.::Firmum Est::. - - My Heart is Steadfast

The Altar of St. Petronilla at St Peter Basilica is where I first served as a deacon. Here is a bit of information about the altar:

[UPDATE: In God’s providence, I was able to serve the Mass of  newly ordained friend (oil still on the hands) at the same Altar on her feast day - though we celebrated the Visitation!] 

Most visitors to St. Peter’s Basilica wonder why the candles on the altars are never lit. Early morning Mass attendees of course know that all the candles on the side altars are lit every morning from 7 to 8:30 a.m. as the individual Eucharistic celebrations are taking place.

But as the last taper is extinguished, the altars fall dark, except the one that will be used for the regular morning Masses. But on feast days of saints venerated in St. Peter’s, the altar dedicated to the saint is adorned with flowers and lit candles, standing out among all the others.

Sometimes the honoree is a well-known saint, such as St. Gregory the Great or St. Joseph, but often these little celebrations allow visitors to reacquaint themselves with long-forgotten saints and realize how important they are to Christian history and culture.

On May 31, St. Peter’s paid homage to what is today a somewhat obscure saint, St. Petronilla, but closer study reveals that some of the finest art in the basilica was dedicated to her altar.

St. Petronilla lived in Rome and was probably martyred in the first century during the early Christian persecutions. Her grave, near that of Sts. Nereo and Achilleo in the catacomb of Domitilla, was one of the most venerated tombs in the city up through the seventh century, when the catacombs were finally abandoned.

As early as the fourth century, Petronilla was already an artistic subject. A fresco in an underground crypt from 356 represents the saint assisting a woman, Veneranda, into heaven. But this was only the beginning of Petronilla’s rewarding association with the arts.

The remains of Petronilla, in a white marble sarcophagus, were transferred in 757 to the old St. Peter’s Basilica built by Constantine. The saint was laid to rest in a former imperial mausoleum situated next to the church, which was consecrated as the Chapel of Petronilla and annexed to the Basilica.

The circular building, which can be seen in old drawings of the ancient church, became the French chapel of St. Peter’s, as Petronilla became patroness of relations between the Pope and the first Holy Roman Emperors.

The inscription on the tomb, “of the golden Petronilla, the sweetest daughter,” the distinctiveness of her elegant mausoleum, and the translation of her relics to St. Peter’s gave rise to the medieval legend that the Roman martyr was the daughter of St. Peter.

The charming tale surrounding the identity of Petronilla recounted that Peter’s beautiful daughter attracted the eye of the pagan son of a high-ranking Roman official, and to protect Petronilla from unwanted advances, Peter and his daughter prayed for her to be rendered too ill to be considered for marriage.

The ruse worked for a short time, but finally the young man realized he had been duped and denounced Petronilla as a Christian. Peter prayed to have his daughter spared a harrowing martyrdom and Petronilla died in her sleep.

This story, while adding romance and famous names, nonetheless demoted Petronilla from her high status of martyr to virgin. The artwork dedicated to her, however, went from a hasty catacomb fresco to one of the greatest treasures of the basilica.

In 1498, French Cardinal Jean Bilhères de Lagraulas wanted to commemorate the upcoming Jubilee Year of 1500 with a new work of art for the Petronilla chapel where he planned to be buried. He approached a relatively unknown, 23-year-old Florentine sculptor named Michelangelo Buonarroti, and asked him to sculpt a statue of the Pietà. The rest is history.

St. Petronilla still ranked high as a virgin martyr in Cesare Baronio’s Martyrology of the post Counter-Reformation era (ending in the 16th century). Antonio Bosio’s exploration of the early Christian sites ensured that Petronilla had enough clout to retain a chapel dedicated to her in the new basilica of St. Peter completed in 1612.

The Pietà was briefly placed back in her chapel, which is along the right-hand aisle against the apsidal wall of the basilica. It was soon moved to its present position, and a new work of art was commissioned for Petronilla.

Francesco Barbieri, nicknamed Guercino, star pupil of the 17th-century Carracci academy of Bologna, and Baroque painter par excellence, was hired to paint the enormous oil on canvas of “The Raising of St. Petronilla.”

