Okay, it's kind of strange now. After the daily maelstorm of deadlines, preparations, "what's next" events, meetings, serious discussions, serious fun, and 100-plus Brothers trying to get something done, it's really different to not have that.I had planned to sleep as long as I wanted, but nevertheless I awoke at 6:30 AM with the "what's first" question in my head. Even after I'd figured out that that no longer applied, I could only sleep for another 15 minutes before deciding that it wasn't any good to simply lie there in bed. So I got up, put myself together, and mozied over to the "office" to begin cleaning things up. On the way there, I met some Brothers who asked where they could get copies of the Liturgy Resource book to take home with them. Yesterday, after the Closing Mass, I'd noticed Br. Lorenzo wheeling the cart of Liturgy Resource books to the storage room near his office - my guess is that he figured to use them for future events. But I had also put a small note at the end of the Mass program inviting participants to take a copy with them. Those who hadn't done so right after the Mass were now looking for a copy. And so I showed them where they were stored; they were welcome to take a copy with them (even with the mistakes in the book that I'd noticed already).
When I went over to the Hotel La Salle side of the complex (B Complex), lots of Brothers were there waiting for their rides to the airport. I stayed around that area for a while, talking to the Brothers and saying my goodbyes as they left to their own parts of the world. The atmosphere was quite collegial and familiar, since we'd gotten to know most of the other participants during the course of the last five weeks.After breakfast with those who remained (about 30 or so at breakfast anyway), I began to put things away in the Main Chapel and the CIL Chapel (guitars, guitar stands, keyboard, candle stands, etc.). I also decided to take up the offer to make rooms in A Block available for participants who were staying on a few days after the Chapter (showers that work!!!).
So now I'm in another room on the third floor of the Generalate, with a great big window looking out onto the chapel area. The room is right next to Br. Lorenzo's room and I trust that he's a quiet sleeper. In any case, it's only for three nights and then I'm off to California. It took three trips to get all of my stuff from one room to the other. It's amazing how man oy things one can accumulate in such a short time. I'll have to have them send some of it to me in boxes, especially all those gifts of books that were left at our places in the Aula Magna by various Districts. I would say, however, that the most appreciated gift was the 1 Gigabyte thumb-drive from ARLEP with the LA SALLE logo on it. Everyone using one of those drives for the rest of the Chapter, for translations, prayer programs, and everything in between.
After the noon meal, I went on a walk with Brs. Frank Burns, Robert Berger, and Lawrence Humphrey. We decided to go the Castel Sant' Angelo, taking the Metro stop to the Vatican and walking from there along the wall / passageway to the Castle. There's a direct line from the Vatican to the fortification because in the 15th (?) century it was used as an escape route for the pope and the Swiss guards when the Vatican was under attack. The wall with its battlements and connecting tunnel still stands. The place itself, or parts of it anyway, dates from the 2nd century.I thought that we would see only a bunch of armory and lots of historical displays. Instead, there were some great paintings, including two by Carravagio, some sculptures, and a whole suits of rooms for the pope, one of them painted by Raphael. There was even a papal bathroom, complete with frescoes all around the shell-shaped bathtub.
One thing was clear, beyond the artwork; these guys were tiny. Many of the doorways were made for folks under five feet tall. I don't know how tall the popes were but it's clear that the human population has grown taller since that time.We walked and walked and went up and down steps all over the place. I got lost among all of the hallways and tunnels and corners and steps. But Frank pretty much knew where we were and led us to all of the main sights. From the top of the building, you got a terrific view of the panorama of Rome from a central location. The rain that fell intermittently didn't dampen our spirits a bit. We just pulled out our umbrellas when needed and enjoyed the experience.
After our visit to Cas
tel Sant' Angelo we walked towards the Vatican, stopping in the various shops along the main road up St. Peter's. Even from a distance, we could see that a canonization had happened today - four new saints. Back at the Motherhouse for lunch, we had seen a large contingent from Malta (bishops, priests, and others) having dinner in the dining room that the Chapter had been using - we were given a smaller dining room for our smaller group - and found out about the canonization that happened today. The large banners for the saints hung from the balconies on the facade of St. Peter's, and the line to get into the church, even hours after the ceremony itself, went entirely around the piazza.By the time we ret
urned to the Motherhouse, it was 6:30 PM and there was just enough time to relax a bit before dinner was served. At dinner, I sat at the table with Michael Sanderl and his mother, who's just arrived to join him for some traveling in Italy. After dinner, Br. Alvaro and the "old" Councillors all came into the dining room to say goodbye to those who would be leaving tomorrow morning - a very nice gesture on their part. People at the table remarked on how Br. Alvaro especially has an acute sensitivity to others around him and does a great job of making them feel special and important (probably a good quality for a Superior General). Add that to the other qualities that he possesses and one could say that the Chapter made a wise choice.
After dinner, the decision was made to go to the gelato place next to McDonald's, just down the road. And so the evening came to a typical and good typically Italian conclusion. I also found the perfect combination of tastes in hazelnut and amaretto.Now all I've got to do is get myself organized for the trip on Wednesday. But there's time so I'm not too worried. Tomorrow, I'll go with Br. Leonardo to the Vatican later in the morning in order to tag along while he does some errands and to also to go to the photography office to see if I can track down the photos taken on September 17, 1987, at 7 PM. I'll let you know why later.
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More photos from today at http://picasaweb.google.com/gvangrie/ItalyJune3
