What an exciting day! We were scheduled to be driven to the airport at around noon, and as we packed our bags and all our equipment into the S + L van, we knew that our pilgrimage to the Holy Land was finally beginning. We hit a little bit of a bump in the road through customs in Toronto because of our fancy-shmanzy (?) equipment (not because of my 6 pieces of luggage, of course) and found ourselves on Alitalia to Rome for our connecting flight to Tel Aviv, at around 4:15 pm Toronto time.

It was an 8-hour flight, which we enjoyed very much. We toasted our first meal together as a team. Justyna read the newspaper and slept. Caroline, Richard and I got to know each other better. Jasmin and I spent some time on reading materials for our trip. We had a short break for Coach Carter, a basketball movie. All in all, a peaceful and relaxing plane ride.

[Diary]

Jaffa	Mount Carmel	Mount Tabor
Church of the Transfiguration	Sunset on Mt Tabor	Shooting on Mt Tabor
Mount Tabor	Church of the Transfiguration

At roughly 7:30 am Roman time (which was 1:30 am Toronto time), we were finally able to take our cramped legs for a walk around the airport in Rome. We were thinking of stopping by Benedict XVI’s place, but knew we wouldn’t have had enough time within our 2-hour block before flying to Tel Aviv. We’re planning to save that for later. We decided to be responsible Salt and Light-ers, and held a team meeting, planning our strategy for our trip to the Holy Land. I think that the craziest idea for part of our documentary came from Richard. He suggested that we take a shot of the shores of the Dead Sea, with me coming out of the water and saying, “I got myself baptized in the Dead Sea. Don’t you want to get baptized here, too?” In the end, we decided against it.

On the 3-hour flight from Rome to Tel Aviv, I could sense the excitement in the air. This is it – once we get off this plane, we’re going to be in the Holy Land. When we did so at around 2:25 pm Israeli time, Jasmin and I talked about how we would shoot us getting off the plane, and meeting our tour guide Yaacow.

It was a smooth departure from the airport – we thought security would be tighter on us, but not this day. We were picked up by Yaacow with his 12-seater van, and we rode through the streets all the way to our hotel in Nazareth.

First impression – the sight of palm trees, kids selling cigarette lighters, and the hot weather reminded me of the Philippines! I did not know yet how I would feel, but I was glad to be in the Holy Land! We made quick stops to the Port City of Jaffa, where a whale spat out Jonah, and the Stella Maris monastery on Mt. Carmel.

We went to the wrong hotel, finally found the right one called Nazareth Plaza, and went for a dinner at a Thai-Chinese Restaurant with the five of us and Yaacow. It was so good! Not Israeli food, but good enough for the night.

A long day, off to bed.

[Diary]

Our first full day in Nazareth! Here were our major stops:

a. “Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you.”

The Basilica of the Annunciation in Nazareth was very busy this Sunday. It was a Sunday Mass with First Communicants, and so it was very long, busy, and loud. I was so distracted that I found myself asking God for strength to pull myself together to be able to listen to him. During Mass, there was instrumental music to the song I used to sing: “Open our eyes, Lord. We want to see Jesus, to reach out and touch him, and say that we love him….” I knew that I was here to seek God’s face. If Christ came to tell me that I am called to be in His Father’s house, then I’d like to experience something of this home.

We couldn’t go to the grotto underneath the Basilica, the site of the Incarnation, so we decided to leave that for another day.

b. “”How good it is that we are here.”

Mount Tabor, the site of the Transfiguration, was our afternoon stop. What a peaceful sight on top of Mt. Tabor! Here, Peter, James and John accompanied Christ, and witnessed the transformation that made him look dazzling white. The Transfiguration is the fourth Luminous Mystery, and so we took the time to pray a decade of the Rosary.

I thought of how Christ let a crack of his divinity shine to give the apostles hope and inspiration. A crack in the window of the Church, through which a small ray of light shone through, reminded me of this dazzling face of Christ, showing as much of his light as we could handle.

