Osimo

One of the only trips I have actually taken in the last two months, besides studying in Assisi, was a trip to the east coast to the towns of Osimo and Loreto.  I was planning on going to a different town, but I heard about these two towns, and at the last minute, at the train station, a buddy and I had to use this as a backup plan, even though it meant about 8 hours of traveling in trains and various buses, but that made it a good pilgrimage experience.

I was attracted to Osimo because it holds the relics of St. Joseph of Cupertino, who not only bears my name, but is also the patron of students and specifically of test-takers, and, interestingly, of aviation and astronauts.  Born in the early 1600's, St. Joseph is known as "The flying saint" because without knowing it, he would often levitate in public, to the point where they had to give him his own chapel so that he would not disturb masses, because he would literally levitate for over an hour.

He was also very slow witted, which made it nearly impossible to join the Franciscans, and especially to become a priest.  At first they only let him take care of the horses.  The only way he was actually admitted to ordination was that his examiner asked him about a passage of Scripture, and it happened to be the only passage that Joseph could explain and expound on.  Besides his great ecstasies, as with all saints, he had a great period of spiritual dryness, and he had to endure great mockery and rejection because of his slow nature.

Back in Rome

After a month in Assisi studying Italian, I am now back in Rome, and finally settled down...studying more Italian. We are certainly blessed and even spoiled to have what we have, along with our beautiful location on the Janiculum hill.  Here is a picture of our "cortile" (courtyard) with 48 orange trees (not in season yet, otherwise I'd be down there right now), for the 48 states when the college was built in 1953.

Time in Assisi

Assisi was a wonderful place to spend a month, and I feel truly blessed.  We had six hours of Italian per day, which was certainly something to offer up. It was great to get to know a couple of the locals there, especially our good friend Gus (or Gasparino, for little Gus), whose grocery store is patronized by all of the seminarians every year we come, and who is probably sipping on a Margharita in the Bahamas right now.  Another lady, Adonella, who owns a caffe near the main piazza, reaped the benefits of having us any night we got sick of Italian class, which was quite often, and then she would razz us and make fun of our Italian.  By the end, we were making each other drinks from behind the counter.
Assisi was certainly a great spiritual site at which to stay, with Sts. Francis, Clare, and, their earliest, Saint Rufinus, who was martyred for the faith in the 3rd century.  I prayed for just about everyone I know at the various tombs, and I gained a radical desire to sacrifice much, out of love.  Sts. Francis, Clare, and Rufinus, pray for us!

In the Armory of the Swiss Guards

On August 30th we got a tour of the Armory and Barracks of the Pontifical Swiss Guards, which is the oldest army in the world, est. in 1506.  In the Renaissance/Post-Ren. period many Swiss Guard units were hired by various European courts, but now only the Vatican has a Swiss Guard. Unlike the present, Switzerland was a poor country whose young men often sought their fortunes abroad, often as mercenaries.  On May 6, 1527, 147 of the 189 Guards, including their commander, died fighting the troops of the Holy Roman Empire during the Sack of Rome in order to allow Clement XII to escape to the nearby Castle.
It was interesting to speak with the Swiss Guard that gave us the tour and notice how much pride they have in this event and how they themselves would be happy to lay down their own lives for the Pope and the Church should the opportunity arise.
The grotto above in their barracks commemorates this day of sacrifice for the Pope.