Our Pilgrimage Trip with the Institute group was an amazing experience...visiting Rome, Orvieto, Florence and Sienna was a trip of a lifetime for us. By going on the tour, we were able to see and do so much in just 10 days—so much more than we would have been able to traveling on our own. Everything was taken care of for us—the itinerary, guides, hotels, meals, tickets, and transportation--we just had to be there at the scheduled times for our many varied tours. This freed us to really experience the history of our Catholic Faith...kneeling on the Holy Stairs, sitting in St. Peter's square in the cool of the evening, walking through the stillness of the Catacombs, seeing the chains that once imprisoned St. Paul and standing on ground where both the great suffering and miracles both occurred.
Canon Avis was a wonderful chaplain for our group and was able to offer us daily Mass in holy chapels in amazing locations, which made for very special spiritual memories. Father Ireland, affiliate priest of the Institute, was also with us and had lived in Rome for 5 years so he took us on ‘side’ tours when we had unscheduled time available. Everyone in our group was just lovely--our extended Institute family.
The culmination of the trip was attending the Ordinations in Florence and being able to visit the seminary, on top of everything else we had done and seen. Being there when
Cardinal Burke ordained 11 new priests--3 of which we have known through their formation years and others who we had only known through pictures, was an incredible joy. The church was filled to capacity with people from all over the world and during the Mass, as we offered our prayers to God in unison, I felt a deep gratitude for being a part of the Universal Church. One of those grace filled moments that will be treasured always.
After looking at photos of St. Philip Neri Seminary for so many years and then to be actually be there was an emotional experience--an indescribable feeling. When we first stepped off the bus at the seminary Abbé Norman was standing in front of us, then a few steps away was soon to be Canons Matheus & Silvey, then Abbé Sampayo, then Canon Apple, and when we turned a corner there was Abbé Kenney and so many more of the young men who have come through St. Louis. As many can attest to, after meeting these fine priests, seminarians, oblates and sisters they become very dear to your heart and seeing them all again brought unspeakable joy.
The evening after the Ordinations, we enjoyed dinner in the seminary courtyard and then watched the spectacular fireworks display from the grass lawn near the ancient wall that I have loved from so many photographs. I could not get over the fact that we were actually there--a part of this beautiful family celebration that takes place every year on this joyful occasion.
I do have to say that we would have been utterly happy to spend the entire trip just being at the seminary--walking in the gardens, sitting at a table in the corner near the moat or praying in the quiet of the chapel would have been a little bit of heaven on earth. The seminary is a place bustling with life, beauty, peace and brimming with joyful men of God--this is where the heart of the Institute of Christ the King can be found!
Our very special thanks to the Institute for the planning and making this Spiritual Pilgrimage available to us.
With our abundant gratitude,
Michael and Mary Hayworth