We went back to the hotel. Caroline, Justyna and Yaacow went out for Arabic food, while Jasmin, Richard, and I stayed to finish up our doggie bag of Thai-Chinese food and do some work.

[Diary]
 

Salvatorians school

Cana

Nazareth Village

This was such a hectic day – I felt like we were running all over the place.

We also visited the Excavations of the Sisters of Nazareth. Underneath the convent of the Sisters of Nazareth and the school for disabled children, there are ruins that may have been the home of Joseph and Mary, but that is not known for sure. What struck me in my conversation with a Sister of Nazareth was that what helps her in Nazareth is looking up at the sky and walking through the hills, since Jesus did not live in a place as busy as now. His hometown at the time had around 40 houses!

c. The major stop of the day was Cana: “Do whatever he tells you.”

In the Church in Cana, Jasmin and Justyna renewed their wedding vows. The details of God just blew me away. We had wanted to go to Cana yesterday, but that was not in his plan, and we were glad now that today, it happened.

There was a girl wearing a shirt that had the words “Earth Day” on it. Jasmin and Justyna met on an Earth Day. There were so many purple flowers and purple is their color. We came at a time when usually so many tourists go, but the Church was empty for us, and tourists started coming in as we were leaving….. One little detail to tell you – I was able to take part in this Mass and be their witness! I was not at their wedding in Poland last year, but this was so beautiful for me, to see how the love that this married couple has is symbolic of the intimate love that God has for me.

d. Nazareth village – we picked up some footage of Nazareth in the time of Christ’s life – really interesting, and can’t wait to show you the pics…

e. The grotto underneath the Basilica of the Annunciation: “Let it be done unto me according to Your word…”

Though we only meant to take footage of the grotto, since we already visited the Basilica yesterday, this visit was such a blessing. I could really hear God speaking to my heart, and I felt very close to Mary. Her small Yes was so huge! Just like a short whisper compared to the site of this huge Basilica. Her yes is THE moment in Church history. Christ is “Emmanuel” (God with us) through the yes of Mary.

Wonderful day. Pool is closed, and so no big pool party with wine as part of the wedding reception for Jasmin and Justyna. Too bad.

[Diary]

Jasmin and Justyna	Peter the rock - BANIAS	Mass on the See of Galilee
Multipoffish	Sun rise on Galilee

All done with Nazareth Plaza, and so we brought our luggage with us. This was definitely a Beatitude-centered day.

a. Stop 1: “When God created the universe, the center was the Word.”

What struck me immediately as we went inside were the images of light and water, and the feeling of peace. There was so much glass in the architecture that the whole place seemed to shine, and I could see right across to the Sea of Galilee on the other side. When I spoke with Fr. Rossi of Domus Galilaeae (the Neocatechumenal Way built this place of study of the Scriptures on the Mount of the Beatitudes), he told me of how they believe that the center of the Gospel is the Beatitudes.

Two main structures here: The library and the Sanctuary of the Word. The library had a 300-year old Torah encased in glass in the center of a glass dome underneath what was made to look like the constellations or the universe. It was quite fascinating. The idea was that Christ connected the Old Testament with the New, and with his coming, asked us to love truly. If the Old asks us to give an eye for an eye, the New asks us to go beyond revenge to loving our enemies.

The Sanctuary of the Word is where they pray together. Someone sang songs in the Hebrew language that spoke about both the Torah and the Sermon on the Mount, which are connected to each other. I was so touched by the song on the Torah that I used it for an on-camera reflection. Yes, I sang a bit, the second time in a reflection! You can hear me singing only on Salt and Light Television, which I think is a great marketing tool.

By the way, just for visuals, I went through a tiny door which represented the narrow door of the Kingdom of Heaven. That was interesting.

b. Stop 2: “Blessed are the pure of heart, for they shall see God.”

We went to the Church of the Beatitudes, with the intention to do our reflection on the third Luminous Mystery, the Proclamation of the Kingdom of God, and to pray a decade of the Rosary.

