Rome Day 1

Ahh, an air conditioned room, a shower that I can turn around in and a comfortable bed. Rome has it all and I haven't even left the hotel.

Breakfast, morning prayer and the bus at 8. Well a little bit later, we had to rouse some sleeping pilgrims for our first full day in Rome. First stop the catacombs. Sorry for being repetitive but, amazing, beautiful, what an experience. To walk through the catacombs and hear a little of the history is one thing, to have mass in one of the underground chapels is another experience all together.

Perhaps the word chapel is over used. There is a chapel here at the hotel and it is magnificently beautiful and opulent. The chapel in which we had Mass this morning had a dirt floor and walls of rock and it was carved out of the volcanic ash about 15 metres underground. It was used in the early days of Christianity for worship safe from persecution. There was an altar in the space but it could barely contain all 28 of us. I couldn't help but think of Bisop Fisher's words about us returning to Parramatta changed people. How could we be anything but changed after such an experience? To have Mass in the catacombs! Awesome. To gain an understanding of what the early Christians went through simply to worship as a community was unforgettable.

After that we visited four Basilicas (not sure of the plural), that of St. Paul, St. Mary Major, St. John and Santa Croce. Each one was fantastic and over awing. I'm sorry there are no pictures but consistent Internet access is still proving elusive, so I'll add when them when I return to Sydney next week. The paintings on the ceilings ... words can't do them justice, incredible depictions of events from our Christian past. And magnificent statues and altars. Every church drew an 'ah' from the people in our group. There is nothing in my experience to compare to this, even the Cathedrals in England don't rate in comparison. It is easy to imagine ourselves as evagelisers and witnesses to the faith when we are surrounded by such a rich tradition of Christianity. Time will tell whether we can live up to Bishop Fisher's challenge.

Time for bed. We have an early start tomorrow, a private Mass at St Peter's Basilica.