This makes me think.... about how far I need to go, but not being intimidated by that.

We need the living Christ, whom we can know only through our encounter with him. But encounter presumes actual presence -- the Real Presence, which in turn, requires the Sacrament and the Church that alone is authorized to give us the Sacrament, the church that Christ himself willed into existence and continues to support. The Eucharist, at each new celebration, must be recognized anew as the cord of our Christian life. But we cannot celebrate the Eucharist adequately if we are content to reduce it to a ritual of -- more or less -- a half-hour's duration. To receive Christ means to worship him. We welcome him properly and worthily at the solemn moment of receiving him, come to understand his nature, and in worshipping him learn to know him, come to understand his nature, and follow him. We need to learn once more how to rest peacefully in his gentle presence in our churches, where the Eucharist is likewise always present because Christ intercedes for us before the Father, because he always awaits us and speaks to us. We must learn again how to draw inwardly close to him, for it is only thus that we become worthy of the Eucharist. We cannot prepare ourselves to receive the Eucharist simply by thinking about how it should be done. We can prepare for it only when we try to comprehend the depths of its demands on us, of its greatness; when we do not reduce it to our level, but let ourselves be raised to its exalted level; when we become aware of the accumulated sound of the prayers offered during all the centuries in which generations of men have advanced and are still advancing toward Christ.

--Pope Benedict XVI, writing as Cardinal Ratzinger in Co-Workers of the Truth, p. 81-82.

This makes me think... it should make you think too.

In real life, democracy is built on two practical pillars: cooperation and conflict. It requires both.  Cooperation, because people have a natural hunger for solidarity that makes all community possible. And conflict, because people have competing visions of what is right and true. The more deeply they hold their convictions, the more naturally people seek to have those convictions shape society. 

What that means for Catholics is this: We have a duty to treat all persons with charity and justice. We have a duty to seek common ground where possible. But that’s never an excuse for compromising with grave evil. It’s never an excuse for being naive. And it’s never an excuse for standing idly by while our liberty to preach and serve God in the public square is whittled away.  We need to work vigorously in law and politics to form our culture in a Christian understanding of human dignity and the purpose of human freedom. Otherwise, we should stop trying to fool ourselves that we really believe what we claim to believe.

There’s more. To work as it was intended, America needs a special kind of citizenry: a mature, well-informed electorate of persons able to reason clearly and rule themselves prudently. If that’s true — and it is — then the greatest danger to American liberty in our day is not religious extremism. It’s something very different. It’s a culture of narcissism that cocoons us in dumbed-down, bigoted news, vulgarity, distraction and noise, while methodically excluding God from the human imagination. Kierkegaard once wrote that “the introspection of silence is the condition of all educated intercourse” and that “talkativeness is afraid of the silence which reveals its emptiness.”  

Silence feeds the soul. Silence invites God to speak. And silence is exactly what American culture no longer allows. Securing the place of religious freedom in our society is therefore not just a matter of law and politics, but of prayer, interior renewal — and also education. 

What I mean is this: We need to re-examine the spirit that has ruled the Catholic approach to American life for the past 60 years. In forming our priests, deacons, teachers and catechists — and especially the young people in our schools and religious-education programs — we need to be much more penetrating and critical in our attitudes toward the culture around us. We need to recover our distinctive Catholic identity and history. Then we need to act on them. 

America is becoming a very different country, and as Ross Douthat argues so well in his excellent book Bad Religion, a renewed American Christianity needs to be ecumenical, but also confessional.  Why?  Because: “In an age of institutional weakness and doctrinal drift, American Christianity has much more to gain from a robust Catholicism and a robust Calvinism than it does from even the most fruitful Catholic-Calvinist theological dialogue.”

America is now mission territory. Our own failures helped to make it that way. We need to admit that. Then we need to re-engage the work of discipleship to change it.

--Archbishop Charles Chaput, OFM Cap., Archbishop of Philadelphia, Address to the Napa Institute, given July 26, 2012

Read more.