The details of God were everywhere again….. Justyna tapped my shoulder on the chapel (just as I was thinking and praying and asking for inspiration) to tell me that there was a Mass in Korean down below, and that our team could come. I went despite the language barrier, because I haven’t received Him for a while, and missed Him.

But there was no language barrier. I really felt the language of love of the Korean priest. He read the Gospel so lovingly three times, that my soul was enthralled. He addressed us in English, making sure that we were following. He also asked the Korean congregation what makes them happy about being there, and they shared thoughts which he translated for us.

As I looked to my right, there was a stone plaque with the Beatitude closest to my heart: “Blessed are the pure of heart, for they shall see God.” What a detail!

I shared with everybody what made me happy – I saw in this priest and this congregation Christ proclaiming the Gospel, to a crowd that needed him. And this priest is here because he is an apostle spreading the Good News.

I was asked to explain who our team is. I said that we are from Salt and Light Catholic Television, born from the Beatitudes: You are the salt of the earth.. you are the light of the world. What a special day.

It ended wonderfully, too. We are in a Kibbutz hotel, which looks like a resort, with a big pool, and beside the Sea of Galilee. Here we can rest. More drinks and celebration tonight!

[Diary]
 

Fr. Stephane Milovitch OFM	Jerusalem	On the way to jerusalem
Korean Mass in Jerusalem	Last Supper	Mary Rose on Boat
Primacy of Peter	TerraSancta	Yed Veshem

Today was the earliest we’ve gotten up since we arrived to Israel. Caroline and I set our alarm for 4:30 am, since we needed to be ready to capture the 5:36 am sunrise. In such a beautiful setting, we were also able to pray the third Luminous Mystery, which we did not get a chance to do yesterday.

a. Stop 1: “Peter, you are rock, and on this rock I will build my Church, and the powers of death shall not prevail against it.”

After a hearty breakfast we set off for a fun trip to see the waterfalls at Caesarea Philippi. First, we found springs, and Jasmin and I did a shot of us putting our hands into the spring and drinking from it. I would like to use this image for one of my favourite psalms: “As the deer longs for running streams, so my soul longs for you, my God.” I was actually going to recite love poetry from Scripture, but completely forgot with all the rush. One detail, though – I wanted to do a reflection on Peter as the rock. At the bottom of the powerful, awesome falls was a strangely-shaped mossy rock. And I thought of how the strong waters beat against that rock constantly, but the rock does not budge. And I thought of Peter and the Church, founded on a strong foundation, Christ.

I don’t usually talk about meals on this trip, since there’s so much to talk about, but I’ve got to make an exception for today’s lunch. We went to McDonald’s at Jasmin’s request. He tries to go to McDonald’s in every country he goes to. Turned out to be quite good!

b. Stop 2: “Peter, you are rock, and on this rock I will build my Church…” (part 2)

After our quick lunch in the sweltering heat (the hottest so far), we stopped by Capernaum, Christ’s favourite town. I saw the synagogue that Jesus went to, Peter’s house, and the Church built on top of it. I loved the symbolism of the circle of rocks that remains of Peter’s house, and a simple, small Church built on this rock of Peter.

c. Stop 3: “Look at the birds in the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?”

To tell you the truth, our stop at the Church of the Multiplication of Loaves and Fishes was supposed to be just for quick footage. But when I went in through the atrium and into the Church, I was touched by the presence there. As I came back out into the atrium and heard the birds and saw the flowers, I looked up to see a nest of birds. The mother was feeding the young which were “screaming” with their mouths wide open, demanding food.

And so I sat by the circle of flowers and greenery and did my reflection on how, if God cares so much to feed the animals, it is no wonder that he cared so much to feed us, that Christ multiplied food, and even offered his own self to feed us.

d. Stop 4: “Simon, son of John, do you love me?”

We split camps – Jasmin got excited about French-speaking pilgrims again, and so he went off with Richard to shoot a 3:00 Mass, while Caroline, Justyna, and I went off to the Church of the Primacy of Peter.

