Sharing Our Journey

Last year I was blessed to spend a week in Rome with "the middle child" and it was awesome! After our time in Rome (where we had a fabulous dinner with Joan Lewis), we met up with my oldest daughter who was traveling Europe; she was on a mission to visit 15 countries and 22 cities in 60 days—and she succeeded. You can imagine that back home dad, brother, grandparents, family and friends were eager to follow her travels (and be assured of her safety.)

Luckily, modern technology kept us all connected via Instagram, FaceBook, Snapchat, Twitter, etc... (Yes, I was with teenagers so Snap stories were a common occurrence!) If you don't know what a Snap story is, don't worry, because we are going to keep you connected to your family right here— on WINEpilgrimages.com.

Before you leave, tell you family and friends to visit WINEpilgrimages.com and to set it as one of their "favorites". When they go to the site, they will see a blue button that says "Journey With Us." They can simply click on that button and they will be on our Pilgrimage blog, the page you are on right now. From here they will be able to see pictures of our travels and get daily updates on our journey—they will be able to journey with us, virtually! They will also be able to leave a comment below. We'll read off these comments on the bus, just in case some of you are traveling without a laptop.

Looking forward to journeying with you.... and will see you here in the mean time.

Blessings!

Kelly

May 26: "Pilgrimage is a symbol of life." Pope Francis

On December 8th, the Holy Door of St Peter’s Basilica was opened in a historical ritual, a ritual which also began celebrations that will last a year. This is a celebration that we will enter into fully next month!

Why such a monumental occasion? Pope Francis explained to the faithful, “I have decided to call an extraordinary Jubilee that is to have the mercy of God at its center. It shall be a Holy Year of Mercy. We want to live this Year in the light of the Lord’s words: “Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful" (Lk 6:36). 

“Pilgrimage is a symbol of life,” said Pope Francis. “It makes us think of life as walking, as a path. If a person does not walk, but instead stays still, this is not useful; it accomplishes nothing. Think of water: when water is not in the river, it does not course, but instead it remains still and stagnates. A soul that does not walk in life doing good, doing many things that one must do for society, to assist others, or who does not walk through life seeking God and inspiration from the Holy Spirit, is a soul that finishes in mediocrity and in spiritual poverty. Please: do not stand still in life!”

Today, let us ask the Holy Spirit to put a spark in our step this June as we walk in relationship with our sisters on earth, in the footsteps of our sisters the saints, seeking to grow ever closer to that most perfect relationship for which we were created—the Most Holy Trinity.

Looking forward to journeying with you!

May 25: Santa Maria Sopra Minerva (Kelly's Confession)

Perhaps due to the subject title, you thought you would be getting some "Awesome Kelly confession story." Well, you probably will, but that will have to wait until a long bus ride through Umbria! That said, my confession today is ...  though I love San Pietro in Vaticano (St. Peter's Basilica), and though I love San Giovanni in Laterano (Archbasilica of St. John Lateran), and though I love San Paolo Fuori Le Mura (Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls), and Santa Maria Maggiore (Basilica of St. Mary Major), the church in Rome where I am most at home is Santa Maria Sopra Minerva (Saint Mary above Minerva.)

I can't explain it, but on my first trip to Rome, after seeing those four beautiful and breath-taking Papal basilicas, and after visiting somewhere under a ka-jillion other churches... as I first stepped foot through the doors of a Gothic church that looks like anything but a church, I felt peace—I felt I was home. Turns out, I am a Dominican at heart... and... I love Catherine of Siena, whose body is buried here (except her head, which is in the Basilica of San Domenico in Siena). Beyond the sacristy, the room where she died in 1380 was reconstructed here by Antonio Barberini in 1637. That is so amazing to me. I am always overwhelmed thinking I am in the exact location where my sisters, the saints, walked before me—carving the way to holiness.

Cool Fact: Just down a little side street from the church, tucked away in a corner, is the private chapel of St. Catherine. I know. I've been there...  and it was there where I first I prayed for this pilgrimage! It was kneeling in her chapel when I first asked my sister in "joy" (As a child Catherine was so merry that the family gave her the pet name of "Euphrosyne", which is Greek for "joy") to help me bring other women to experience this bond, this sisterhood. Ironically, though not to God, it was that very night when I sat with Joan Lewis at La Scaletta (a restaurant we will visit together) and I told her God had put on my heart to lead a pilgrimage called "WINE & Shrine." Go figure, Joan was all in!

Today, ask St. Catherine of Siena to intercede on our behalf and help us prepare our hearts to be lit on fire for the love of God and empowered with boldness to speak the truth of Christ.

