Saints Among Us
I am having withdrawal symptoms. After 12 days of touring Italy with a group of 54 other pilgrims led by Father Joseph Ziliak and Archbishop Charles C. Thompson, I miss walking into breakfast to a chorus of “Bonjournos” and “Good mornings.” The trip was a pilgrimage filled with new friends, religious sites of beauty and inspiration, and an organized guide Deborah who, with a lilting British accent, shared a treasure trove of knowledge and humorous anecdotes. Every day was an experience of magnificent churches, world-famous art and a private mass in a local basilica or church.
After arriving in Rome, Orvieto was our first brief stop before spending two nights and a day in Florence. There we witnessed the genius of Michelangelo, particularly the quintessential statue of David. Assisi, the home of St. Francis and St. Clare, was next. An afternoon mass in the Basilica of St. Clare began the visit. Other highlights included guided tours of St. Francis Basilica, the Hermitage, and San Damiano. Our pilgrimage continued in a similar pattern with time to also shop and sightsee on our own.
From Assisi, we traveled to Sorrento. The following day was filled with the sights of Pompeii followed by a winding journey up a mountain of hairpin switchbacks to the beautiful Monte Cassino Abbey. But “not to worry” as Deborah reminded us that Enzo, our Italian bus driver, handled our 57-seat bus like a Volkswagen Beetle. Mass was held in the crypt situated directly underneath the altar where St. Benedict’s remains lie.
Finally, three glorious days in Rome were highlighted by mass in St. Peter’s crypt directly under the main altar in St. Peter’s Basilica. Up at 5 a.m., we were in St. Peter’s Square before crowds arrived. Afterward, informative Italian guides walked us through the Vatican Museum culminating in a visit to the Sistine Chapel. Later we visited the three other major basilicas – St. Paul, St. John Lateran, and St. Mary Major – where we saw the tomb of St. Paul and other famous saints, too many to recount.
All Saints Day dawned – another day of perfect fall temperatures. Our official tour was to end in an audience with Pope Francis. However, in an instant, the trip changed for me. Waking with pain in my right side, I went downstairs for a brief consult and then back to my room for rest as the group headed off to St. Peter’s Square. Within an hour, I was in an ambulance taking a lone ride to Holy Spirit Hospital where no one in the ER spoke English.
That was where, throughout the day, I met my own league of living saints. Deborah, our caring guide, rushed from me to the group doing her best to see I was properly cared for, Marco (a young airport valet) translated when no one understood my requests. Lucia, a beautiful Italian doctor, held my hand and caringly explained that the kidney stones would pass. And finally Lila, an older Italian patient who understood English, rose from her bed in slippers and gown to explain to a nurse that my husband, who had patiently sat in a waiting room for three hours, needed to be found.
During that day, I confess, I questioned why this had to happen. Fortunately, the pain subsided late in the afternoon, and I was released. As I walked out of that ward, Lila called from her bed, “Arrivederci. I will pray for you,” and blew me a kiss. What a beautiful moment in a day I had labeled as one of my worst.
Later on the plane ride home, I realized that on All Saints Day, I had witnessed what it truly means to be a saint. Mother Theresa explains it perfectly. “We do not need to do great things, only small things with great love.” All of these people, including my husband, put their own lives aside to ease the burden in mine. That day, in spite of the pain or maybe because of it, God helped me recognize clearly that our acts of kindness throughout each day affect others in ways we might never know. I came to Italy to celebrate the lives of the great saints and ended the trip meeting a few everyday ones.