As I walked down the garden path to the Church, I thought this was supposed to be a quick stop again, because our main stop of the day was supposed to be at the baptismal site, to meditate on the first Luminous Mystery on the Baptism of Christ. It turned out to be a very special trip again.

As I reached the end of the path, the Church was to my left, a garden to my right, and some stairs leading down to the Sea of Galilee. I felt drawn to the Sea and as I went down, I noticed rocks to my left with the words “You are on holy ground” and the Sea extended across from me. I was stunned, with tears in my eyes, because I knew that on these shores, Christ had his intimate conversation with Peter, asking him three times, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Here, on these shores, Peter’s yes led to the gift of the Catholic Church that I love, and the papacy that carries the task of Peter to feed Christ’s sheep. I knew I had to stay longer.

I went into the Church, and a big piece of rock had the words “Mensa Christi” (Table of Christ), over the spot where it is believed that Christ has this special meal with Peter. I saw birds again, the stained-glass windows were beautiful, and seeing the picture of the visit of Pope John Paul II kissing the rock, just held me in meditation for a moment.

I shot my reflection walking without shoes in the waters of the Sea of Galilee.

e. Stop 5: “Lord, if it is you, bid me come to you on the water.”

Because every place I’ve gone to has hit me so much, there was no more time to go to the baptismal site before our scheduled boat ride on the Sea of Galilee at 5:00 pm. The boat ride was lots of fun, and we were the only party on it since nobody wanted to be filmed, apparently.

For this last day along the Sea of Galilee, before we travel to Jerusalem tomorrow, I did a reflection on the boat. I don’t swim, and the only reason I felt safe on the water was because I was in a boat. But if I had to jump out, I’d be scared stiff. When Peter walked on the Sea of Galilee towards Jesus, he started to sink because he stopped looking at Jesus. I want to see the face of Jesus, and I want to keep looking at him. This time along the Sea of Galilee has reminded me of the call of the apostles. We are apostles. Our Yes spreads the love of God through the Church.

After a quick stop to take footage of the Jordan River for the first Luminous Mystery, we headed back to the hotel for dinner, and a fire at 8:30 pm. It is now 7:40 pm, and I hope to be able to read poetry during the fire!

Long, long and fruitful day.

[Diary]

All Nations	Camel	Dominus Flevis
Gethsemane	Rosary	View
Gethsemane 2	Streets of Jerus

a. Stop 1: “I will put my breath into you…. And you will live again…”

By the way, no poetry by the fire, just some sharing. It was good enough to end our teim by the Sea of Galilee. Because of the long day yesterday, we started our day later today. At 10 am, we drove to Yad Vashem, a Memorial to the Holocaust. What touched me the most there was the Children’s Memorial, dedicated to the 1 ½ million named children who died during the Holocaust. The architect wanted to be able to represent the 1 ½ million children’s souls by using candles, and decided to do it using mirrors. The candles looked like they extended for miles in all directions. There was also music to represent the wailing of the children. A voice was saying the names, country, and age of the children who had died. The Memorial brought tears to my eyes, and I thought of all the aborted babies. So very many innocents die every minute!

We made a quick visit to Fr. Stephane OMF, Secretary of the Franciscan Custody of the Holy Land, who gave us a letter that would get us into the Holy Places, which Rome had given to the care of the Franciscans.

b. Stop 2: “This is my Body, given up for you…”

This being Thursday, the day of the Eucharist, we decided to go to the Cenacle, the Last Supper Room. This room is now an interfaith place, but there was a Catholic Church dedicated to it which was just close by. At the Church, a Korean group was celebrating a Mass that included the washing of the feet at 5 pm, and we were able to join them.

My reflection on the Eucharist revolved around the fact that, even though I was not moved by any spiritual feelings, love is about sacrifice, and not feelings. I should not expect something for myself, but focus on being there for Him.

