Planes, Pains, and Un'automobile

I awoke this morning with my head in the clouds. Was I dreaming? No. I was at the tail end of a trans-Atlantic flight to Rome. I had been sleeping upright in the oh-so-luxurious coach chairs for about 2 hours of an 8 hour flight when I awoke. I caught a brief view of the clouds. It was quite brief, however, for the sharp pain in my neck (and the gradual deceleration of the plane) brought me back to earth.

After a frenzy at the airport, I found that I was blessed enough to receive all of my luggage at the baggage claim (usually, at least one piece of luggage takes a siesta). The bleary-eyed group of seminarians all ambled out of the airport and onto an autobus, which is Italian for bus. We arrived at the seminary, and then the fun began.


Here is a quick look at my room and the view from my room (Praise the Lord!):





We went to the Chapel of the Assumption for a Rosary at 12:50. The Chapel is gorgeous and is one of about 6 Chapels (that I know of) in the seminary itself. It was amazing to get to consecrate my time here at the seminary to Mary, our Mother, from the beginning of my journey here.

After feeding our souls, we promptly moved to the refectory (the dining hall), where we fed our stomachs. The meal was filled with pasta, vino, and mystery meat. A delightful combination, to be sure. But honestly, the meal was fantastic. In Italy, lunch, or pranzo, is the biggest meal of the day. I enjoyed it immensely.


Then, we began our tour, which took us all around the seminary, and served primarily to keep us standing upright. But the seminary is fantastic. I don't know when we're suppposed to study with the many opportunities to pray, workout, socialize, and travel that are available to us. What a blessing! Praise God.

The day ended with a gelato run and hamburgers on the roof. You can see some of the activity here.




All in all, I'd say it's going to be a great time here. Praise the Lord for the chance to learn and grow here in the Eternal City, to study the Church at her heart. And I don't think we could get into too much trouble here. I mean if we do, the Pope might see us.