We arrived in Rome on Sunday afternoon exhausted from 24 hours of travel but ready to take Italy by storm. After meeting our guide, Alan, we went to Ostia, the ancient port city of Rome. Ostia was beautiful and we spent a few hours walking through the ruins with our local guide, Pietro. After visiting Ostia we checked into our hotel and had dinner. By 9:30 we were all ready for real beds and showers.

Monday was our first full day in Rome and we had a great time! We started our day by visiting St. Paul's Outside the Walls, an Anglican/Episcopal church, where we said Morning Prayer. From St. Paul's we visited the Palatine Hill, the Coliseum, and the Forum guided by Antonella, another local expert. Antonella was a great guide and stuck with us through a rainstorm at the Coliseum to show us the Forum once the rain stopped. 

In the evening we walked through the Piazza Navona in the center of Rome to the Pantheon. The Piazza was beautiful. There were street musicians playing and the sun had come out. It was perfect weather after the rain earlier in the day. After seeing the Pantheon we had dinner at a small restaurant where the people were welcoming and the food was wonderful. At the Pantheon we saw Raphael's grave, the huge dome, and the original Caravaggio paintings that were as tall as we were. After dinner we walked to the Trevi Fountain and had gelato (Al Jones, we have a picture for you) and took some time to just relax and have fun! We all threw coins in the fountain and wished to return to Rome. When we returned to the hotel the group was exhausted but all smiles. Here are some of our thoughts from our evening reflection:

"Studying the history of God is amazing!" -Al

"I liked all the beautiful sited at the Trevi fountain" -Joe

"I have witnessed God's grace through the laughter of all the pilgrims" -Rebecca

"I felt God's presence with the group everywhere we traveled today" -Josh

"I enjoyed seeing all the ruins and picturing what life had been like those 2,000 years ago. " - Jenna

"God found my lost wallet. Even when there was no church service, God moved."

-Kelley

"The phrase 'Rome wasn't built in a day' is making even more sense now." -Shannon

"It was beautiful this morning to have Morning Prayer in St. Paul's." -Lisa

"I really like European cars, they're really small." -Riley

"The coliseum "Gladiator" was very interesting because that used to be a huge sport."

-David

"The sights are breathtaking" -Bronte

"Watching everyone laugh and enjoy each other's company and walking through an amazing international city with such incredible history will be my memory." -Keith

"Truly indescribable. Word's can't begin to describe how amazing these places and people are. The overflowing amount of history and breathtaking architecture is priceless." -Stephanie

"Today was great, but my favorite part was the coliseum, that was really cool. The girls are also pretty hot. I love Italy!" -Julian

"It has been great. The coliseum was awesome. And Julian talked to some girls at the Trevi, real player! It's great here." -Taylor

"Rome is wonderful and a lot of the ruins blow my mind. What I think is truly amazing though is the feeling of wholeness and unity for all of us. God is here in our hearts, minds, and bodies. This feeling is indescribable." -Sally

"I loved...sitting beneath the sun, across from the Pantheon, among ruins, within the 7 hills, in...Roma!" -Hudson

" I know that this journey will shape them in ways that they won't realize for months or even years. My hope for this journey is for each of us to be a seeker, "born of all we've known together of Christ's love and agony", and I pray that we will see the journey through together." -Amelia

We wish everyone at home a great week and thank you for your love, prayers, and cards! Till next time, ciao bella!

On our third day in Rome, we visited the catacombs. We found it interesting that over 300,000 people were buried there- commoners and Popes alike. The Sistine chapel was breathtaking and much more intricate than expected. It was big and beautiful. In the afternoon we visited St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican. This church, the largest church in the world, was spectacular. When we walked in, we were all amazed by its beautiful detail. Standing in the midst of this vast church, we felt it to be a very humbling experience. We could feel god's presence surround us.

P.S.-Written by three extremely tired pilgrims. We are having a blast, but we are ready for a nap. We will tell you more when we get home. LOVE YOU ALL!

By: Stephanie, David, and Shannon

-St. Cat's Pilgrims