We have failed to post for more than two weeks; our only excuse is distraction and fatigue.

Our last post, Assisi to Roma left us headed for Roma by train on October 6th. Ed found the Casa di Santa Francesco Romana a Ponte Rossi, a well-run convent in the trendy section of Roma known as Trastavere. This great location was our base for eleven wonderful days.

Ed’s brother Bill, from St. Paul, MN and cousin Mary Furey, from Derry, Northern Ireland, joined us for five days which were packed full of walking across the city and enjoying delicious food in the evenings. A couple of rainy days did not dampen our spirits. As we hoped, we visited the four Major Basilicas in a mini-pilgrimage: St. Peter’s, St. John Lateran, St. Mary Major and St. Paul Outside the Walls. We also attended a Papal Audience (together with thousands of other pilgrims) and got a personal, although somewhat distant, experience of our charismatic and people-loving Pope.

A highlight was our visit to the levels BELOW the baldequin of St. Peter’s. The “Scavi Tour” is limited to only 12 people at a time and we booked our space months in advance.  We found it surprisingly moving to view the archaeological excavations bravely ordered by Pope Pius XII which subjected the ancient tradition of the burial of the remains of St. Peter’s to modern scientific scrutiny.

We left Rome on October 16 to spend five days visiting cousins Mary & Tony Furey in Northern Ireland and cousins Mary & John Kerins in County Sligo, (western) Ireland. Quite a change of scenery and temperature (20 degrees cooler at least)! We returned to the USA on October 24, with a deepened understanding of the love and peace taught and exemplified by St. Francis of Assisi.