Doing What We Are Called to Do... Remembering Fr. Larry Penzes. My latest column at Patheos

The lives we lead have ripple effects for good or for ill.

Here's my remembrance of Fr. Larry Penzes, a priest whose quiet zeal had a lasting impact on me and others. Tragedy struck him and those who knew him on March 12, 2002, as he was gunned down as he was saying a morning Mass in his parish. It's the subject of my column, this week, at Patheos. Here's an excerpt:

I was eighteen when I met Fr. Larry Penzes, a newly ordained diocesan priest assigned to St. Pius X Church in Plainview, New York. Fr. Larry was buoyant yet quietly hardworking. Generous and friendly, he was always finding ways to bring people together for a Mass, for a special project to help others, or for fellowship. 

I have Fr. Larry to thank for instilling in me a desire to serve the local church. I remember how he talked me into running for a seat on the parish council. Then he encouraged our pastor to hire me as a youth minister. 

The young people I knew trusted Fr. Larry. He made himself available to hear their halting confessions, or to give talks or pray the Mass in their homegrown chapel on youth retreats. He never shied away from the tougher problems teenagers faced. He taught that the only way to get out of being stuck on oneself is by taking time to serve people in need. 

Fr. Larry’s witness was a clear and honest living of the faith, not over-intellectualizing it, or underselling it. His life as a priest was not just a job, nor was his military career as an Air Force chaplain just a duty. Life was faith and faith was life and they all blended together seamlessly without being broken into compartments. He was a man with a ready smile, a ready handshake, and ready service. His priesthood was engaging because he engaged people and delighted in life. 

Fr Larry was simply one of the folks. He loved the New York Jets, and he was always ready for a celebration. I’ll never forget his dressing up in a tuxedo, zipping around the dance floor at a formal event that brought church personnel and parishioners together. Or, the day he playfully donned clown make-up and became a mime in a youth workshop. 

Fr. Larry was my first priest-friend, but not the last. 

Read the rest.

Among Women ReadHER 2.11.12 Late breaking HHS news, Career/family balance, parenting, Valentine's angst & more...

Among Women ReadHER 

2.11.12

!!! Bishops Warn that the HHS Mandate debate is far from over! 

By the USCCB website

There is more to this story than fully being reported. Stay informed.

Don't miss this, either, a letter from the bishops.

Got a minute? Check out Marian Minute

I've added this to my bookmark bar.... to keep it accessible.

Time to Admit It: The Church has Always Been Right about Birth Control

By Michael Brendan Doherty and Pascal-Emmanuel Gobry at Business

This is just more consideration by many considering the outcry of the Church against the HHS Mandate.

The Feminist Shaming of Fertility

By Ashley Crouch at First Things

Read and consider this carefully. The author refers to a brilliant chapter by Dr. Angela Franks in Women, Sex, and the Church, (add it to your library!), compiled by Erika Bachiochi, a recent guest discussing this book on Among Women 98. 

Victoria's Secret Model Quits to Reserve Her Body 'for my Husband'

By Jennifer Abbey

Ok, that's not something you hear every day. Let's credit God for both the young model's journey, and the writer who cared to publish the story. 

Don't Let Valentine's Day Make You Cranky

By Robyn Lee at Catholic Match

Here, here! A post for the single un-attached! By Robyn Lee, a recent guest on AW 122, give her a listen! 

It's National Marriage Week

By the USCCB

From the I-must-live-under-a-rock dept: I didn't know that! When did we get that? Makes sense with Valentine's Day coming up.

Interview with Dr. Michael Barber - Scripture and New Media

By Brandon Vogt at The Thin Veil

A most excellent post - chock full of resources for your spiritual growth. I highly recommend them all! Bookmark and save for further exploration and digestion.

Handprints on the Mirror

By Leanne Willen at CatholicMom.com

Awww... sweet reflection about the little ones. 

Presidential Fathers and Sons

By Michael Medved in the Wall Street Journal

Here's an interesting angle regarding the recent history of the presidency.

