ThanksPleanno

A few weeks ago we celebrated ThanksPleanno.  What?  You've never heard of ThanksPleanno?  No, it's not Festivus.  It's when you celebrate American Thanksgiving Day with Bro. Gautier's Birthday (compleanno in Italian) in Italy.  Really, trust me, it's a holiday here......yeah, that's it.

I'll just let the pictures do the talking.  Hope you enjoy them.

Of course, we had to start with Antepasto.  After all, we're in Italy.  The next course was ravioli.  Doesn't everyone have ravioli at Thanksgiving?

Fr. Pachi getting in the spirit.

Fr. Antonio showing off his Chaminade tie.

Our wonderful cooks.  They thought I looked good in the hat.

Ahhhh, now we're getting to the good stuff.

Bro. Mike, also known as our baker.

Celebrating and Toasting the birthday of Bro. Gautier.

The "American Table."

Others joining in the celebration.

Ciao!

One year later...

So, a few weeks ago, I celebrated my one year anniversary of living in Rome.  Twelve montht earlier, I'm not sure if I knew that I was going to make it...new language, new culture, new coffee-drinking-habits.  But, here I am.  So, in order to celebrate, I offer my top 10 list of things I've learned about Italy and Italians.  Of course, I offer this in good fun!  And I apologize to Paolo, the one Italian who will probably read this.

10.  New Olympic Sport - Competitive Parking:  If there were an Olympic sport in finding a space to park a car, the Italians would consistently take the gold, silver, and bronze.  No space on the street?  Use the sidewalk.  Only half a space left?  Just pull in frontwards.  And for you pedestrians out there, forget about using the little sidewalk ramp to the street; there's probably a car parked in front of it.  And actually, just forget about crossing the streets at all...unless you're really good at the game "Frogger." 

Outside our house.  All the other cars o the street were parallel parked.

9.  Communion Procession Coming to Next Year's X-Games: In the US, we're used to taking turns to enter the communion line.  Not here.  It's a free for all.  Pretty much, you enter the line when you want to.  At the Vatican, I think I was once hit by a nun!  While we're talking about lines, it should also be noted that there are no traffic lines painted on the streets, so lanes are meaningless.  Also, traffic signs are mere suggestions.

89.  Pasta, Pasta, Pasta:  Now, I like pasta just as much as the next person, but it gets a little ridiculous (and old) after day 246.  Sure, there are an infinite number of combinations of pasta types and sauces, but really?  Must we have pasta every day?  (In their defense, I was once taken out to dinner by three Italian friends and we went to the China Buffet.)

Yes, you can buy posters that have different types of pasta on them.

7.  Worlds Record for Continuous Talking (usually about nothing):  The Italians have a knack for being able to talk...and talk...and talk.  During a dinner in the town of San Giovanni Rotondo, our Italian host interrupted dinner about 10 times to thank someone, offer a bit of history, or say something that he forgot to say earlier. 

6.  Can you find the coffee?  Oh Starbucks "Venti" (or even grande for that matter), where are you?  Italian coffee has the force of a full pot, but the volume of a recommended dose of cough syrup.

One object in this picture is not smaller than it appears.

5.  It's Never Too Warm:  Temperatures are relative over here.  Every time I was out jogging in shorts and t-shirt (and sweating horribly) I would always pass someone in running pants and a sweatshirt.  And then don't get me started on the lack of an appropriate air conditioning setting.


4.  Construction Habits (OSHA Beware):Almost everyday as we walked to school, Bro. Dan and I would comment that the Italians always seem to be doing something to the roads or buildings, and yet there doesn't seem to be anything getting done.  I think they just like to set up fences, dig up the road, repave the road, take down the fence, and then repeat next week.  And I'm still mad at myself for not snapping the picture of two construction workers wearing orange vests, leaning on a front loader, drinking a Peroni (that would be Italian beer).