The original is kept today in the Capitoline Museums, but the mosaic copy in St. Peter’s faithfully re-creates the effect of the landmark work.

This astonishing work, standing 25 feet high, drew on the medieval legend of Petronilla and represents Peter on the lower half of the canvas lowering his daughter in the tomb while the upper half shows Petronilla, adorned in beautiful silks and velvets being welcomed into heaven by Christ.

The brilliant blues and rich reds catch the viewer’s eye from afar and impart a sense of preciousness to the work, but the most surprising effect can only be seen by those attending Mass. As Peter grasps the ropes to lower his daughter’s body into the grave, the corpse of Petronilla seems to hover above the altar. From the lowest border of the work only two outstretched hands reaching upward can be seen.

One might think that the hands belong to a gravedigger ready to receive the body and lay it in the ground, but those hands also recall the supplication of Veneranda, who relied on Petronilla’s intercession for her salvation. The medieval tale blends with the ancient martyrdom.

St. Petronilla’s life in both history and art recall that the examples of the saints are more than just pretty pictures to be admired in church, but also indications of how we too can be part of the great communion of the elect in heaven.

The Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas, also known as Pontificia Università San Tommaso d’Aquino or the Angelicum, is one of the major pontifical universities of Rome. It is my alma mater.

Check out a introduction video [here].

Today was the Seven Church Walk! Check out pictures from two years ago [here]

Saint Philip Neri (1515-1595) used to lead excursions to the four Major and three Minor basilicas of Rome, often with music and a picnic along the way as a cheerful means of instructing his penitents. In 1559, his famous “Pilgrimage to the Seven Churches” brought censure from Pope Paul IV (1555-1559) and a temporary suspension of all St. Philip’s works. In the same year, however, Pope Pius IV (1559-1565) restored him to favor. Today, friends of San Felipo gather to make the Seven-Church Walk in honor of the “Apostle of Rome” (customarily on Wednesday of Holy Week, “Spy Wednesday”.)

One of the blessings of being a deacon is the assistance at Mass - service at the Altar. Being in Rome, there are a number of liturgies around in the Christmas and Advent season were I have been able to serve as a Deacon at the Altar of a Mass offered. These have been small masses but what has made them special has been they have been celebrated by a Cardinal.

James Cardinal Stafford - Main Celebrant of Fiftieth Anniversary of Priesthood
Chapel of the Immaculate Conception - North American College
After welcoming Pope John Paul II to Denver for World Youth Day ‘93, Bishop Stafford was invited to come to Rome to be the Pontifical Council for the Laity. His service to the church has taken him now to the Apostolic Penitentiary. The Penitentiary has been dealing with the forgiveness of major sins since the 12th century. It was an honor to serve as a Deacon for him and the other priests celebrating their fiftieth anniversary. Think of all the Masses they have offered, babies they have baptized and sins they have forgiven! Wow!

John Cardinal Foley - Christmas Vigil
Chapel of the Immaculate Conception - North American College
A baby-Cardinal just elevated in November, Cardinal Foley is very dear to my heart and the heart of the College. My great-uncle worked with him during his time as the edition of the Catholic Standard Times in Philly. He gave me the ministry of Lector and ordained me to the Diaconate in October. He is now the Grand Master of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem. That is a long way of saying that he oversees the needs of the Shrines in the Holy Land
Albert Cardinal Vanhoye S.J., Albert - Final Vows of the Missionaries of Charity Fathers
Parish of San Stefano, Proto-martyr - Roma (Tor Fiscale)
Recently made a Cardinal, without being ordained a bishop, Cardinal Vanhoye has the dean of the Biblical Faculty of the Pontifical Biblical Institute from 1969-1990. He received the final vows of Brothers Ralf and Jacob MC just after Christmas. The celebration was at the local parish near the house of the Missionaries of Charity Fathers. As a Cardinal, he could accept their final vows but because he is not a bishop, he was unable to ordain them to the diaconate.

Angelo Cardinal Comastri - Ordination of the Missionaries of Charity Fathers.
St Peter Basilica, Altar of the Chair
Another recent Cardinal, Cardinal Comastri has been in charge of the day to day operations of St Peter’s Basilica for the past three years. He ordained Brothers Ralf and Jacob MC to the Diaconate. I was the Deacon of the Word and chanted the Gospel.