The True Test of Leadership

By Mike Myatt at Forbes

Great advice for working women and men. It's simple, Mike writes: "If you focus on your family, your career won't suffer, it will flourish. Get this wrong and not only will your family suffer, but so will you..." 

The Loveliness of a Personal Litany

By Sarah Reinhard

Got saints? Sarah suggests a way to pray with the members of the communion of saints that are important to you. Sarah was a recent guest on AW talking about advent, and talking about blogging and books and more, way back on episode 11.

Strawberry Milk: A fun and easy treat for St. Valentine's Day

By Lacy Rabideau at Catholic Icing

Yes, emphasis on Easy!

Did I Just Have a Heart Attack?

By Susan Brinker at Women of Grace

It's February and Heart Awareness Month. Some good reminders here on the differences of heart symptoms between women and men.

Barbara Walters: "Heartbreaking" for Women to an Ultrasound (prior to their abortion)

By Steven Ertelt at LifeSiteNews.com

It causes more guilt. Hm. Sometimes guilt can lead us to do the right thing...

Hoops Star Elena Delle Donne Treasure Relationship with Older Sister

By Frank DeFord in Sports Illustrated

Ok, I love this story of the love of sisters and the love of basketball. 

Why the French make better parents. 

I don't think this is rocket-science, but I do think there are helpful insights if you need some encouragement in the parenting of small children. Some of these simple principles are inherent in a lot of parenting techniques I learned from Focus on the Family, and others, who emphasized the authoritative role (not authoritarianism) of parents. There is a corresponding article. 

And finally, a little hilarity... The Crescat and Nuns... do click through to the link to see Kat's spoof of the now-famous dating service video of the woman and her over-the-top love of pets. I shoulda put it on the F.U.N. Quotient, but...

Among Women Podcast #124 features Elizabeth Scalia and Kathryn Lopez discussing Catholic opposition to the US HHS Mandate

Among Women 124 is a Special Edition that looks at objection of US Catholic Bishops, and multitudes of Catholics and others who view the federal mandate from the Health and Human Services Department as a violation of religious liberty. This Special Edition unpacks this issue with references to press releases from the USCCB, and commentary from Catholic opinion journalist, Kathryn Lopez, editor of National Review Online, and Catholic blogger and pundit, Elizabeth Scalia, managing editor of the Catholic portal at Patheos. 

Please listen to this podcast, read the links, and share with others.

Need Joy? Sunday is your answer. My latest at Amazing Catechists...

Here's what this article at my column at Amazing Catechists is about:

Sometimes, the joy busters of life get the better of me. But not lately.When I delve into the Catechism of the Catholic Church, I really get a sense of the joie de vivre of Catholic life. Something that has had a real and  practical application for my life is finding the joy of Sundays. After all, Sunday was the day that Jesus was raised from the death… and in so many ways, a thoughtful observance of Sunday can breathe life back into the other days of the week for me. 

Tucked in the middle of a longer summary about Sundays, I came across this tiny, yet powerful phrase: the day of joy. I was immediately struck by how often I have revered Sunday as an obligation and a day of rest, but have not always consciously entered into it as a day of joy, save for major feast days.  As it turns out, that is just one aspect of a bigger idea that describes Christian joy as proper to Sundays.

Read the whole thing.

This makes me think... nothing we do is wasted...

Christ has no body but yours,
No hands, no feet on earth but yours,
Yours are the eyes with which he looks
Compassion on this world,
Yours are the feet with which he walks to do good,
Yours are the hands, with which he blesses all the world.


Yours are the hands, yours are the feet,
Yours are the eyes, you are his body.


Christ has no body now but yours,
No hands, no feet on earth but yours,
Yours are the eyes with which he looks 
Compassion on this world. 
Christ has no body now on earth but yours.

--- St Teresa of Avila, as cited in A Book of Saints for Catholic Moms by Lisa Hendey

Cheating Death and Growing in Gratitude -- a heck of a thanksgiving post

Grateful that I've been over at Patheos for well over a year now!