3.  It's a good day for a strike:  There's not much worse than your rector telling you that there will be a "sciopero" tomorrow.  That's Italian for "transportation strike."  Usually a few times a month, the bust drivers decide to go on strike.  There's no mass demonstration, no picket signs, no last minute negotiating.  Just a day off for the drivers and havoc on the roads.  (Interestingly, they usually happen on a Friday or Monday.)  While we're talking about public transportation, I've also learned two things about the buses.  First, the schedule posted is meaningless, and there's always room for one more person on the bus (I've even learned to push my way in and then inhale to make rooms for the doors to close.)

The first rule about waiting for the bus: don't trust the times on the sign.

2.  Forty-five minute masses:  Unless you're with the Pope or at one of those crazy English-speaking parishes, mass will last 45 minutes.  With music or without.  With incense and processions, or just a simple liturgy.  I'm not sure how they do it, but I think it has something to do with the homilies (see number 7 above.)  Incidentally, I think my brother-in-law Sean might be Italian.

1.  Americans eat hamburgers and French Fries everyday:  In fact, it's all we eat and the only thing we know how to cook.  At least, this is what I've been told.

The Bright Side: With all this being said about the Italians (I hope you laughed once or twice) they are much kinder and accommodating than we make them out to be.  For the most part, they have been very patient with my poor Italian, often speaking in English before I open my mouth (I guess I look American).  And, they do know how to "festeggiare" (that means celebrate) - it's pretty easy to come up with an excuse for gelato or champagne. 

It doesn't hurt that there's a really good gelato place two blocks from our house.

Finally, this little video about says it all.  Hope you enjoy, and I'll be seeing some of you State-side very soon!

Click here for a video about life in Italy.

Ciao!

Christmas 2012

I have been meaning to post some pictures from Christmas for a while now.  But, with exams coming up in a few weeks, participating in a European meeting of the Taize Ecumenical community (with about 40,000 young people), and the normal day-to-day life of the community….well, I’m now getting around to it.  But, the liturgical season of Christmas doesn’t end until this Sunday (with the Baptism of the Lord) so I’m really ahead of the game :)

So, here’s a slice of life from Via Latina…Natale style!  (That means Christmas)

Ciao!

Christmas festivities started a little early with "Dinner for the 'Personali'" - those who work at our house and help keep it running.  There are around 30 permanent residents and a whole cadre of guests that come through.

There were also some brothers finishing a sabbatical at dinner.

The tree in the center of the city at Piazza Venezia.  It's not exactly Rockafeller Center, but...

...Add lights and darkness, and it doesn't look too bad.  This is Fr. Jim who was in town and took me out for a nice dinner...woohooo...we like Fr. Jim.

To help celebrate, two cousins from Detroit visited Rome.  Here's Mike.

And here's my other cousin, Ronda.

A group of us went to St. Peter's for Midnight Mass (starting at 10:00).

It was a full house, but in typical Roman fashion we got pretty good seats "because we knew someone."

With my cousins Mike and Ronda before Mass started.

The Pope was the main celebrant.

There he is...

And you can't forget the choir on Christmas.

The creche in St. Peters.

Rome in a festive mood.

Now, onto Christmas dinner with our chef extraordinaire, Bro. Mike.

And then onto the Christmas party...Or as I like to call it..."Brothers gone wild."

Before we could open our gifts, we played a game where we had to guess the identity of a secret person.  My group had Goliath (that's what happens when there's a bunch of seminarians involved)...

...And if you didn't guess in time, then you had to dance!

There was a lot of dancing, even for the guests!

Of course, it's not Christmas without a rapper.  This is Lay Marianist Joe Melendrez who is a Christian Rapper.  He was visiting for Christmas and entertained us.  He is also modelling his line of clothing called "God Swag."

Not to be outdone, Bro. Dani also rapped for us.

This is Bro. Arul, my "Invisible Friend."  In the States he would have been my Secret Santa.

The Americans gave a rousing rendition of Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer.

More of Rome.

The Italian Marianist Sisters had us over for a Christmas party, also.

The food is always good at the Sisters' house.

And they gave us gifts...Mostly free things they had accumulated throughout the year :)

A good time was had by all.