Theodore Cardinal McCarrick - Ordinary Time
Private Chapel - North American College

Most recently, Cardinal McCarrick visited us at the College. He sent me to study in Rome and it is always a blessing to have him here with us. He travels a great deal as he is still working hard in service for God and Church.

As part of the celebrations of the weekend, Deacon Ralf’s Mass of Thanksgiving was in the Crypt of the Basilica Santa Maria Maggiore. I was honored to join them for the celebrations. The celebration of the Holy Family was also at the Altar of the Holy Crib. Below is an article about the relics and their degradation.

The relics venerated as the crib the baby Jesus used in a Bethlehem grotto are in an alarming state of degradation, some church officials said.

The remains have become so fragile that officials at Rome’s Basilica of St. Mary Major, where the crib is located, decided to suspend this year’s annual Christmas Eve tradition when the relics are carried from the crypt beneath the main altar in a procession around the basilica and displayed in front of the altar all Christmas Day.

Two of the five wooden slats are showing signs of “troublesome deterioration,” Msgr. Emilio Silvestrini, a priest at the basilica has said.

He said Dec. 28 that “for years” they had noticed the crib’s fragile condition had worsened.

The small wooden boards are protected inside an elegant silver and glass cradle-shaped reliquary in a little chapel under the basilica’s main altar.

The relics were brought to Rome from Palestine after Pope Theodore I was elected pontiff in 642, said Bishop Franco Gualdrini, prefect of the basilica’s sacristy, in an interview with Vatican Radio Dec. 28.

The bishop said the pope sent the relics to be housed in the Basilica of St. Mary Major, which was called St. Mary of the Crib after it obtained the relics.

Bishop Gualdrini said that early next year they will set up “a commission of experts to take a look at the crib, examine it and say what the appropriate thing to do” will be.

He said the crib and the 19th-century reliquary need “urgent restoration.”

In a Dec. 28 interview with the Italian daily La Repubblica, Bishop Gualdrini said it is too early to tell if the damage is being caused by woodworms or other parasites, but that “there seems to be fine wood dust near the relics.”

Msgr. Granito Tavanti, another priest at the basilica, said Dec. 28 they are waiting to hear from the Vatican, which oversees the crib and will suggest which “competent experts” can best preserve the relics.

Made from the wood of a sycamore tree, two of the crib’s planks are nearly a yard long. According to Catholic encyclopedias, studies suggest the wood planks were supports for the manger which may have been made out of clay or limestone.

Msgr. Silvestrini said they need “a new way to preserve the relic and for carrying it (so they will) be able to display it again next Christmas.”

This past weekend, I was honored to participate in the Diaconate Ordination of two brothers from the Religious Family of the Missionaries of Charity. Brother Ralf and Brother Jacob are now Deacon Ralf and Deacon Jacob. The weekend was full of joy and celebration of the gift of these two men to the Christ, to his Church and to the poorest of the poor.

I thought it would be proper share a poem of Mother and her message of Love.

Poem by Mother Teresa

People are often unreasonable, illogical and self-centered; Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives;
Be kind anyway.

If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true enemies;
Succeed anyway.

If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you;
Be honest and frank anyway.

What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight;
Build anyway

If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous;
Be happy anyway.

The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow;
Do good anyway.

Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough;
Give the world the best you’ve got anyway.

You see in the final analysis. it is between you and God;
It was never between you and them anyway.

I have a bike. Not a motorbike or a ‘motorino’ as they call it here. The name ‘vespa’ is like calling all tissues ‘kleenex’ or calling all bleach ‘clorox.’

Anyways, I have a bike. I’ve always thought it to be the best way to get around. It is the fastest. I’m able to get out into more of the residental areas just enjoy the scenery. Below is the experience of a life-time biker while riding through the city.

“Rome traffic was busy, fast and assertive (I wouldn’t call it aggressive). The simplest way to explain how to ride in Rome traffic is to follow and mimic the Vespa riders.

