In our last blog posted on February 12^th, we had written that we would be taking a couple of weeks off.  The reason we took a break is that we traveled to Italy to spend time with our sons, Aaron and Nathan, taking in the beautiful sites in Rome, Sorrento, and Assisi.  The original plan was for them to travel here to Kenya but with the new shamba still taking shape and the Mission house currently under construction, we decided to meet half way and Italy was a good option.  We had a memorable time - first and foremost because we were able to be with our sons…we do miss them.  Being in the Eternal City gave us a mix of history, art, archeology, great food and last but not least, Vatican City.  Since our sons arrived a few days after we did, we were able to make it to a few more churches – it seems like there is one on every street corner!  While in Rome, we stayed at an Airbnb which was within walking distance of the Vatican and used the Metro system which worked out well.  On average, we walked 8-9 miles a day which meant we could really enjoy pasta, pizza, gelato, tiramisu, croissants, wine, etc.! 

During our stay in Rome, we visited the four major basilicas including:
St. John Lateran:  This church is the Cathedral of the Pope.  Upon entering it, one can be overwhelmed with the sheer size of it not to mention the many beautiful works of art.  Not just in this church, but others as well, we found ourselves getting a neck ache from looking up to the ceilings to see the many beautiful works of art.  After we left the church, we walked a short distance to the building that contains the Scala Santa (Holy Staircase).  The staircase has 28 marble steps covered with wood for protection and are thought to be the same flight of steps which Jesus climbed in Jerusalem.  The stairs were brought to Rome by St. Helen, the mother of Constantine.  When one climbs these steps, you do so on your knees which we did – a very moving experience. 
St. Paul’s Outside the Walls:  this church was built by Constantine over the tomb of the apostle Paul.  Inside the church, between the windows and columns, are portraits of the all the Popes starting with St. Peter up to Pope Francis.
St. Mary Major:  this is the largest church in Rome dedicated to Mary.  It, too, is a very beautiful church with its mosaics but it also contains significant relics – pieces of the manger in which Jesus was laid at birth. 
St. Peter’s Basilica:  The enormity of this church strikes one as you walk in the doors – it is very beautiful with its many sculptures including Michelangelo’s Pieta, statues, mosaics, etc.  Above the altar is the magnificent baldacchino (canopy) made out of bronze while under the altar are the bones of St. Peter.  We were fortunate to get a private tour of St. Peter’s with Deacon Steven Vetter.  Deacon Steven is a walking encyclopedia and from him we learned a great deal as he took time to explain so many things.  We were able to attend Ash Wednesday Mass at St. Peter’s which was pretty special and as Nathan remarked, “not every day you can attend Ash Wednesday Mass at St. Peter’s!”

In addition to the main four basilicas mentioned above, we toured the Vatican Museums including the beautiful Sistine Chapel.  We were able to attend a Papal Audience with Pope Francis which was a highlight.  To see this man, who, in spite of his age and health issues, walked to his chair with the help of a cane and spoke to the audience was inspiring.  Afterwards, he was wheeled out and down the center aisle to which we were close to but unfortunately not near enough to possibly shake his hand.  We also had a guided walking tour of The Roman Forum, Palatine Hill and Colosseum, being able to see ancient remains from centuries B.C. to the Colosseum which dates to 72 A.D.  Other attractions we made it to were the Pantheon, the Spanish Steps, and Trevi Fountain.  We were fortunate to be able to take in the Scavi Tour, a guided tour of the necropolis (cemetery) underneath St. Peter’s Basilica, where St. Peter’s tomb is located.  In order to preserve this archeological and historical site, only 250 visitors per day are permitted to enter.  It was very interesting and a top attraction on our list.  We also climbed the steps to the dome of St. Peter’s or should say we took the elevator half way up, climbed the remaining 320 steps, and took all 551 steps back down to the bottom.  While climbing, there is a section of the dome where you are literally hugging the wall since the floor is slanted though you are inside so no worries of falling except from getting dizzy!  The views from the dome are spectacular and though it was a little hazy outside, it was worth the climb. 

We took the train from Rome for a day trip to Assisi which was probably a favorite spot for all four of us.  Assisi with its beautiful churches - especially the Churches of St. Francis and St. Claire - is a quiet, tranquil, and peaceful place conducive to quiet prayer and reflection when compared to the churches in Rome where many people are touring them. In hindsight, we wish we would have stayed a couple of days in Assisi and a few less in Rome in order to take in the beauty of the city and surrounding countryside. 

