Overfed in Orvieto

Pax Christi Vobiscum!

Ciao! I just want to say first off that I am so thankful to all of you for your support and comments. I'm glad to know people enjoy reading what I write...oh, wait, you just enjoy the pictures? Oh...I see....

Well, I'll keep writing anyways.

I have a lot to be thankful for in these past couple of days! Praise God! Yesterday, we were able to visit Le Catacombe di Priscilla, which in Italian means, "The Catacombe di Priscilla." (I haven't been to language school yet....) So we went to the Catacombs, and these particular catacombs, you will be interested to know contain the remains of the early Church martyrs, those who died rather than renounce their faith. That means it dates back to the 2nd or 3rd Century. That's not all, however, as these particular catacombs have about 8 miles of tunnels underground, holding the remains of nearly 40,000 people. We of course only got a peek at it, but what we saw was amazing.

Though I was concerned about what I was breathing in a place housing so many dead people, I did not let that stop me from exploring this place of new birth, as the early Church saw it. They did not count the death as the end of life but rather the beginning of new life, a new birth in Christ. The paintings there reflect these themes: the raising of Lazarus from the dead, Noah coming out of the Ark, and the three wise men coming to see the baby Jesus. This brings up two very important points: first, these paintings are at least 1700 years old, preserved over these many centuries; second, two of the ones I mentioned (there are many others, though) are from the New Testament, which at that time, was not yet compiled by the Church into the Bible. This means the oral tradition of the Church was alive and well, preserving these accounts through artworks such as these. Amazing!!!

We also saw the oldest known depiction of the Blessed Virgin Mary, which is 1800 years old. You can find a copy of this picture in the newly published Catechism of the Catholic Church. I had seen it in there before, so I was not so impressed...just kidding. ...Please do not tell on me to the Pope.

We then celebrated Mass on top of the catacombs, in a chapel built by Saint Silvester. The chapel originally had no external door. Those seeking to come to celebrate the Mass would have to descend into the upper levels of the catacombs and pass through the dead to the new life of the Mass!!! Saint Silvester knew how important our experience can be in helping us come to believe the truths of the faith. It is such a blessing to be formed into the faith in the place where the faith first formed.

That was Friday. As for today, we visited Orvieto, where a Eucharistic miracle occurred. During consecration, the bread actually bled onto the corporal, and you can still see the blood stains on the corporal preserved in a side chapel. We also had an amazing lunch or pranzo in Orvieto, which I will draw nutrients from over the next 3 days. The pictures speak for themselves.



It has been said that a picture is worth a thousand words, which means that I just wrote 5,000 words! And you just read 5,000 words! I love literacy! And exclamations!

Well, thank you again for tuning in. I will be off to my next assignment, Verbania, tomorrow morning where I will learn Italiano. The classes consist mostly of sign language. It is only by week 3 that we learn how to add real Italian words to the hand motions (yelling comes in at week 4).

I am not sure whether internet will be readily available, so it may be a while till my next post. Rest assured, though: it will be filled with info and pictures. Like this one.

Oh, that's good.

May God bless you now and always! Thank you for your support and prayers, and I pray for you too!

Pax!