Pilgrimage to Padua and to St. Mark's Tomb in Venice

 

Dear Friends and Family,

This week I was able to make a pilgrimage to St. Mark's tomb in Venice (Venice pictured above at night), to pray at St. Anthony's tomb in Padua, and also to see my parents as they prepared to embark on hiking the Camino di Santiago in Spain. Here is a photo of my mom:

Saint Mark's Basilica in Venice, where St. Mark is buried, was truly striking. Above all, it was a great grace to be able to pray at his tomb. In addition, it was special to look at the 1,000 year-old church and picture it and what it must have been like for so many generations of Catholics to worship there.

Padua was particularly special because of the opportunity to pray at St. Anthony's tomb and because of the famous chapel where Giotto painted the life of Christ. I don't think I can do justice to describing it in words but if you go here you can catch a glimpse of it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=47QgqdeSi0U   .

Here in Rome it is good to dive back into studies and to continue praying at the tombs of the saints. Today, I prayed for you at St. Peter's tomb!

In Cordibus Iesu et Mariae,

Fr. Pillari

  

Arranging my work space

 

Dear Friends and Family,

The above picture is not my work space that I need to arrange! Rather, it is the Colosseum that I was able to visit and pray at, along with the Scala Santa (the Holy Stairs that Our Lord went up before He was condemned by Pilate).

As I step back into studies, part of this past week was getting my room set-up for that work, which included ordering a number of items from IKEA (two bookshelves, a filing cabinet, etc.), and assembling them, and also installing a keyboard tray with the help of an electric drill. Now, for those who know me well, you know that I am all thumbs when it comes to such manual tasks. But with the help of the saints and angels, the room is coming along well!

I need to go now to meet a priest for a min-pilgrimage this evening to Tre Fontane, where Saint Paul was martyred. I will pray for you all there.

May Our Lady teach you wisdom and Our Lord be your sure refuge.

In Cordibus Iesu et Mariae,

Fr. Pillari

Moving In

 

Dear Friends and Family,

This past week was a combination of studies and administrative tasks to get settled in Rome for the new school year. Among those tasks was a particularly challenging one: how to move my books and other personal items from last year's lodging to this year's? The distance was only 2 or 3 miles. However, due to the regulations in place in the heart of Rome, and the fact that the monastery at Santa Francesca Romana, right along the Roman Forum (the monastery where I lodged last year), is in the most restricted zone of Rome, it took some thinking to find a good solution. Because for a car or van to enter in there you had to pay about 100 euros....

Thankfully I found the good fellow pictured above and his business! With his bicycle he transports goods across Rome, for just 16 euros a trip. As you see above, he managed to load my boxes onto the front of his bike, along with my office chair and other items, to strap them down, and then to bike across the heart of Rome without crashing into anything and delivering the boxes safely. Quite a feat!

I'll be living within striking distance of a number of saints' tombs. One of my favorites is Saint Philip Neri, whose tomb is pictured here:

He is one of the patrons of Rome, lived through a terrible time that included the sack of Rome in 1550, and nonetheless maintained a great spirit of joy, all the while very effectively calling people to conversion. May he intercede for the Church today and grant us that same combination of joy and zeal for the salvation of souls!

Praying for your all here in the heart of Rome.

May Our Lady watch over you as your good mother, and may Our Lord be your strength and protection.

In Cordibus Iesu et Mariae,

Fr. Pillari