Here's the opening to my latest column at A Word in Season:

In a nanosecond I saw my life pass before my eyes as an on-coming out-of-control Camaro crossed into my lane. I did all I could to avoid the impact, while thinking…  

 “Oh, God, this is how I’m gonna die.” 

But then I didn’t. The pulverizing sound of the crash was less frightening that the thought of what we would look like afterward. The little economy car was totaled. Despite a severe whiplash and bruises, I managed to get out from behind the crooked dash, unbuckle the children in the back seat -- crying and shaken but okay -- and walk away.

That day, and for weeks after, I grew in gratitude for the preciousness of life amidst harrowing flashbacks and “what if’s?”

Here's the rest.

Please consider subscribing to my weekly column.

Ready or Not Here Comes the New Translation of the Roman Missal. Lotsa Tips Here!!

Well, the clock is ticking toward the First Sunday of Advent on November 27. On that Sunday, the English-speaking churches of North America and elsewhere will begin using the updated or "new" third edition of the Roman Missal for its daily and Sunday Masses. We've not had such a large change in language since 1973 -- and that's before a lot of today's Catholics were born. So there's a period of transition ahead of all of us. And many folks are still not aware of the coming changes, so please help to spread the word.

This third edition of the New Roman Missal is not a change to the Rite of the Mass, but it has several changes to the wording of the prayers we are accustomed to within the liturgy. Therefore, things are going to feel and sound a little strange for a while until we all adjust.

Here at Among Women we talked about the New Missal with Jaymie Stuart Wolfe in the context of bringing familiarity with the changes to our families, most especially to our children.  Listen to Among Women 114 for discussion about the new missal.

I've also been doing a series at Patheos on the changes coming to the people's responses in the New Missal. You'll find the latest installment, "It's Not a New Mass, It's a New Translation", focusing on the Sanctus ("Holy, Holy, Holy") and the Mystery of Faith here. But here's an excerpt...

New Translation:

Holy, Holy, Holy Lord God of hosts.

Heaven and earth are full of your glory.

Hosanna in the highest.

Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.

Hosanna in the highest.

There seems to only be the slight change in the opening line of the Sanctus, where the word “hosts” replaces the phrase “power and might.” 

This prayer comes at an important transition within the Mass, preparing our hearts to join with the priestly offering of the Eucharistic prayer. This hymn uses the thrice holy Hebrew superlative, praising the infinite and almighty God in heaven. The New Missal’s switch to using the word “hosts” more accurately reflects the Scriptural origins of this prayer. 

This hymn to God is taken directly from a heavenly vision from the prophet Isaiah. (See Is 6:3). What’s more, the vision vividly describes not just some angels present at the heaven liturgy; the word “host” refers to an army of angels lifting praises to God. 

“Host,” you may recall, also references the many angels who lit up the sky with their praises on the first Christmas night when Jesus was born in Bethlehem. The shepherds were greeted by a multitude of “the heavenly host (Lk 2:13.)” 

This simple change in wording conveys powerful imagery and the truth of what is dynamically present to us in the liturgy. 

The Sanctus is the prayer of angels and we are privileged to join in their song. Heaven and earth are -- indeed -- full of God’s glory. And at this point in the Mass, we are but moments away from when heaven reaches down and touches earth in the form of the Eucharist, the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ.

Go read the rest here.

Here are the other articles in the Patheos series:

The Translation: A Renewed Understanding of Love 

Missal Changes, Part One: Defined By Prayer (On the Opening and Penitential Rites) 

Mass Changes, Part Two: The Gloria and the Creed 

It's Not a New Mass, It's a New Translation (Part Three: The Sanctus and the Mystery of Faith) 

Other helpful resources:

Resources available for free: 

USCCB: Welcoming the Roman Missal 

Changes in the People’s Parts 

Catholic TV’s series: “Preparing for the New Roman Missal” – video recordings of a symposium for priests. 

Liturgy Essentials from Pauline Books and Media  - I especially like Sr. Anne's 7 min video on her insights on the New Missal.