It is easy to keep up with traffic. As you approach a red light do whatever it takes to get to the front of the line - with all the motorized Vespas. That includes crossing the double yellow line, or riding right on it, in order to pass everyone and get to the front. When the light turns green, sprint across the intersection and fade over to the right so the cars and other traffic can pass you. I never once felt threatened, got honked at, or even noticed an ounce of hostility. It’s just fast and assertive. Rome drivers will NOT hit you.

And on a bike you get the best of both worlds. If you ride assertively in traffic the Rome drivers seem to understand you better, they can predict your actions. You are given the respect due any other vehicle on the roadway. And then, since you are on a bike, if you feel the need to you can go the wrong way down a one way street.

Just be sure to give everyone else the right of way. Stay way over to the side of the road and mind the pedestrians that walk out over the curb at times. Like I said, I never saw an evil eye nor heard a discouraging word.”

This afternoon, with some of the University Study Abroad students, we made a pilgrimage to some of the saints in the heart of Rome. I believe that the saints are the heart of Rome. We visited the Pantheon - formerly the Temple to All the Gods. Just in case the Romans forgot someone up there they didn’t want them to get angry. So they covered their bases in the Pantheon. The Church now is called ” ”

I prayed for all my former teachers and Dominican friends at Santa Maria Sopra Minerva with St Catherine of Sienna and Blessed Fra Angelico.

I prayed for my Mom at San Agostino where there are the relics of St Monica, the Mother of St Augustine.

I prayed for my teachers and Jesuit friends at San Ignazio with St Aloysius Gonzaga and St Robert Bellarmine.

I prayed for my Dad and all Franciscans at Ss. Apostoli, where Philip and James the Lesser are found. James is my father’s name and my middle name. The O.F.M Conv. are the custodians of this Church.

It was a blessed afternoon with many good conversations and prayers along the way. Just a mini-pilgrimage around the city. Nothing like a good afternoon with the saints to keep me away from the books. Now they want me to get back to the books - in preparation for a presentation on Monday Afternoon.

Dio vi benedica!

Wow! What a great day to be in Rome - the City of the Saints - for the Feast of All Saints! All the religious holidays are ‘national holidays’ in Italy, so the whole city shut down, including the schools.

The day began with a true American breakfast: Eggs, Bacon, Cinnamon Rolls, French Toast. The seminary is such a big building that we divide ourselves into corridors for more personal events. The corridor of “Third Convent” (because the wing is near the convent on the property) is about 25 guys from North Dakota to Australia, Wyoming to Brooklyn. But gathering together, we usually don’t remember all the things that had once seperated us - we remember that we are now brothers in Christ.

That which unifies the most is the celebration of the Eucharist. Yesterdays, Mass was very prayerful and beautiful. A side altar in the Chapel of the Immaculate Conception held relics from the 12 Apostles and to the Patron Saint of Parish Priests, St Jean Marie Vianney. I was able to share my relic of St Jean Vianney, who is accompanied by a relic of St Thomas Aquinas. These were a gift of a good friend for my ordination to the Diaconate. In the sanctuary, Bishop-Elect Callahan, was vested. He had returned that morning from his visit to the states where he was announced new aux. Bishop of Milwaukee. It was a joyful return for all of us. We will enjoy his presence here in the house for about another month - then he will return to the US for his ordination and his ministry.

The afternoon brought rain and football practice. Not European ‘football,’ but real American football. The “Old-Men” were practicing for our Thanksgiving Day game - Not the Turkey Bowl but the Spaghetti Bowl - against the “New-Men.” It was a blast but my legs are a bit sore. I’m not used to the squatted lineman stance.

The day was capped off with Evening Prayer, our first solemn celebration of the year. What more can I say, except it was beautiful. The Choir, though very young and with a new director, is doing exceptionally well. They create a proper prayer filled environment. It reminded me of the glory that the angels and saint give to the Holy Trinity in Heaven. Having just visited Venice this past weekend, I leave you with a painting of all the Saint worshiping in Paradise.

By Tintoretto:

By Carol Glatz
Catholic News Service

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — An ocean away from family and friends, some U.S. seminarians at the Pontifical North American College in Rome are bridging the divide with online communities and digital means of communication such as Skype, instant messaging, Facebook, MySpace and more.

