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FINAL MORNING

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Here we are, at the airport in Rome ready to fly home. What an amazing pilgrimage it has been for all seven of us. Each one of us have had our own unique encounters along the way. On our final day, we begun by visiting two special pilgrim churches: The Archbasilica of St John Lateran (the cathedral church of the Diocese of Rome) and Santa Croce in Gerusalemme (the Basilica of the Holy Cross). Both churches were amazing. Our final pilgrim experience occurred over lunch at Termini train station. We caught up with a man from El Salvador, German de Silva. German, was taught by Fr Rutilio Grande and more importantly was a Catechist in his parish under the guidance of St Romero. German shared with us the numerous encounters (twice a month) that he had with St Romero. Of deep significance to us, he shared of the heart of Romero, a man of the people who proclaimed the truth of the Gospel in all circumstances. German encouraged us to continue to use Romero as a model of Christian living, that...
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SUBIACO, ITALY

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Today we went to Subiaco, Italy.  There is a strong Connection to Holy Cross through the Benedictine monks, Rosendo Salvado and the fact that it is the sister town of our Subiaco in Perth. There were two places in particular that we visited today; the Abbey of Santa Scolastica (consecrated to St Scolastica  the twin sister of St Benedict, the founder of the Benedictine order of which Dom Salvado was a member) and Sacro Speco (the Holy Cave in which St Benedict spent three years in before founding the Benedictine Order).  A monastery has been built into the cliff side around the cave.   Rosendo Salvado visited both of these places before moving to Australia. Our last day of sight seeing was the best way to finish off a wonderful week in Italy. We enjoyed breathtaking views of the country side and the hospitality of people of Subiaco.  We finished the way we started our connection to Italy, on a pilgrimage in which we connected with God, self, others and natu...
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ST OSCAR ROMERO

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Today was a life changing and beautiful day. It was amazing to see Oscar Romero become a saint. I found it beautiful to see so many people from El Salvador there to celebrate his Canonisation. One of his famous quotes was, “I do not believe in death without the resurrection.If they kill me I will rise again in the people of El Salvador”. I believe that this quote was fulfilled today and he really did rise with the people of El Salvador. This proves that the community of El Salvador was impacted by his teachings and of him trying to make El Salvador a place that was just. Throughout the last two days we had the privilege of meeting those who have had the greatest pleasure of knowing him and who traveled all this way, many of whom didn’t know if they had a ticket for the ceremony when we spoke to them last night.  They travelled all this way to celebrate with the Pope and with all of us as Romero became  a saint. BR Today I witnessed a patron and a hero of mine receive ...
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VATICAN CITY

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Today was a BIG day. After a short train ride our day began in the Vatican Museum. We thoroughly enjoyed the beautiful artwork, but the highlight was going into the Sistine Chapel. It was amazing to see Michelangelo’s ‘Last Judgement’ on the front wall of the Chapel.  After a lunch stop (amazing pizza), the line into St Peter’s Basilica was too long so we then caught another train to St Paul’s Outside the Walls. At this point, this was the biggest church we had ever been in! It was beautiful, and a lot quieter than the Sistine Chapel because it wasn’t as crowded - which we enjoyed. This was of particular significance for us as this had the Benedictine Abbey attached to it. It was in this Abbey that Dom Salvado died. In the bookshop outside of St Paul’s we ran into Fr Brennan Sia - Parish Priest in Kalgoorlie.  After this we went back into Termini by train station and met up with Emeritus Archbishop Barry Hickey to give him his ticket for the canonisation. It was great...
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EXPLORING ROME

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After a relaxed morning, we made our way from Cassino to Rome. The train ride was very pleasant and was direct so the time went extremely fast and before we knew it we had arrived in Rome. Once arriving in Rome, we had a chance to explore. We started by just exploring the surrounds of our hotel, doing a little shopping as well getting some lunch. We then started to enjoy the wider area of Rome and ticked off many things from bucket lists. We visited a few iconic places while Ms Connor and Mr Muller, went to get the tickets for the Canonisation of Oscar Romero. First we visited the Colosseum, we then went to the Trevi Fountain and the Pantheon and finished at the Spanish Steps. After an amazing day we have all ticked off many bucket lists items and we can’t wait to explore more.  When the group got back together in the evening it was great to know we had the tickets for Sunday’s Canonisation Ceremony. 
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REFLECTIONS ON OUR PILGRIMAGE

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One of the main things I got from this section of the Camino was a definition for the term "Faith Journey". In some ways I got this definition through spiritual experiences and in another way through my physical experiences. In all pilgrimages there is a beginning, the journey itself and the arrival at the destination. It was upon reflecting on this that I realised this is our Faith Journey. We have our baptism, the beginning of us belonging to God's Family. After this we begin our Journey, the journey of life. In life we try to walk towards God. Sometimes we will stumble on the pebbles and rocks that litter the ground, other times we will have straight ground, with nothing obstructing our path towards God. Finally we have our arrival at our destination. Our desired destination, both after a pilgrimage and our lives, is God and what he has to give is. It is this link between our earthly lives and pilgrimage that I have found the meaning of our Faith Journey.   JT T...
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Day One: Cammino Di San Benedetto

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Bon Cammino! We started our day today in the beautiful town of Arpino. This was to be the starting point for the Cammino di San Benedetto. The walk took us through the breathtaking but, in parts, rugged Italian countryside. We were met just outside Arpino by an extremely friendly dog who decided to join us for the duration of the walk. He became quite a beloved companion amongst the group, particularly with Ms Connor.  The 20km long walk was a great opportunity for us all to reflect on our own personal faith journey. For me personally it was in times of silence on the walk that I was able to reflect on my thoughts and my faith and the sheer beauty of God's creation and how we will never understand his power and his love for us. There has been a little bit of a language barrier, but the willingness and determination of the Italian people to help and to serve us has made it so much easier. Oscar Romero is revered for his compassion and support for struggling in society. The I...
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