A Carpe Diem Snapshot : Buona Festa! Before the clock struck 9, our intrepid group had already been to Mass in the crypt of St. Peter's and begun class at St. Paul's! Liturgical : Tuesday of the Thirty-Third Week in Ordinary Time Today is the Optional Memorial of the Dedication of the Basilicas of Sts. Peter and Paul. The whole Church celebrates the dedication of the two great Roman basilicas of St. Peter at the Vatican and of St. Paul-Outside-the-Walls. The Basilica of St

A Carpe Diem Snapshot: The relic of Mantua has arrived! Come venerate it at San Salvatore in Lauro until the 25th of this month. Liturgical: Monday of the 33rd Week in Ordinary Time Jesus said to him, “Receive your sight; your faith has saved you.”   Immediately he regained his sight and followed him, glorifying God; and all the people, when they saw it, praised God. Luke 18:35-43 Sanctoral: The Church celebrates the Memorial of St. Elizabeth of Hungary (1207-1231), religi

A Carpe Diem Snapshot : Carpe Venerabilis Collegium Anglicum! This morning we went to the Venerable English College for Sunday Mass and were privileged to witness there an induction of an instituted acolyte by an archbishop! The English really have enduring style and know how to keep the beauty of liturgical tradition alive, as you can see from this photo. Plus, they have great accents. Please say a prayer for Barnabus (speaking of traditional things, how about that name

A Carpe Diem Snapshot: "...and night in its swift course was now half gone..." The end is drawing near, good reader. With an early end to the liturgical year in 2025, on November 29, and the new liturgical year beginning on the feast of St. Andrew the Apostle on November 30, Mother Church is drawing us home. Quite literally, as we approach the Winter Solstice next month, we lose a minute of daylight each day, which gives us long, dark, chilly evenings spent at home. It's no c

A Carpe Diem Snapshot: Carpe sarcophagum! Today I wandered into one of my favorite churches in Rome, San Salvatore in Lauro, where this empty coffin, draped in black velvet, was symbolically placed before the altar. November is the month during which the Universal Church prays together for the dead. It is a beautiful and dramatic memento mori addition to the church's already dramatic Baroque style. Behind the coffin, on the front of the altar, is a mother pelican carved in g

A Carpe Diem Snapshot: Carpe Constantine! He may not be a saint in the Roman rite, but he is still given a place of honor in the portico of the basilica he originally built, today referred to as St. John Lateran. The ladies of the Art and Architecture of Rome class got an earful about Constantine's complicated family relationships that influenced the course of history. Following the Lateran, we went over to Constantine's mom's place, the Basilica of the Holy Cross, the ultim

A Carpe Diem Snapshot : Carpe Ardea Cinerea! This morning Tony and I made the wise decision to take the dog for a walk in the park, where I spotted this tree aflame in autumnal glory, and this Grey Heron, soaking up the morning sunshine. In ancient Rome, this bird was a symbol of divination, its call used by the augers to foretell events. My Rome Nature Study Club is currently making a list of the flora and fauna thriving in this habitat, which is a little paradise at the

A Carpe Diem Snapshot: Buona Festa di San Martino! This morning my class visited the Basilica of San Silvestro e Martino ai Monti, and stumbled upon a Veteran's Day ceremony. Hungarian-born St. Martin, whose father named him after the Roman god of war, Mars, was a Roman soldier who famously converted to Christianity and became the third bishop of Tours. As you will read below, there are many wonderful legends and traditions associated with this saint's feast day, including a

A Carpe Diem Snapshot: Who said November’s face was grim?    Who said her voice was harsh and sad?   I heard her sing in wood paths dim,   I met her on the shore, so glad,   So smiling, I could kiss her feet!   There never was a month so sweet.   –Lucy Larcom (1824-93) Liturgical: Monday of the 32nd Week of Ordinary Time For wisdom is a kindly spirit, but will not free blasphemers from the guilt of their words; because God is witness of their inmost feelings, and a true obser

A Carpe Diem Snapshot: "We too, as living stones, form a spiritual temple." Pope Leo spoke these words just now in his homily at the Basilica of St. John Lateran, which one of my Art and Architecture students captured in this image yesterday during the Seven Church Pilgrimage. This church in particular has a long and complicated history, much like the story of the Church itself. It is a story worth knowing, and one I am privileged to share on site later this week. More info t