But while it may have begun as simple e-mails and Web log, or blog, entries meant to keep loved ones in touch, their notes from Rome to home have blossomed into a whole new way these students preparing for the priesthood can share their spiritual journey with the rest of the world.

“It’s a great witness when we share our stories, our experiences in (the) seminary” that include “our hopes, our joys, our fears, our anxieties about” the journey toward the priesthood, said Johnny Burns, 27, of Milwaukee.

Burns, Jacob Bertrand of San Diego and Michael Bruno of Brooklyn, N.Y., took a break from their busy schedules as second-year theology students to speak with Catholic News Service about how some seminarians from today’s so-called “Google generation” are helping other people find God and the church through the Internet.

“There’s a lot of junk on the Internet and we have to fix it,” said Bertrand, 23, who seems the savviest of the group with a blog, accounts on two social networking sites on the Web — MySpace and Facebook — and plans for broadcasting practice homilies on YouTube, a video-sharing Web site.

“We need to integrate ourselves into these online communities and in a sense baptize the way these things work,” he said.

“Everyone’s opinion gets expressed and published, but nobody’s opinion necessarily has any truth to it,” the California native said.

Well-formed Catholics and church leaders have a golden opportunity to move into the World Wide Web like any new mission territory and point people to the truth and to Christ, the seminarians said.

Bruno, 22, said one of the things he loves most about the networking power of Facebook is “I put down I am a Mets fan, that I follow Notre Dame football” as well as his favorite books and movies. Other young people may be drawn to his profile because they have a shared interest in the New York Mets baseball team or because they went to the same high school, but then they see that he is also a seminarian studying for the priesthood in Rome.

Very few people actually know a seminarian, and meeting one online and discovering he has many of the same interests as other young people can wipe away some preconceived notions about the kind of person who is drawn to a priestly or religious vocation, the three men said.

Being a presence in these online communities almost acts as a sort of accidental advertising for the Catholic Church.

On the one hand, some people may be drawn to vent their frustrations or anger about the church, but Burns said, “on the flip side it’s also easier for a young man or young woman who’s considering a vocation to the priestly or religious life to send a quick question or two or even enter into a relationship of counseling with a priest or a seminarian who can give some advice on the discernment process.”

He said his answering questions and engaging people in reflection in these “electronic communities” have provided him with valuable opportunities to experience ministry work.

“We are ministering to these people in many ways, both in sharing our stories, in helping them along their way answering their questions, and providing them another avenue for their own personal faith exploration,” the Milwaukee denizen said.

But while the three men see that they are helping people learn more about the church and Christ, they also see it helps strengthen their own love for God and priestly calling.

Bruno said often he is asked by curious online visitors what led to his decision to become a priest.

He tells them it wasn’t something “abnormal like a lightning bolt coming down and throwing you on the floor” or a loud voice calling your name. The reasons, he said, were rooted in the people who raised, loved and taught him throughout life.

“The vocation to be a priest is one that is nourished first in the family, but also in all your relationships, your friends, teachers and parish priests,” he said.

Bruno said relationships are crucial and are “the nourishment of one’s vocation.”

Now because of Facebook, instant messaging and Skype, he is able “to keep those relationships alive and vibrant” so that they continue to sustain him both as a person and as a future priest.

“So many people have the idea that the life of a priest is a lonely life, that it is without relationships. Well, that couldn’t be farther from the truth,” Bruno said.

On the one hand these young men are sent away from their families and friends to complete their studies and formation, but in the end, Bruno said, “we’re also sent back to them to minister to them, to be a comfort, to be a guide, to be a priest to them.”

All of them emphasized the aim of their online presence was not to point people to their site or to create a perfect or popular Christian community; it is to be a signpost of sorts to show people the way back to God and to a real physical community that involves human interaction, face to face.

Burns said online communities are “a helpful means of evangelization and can be a very successful tool for the church if, at the end of the day, it’s bringing people to the sacraments and especially to the Mass.”

“You cannot experience Jesus Christ on the Internet no matter what you do,” Bertrand said; it has to be a “personal experience of Christ,” and “they won’t get that on the online community.”