We quickly went to our new hotel in Jerusalem, the Grand Court Hotel, and went for dinner afterwards.

I wanted to go out tonight, but was just too tired. Bed time!

[Diary]

Dead Sea	Qumran	Sepulcher1
Sepulcher	Bonhomme Carnavalin Masada	Israel Desert
Via Dolorosa

a. Stop 1: “Lord, let this cup pass from me…”

This is the day of the Passion, so at 9 am, we left for the Mount of Olives. Oddly enough, at the Mount of Olives, I got one of my special wishes for an experience in the Holy Land – I was able to ride on a CAMEL, and we got it all on tape! I liked him so much, I got his name (no phone number, unfortunately).

At the Mount of Olives, we went to Dominus Flevit, which was a Church shaped like a teardrop, since this is where Christ wept over Jerusalem. The five of us read the passage from Luke on Christ weeping over Jerusalem, in five languages – German (Caroline), Italian (Richard), Polish (Justyna), French (Jasmin), and English (me).

Three of us proceeded to the Grotto where Christ slept with his disciples, and then to the Tomb of Mary. I thought it was special that Mary was buried very close to where Christ went through his agony. I was able to light a candle by her tomb, and say a short prayer. This was a short stop, since this area was closing at noon.

We went to follow the rest of the team at the Church of All Nations beside the Garden of Gethsemane. It is such a beautiful garden, with a few olive trees, a garden where Peter, James and John were sleeping while Christ prayed. When I went into the Church and saw the rock over which Christ wept, sweat blood, and was betrayed, I stayed there for a bit of time to meditate.

b. Stop 2: “At the cross her station keeping, stood the mournful Mother weeping, close to Jesus to the last.”

We scouted the Via Dolorosa, where the Via Crucis was to take place at 4 pm. The Via Crucis was led by a small group of Franciscans, and it was so distracting. All along the Via Dolorosa were loud markets that took away from the spirit of meditation on Christ’s sufferings. The Via Crucis ended at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre which contains Christ’s tomb. What a special place that is.

We had two interviews this day. We interviewed a Sister of Zion on her experience in Nazareth, as well as the Latin patriarch, His Beatitude Michel Sabbah. The Latin patriarch takes care of the Churches in Israel, Palestine, Jordan, Cyprus… We had to cross the Israeli-Palestinian border – we were dropped off at the border by a taxi, we walked for a few seconds to cross the border, and then took a taxi from the border to our destination in Palestine, where His Beatitude was giving diplomas to high school graduates.

The Latin patriarch talked of the need for us to fight for peace, for pilgrims to come to pray, to be convinced about their faith, and to work actively for peace.

[Diary]

Bethlehem	Bethlehem	Great Wall
Sepulchre

This was an outing day for us.

a. We left early at 7:30 am to go to Qumran where they found the Dead Sea scrolls. We watched a short film on the history of the scrolls, and then left quickly for Masada, a National park in a desert area.

b. “Set me as a seal upon your heart….”

The Masada fortress was originally Herod’s “summer resort”. There I reflected on the pilgrimage of the Israelites through the wilderness for at least 40 years to go towards their Promised Land. God is the one who was calling them to him, and therefore there was always a dialogue of love in the desert – love on the part of God, and betrayal on the part of Israel.

c. “Is the Dead Sea really Dead?”

Finally, I got my other wish in the Holy Land – to swim in the Dead Sea! You see, I can’t swim, so this was the first time that I would go so far into the deep end without sinking. I also put mud all over myself, and then swam again in the Dead Sea.

No, we decided not to do the special shot of me coming out of the water. We had fun otherwise.

What an exciting day!

[Diary]

MR in Home for women	girl that kissed MR	Emmaus
Emmaus

a. Stop 1: “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.”

We went for the 9 am Sunday Mass at the Church of St. Catherine in Bethlehem. We had to cross the Israeli-Palestinian border again, and this time they asked for our passports. Jasmin had to bargain for 30 shekels (around CAN $9) for one taxi for us from the border to the Church.

