IT WAS A DIFFERENT sort of Easter for us.
On Monday of Holy Week, I dropped my daughter and husband at the airport to embark on their first-ever trip to the Eternal City. My daughter’s school, in conjunction with their Chesterton Schools Network, was hosting a pilgrimage for upperclassmen to Rome and Assisi—over Holy Week and Easter, during a Jubilee Year of Hope no less. My husband, Peter, was blessed to be a chaperone; he became Catholic 19 years ago when we were in college and I felt strongly that St. Peter was personally inviting him on this particular pilgrimage! He didn’t put up much of a fight when I suggested that he consider going, too. ;)
So after a year of planning, they embarked on their pilgrimage, while the boys and I packed up and left two days later to spend our atypical Triduum and Easter with my parents on the East Coast.
It was a delight to hear about some of the pilgrims’ Holy Week highlights along the way, particularly the unique Jubilee and Holy Week graces that they experienced because of the time they visited. Here are just a few: they passed through the Holy Doors of St. Peter’s within 24 hours of landing and also made it through the Holy Doors of the other major basilicas in Rome including St. Paul Outside the Walls, St. John Lateran, and St. Mary Major.
On Holy Thursday after Mass at an English Church (St. Patrick’s), they began the traditional Holy Thursday 7 churches tour, walking from church to church while singing and praying to visit different altars of repose and “keep watch” with Jesus as He had asked His disciples to do that fateful night in the Garden of Gethsemane. After the 7th Church, several of the pilgrims kept going until midnight, singing and praying and visiting at least 10 more churches together. In my husband’s words, it was “incredibly overwhelmingly magnificent.” Being that he’s more of a stoic who’s not prone to a lot of exaggeration, I can only imagine how truly impactful it was!
On Good Friday, after praying on their knees up the Santa Scala (Holy Stairs), which Jesus Himself climbed twice when being condemned by pilate, the pilgrims ended up at the Church of the Holy Cross, or Santa Croce. While many Catholics throughout the world were venerating their own crucifixes representing the Cross of Christ, the pilgrims got to venerate the Cross—the largest relics of the True Cross. Despite being absolutely packed, everyone present was able to touch it personally. The cross-shaped reliquary also held a relic of St. Dismas, the Good Thief, who happens to be my husband’s confirmation Saint. Such incredible Triduum graces!
On Easter Sunday, the pilgrims went to Easter Mass at St. Peter’s Square, which according to my daughter was a moving experience of the truly universal nature of the Church!
At they end of Mass, Pope Francis appeared on the balcony of St. Peter’s to give the annual Urbi et Orbi blessing. Unbeknownst to them or anyone else, the pilgrims were present for the final blessing that he would give to the city and the world. Part of the group stuck around after the blessing to see Pope Francis pass through the crowd briefly on his popemobile, and one of the students snapped this picture—again, never imagining that it would capture his final hours on this earth.
We truly never know the day nor the hour.
SEVERAL YEARS AGO, I felt prompted to start praying intentionally each morning for all those who would die that day. Whenever I’m tempted to procrastinate in my morning prayer, it's this prompting to pray for souls that keeps me faithful. This life is so brief and so many of the things we think important are so passing.
There's truly nothing more valuable than our eternal souls.
My prayer for the dying is usually a faceless and nameless prayer, so it never ceases to amaze me and pierce my heart when the Lord reveals exactly who l was praying for on a given day. On Easter Monday, I found out it was none other than our Holy Father, Pope Francis—and that my daughter and husband were there in his final moments. It was a shock to realize, yet a profound gift of consolation knowing that the Lord hears and holds every prayer of our hearts.
ONE FINAL GRACE OF DIVINE PROVIDENCE that I’ll share: the morning of Easter Monday, the pilgrims departed Rome for Assisi right around 7:30am, where they were to spend the rest of their pilgrimage. They stopped on the way to celebrate Mass in Orvieto, which houses relics from a Eucharistic Miracle. They were walking up to the Cathedral when they heard the news of Pope Francis’ death—and were shocked like so many of us.
As they entered the Cathedral at Orvieto, they were supposed to celebrate their private Mass in the crypt (the pilgrimage group was very large), but were told at the last minute that there was a change of plans. They would instead be able to celebrate Mass in the side chapel housing the Eucharistic Miracle relics, which are only on display three times a year; being Easter, this was one of them.
So it was that within hours of Pope Francis’ death, a group of students from the U.S. got to celebrate Mass for the repose of his soul in the presence of a Eucharistic miracle.
Across the ocean later that day, my parents, the boys and I made our own pilgrimage to the Holy Doors of the Harrisburg Cathedral where I was also able to pray in a special way for the repose of Pope Francis and the future of our Church.
There were many more graces, but I’ll cap it here—with the reminder that the Lord is always working in multiple ways, weaving stories and lives together; at the same time pursuing intentionally, individually, and in such detailed ways for our eternal good. May we pray for the eyes to see it and receive it ever more deeply.
Eternal Rest grant unto Pope Francis, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him. May his soul and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.
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Join me in praying and fasting for the Conclave which convenes May 7th, and the election of a Holy new Pope.
This was great 👍🏻
Grace and peace to you,
CHRIST is RISEN! ☦️ 🪨 ✨
.....& God bless GKC! 📚✍🏼