis in the Second World War. After a rather long walk in the ancient city of Rome, we reached the Colosseum. The sight was astounding from outside and we took photos and were photographed. We went on to have lunch in a small, chilly restaurant nearby. After lunch, Benny’s friends left us and we continued our tour. We went by the church in which there is perpetual adoration and intentions for the Christians all over the world. After a time prayer in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament, we continued on. We reached the Jewish Quarter and there Benny guided us on a detailed tour and told us briefly the history of the Jewish community in Italy up until today. It seems that the Jewish community in Italy was culturally very rich and very interesting. At the end of the tour, we visited the mother church of the Jesuits, the Gesu, in which the founder of the order, Saint Ignatius of Loyola, is buried and where there are the relics of Saint Francis Xavier. After a brief prayer in the church we went back to our sleeping quarters. After a time to get organized, we went to the Sunday mass of the parish which was celebrated for us in Hebrew with brief translations in Italian. In his homily, Apolinary spoke about the necessity of changing one’s life in the light of the fire of faith and to be formed by it. Then there was a meeting with the parish in which there were questions and answers convened by a local journalist. At the end of the day, we prepared a surprise for Apolinary and Benny. We convened them in the sports hall, lit only by a candle and after prayer the “Our Father”, each one thanked them personally for the voyage and for their function as guides. There were also votes of thanks for Alberto, who was not with us. At the end of the thanksgiving gathering, we gave Apolinary and Benny shirts signed by all the members of the group and crosses that we had bought for them. Then, we went off to sleep. Tomorrow, the Angelus with the Pope.

Last day, Sunday, August 18. We were supposed to wake up a little later compared to the other days – it was Sunday after all – but most of us were awoken by the bells of the church and the voices of those faithful gathered for prayer in the courtyard of the parish in the early hours of the morning. At breakfast we bid farewell to Don Nunzio, who had hosted us with an open heart and exceptional generosity. Apolinary and Benny gave him a t-shirt of the group and some of us added souvenirs that we had brought with us from Israel. We were happy to hear that he would probably be visiting Israel in the coming year. After the farewell, we set off on our way to the underground station in order to get to Saint Peter’s Square for the weekly Angelus prayer of the Pope. Even though the train was not crowded, from the moment we got off we say hundreds and even thousands of people marching together towards the square. After a walk of about fifteen minutes we reached our destination and because there was no shade and there was still an hour and a half to wait, we unfurled an Israeli flag and found some shade under it. The flag attracted many people who came to talk to us and take photos of us and one group in particular stood out, a group of Lebanese pilgrims. Some of those in our group spoke to them in Arabic and the atmosphere was positive and friendly. At midday, the Pope came out onto the balcony of his office and began the prayer. In the words of his address he said that faith is not a decoration in our lives but rather a force that is supposed to motive all of our being and change the track of our lives. His words connected very well with the homilies of Father Apolinary right through the trip and served as a fitting conclusion to our pilgrimage. After the prayer, we went to eat lunch and rested a while on the grass in a public square in Rome. Then we returned to our sleeping quarters and rested a bit before setting off for the airport. At the main train station we bade farewell to Benny, who continued on his way to his parents’ home in Naples. After an emotional and vocal farewell in contrast to the sleepy Sunday atmosphere, we got on the train to the airport. After an hour wait, we boarded the plane and three and half hours later we landed and each one went home. The experience had come to an end. Praise to God and thanks to all those who helped organize the trip, especially thanks to our benefactors and especially the German Association of the Holy Land.