Life Teen's Video Series Introducing the New Missal 

OSV’s Roman Mission revision readiness plan – helpful suggestions on how to  prepare for the new translation. 

Podcast: iPadre - Fr. Jay Finelli interviews Fr. James P. Moroney, an expert who is traveling the country introducing the New Roman Missal.  

Resources available for purchase: 

Books on the Missal  -- even for kids! -- from Pauline Books and Media

A New Translation for a New Roman Missal – DVD set featuring talks by Fr. James Moroney of Vox Clara. 

The Mass Explained -- book by Fr James Moroney 

The Church’s Common Treasure – A booklet produced by the USCCB containing 11 essays exploring the history and purpose of the new translation.

images 

The Chaplet for Holy Souls

This devotion of the Chaplet for the Holy Souls is prayed on the most popular 59 beads Marian Rosary which is one of the Catholic Church Sacramentals.

Make the "Sign of the Cross" on the Cross. Then say the Apostles Creed.On the 5 beads between the Cross and the medal, say,

1 Our Father...
3 Hail Mary...
1 Glory Be...

For each decade, proceed as follows:

On the large bead prior to 10 small beads, say:

"O Holy Souls
draw the fire of God's love into my soul,
to revealL Jesus Crucified in me here on earth,
rather than hereafter in Purgatory."

On each of the small beads, say:

"Crucified Lord Jesus,
have mercy on the souls in Purgatory."

When you have completed all 5 decades, say 3 times the Glory Be...

Source 

You can find other prayers at The Mary Page.

This makes me think... about New Media religious dialogue

[O]nline religious dialogue almost always evokes detractors... Instead of worrying about whether detractors will arise, however, [Catholic] leaders should assume they will, and then prudently decide how to best engage them. What they shouldn't do is let the fear of detraction prevent any type of discussion.


If dialogue is practiced in full awareness of these dangers, it can flourish. Dialogue is at the heart of growth and community, both securely -- see Socrates -- and religiously -- see Jesus. Discussion gives the Church a human element, revealing her to be a living organism rather than a static institution.


Through prudent New Media dialogue, leaders can help people develop a closer relationship to the Church, and therefore to Christ.


--Brandon Vogt, The Church and New Media, Our Sunday Visitor, 2011.

Brandon Vogt's newly released book, with essays from a stellar cast Catholic New Media enthusiasts, is important reading for Catholic parish and diocesan leaders, as well as for any Catholic with a heart for the new evangelization.

As we approached Corpus Christi, a look at JPII's Final Encyclical on the Eucharist

Take a short tour of the last encyclical that we received from Pope John Paul II on the Eucharist, at my column this week at the Catholic Portal at Patheos...

In the encyclical, Ecclesia de Eucharistia, Blessed John Paul II sought to rekindle in Catholics our Eucharistic amazement… “to contemplate the face of Christ” anew, and to receive Christ in the most intimate way possible this side of heaven.

When it was released in 2003, I wondered if Ecclesia de Eucharistia, (“On the Eucharist in its Relationship to the Church.”) would be his last encyclical. In frail health from advancing Parkinson’s disease, I marveled at both the unrelenting schedule and prolific output that came from John Paul II. Yet, here it was, his fourteenth encyclical. From my vantage point, the Holy Eucharist empowered and animated the ailing pope.

Blessed John Paul II not only taught the Second Vatican Council proclamation that the Eucharist is “the source and summit of the Christian life (Lumen Gentium, 11), ” he witnessed to it in his heroic person.

The Catholic Church celebrates Corpus Christi Sunday this coming week, the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Jesus. This is a prime opportunity to examine our own relationship with the Eucharist in the microcosm of our lives… to draw our very lifeblood from Christ in the Eucharist.

...

In the Eucharist, we see and find and receive Jesus. Recall the disciples along the road to Emmaus in the post-Resurrection accounts. Their amazement and joy at discovering Jesus alive -- in the context of their daily lives -- was uncontained.