Looking forward to journeying with you!

May 24: "Veni Creator Spiritus" (Come Creator Spirit)

Thanks to the extraordinary talents of Michelangelo Buonarroti (1475-1564), the Sistine Chapel (Cappella Sistina) in Vatican City has become one of the most famous art galleries in the western world.

Michelangelo's famous Sistine ceiling depicts scenes from Genesis in dramatic and moving detail, while The Last Judgment on the end wall is striking and powerful. As if that were not enough, the side walls are covered with important Renaissance frescoes by other artists, depicting biblical scenes and contemporary popes.

But the Sistine Chapel is more than the sum of its artistic wonders: it is a symbolic statement of papal authority and the place in which papal elections in conclave are held to this day. Before the start of the conclave that elected Pope Francis, the Cardinals chanted the Latin hymn 'Veni Creator Spiritus' (Come Creator Spirit) in the Sistine Chapel. 

We are truly blessed to have a presentation by Dr. Elizabeth Lev prior to our time in the Sistine Chapel. But let's be doubly blessed, take a moment to watch Dr. Lev's TED talk. (Just click on the video below)

Art historian Elizabeth Lev became captivated by Rome while completing her graduate studies. She writes and lectures on Renaissance art in the Eternal City, but is most at home in the Vatican Museums, founded in the 16th century to house the trove of art amassed by centuries of Popes. She has spent 15 years studying the vast collection, which contain not only Christian-themed works but art from virtually every other culture in the world. She consults with the Vatican Museums and wrote the film Vatican Treasures.

Today offer a prayer for Dr. Elizabeth Lev and all of our guides. Come, Holy Spirit, give them the wisdom and the words to be your vessels.

Looking forward to journeying with you!

May 23: "When in Rome, do as the Romans do"

Did you know that the idiom "When in Rome...", meaning to follow the local custom, allegedly stems from Saint Ambrose's answer to Saint Augustine when Augustine asked whether they should fast on Saturday as Romans did, or not, as in Milan? It appeared in English by about 1530 and remains so well known that it is often shortened, as above. Though we won't be fasting on Saturday (unless of course you want to), we will have the opportunity to do as the Romans do... and as faithful throughout the centuries have done in a Jubilee Year!

One wonderful way to prepare for our time in Rome, besides reading these fun emails, is to read "A Holy Year in Rome: The Complete Pilgrims Guide for the Year of Mercy." We read it and we love it! 

In "A Holy Yearn Rome," Joan Lewis takes you back in time for a look at the history of Jubilees, and then brings you to the present with a visit to the seven pilgrim basilicas of Rome and the immeasurable treasures of Rome and the Vatican.

You'll learn of the many special graces you can receive this year, as well as  countless fun facts such as the significance of the Holy Doors, the key features of Catholic architecture, the liturgical customs that are unique to the Jubilee of Mercy, how to obtain an indulgence, and so much more.

If you haven't purchased yours yet, here's the link -> A Holy Year in Rome. Also, be sure to pack your copy! It will make for a great reference book while we celebrate this Year of Mercy in the Eternal City!

Looking forward to journeying with you!

May 22: Benedizione delle Rose (Blessing of the Roses)

Happy Feast Day of St. Rita of Cascia!

Today is a big day in Cascia! May 22nd is the Celebration of the Feast of St. Rita, and in just a month from today, on June 22, we will be walking those very streets where today everything is coming up roses!

One of the most beloved Italian saints is St. Rita of Cascia, a native of Umbria who died in Cascia in 1456. Santa Rita is widely celebrated throughout the country on her feast day with Mass, processions, and other festivities. On her feast day, churches and shrines of St. Rita provide roses to the congregation that are blessed by the priest during Mass.

Why roses? 
It is said that near the end of her life, Rita was bedridden at the convent. While visiting her, a cousin asked if she desired anything from her old home. Rita responded by asking for a rose from the garden. It was January, and her cousin did not expect to find one due to the season. However, when her relative went to the house, a single blooming rose was found in the garden, and her cousin brought it back to Rita at the convent. St. Rita is often depicted holding roses or with roses nearby.

If you'd like to learn more about St. Rita before visiting her home, Ignatius has a movie on DVD titled Saint Rita. 

On this beautiful feast day, ask St. Rita to walk with you and help you be the woman God has created you to be.

Looking forward to journeying with you!

 

May 21: Benvenuti a Castello Banfi! (Welcome to Castello Banfi!)

