Quo Vadis?

Our Rome exploits began today. We began the day by wending our way to the Basilica of St John Lateran. On the way we went into St Mary of the Angels and Martyrs with its interesting bronze doors and its meridian line, a sort of sundial in the church.

We then went into the Redemptorist church of St Alphonsus Liguori with the original icon of Our Lady of Perpetual Succour (Our Lady of Perpetual Help).  Leona remembers this devotion from her childhood. 

We then called into the Irish College where Steve lived while he was studying in Rome. He wanted to see the newly renovated chapel there is magnificent. His great-great-great uncle, Blessed Colomba Marmion is depicted in the mosaic behind the altar and you will see from the photograph another saint inserted whose name in Stephen. 

Blessed Columba Marmion

Ragheed Ganni was an Iraqi priest who was studying at the Irish College when the US invaded Iraq. He asked his bishop for permission to return to be with his people. He had received many death threats. In 2007 his car was stopped... he was smiling, laughing and trying to engage with the gun men. They said they will teach him to laugh and cut him in half with machine gun fire.

We were invited for lunch and so while waiting we tried to visit the Church of St Stephano Rotundo but it was closed on a Monday so we went to St John Lateran. We began by visiting the baptistry which is the largest ever built. It was at the time of Constantine when many people were becoming Christian. While at John Lateran's we happened to meet up with our friends from Tantur who were also in Rome. Bernard Kiely was in Rome and so he joined us for lunch at the Irish College. 

The Baptistry

St John Lateran is the Cathedral Church of Rome, so the Pope's Cathedral... His Cathedra, Chair can be seen

St Peter

The side Entrance

After lunch Steve, Bernard and I visited the Catacombs of St Callistus. It was an experience of being brought into the era of the early Christians and the respect they showed to their dead and how it illustrated so much the communion of saints. Unfortunately no photos allowed.

Leona and Bernard with a replica of the stautue of the Good Shepherd that was found in the catacombs.

On the way home we stopped at Quo Vadis. Legend has it that Peter is fleeing from likely crucifixion in Rome and along the road outside the city he meets a risen Jesus. Peter asks Jesus "Quo vadis?" (where are you going?), to which He replies, "Romam vado iterum crucifigi." ("I am going to Rome to be crucified again"). Peter thereby gains the courage to continue his ministry and returns to the city, to eventually be martyred by being crucified upside-down.