Yes, I finally made it back home, even after my flight from San Francisco to Boise was cancelled Thursday night, because of windy conditions. And after resting in the airport, and a few hours at a local motel in Boise, I drove back to Baker City in the afternoon Friday.
Here is my first entry since my arrival in my parish, incidentally on the same
date that our new Bishop, Liam Cary was consecrated and installed at Bend. I
just could not make it on time to be there with all the other priests, but there
was nothing I could do about it - just a few hours difference, and I could be
concelebrating in this historic moment in our Diocese.
But instead, I am settling back in my parish after a very long flight from Rome, through Washington, San Francisco and Boise. As those who have followed my blog can testify, my week in Rome was just about what dreams are made of. I can calculate that I walked the entire length of a marathon (26 miles and 385 yards) over the 6 full days I spent in Rome. On some days I must have covered 7 to 10 miles, and so it could very well be much more than a marathon. All in all, the landmarks of Rome are all bunched up together, and so you don't lose much time traveling or even walking. On some days I started walking from the far eastern part of Rome and ended up crossing the entire town, ending up at the St Peter's basilica. The entire day I spent at the Vatican was a mesmerizing experience for me, as I arrived early as usual (to beat the tourist rush!) and by 10am I was climbing the 551 steps to the cupola of the dome where you find yourself overlooking the entire city. I'm glad to say that I even passed a few younger tourists in the process who were left huffing and puffing behind me. The steps are actually gradual, with the last 100 of them or so going through a spiral staircase that must have been masterminded by Michelangelo and his friends when he was structuring the dome in the 16 th century.
The Vatican Museum was just very impressive for me as I walked through one hall after the other, re-living history and finding yourself back in time, mingling with Emperors, martyrs, charioteers, Roman soldiers, Greek mythological figures, Egyptian mummies, and of course the likes of Perugino, Pinturicchio, Raffaello, Michelangelo, Bernini, Bramante, Botticelli, and all the other artists who have turned the Vatican over the centuries into a veritable heaven-on-earth. I probably have close to 3000 photos to download and catalogue over the next few weeks, (actually 3161 in all) and so bear with me as I share with you some great shots I took, from unusual angles, exciting vantage points and panoramic views of the Roman skyline, which will never seem the same for me. But parish work awaits me, as I have to also catalogue my sister-in-law's photos of water fonts and stoups, so that she can continue work on her thesis.
In the meantime, stay tuned as my posts will now once again appear every day and be updated daily, with lots of photos, which I could not use so easily while away, with the exception of a photo of St George Preca and those broad beans!
But instead, I am settling back in my parish after a very long flight from Rome, through Washington, San Francisco and Boise. As those who have followed my blog can testify, my week in Rome was just about what dreams are made of. I can calculate that I walked the entire length of a marathon (26 miles and 385 yards) over the 6 full days I spent in Rome. On some days I must have covered 7 to 10 miles, and so it could very well be much more than a marathon. All in all, the landmarks of Rome are all bunched up together, and so you don't lose much time traveling or even walking. On some days I started walking from the far eastern part of Rome and ended up crossing the entire town, ending up at the St Peter's basilica. The entire day I spent at the Vatican was a mesmerizing experience for me, as I arrived early as usual (to beat the tourist rush!) and by 10am I was climbing the 551 steps to the cupola of the dome where you find yourself overlooking the entire city. I'm glad to say that I even passed a few younger tourists in the process who were left huffing and puffing behind me. The steps are actually gradual, with the last 100 of them or so going through a spiral staircase that must have been masterminded by Michelangelo and his friends when he was structuring the dome in the 16 th century.
The Vatican Museum was just very impressive for me as I walked through one hall after the other, re-living history and finding yourself back in time, mingling with Emperors, martyrs, charioteers, Roman soldiers, Greek mythological figures, Egyptian mummies, and of course the likes of Perugino, Pinturicchio, Raffaello, Michelangelo, Bernini, Bramante, Botticelli, and all the other artists who have turned the Vatican over the centuries into a veritable heaven-on-earth. I probably have close to 3000 photos to download and catalogue over the next few weeks, (actually 3161 in all) and so bear with me as I share with you some great shots I took, from unusual angles, exciting vantage points and panoramic views of the Roman skyline, which will never seem the same for me. But parish work awaits me, as I have to also catalogue my sister-in-law's photos of water fonts and stoups, so that she can continue work on her thesis.
In the meantime, stay tuned as my posts will now once again appear every day and be updated daily, with lots of photos, which I could not use so easily while away, with the exception of a photo of St George Preca and those broad beans!
Bishop Liam Cary consecrated
I was only able to follow the last few minutes of our new Bishop's consecration and installation ceremony in Bend, thanks to the simulcast on the Baker Diocese website. I was only able to take a few photos from the ceremony, and even though they are not clear, this is the best I can do to share with you some sights of that event.
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