To contemplate Christ involves being able to recognize him wherever he manifests himself, in his many forms of presence, but above all in the living sacrament of his body and his blood. The Church draws her life from Christ in the Eucharist; by him she is fed and by him she is enlightened...

Whenever the Church celebrates the Eucharist, the faithful can in some way relive the experience of the two disciples on the road to Emmaus: “their eyes were opened and they recognized him” (Lk 24:31). (Ecclesia de Eucharistia, par. 6.)

There's more here. 

Getting Ready for this Sunday's Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity: "The Sublime Logic of the Trinity" -- my column this week at Patheos

There's no end to plumbing the depths of the mystery of the Holy Trinity... but for us mere mortals, the Catechism of the Catholic Church gives us beautiful insights to this, the most foundational of Christian beliefs. A Word in Season, my column at Patheos, highlights some of the basics truths that might assist our desire to grow in the knowledge of God, and accept his amazing love for us.

Here's an excerpt....

Christians have faith in this Three-in-one God because of God’s own revelation to us. God not only created time but entered into time and spoke to us. The primary reason for this divine intervention is that God longed to reveal Himself to us, and did so in ever increasing degrees over the course of human history. 

Think about it: This is a God that wants to be known.  By us! And loved by us. The most amazing thing about the glory of God is that it is something that God wishes to share with us.

 God is not afraid to seek us out and invite us to be joined to him in everlasting glory. God is our origin and our end.

Read the whole thing.

Please subscribe to my weekly column, if you enjoy it. It can be delivered right to your email inbox, or a reader via an RSS feed.

The Cloud, The Angels, The Ascension...

My column this week up at Patheos takes a look at the Ascension -- trying to highlight the fantastic as well as sublime aspects of it  -- while gaining an appreciation for Jesus' continued proximity to us... here's a snippet:

It reads like a movie finale, complete with special effects…

Jesus and his truest companions are in the soul-stirring closing scene.

Strong, important, curious words are uttered, recorded for posterity.

 …wait for the promise of the Father…

 …you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit…

 …you shall receive power…

 …you shall be my witnesses…

… to the end[s] of the earth. (See Acts 1: 4, 5, 8, RSV-CE.)

The proverbial torch is passed to the noble characters that remain faithful. Then, in a moment worthy of high-priced special effects, the leading man puts a seeming end to the story as he is enveloped and transported from view…

 “…as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight.” (Acts 1:9)  

You expect the credits to roll up. But wait…

The rest. 

Among Women Podcast #98: Women, Sex & the Church

Among Women 98 is now posted and our "Blessed are They" segment takes a look at the life of St. Joan of Arc, the patroness of France, whose photo is at left. (I took that picture on my recent trip to Paris.)

Our "Among Women" guest segment welcomes author and editor Erika Bachiochi with a look at her important new book, Women, Sex and the Church.  (Put this book on your summer reading list!) This is an important dialogue we women need to have with each other and the culture at large.

Don't forget, we're getting ready for Episode 100 of AW, and we want your feedback. Send your comments and thoughts about the first two years of Among Women by phoning 206-203-2024, or email me at amongwomenpodcast@me.com.

Among Women #95- Roma!

Yes, here I am, finally. Back from Rome and finally uploading a new podcast since my travels. That's me standing on the roof of St. Peter's Basilica... near the dome...There's a heavenly view from the top, and you can tell it was a very sunny day -- but cool enough to keep the jacket zipped -- when I visited! Behind me, believe it or not, is a cafe (who knew?) selling espresso, soft drinks, etc., and there's a gift shop from where I purchased a few postcards and some lovely rosary beads that commemorate the beatification of John Paul II, (and, yes, they were blessed by Pope Benedict)... so be listening to the podcast to get in on that giveaway!

Here's a picture of the rosary:

Among Women 95 celebrates Holy Week and Easter in Rome with the Gohn family (tho' none of my fam were brave enough to actually record with me!) as we take in some of the sights and the General Audience in St. Peter's Square with my pope and yours, Benedict XVI.  This week show departs from our normal two segments in order to bring you scenes and sounds from Rome.

