'WHEN IN ROME'

Yesterday morning we woke up to a beautiful European sunny day. Once again in groups of 4-6 we set off to discover and learn more about the history and culture of Rome. We aimed to cram as much into the morning as possible with the aim of meeting back at our accommodation at 1:45pm for a meeting.

At 3pm yesterday we had the privilege of meeting the Marist Brothers Superior General, Brother Emili Turu. Brother Emili, along with Vicar General, Brother Joe McKee and Brother Michael De Waas from the General Council, spoke to us about the missions of the Marist Brothers, the work that they do today, their vision for the future and the importance of building ‘Inclusive’ cultures throughout the world. The Brothers also stressed the importance of the role of Lay Marists in continuing the Marist charism. It was a very informative meeting and one in which we did get time to ask many questions. Having that opportunity to speak openly with the Brothers was a tremendous privilege.

Brother Michael then took us on a tour of the General House before Monsignor Peter Jeffery presided at Mass in the General Council Chapel. Monsignor Peter spoke about the interactions that occurred during Pentecost, being able to communicate with people from all walks of life and how we can relate the Pentecost messages to the work of Marists today.

This morning, were up and about early to brave the cold and overcast weather conditions as we set off to the St Peter's Basilica where we were members of the Papal audience in St Peter's square. The whole group was excited and eager to hear what Pope Benedict XVI had to say. The gospel reading was the Emmaus story and it was read in many different languages including Italian, French, English, Spanish, German, Portugese and Polish among others.

It was amazing to see the huge number of young people who flocked to the square to receive a Papal blessing. We were lucky to get great 'viewing' seats after an advanced party of 13 left our accommodation at 6:45am to line up at the gates of St Peter's Square and save the rest of the group some seats. The latter party arrived just in the nick of time as there was growing pressure from members of the public to obtain the seats. All ended well and when the group 'Marist Pilgrims from Australia' was welcomed to the Vatican, there was large and enthusiastic cheer from our group. All in all, it was an experience that none of us could forget.

Brother John and other members of the Marist family back home, you are all still very much in our thoughts and prayers.

God bless,

Tim Kelly