A Carpe Diem Snapshot: Carpe septem ecclesia peregrinatio! The students' Carpe Diem moment today will be a very long moment indeed as they are undertaking the famous seven church pilgrimage begun by St. Philip Neri, illustrated here with the cheery cartoons of Miss Hannah O'Connor. St. Philip, whose prayer card is visible in the upper left hand corner of the photo, had the brilliant idea to organize a long walk around Rome, all the way outside the walls to the catacombs and

A Carpe Diem Snapshot: Carpe November! The liturgical devotion for the month of November is prayer for the souls of the faithful departed. This lends a "flavor" to the entire month, kickstarted by the Autumnal Triduum of Halloween, All Saints' Day, and All Souls' Day. Tonight we held our November minor feast and belated Halloween party with students and friends at Villa Magnolia, giving each guest a "soul cake" along with their saint of the year (saints who have relics here i

A Carpe Diem Snapshot : Carpe Colosseum! Today a student and I noticed an open doorway inside the temple of Venus and Roma in the Museo del Foro in the Roman Forum and made the smart, spontaneous decision to walk through it. This spectacular view greeted us (I captured the 360 view on video). There is no signage advertising this special spot, so it was yet another surprise reward of taking the Carpe Diem approach. The museum visit also provided a few other new-to-me displa

A Carpe Diem Snapshot : Carpe Plenam Lunam! Look up! Tonight we will see the brightest supermoon of the year. Last night we were gifted this incredible preview as we climbed the hill in Villa Pamphilj. When I turned around to check on the progress of the girls walking behind me, this was right before our eyes. Without even planning it, we caught a moonrise at sunset. Read all about this special moon in the Natural Cycle lesson below. Liturgical: Wednesday of the 31st Wee

A Carpe Diem Snapshot : The class and I stumbled upon this marching band in front of the Pantheon today, just in time to hear them play the Italian national anthem. A real Roman Carpe Diem moment! Liturgical : Tuesday of the 31st Week in Ordinary Time Romans 12:5-16ab So we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually we are members one of another. We have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us: prophecy, in proportion to faith; ministry, in minis

A Carpe Diem Snapshot : Capere pulchritudinem in morte! Seize beauty in death! Yesterday evening's Papal Mass for the Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed was held at the hauntingly lovely Campo Verano. Somehow, we managed to sit right up front, just four rows from the altar, and participate in what was a most unique open air, yet intimate, Mass. It was my first visit to this graceful land of the dead, which was built only yesterday, by Rome standards, in the early 1

A Carpe Diem Snapshot: One misty, moisty, morning, When cloudy was the weather, There I met an old man, Clothed all in leather, Clothed all in leather, With a cap under his chin. How do you do? And how do you do? And how do you do again? The morning broke all misty and moisty, creating a shroud for the dome of St. Peter's Basilica, where only yesterday we sat baking beneath summery sunshine for the Feast of All Saints. Today's weather is much more liturgically appropriate for

A Carpe Diem Snapshot: This morning St. John Henry Newman was officially declared a Doctor of the Church at a Mass with Pope Leo XIV, and I was there! Sitting next to my friend Nina, who has worked for the causes of the saints, she casually happened to mention that she mailed the tapestry on display in the photo above to the Birmingham Oratory after Newman's canonization in 2019. We wondered if the tapestry today was the original that had to be sent back to the Vatican for

A Carpe Diem Snapshot : Our pint-sized super spy would like you to know that the great Autumnal Triduum has begun! With tonight's vigil we begin commemorating the three greatest feasts of the season- All Hallow's Eve, All Hallows Day (All Saints), and All Souls. Each day is replete with Catholic and secular traditions that are blended together to create an ancient brew of customs from several different cultures. Each day we will unpack a few in our lessons below. Happy Hall

A Carpe Diem Snapshot: Carpe gladio! Seize the sword! We happened upon this blacksmith in the medieval town of Sermoneta on my birthday as we wandered down a street and stopped to admire his hand-carved walking sticks for sale. Fortunately, he noticed us as well and came out to chat. It turns out that Dino Messin i is a Jack-of-All-Trades, a rare breed of human beings in our technological age. Dino creates historical weapons for the annual reenactment of the Battle of Lepant