A month from today we will be enjoying a wine tasting at Castello Banfi (castello means castle), which was founded in 1978 thanks to the will of the Italian-American brothers, John and Harry Mariani. From the beginning, the goal of the two brothers was to create a state-of-the-art winery combined with the most advanced science in the vineyards for the production of premium wines. On June 21st, we'll get to see if they succeeded in their mission!

Though the focus of WINE: Women In the New Evangelization is not the wine we drink, but rather represents Jesus' first miracle as written in the second chapter of the Gospel of St. John, on June 21, we will be enjoying a wine-tasting lunch and guided tour of the wine cellars at Castello Banfi in Montelcino. Wine played a very important role in the life of a Jewish person during the time of Jesus, and at the wedding of Cana we see the beauty and importance of wine in our Catholic faith as Our Blessed Mother tells her Son,"They have no wine," and thus starts Him on the path of His public ministry. Mary's final words in Sacred Scripture, "Do whatever He tells you," are the very roots of WINE: Women In the New Evangelization—it is all about doing the will of God! (But as women, it is much easier to do God's will with our sisters by our side, helping us out!)

Now imagine if we were all helping one another to do God's will. Imagine if we were all being elevated in our gifts of the Spirit to do this! Surely we would set the world on fire! Ahhhh, a perfect segway into our saint today, St. Catherine of Siena, who once said, "Be who God meant you to be, and you will set the world on fire!"

Today, pray to St. Catherine of Siena, patroness of Italy, and ask her to help us open our hearts to the fire of love from above that wants to consume us.

Looking forward to journeying with you!

Kelly & Teresa

May 20: Benedizioni! (Blessings!)

Click on picture above to watch video on St. Clare

At 18, she escaped one night from her father’s home, was met on the road by friars carrying torches, and in the poor little chapel called the Portiuncula received a rough woolen habit, exchanged her jeweled belt for a common rope with knots in it, and sacrificed the long beautiful hair to rugged scissors. She was placed in a Benedictine convent, which her father and uncles immediately stormed in rage. She clung to the altar of the church, threw aside her veil to show her cropped hair and remained adamant. Thus began the religious life for St. Clare.

PRACTICAL TIP: It's always good to learn a few words in Italian. So below are some key phrases/words. And if you really want to fit in and look like you belong, you may want to learn how to talk with your hands— Italians are quite famous for being effusive talkers that use hand gestures to underline most statements. It appears to be something engrained in them at birth. In fact, click on the image below to see some rare footage of our very own Teresa Tomeo (when she was a child) having a chat with her nonna (grandma).

Ok, maybe it's not really Teresa... but it certainly represents her well!

Today, pray to St. Clare. Ask her to open your heart to all the graces God has planned to shower you with at the Basilica of St. Clare.

Looking forward to journeying with you!

Kelly & Teresa

May 19: Benvenute (Welcome)

 

Welcome to day three of our pilgrimage and to the beautiful hills of Umbria! Our drive will take us through the spectacular countryside and bring us to the medieval walled town of Norcia; birthplace of St. Benedict and his twin sister, St. Scholastica, in 480. We'll be celebrating Mass with the monks of the Monastery of San Benedetto and also take a tour that will help us enter into their prayer, charism and mission. We'll enjoy a great meal together (which isn't hard to do in Umbria) and then check out the brewery that makes Birra Nursia, the beer founded by the monks in 1208.

Click on the image below and enjoy the Singing Monks of Norcia

Video about the Monks of Norcia

Today, pray to St. Scholastica and St. Benedict and ask them to help us be open to the relationships that will be made, to listen attentively in the spirit to the voices of our sisters in Christ, and to respond generously to their needs.

Looking forward to journeying with you!

Kelly & Teresa

May 18: Ecco Roma! (Behold Rome!)

 

After landing in Rome on June 18, we'll take a lovely scenic tour to the Italian region of Umbria to the charming town of Assisi; famous of course for its association with Saints Francis and Clare. 

This town is home to windy little streets, ancient buildings and the Santa Maria degli Angeli (Basilica of St. Mary of the Angels), which is one of the largest Christian sanctuaries in the world, and a stop along our way. 

One of the blessings of our WINE & Shrine pilgrimage is that our good friend Joan Lewis will be joining us! Joan is a wealth of knowledge about all things Italian. So let's take advantage of her wisdom! Here's a quick little video from Joan talking about where we'll be a month from today!

Click on the image below and enjoy Joan's Rome, Assisi-style!

Today, pray to St. Clare and St. Francis and ask them to help us prepare in this, often crazy and hectic month of May, to experience the Peace of Christ anew when we are in Assisi next month.

Looking forward to journeying with you!