The Story of Our Pilgrimage
October 7, 2024, at 6:30 pm, was the date and time for our 75th Anniversary pilgrimage to begin! All the pilgrims were at the gate between 3:30 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. They were on time either because they were enthusiastic for this pilgrimage, or it is their habit to be on time. At the end it was both. Air France was our airline. It pulled out from the gate at exactly 6:30 pm but did not take off until 7:30 pm due to air traffic. We had similar problem in Paris. This time it was due to the installation of new software in the control tower.
Our tour manager met us at the Airport in Rome on our arrival and took us to our hotel. We had dinner together and went to our different rooms. We had an early rising the next day. It was a day full of visits to different holy places. We woke up around 5:45 a.m. We collected our breakfast boxes around 6:30 a.m. and began our journey to St. Peter’s Square which was about a twenty minute drive.
When we arrived at about 7:00 a.m., there were already long lines of people waiting to enter the square. People come here around 5:00 a.m. to see the Pope, I was told. Meeting the Pope or being in his presence was something inestimable. It was the highlight of our trip. It took us more than two and half hours to go through the security check points. We entered St. Peter’s Square at about 8:45 a.m. At exactly 9:00 a.m., all we were waiting for happened, Pope Francis entered the square. The welcoming cheers could be heard miles away. Pilgrims ran to the path he intended to pass just to get a closer look at him. Our pilgrims did the same and got good video and picture of him. As if one pass was not enough, Pope Francis came to our side a second time. This encounter made the pilgrimage worth it! He then proceeded with his catechesis. After a reading from the Acts of the Apostles, he spoke about unity in the Church. He greeted pilgrims from different countries. Unlike his two predecessors, it seems that Pope is comfortable with two languages, Spanish and Italian.
This is not all we did on Wednesday, Day Three of our pilgrimage. We visited the St. John Lateran Basilica, Santa Maria in Trastevere, and the Basilica of Saint Mary Major. We celebrated Mass at the Basilica of St. Mary Major. My homily was on how Mary is a major player in our Faith. Santa Maria in Trastevere is said to be dedicated to the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, except for one painting there wasn’t a whole lot of evidence of this unlike the church in Orvieto.
Day four of our Pilgrimage was both spiritual and historical. We visited two churches that housed the chains of Peter and Paul. We also learned why Rome is called the “Eternal City.” First, we visited the Basilica of Saint Peter in Chains, where we saw the chains. We celebrated Mass at this Basilica. We reminded ourselves in that Mass of how St. Paul reminded us that we are chained by sin. Our goal in life is to work with the grace of God to free ourselves from the tentacles of the evil one. After touring that Basilica, we proceeded to see the history of the City of Rome.
We visited the Colosseum from outside. The significance of the Colosseum is interesting. Human interest in violent entertainment is eternal. We proceeded from there to view the Roman and Imperial forums as well as the Capitoline Hill where the political seat of the City of Rome has been for almost 3,000 years. There was an extensive excavation which exposed how the city was more than 3,000 years ago. It is here that the guide explained to us the reason the city is called the “Eternal City.” It is as if every stone, every edifice continues to tell the story of the city since its inception. We concluded day four of the pilgrimage by visiting the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls. Here we visited the tomb of the Apostle Paul and saw his chains. It is in this Basilica that we saw a good painting of Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
At this point we had enough of Rome. On Day Six, we left Rome for Assisi. On our way to Assisi, we had a quick stop at Orvieto. This small community located on top of a hill amazed me! It has the most stunning Gothic Cathedral. It is built in the Romanesque and Gothic style. That this Cathedral is dedicated to Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary was obvious because it is represented all over the Cathedral. Unlike other Basilicas, Cathedrals and Churches dedicated to ABVM, this one is obvious. We celebrated Mass here and prayed for all the parishioners of Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Pasadena. This Cathedral also housed one of the Eucharistic miracles in Italy. After spending some time in the chapel dedicated to the Eucharistic miracle we proceeded to Assisi.
We spent that entire Sunday, Day Seven, in Assisi. We visited the three Basilicas in Assisi. First, we visited the Basilica of St. Francis where he lies in rest. We celebrated Mass in one of the chapels in the convent. While at St. Francis Basilica Plaza, we visited the chapel that housed the body of fifteen-year-old Carlo Acutis, the first Catholic Church’s millennial to become a saint.
Later we proceeded to St. Mary of the Angels Basilica. This is where St. Francis began his ministry, and St. Clare began her religious life. We saw and touched the garden of Roses without thorns of St. Francis. We then visited the Basilica of St. Clare. Our last visit was to Eremo delle Corceri, St. Francis favorite get-away. Like the pilgrims, this is my first time to this place. It is also left two questions in my mind. This place is on top of Monte Subasio. How did he get up here? We saw his bed. It was a slab of stone. There is no fireplace. How did he survive the cold weather? This is what happens to us when we are touched by God.
The G-7 meeting was to take place the next day at the Basilica of St. Francis. So, we rounded up our visit of Assisi on Sunday and left on Monday morning.
On Day 8, we proceeded to Florence, making a brief stop in the city of Siena, the home of St. Catherine of Siena. Although St. Catherine is of the Tertiary Order of Dominicans, the influence of St. Francis in this city is well noticed. The only Basilica in the city is the Basilica of St. Francis where the Eucharistic miracle of Siena is venerated and adored. At her home, we saw the cell where she fasted and prayed. We went to St. Dominic Church, her home parish, where she attended daily Mass and went into ecstasy. We celebrated Mass in this church and asked for her intercession.
We could not do much in Milan because of rain. It was the city that brought pilgrimage to an end. Before heading home, we visited the church of St. Ambrose where St. Augustine was baptized and many saints were made. We also visited the Duomo, the most magnificent Gothic church in Northen Italy. It is also the cathedral of St. Charles Borromeo.
This pilgrimage was like no other. It was spiritually inspiring, and historically enlightening. That the stones, monuments, and buildings of more than 3,000 years ago, are still telling their stories is remarkable and enlightening. To hear Cathedrals, Basilicas and Churches tell us about the faith of saints and ordinary people of centuries ago is inspiring. They continue to confirm us in faith.
I will never tell anyone again that Italy is flat. This country had more steep hills than Holy Land! In the end, I discovered that it was the habit of these pilgrims to be on time. None of them were late for any scheduled event. Glory Be To God!
As the pilgrims return to Los Angeles, I continued my journey to Africa to celebrate the funeral of my uncle. He is the last of his generation. These picture tells the story.
Fr. Mike Ume
October , 2024
Pilgrimage to Italy – Recordings of Daily Mass Presided by Pastor Michael Ume
Oct. 9, 2024 Mass at Santa Maria Major, Rome, Italy
Oct. 10, 2024 Mass at St. Peter in Vincoli (Chains)
Oct. 11, 2024 Mass at St. Peter’s Vatican City Chapel
Oct. 12, 2024 Mass in crypt Duomo Orvieto
Oct. 13, 2024 Mass at Papal Basilica of Saint Mary of the Angels in Assisi
Oct. 14, 2024 Mass in Basilica Catherine di San Domenico in Siena
Oct. 15, 2024 Mass at Basilica di Santa Maria Novella in Florence
Oct. 16, 2024 Mass at Santa Maria Del Grazie in Milan
Oct. 17, 2024 Mass at Milan Cathedral
Pilgrimage to Italy – Daily Visit Slide Show and Photos