Besides visiting the sites in Rome with my cousins, we made a day trip to the city of Subiaco.  This is where St. Benedict lived for several years (spending three years in a cave) and where he wrote the first copy of the Rule of Life for Monks.

Only in Italy.

Subiaco is nestled in the mountains.  This is St. Scholastica Monastery.

The monastery is on top of a mountain, so it was uphill all the way.  But, it was a really nice day.

Just something we stumbled upon in Rome.  They're red, so I figured it's like a Christmas picture.

After Christmas there was a meeting of European youth coordinated by the Taize Community.  It is an ecumenical religious community centered in France.  There were about 80 Marianist youth who participated from Spain, Italy, France, Austria and Poland.  They gathered at our house for prayer and fun.

Finally, the creche in our chapel.  Buon Natale a tutti e Buon Anno!  Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all!

In the footsteps of Francis...

Last Friday, our community had one last hurrah before the academic year began.  We took a day trip to a few nearby places that figured prominently in the life of St. Francis of Assisi – after all, we are seminarians!  After a few wrong turns and driving through the foggy hills, our first stop was Greccio, a few hours north of Rome.  Francis lived here for some time, and around 1223 had the idea of “reproducing” the first Christmas scene from Bethlehem.  The saint is credited with popularizing the use of crèches.  So, every time you set up your nativity scene under the Christmas tree, you can thank St. Francis.

The Chapel built to commemorate the place where Francis staged his nativity scene.

Looking out to the hillside from the Friary.

Part of the present structure at the Greccio Friary.

Next, we headed to nearby Fontecolombo, named because there is a spring (fonte) where the early Franciscans (colombe) are said to have quenched their spirits.  It was a sort of retreat for Francis.  It is mostly known, though, as the place where Francis wrote the Rule of Life that would eventually be recognized by Pope Honorious III. 

Bro. Joseph at the spring.

The place where Francis probably dictated the Rule to Brother Leo.

As we were visiting these tranquil spots nestled in the mountains there were two things that really struck me.  First, it was quite a powerful experience to walk in the footsteps of Francis and the early Franciscans.  While it is difficult to describe, I found it to be a very special and holy experience to see the personal rooms of Francis and Bonaventure and to be in the chapels where they prayed.  Somehow, it was as if I could feel their spirit and presence in these places even after all these years.

Francis' room in Greccio.  The picture pretty much shows the actual size and how comfortable it would have been.

The small dormitory for the Franciscans at Greccio.  The rooms were evidently very small and very sparse.

A small chapel at Fontecolombo.

Second, while thinking about the first experience, I reflected upon the formative role which the Franciscans played in my early life and in my vocation.  The Friars were the first male religious I ever knew.  I fondly remember them coming to my home parish of St. Henry in Fort Wayne to say mass on Sunday.  I remember them as being simple and humble servants.  As a mass server, I also remember them vesting for mass and always thought it was funny that they put on the hood of their brown habit before putting on the outer vestment.  And of course, even though their presence was limited when I went to Bishop Luers High School, the Franciscan spirit still permeated the school.  It is sort of humbling to think that these simple men (particularly Bro. Ward) must have had some influence on my later religious vocation.  As we celebrated mass in the Chapel at Greccio, I thanked God for the gift of them in my life.  

The "New Church" at Greccio.

 

In the Church at Greccio.  While it's difficult to see, at the bottom there are the "two hands" that is common in Franciscan art.  I remember seeing this symbol many times at Bishop Luers.

 

 Afterwards, we went to the nearby “big city” of Rieti and simply muddled around town.  Among the highlights, we stumbled upon the geographic center of Italy.  Who knew?

"The Center of Italy" in all sorts of languages so everyone knows where they are!

Bro. Javier at the center of Italy.

Here's a few more pictures from the trip.  Enjoy!

Ciao!

The morning fog

The buildings of Greccio built right into the hillside.

At Greccio, there was a Creche collection.  All I could think was "It's nice, but it's not the Marian Library at UD!"  Ha, Ha.

Looking down at Rieti from Fontecolombo.

Bro. Lester with our hero, Francis.

The Cathedral in Rieti.