The blessings of this pilgrimage start to unfold …
Upon arriving at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport with 24 other young adults on our way to Rome and the ad limina visit, the physical journey began. Who knew the next 24 hours would be full of many adventurous gifts. New people, times of prayer and little to no sleep.
How beautiful it was arriving in Rome to pray the holy Mass together, really asking the Lord to guide us on this journey.
After Mass, we set out to see the city (and to stay awake till bedtime), first stopping in St. Peter’s Square and then venturing through the streets of Rome while praying at a few churches reflecting some of Caravaggio’s paintings.
Being able to pray at the grave of St. Monica at the Church of St. Augustine was one of the stops. Not only were we able to pray for our intentions, but on behalf of the conversion of our archdiocese. How delightful!
We ended the night with being tutored on ordering real Italian cuisine – delicious!
Some of us found a little energy left to walk around the Vatican City State while tasting some delicious gelato on our way home.
The Lord has truly blessed us on getting to this holy city, and I am delighted to see more of his loving grace revealed as we progress through this pilgrimage with our bishops and fellow pilgrims.
In the Love of Christ,
Mary Rose Rynda
Church of the Immaculate Conception, Lonsdale MN
St. Nicholas Catholic Church, Elko New Market MN
(Editor’s note: Mary Rose is among young adults blogging their experiences for The Catholic Spirit while in Rome. Find additional posts and stories in our Ad Limina Blog special section.)
