From our third day in Rome. Another great day.
Returning to Rome the day was not over for us. Being a Saturday, and as we walked by the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, we decided to hear Sunday Mass at this amazing monument.
We had time to go round the church and take pictures till it was time to hear mass. This is a general view of the church on the inside in a merge of two shots.
Yesterday evening we watched the Pope praying for all the world from St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican at this time of crisis because of Covic19. The ceremony ended with a general benediction. It was such a moving experience.
Thank you very much for your views comments and fav's.
Oh now this took me back! Beautiful place. I have a story to make you smile. There is a Jesuit College right by here and I once visited it, invited by some students who were out in St Peter's Square encouraging people to think about God. I ended up being the only female in there taking mass with them, which somewhat surprised the priest when I got to the front to receive the wafer! He paused, wide eyed, and then carried on! I had dinner around a table with all the students, seated with the Principal, translating and re-translating the conversation as there were so many languages there. After dinner, I joined a more public meeting where locals came in too. Suddenly eveyone looked at me and I asked an American what the Principal was saying. He handed me his guitar and said "the English lady is going to sing the English folk song in our books." When I flicked through the book, I found it was actually an Irish song - "Molly Malone." So as I sat in a Jesuit College in Rome, with everyone joining in on the chorus "alive, alive-oh" and I remember thinking "no-one is ever going to believe this story!" But it happened. Next door to this church. I still smile when I remember it!
@casablanca Wow, what a story! How did the American know that you can play a guitar? I bet you were very surprised when he came out with the idea of you singing to all those people present.
@sangwann I had met the American earlier - he could translate between me and an Italian guy there who had answered the door. He had a guitar in his room and I had played it, so he knew! But it was fun, eh?
@casablanca Wow this is a great story....they invited the right person to join them....I bet you made their day! I went to a convent school & one of my brothers went to a Jesuit boarding school in Dumfries so I know a woman would be very noticeable there...you were honoured...they would be honoured too!
@casablanca That is an awesome story!