Since it was the Feast of Corpus Christi today, the Mass was followed by a procession with the Blessed Sacrament around the Church.

Right beside the Church of St. Catherine is the Church of the Nativity, built over where Jesus was born. I went down the stairs into the Grotto where Jesus was born, at the very point over which there is a star. Close to the right is where Jesus’ manger was.

So, was all this supposed to fill me with a spirit of gratitude? Of that, there was, but also a lot of pain and distraction. All around Bethlehem, there were armed guards asking you which country you’re from, vendors constantly asking you to buy their things, faces of people looking around looking for something, and I didn’t know how I could help them.

While I was walking around the atrium of the Church, I heard voices singing “Silent Night, Holy Night” and I wondered where they came from. They were coming from underground, and I could hear them through the grille. And I thought of Christ who came because he wanted to bring peace that only He could bring. He also was hidden and obscure, but he was our only hope. But what we do with the message of Christ is up to us.

We also met a Canadian, Jamsheed, who has been volunteering in the West Bank in a nursing home for women. We will be going there tomorrow. He spoke of how difficult it is to see the conflicts between Israelis and Palestinians. Why can’t these different religions work together? Why does there have to be war and misunderstanding between the Palestinians and Israelis? Will there be peace in their future? I couldn’t help but think of God’s promise in the Book of Revelation: “Behold, the dwelling of God is with men. He will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself will be with them; he will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain any more, for the former things have passed away.”

b. Stop 2: “Behold, I make all things new.”

Our team did the Via Crucis along the Via Dolorosa in the afternoon, since we were separated during the Via Crucis of last Friday. We ended up at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, where Christ’s crucifixion took place, and where his tomb is.

Again, evident outside and inside the Church of the Holy Sepulchre was the division among the different religions, distracting tourists moving around, all sorts of people roaming about -- all this around the place where Christ died for us.

I experienced a bit of sadness, but also joy. For it is at Christ’s tomb that the Resurrection took place, in which we place our hope. As St. Paul says, if the Resurrection did not take place, then the preaching of the Apostles is in vain. And as I reflected on our baptism, I thought of our baptismal call to die with Christ so as to live again.

Before we went back to our hotel, we stopped by the Western Wall, the center of Jewish faith, a reminder of the rebuilding of the Temple. As I touched the papers of petitions stuck between the walls, I raised my prayers to God as well. I prayed for peace. I prayed for Christians (including Catholics) to see the importance of preserving the heritage of the Holy Land – it is the source of our faith. It is a reminder of the new Jerusalem – the new heavens and the new earth. I prayed for my family and loved ones. I prayed for strength and conviction about my faith.

After this, we went back to the hotel, to end our last night in Jerusalem, and in Israel.

[Diary]

We spent most of our last day in the Holy Land in the West Bank. We left the hotel at 5:15 am to catch the sunrise at around 5:40 am on the roof of Ecce Homo, along the Via Dolorosa. As the sun rose, light was bouncing off the Dome of the Rock, a mosque, and off all the houses that we could see from the roof.

“When he was at table with them, he took the bread and blessed, and broke it, and gave it to them. And their eyes were opened and they recognized him.”

Off we went again to cross the border to get to a West Bank village, which had only one Christian family. At the Sanctuary of the Recognition of the Broken Bread run by three Polish Franciscans in Emmaus, we had a great Polish breakfast, with bread, Polish sausages, and eggs. It’s great that Justyna speaks Polish so that we could interview Fr. Francis.

Our last stop of the day was a nursing home for the elderly and handicapped, run by the Salvatorian Sisters. And this is where I felt that my wish to see the face of God had come true… I saw the face of God in the elderly and handicapped who lived there. One girl crawled over to me, took one hand and then the other, and kissed me so innocently on both cheeks. I felt the love of God, and I realized, not only in my intellect but also in my heart, the dignity of the human person, so deeply loved by God. I even thought of Pope John Paul II and the way he kissed and touched everybody. He truly saw the face of God in them.