Some of the photographs below are keyed to the some of the things the podcast describes. But feel free to listen and to share your own thoughts below in the combox.

And a very Happy Easter, once again!

To Roma!

"The boys" and I ready for take-off out of Boston. Peter, 18, Bobby, 23. Katie is already in Europe, and Bob is working in Denmark, preparing to meet us in Rome.

Cafes along Piazza Navona

Cafe life kills jetlag! And cures flat hair from sleeping on a plane!

The Bernini fountains, Piazza Navona

Bobby, in front of St. Agnes' church (where she was martyred), Piazza Navona

The Pantheon

 Dome of the Pantheon -- yes with an open skylight. Allegedly no rain ever enters it!

The Pantheon renamed 

The altar (crucifix covered on Palm Sunday)

 "The Annunciation"

Close-up of the Father overshadowing Mary with the Spirit

Pantheon, exterior

St. Peter's Basilica, as seen from St. Angelo Bridge area

 taxi stand near St Peter's

 The Collonnade with the papal apartments above

Huge Main entrance doors to St. Peter's (those statues on the roof line are 10-12 feet high)

 Chairs set up in the Square for the papal audience, Egyptian obelisk in center. 
(Note: there are more Egyptian obelisks in Rome than in Egypt. How they got dragged and transported by the Roman I'll never know!)

 Giant statue of St. Peter outside

 The fountains at St. Peter's

The apostles

The Papal Apartments... window in top row, second from right is the window that the Pope addresses the crowd from on Sundays for the Angelus.

Check this out --->>>Below St. Peter's Basilica is St. Peter's tomb and an ancient necropolis unearthed in the mid 20th century. We toured the tomb and necropolis but were not allowed to take pictures. Here is an excellent resource, and online virtual tour of why St. Peter's is build over the Peter's tomb, following his martyrdom.

 Getting ready for the Papal Audience on Wed April 20th.

 The crowd fills St. Peter's square

 Clear skies!

 The "porch" and awning where the pope will preside over the gathering.

Pilgrims await the Holy Father's appearance

 A Swiss Guard standing by in traditional medieval dress
(Don't be fooled, these guys are military-trained protection for the pope.) 

Security police pacing and passing the time

Photographers setting up 

 Oh looky! Here he comes!

 Slowly blessing the crowd...

 Best photo of the Pope we have... thank God for tall husbands!

 Dwarfted by the immensity of St. Peter's

 Pope giving his catechesis...

...and speaking extemporaneously.

The Pope's departure

INSIDE ST. PETER's:

The Holy Door of St. Peter's (only opened during Jubilee Years)

Michaelangelo's Pieta

The approach to the main altar

 Above the main altar

Holy Spirit stained glass over the memorial cathedra chair

 The dome from the floor of the basilica--from here, the very center has a painting of Jesus and Mary, but it is hard to observe in these photos.

The inside of the dome -- After climbing to the top inside

 Those letters encircling the dome are 6 feet high... look at the height of the people in this photo who are also climbing the dome.  This place is massive!

Views from the inner dome...the quote in Latin is from the Gospel... "Upon this rock [Peter/petra] I will build my church. (Mt 16:18)"

 Remember the apostles on top of St Peter's in the photo above? Here they are from the roof line... about 10-12 feet high.

on the roof, but we did not climb to the top of the cupola... up just under that cross at the top.

 St Paul statue in courtyard of Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls

 

 St Paul's Basilica -- see those circular disks on top of the columns? That all the apostolic succession of all the pope's images from St. Peter to Pope Benedict XVI.

Sorry, not a good photo of BXVI.

A better view of BXVI

 Mosaic behind the altar at St. Paul's

Loving the cafe life!

The 5 of us - sitting in the ancient amphitheatre of Ostia Antica

 Easter dinner with the Gohn's and Benjy, (missing, Bobby who snapped the picture).

And now, some randomness:

My Husband has a thing for small, and even tiny cars...

And tiny trucks too!

And this heel-clicking fun!