Day 7 (Final Day) Recap

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We were up and out the door early today (6:30am) for Mass at St. Peter's basilica.  As we were walking to St. Peter's I thought how nice it would be to have Mass celebrated at the altar of St. Thomas, my patron.  With so many side altars to choose from, I figured there was little possibility of it happening.  Much to my surprise, Fr. Johnson chose the same, albeit for different reasons.  We were joined by a couple from Toronto, Canada and two students from Perdue.

After Mass we took advantage of already having passed through security to climb to the top of St. Peters.  I've made the climb before but this was the first time I had done it so early in the morning when the crowd hasn't had the time to build up as much as it does later in the day.  We finished out view from the top and headed down to re-join with Fr. Johnson and Fr. Reedy for a special treat: a tour of the Swiss Guard's barracks and armory.  The guard who led us on the tour is named Michael and is a friend of one of our seniors (not on the pilgrimage).  What an fantastic opportunity for our boys to experience

We lunched art a little cafe/pastry shop just outside the piazza which we found on the previous pilgrimage back in 2015.  From there we split into three groups: (a) the group that wanted more time back in St. Peters, (b) the group that wanted to go back an pick up an item or two which they wanted to bring home, and (3) those that wanted to look around for other types of goods.

At 3pm, the three groups rejoined and headed over to the Vatican Museum.  We made our way in around 3:15 or 3:20.  Knowing that we needed to start dinner early we concluded things at 5pm.  We ordered pizza to go from our favorite place and shared graces over dinner.  Then it was back to our respective groups to pack and ready ourselves for the taxi which will pick us up around 4am to make our flight home.

It has been an unforgettable experience and I am so blessed to have been a part of it.  As I am falling asleep while writing this, I will end quickly by wishing everyone reading this a blessed day.

Comments

  1. UnknownMarch 16, 2018 at 4:11 PM

    A very nice tribute to an certainly memorable and awesome adventure. Thanks for the update and safe travels. We look forward to welcoming you all back at home tomorrow. God Bless and keep you all safe.

    ReplyDelete
  2. UnknownMarch 16, 2018 at 4:34 PM

    Safe travels to you and the young men in your charge. We'll see you when you get home.

    ReplyDelete
  3. UnknownMarch 16, 2018 at 5:14 PM

    Thank you for sharing your visit with us. We are so excited to await the arrival of everyone and can not wait to hug our love one and hear the great memories that has been made.
    Blessings to all

    ReplyDelete

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