University of Mary High School Rome Pilgrimage

Somehow, today marks our last day of Rome. It has truly been a tremendous experience of grace throughout the past 11 days. Today, we finished by having Mass at the beautiful basilica of Santa Maria in Trastevere and taking a tour around the city of Rome, where we saw many saints. Throughout the pilgrimage, we were able to pray at the resting places of 32 saints or blesseds. This includes 9 popes, 7 apostles, as well as Sts. Francis, Claire, Catherine, Agnes, Monica, Helen, and Carlo Acutis to name a few. We are excited for the students to have the opportunity to process all of the graces of the trip with their family and friends soon!

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It’s hard to believe that our time is quickly coming to an end. Today is our last day outside of Rome; we made our way to the great city of Orvieto. Here we were able to see a magnificent example of a gothic cathedral that is strikingly different from the Baroque and Romanesque churches of Rome. This great basilica also is home to the magnificent San Brizio Chapel. However, it is not just for the architecture and paintings that we go to Orvieto; we primarily go to pray before another Eucharistic miracle that enlivens our faith. How incredible that we were able to spend time praying at not just one, but two Eucharistic miracles during our time on pilgrimage!

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The graces just keep coming on this trip. Today, we left Assisi for Siena and followed the life of St. Catherine. We started at the Basilica of San Domenico, where we saw the skull and finger of St. Catherine, and learned about her love for Jesus and her marriage with Him. We learned how she chose the difficult crown of earthly suffering and sanctity rather than the crown of earthly glory. We also had mass at the Basilica of San Francesco in Siena, where we were not only able to receive our Lord, but also to reverence the amazing Eucharistic miracle that is nearly 300 years old. What a beautiful day! Below are pictures of the basilica of San Francesco, students adoring Jesus in the Eucharist miracle, and the town square in Siena.

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Today was a great highlight of the trip. We began with mass at the Basilica of St. Francis, and then had a tour of the basilica, with time to pray at his tomb. After that, we proceeded to make the hike up the very mountain that St. Francis himself would have hiked to get to his hermitage on the mountain. The Holy Spirit is present in this city, and He works through the lives and witness of Sts. Francis and Clare to move hearts. Let me tell you parents, that hearts are being moved on this trip. Many amazing conversations have been had with the students since coming to Assisi. Praise God for being so generous to us on this trip!

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All of a sudden, we are starting the last leg of our pilgrimage. After the Papal Audience, we left for Assisi. Pictured is the beautiful Santa Maria Degli Angeli. We began our tour of Assisi with a masterful presentation by Fr. Magnuson on the life of St. Francis and the freedom that he received through his marriage to Lady Poverty. We finished our day with mass and then proceeded to our hotel, where we will be calling our home base for the next 3 days. The students are excited to encounter the peace of this city!

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Today, the students worked hard to get to see our American Pope. We woke up early and left campus at 5:30 am to make sure we got front row seats to see Papa Leo. Today, the pictures speak for themselves! As a bonus, we also got to see Jonathan Roumie, and some of the cast from the Chosen, and show our excitement for their series. Check out this video, featuring Trinity Student, Asher Ellerkamp, you're going to want to watch until the end!

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Today, we took a beautiful break from the business of Rome in the morning to explore some very peaceful locations. The first was the Abbey of Tre Fontane. This is the location where St. Paul was beheaded, and gave his life for the faith. This abbey is run by Benedictines, and St. Benedict was the subject of the highlight of the day. We journeyed East of Rome to find the beautiful city of Subiaco, which houses the cave that St. Benedict himself fled to escape the debauchery of Rome, and where he eventually wrote his rule. We North Dakotans owe a special debt of gratitude to the Benedictine order because it is the Benedictine Sisters who first brought the faith, healthcare, and education to Dakota Territory.

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This day is sure to be remembered by our students. We woke up bright and early and spent the entire day at the Vatican. We first went through the Holy Doors, which means that each and every student has gone through the Holy Doors of each major basilica! What a tremendous opportunity for grace and hope. We also took our entire pilgrimage through the Scavi tour, where we were able to see the bones of the very man on which Christ founded the church: St. Peter! 

Landon Mitchell of Shanley High School had the following to say about his pilgrimage experience so far: “The most impactful part of the trip has been seeing and hearing the numerous stories of the people who have given their lives for Jesus. The lives of the martyrs and saints who have died to hand on the faith have inspired me to live out my Catholic faith more courageously and to strive to live a holy life.”

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This morning, we were able to see some of the best historical sights of Rome. These sights included the Colosseum, Roman Forum, Capitoline Hill, and the Circus Maximus. Students were particularly struck by the sheer size of the Colosseum, and how on earth they could’ve filled it with water for the mock naval battles. It is truly incredible to be able to walk through such a magnificent feat of ancient engineering. We also were able to go pray in the very prison that held Sts. Peter and Paul when they were spreading the Gospel. Dr. Nicholas Emmel provided an excellent reflection on what imprisons us in our modern lives, and how Jesus can set us free. Thanks be to God for our amazing chaperones! 

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Our third day on pilgrimage started with a trip to the smallest nation in the world: the Vatican City. While the Vatican is not even a square mile, the museums...

Today we began our journey through Rome with Jesus Christ himself. We started by seeing the church of Santa Croce in Gerusalemme, or the Holy Cross of Jerusalem. In this church alone, we were able to see a nail from the crucifixion, two thorns that pierced Jesus’s head, the inscription that hung above Him on the cross, the finger of the Apostle Thomas that he placed in Christ’s side, wood from the Good Thief’s cross, as well as some of the wood from the cross from which Jesus hung. Students were able to pray in the presence of these relics while our choir sang several beautiful hymns. This morning, we were also able to journey through the catacombs of San Callisto, where our students saw a fraction of the miles of tombs where Christian’s, including several early popes, were buried while under persecution from the Roman Empire. Here are some pictures from the day, including my catacombs group: Shanley High School!

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Day one of the pilgrimage has not disappointed! All the groups have had relatively smooth travel days. However, the final group ended up leaving Bismarck 30 minutes late. This means that we saw our 55-minute layover quickly dwindle to a 25-minute layover. However, there is strength in numbers, and with some coordination with other groups, we were able to get the flight attendants to hold the plane and allow us to all board. Not only have all our students arrived safe and sound in Rome, somehow, by the grace of God, every one of our 158 bags made it to Rome. Grazie Dio! Now we finish our day with Mass, and a big communal meal before we venture into the city tomorrow.

Thank you for your prayers!