Wednesday 10 May 2017

Young Oratory in Rome

During Easter week, 23 pilgrims from Young Oratory travelled to Rome to follow in the footsteps of the city’s three apostles: St Peter, St Paul and St Philip.

A stop for ice cream on the first night:

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and a walk across the Tiber:

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We visited St Philip’s Rooms in the Chiesa Nuova before celebrating Mass on the altar where he is buried.

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Fr Daniel in the Palazzo Massimo told the story of Paolo Massimo, the little boy St Philip raised to life.

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The first day included visits to some of Rome’s most famous sites, including the Piazza Navona, Pantheon, Minerva and Trevi Fountain.

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We ended the day by visiting the tomb of St Aloysius in the church of Sant’ Ignazio, and St Ignatius in the Gesù.

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Day two started with Mass at St Mary Major, and prayers before the ancient image of Our Lady, Salus Populi Romani. We then visited two more of the seven basilicas of Rome, Santa Croce, which houses the relics of the Passion brought back from the Holy Land by St Helen, and St John Lateran, the Pope’s cathedral.

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We travelled back in time in the church of San Clemente, before visiting the Colosseum and the ruins of the ancient Forum.

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Travelling out of the city on day three, we celebrated Mass in St Paul outside the Walls, where St Paul’s body is buried underneath the high altar.

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St Philip used to lead groups of youths out into the countryside as part of the seven churches walk. They would find somewhere on the way to stop for a picnic lunch. We revived this very sensible tradition.

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In the Catacombs of St Sebastian, we were able to visit the spot where St Philip was praying when he received the Holy Spirit on the Eve of Pentecost 1544.

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The walk back into the city took us past some more of Rome’s most famous sights, and back for a well-earned rest at the hotel.

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On the final day, we celebrated Mass in St Peter’s basilica, very close to the tomb of the apostle himself. Afterwards, we climbed to the top of the dome of the basilica.

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New faces are always welcome at Young Oratory. We meet on Tuesdays in the Parish Centre from 5–6pm.

YO Poster 2017-04