What a wonderful ending to our pilgrimage.

[Diary]

Since we arrived last night to Rome, we’ve had some rest. Our guide Mary Shoavlin came with the Vatican bus (the driver had driven Pope John Paul II around, too!) and dropped us off at our hotel, Hotel della Conciliazione, on the Borgho Pio. This place is around 2 minutes’ walking distance from St. Peter’s Basilica, and the street itself is full of restaurants and cafés. We had dinner at around 10:30 pm in the restaurant beside our hotel, and got some rest.

This kind of restful atmosphere continued into the morning. We had nothing scheduled till around 10:30, at which time Mary would call us to let us know what kind of interviews and stories we had lined up. So, I went for a walk to the Tiber River and back.

We found out that we had the day free until 5:00, at which time we had to leave for an interview with Fr. Paolo Molinari, SJ, postulator general, in charge of presenting cases of the saints.

Our first stop before 5 pm, then, was the tomb of Pope John Paul II, in the papal tombs of St. Peter’s Basilica. It was a great testimony to the legacy of a simple fisherman, Peter, who became a rock on which the foundation of the Church stands. Seeing John Paul II’s tomb, so simple and small, drew even more feeling from us. We took our time at St. Peter’s Basilica, and then a few of us headed off to look for a gelato bar to cool off before the 6 pm interview.

We met Fr. Molinari before 6 pm at the Jesuit house. He told us all about how his job is to investigate and document the lives of the men and women upheld for their exemplary Christian lives. This investigation goes through the Congregation for the Causes of the Saints, then some bishops and cardinals, eventually reaching the Pope himself, a process that could take a while. He said that this work of looking into these saintly lives has inspired him – I sensed a gentleness and saintly presence about him. He was able to talk about working with Pope John Paul II in his desire to let these stories of holy people be more known, and of Pope Benedict XVI’s wise move to make the Pope present at the canonization and not the beatification.

Right after this, we went to the Rosary procession at the Vatican Gardens, which is a papal event itself. This procession happens once a year at the end of May, to close off the month of the Rosary. This was our first chance to catch a glimpse of Pope Benedict XVI, and we were very happy.

After this, we had some dinner – I had my regular chicken and rice at another restaurant on the Borgho Pio, and went back to our hotel wearily at 11:30 pm.

[Diary]

Benedetto XVI	Vatican	Vatican
Vatican	Vatican	Tomb of JPII
View from Hotel

Richard and I left for St. Peter’s Square at 8:30 am to save some seats for the weekly General Audience that started at 10:30 am. We were able to find seats at the bottom of the steps of the altar. We thought we’d never find the rest of the team to let us know where we were, but luckily enough, Richard spotted Jasmin’s S + L hat, and Justyna was able to spot my “mushroom-shaped” hat. They were having difficulty getting to us since they got to the Square at around 10 am, but Caroline’s German saved the day. The German guards, finding out that she was German, just let them through with the camera.

Since I’ve been helping with the General Audience back at Salt and Light studios, I knew the structure of the General Audience. It was great to see Pope Benedict XVI again and to hear him speak about a God who humbled himself for love of us. It was funny hearing Justyna and Jasmin sing together the “happy” Polish song that started off the Polish representative’s address.

After this, we were able to go to the roof of a convent overlooking St. Peter’s Basilica to take more photos and footage of the magnificent Square. The rest of the afternoon was free till 6:30 pm, at which time we will leave to interview Archbishop Miller, C.S.B., and have dinner with him. Jasmin and Justyna went to the Trevi Fountain, Caroline and Richard went to the bridge over the Tiber to shop, and I took a nap. I needed some rest. I know it’s Rome, but when you’re tired, you’re tired. I actually thought of Pope Benedict XVI – he works so hard, does he get little naps, too?

Tonight, we pack to get ready for our 10:45 am flight tomorrow. We will be picked up by the Vatican bus at 6:30 am. Toronto, here we come!

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