Finally, we enjoyed a two-day trip taking the train to Naples and then on to Sorrento where we stayed two nights.  While in Sorrento, we did a day trip to Pompeii to see the excavations of the city that was buried by the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in 79 A.D.  We also hiked up to Mt. Vesuvius but unfortunately, we were not able to see the crater due to the weather at the top of the crater.  We do have a post card with the official stamp indicating we were there though we never really could see it!  Because we were in Sorrento on the weekend, we attended Sunday Mass at one of the churches.  We thought we had seen it all in Kenya regarding distractions at Mass but our experience in Sorrento ranks high up on the list.  Before Mass, a young man was making a commotion by going up and down the side altars flipping the switches for the electric candles so that all were on (lit up).  As a side note, all the candles we came across to light for different intentions were electric – no wax ones to light.   To light a candle, you simply put your coin in the slot and shortly after, a candle lights up!  It became obvious to us that this young man was known to the congregation as no one really got excited including the priest.  During the Mass, the man came and sat beside Kathy.  He had a plastic bag of “goodies” that he pulled out during the readings including a bright orange ball about the size of a basketball, an empty expresso cup and saucer which he balanced on the top of the pew, and a bottle of what appeared to be deodorant.  During the homily, he would make unintelligible comments out loud and again no one made a big deal of it.  In the pew directly behind us was a woman with two small dogs that stood out because they were white in color and had red coats on!  It was during one of the young man’s loud comments that the two dogs started barking!  At one point during the Mass, the priest said to the man, “silenzio” (silence) and the man did stop talking.  Later, during the sign of peace, the man made his way up and down the aisles insisting he shake everyone’s hand and eventually, the priest told the man to stop so the Mass could proceed and again the man listened.  Finally, it was the end of Mass and the closing song began – mind you we are in large, older church with many side altars and a pipe organ.  As the priest left the sanctuary and processed down the aisle, the man followed behind and shouting, trying to get the priests attention.  As the priest continued to process out, the man followed close behind and right after the man passed by our pew, the dogs that were in the pew behind us, started barking and began chasing after the man who was scurrying after the priest! It was at that point we burst out laughing though no one could hear us since the lady at the pipe organ was still playing, the cantor was still leading the congregation in singing, the man was still shouting, and the dogs were still barking!  You just can’t make this stuff up! 

While in Rome, we were also able to share a meal with two seminarians who are in in formation at the North American College in Rome.  Deacons Josh Hill and Steven Vetter are both from our diocese and God willing, will be ordained in June.  Because of their schedule and ours, the only meal that worked out was breakfast so the day before we left, we joined them at a café close to St. Peter’s after we had walked up and then down the stairs of the dome of St. Peter’s.  As we left the restaurant and were saying good-bye to them, we came to realize their mode of transportation – scooters! 

During our time in Italy, we had Goldilocks weather – no too hot nor too cold!  We welcomed the comfortable temperatures (upper 50’s to low 60’s) since we had just come from Kenya where the temperatures had been in the lower 90s and no rain for over a month.  Aaron and Nathan had come from very cold temperatures so they, too, were quite happy! 

Our time in Italy came to an end on Friday, February 24^th, with us saying our good-byes to our sons in the Amsterdam airport.  And as usual, it was not easy to say good-bye to them.  We look forward to the next time we get to see them as well as friends and other family.  We hope to return to ND sometime this coming fall. 

We landed in Nairobi late Friday night but didn’t return to the Mission until Monday when Rogers came to take us back.  Upon our return to the Mission, we were greeted with no electricity and eight 20-liter containers by the door.  Because the rains have not yet come and in order to conserve what water we have left in the cistern for showering, we are now traveling approximately 5 miles to the new shamba to retrieve water from the well that was dug last year.  We are using this water to do the dishes, laundry, fill the toilet tank, cleaning, etc.  At that moment upon walking in the door, having no electricity and seeing the water containers, Kathy was wishing she was still back in Rome!  It will be nice once we get to the new shamba to have a well where we don’t have to rely on the rains as much though we will still collect rain water.  Also, we will have a generator for when the power does go out.  Every day this week, the power has been out for several hours up to 24 hours at a time.  We are grateful school is in session as that means the Sisters next door will allow the generator to be turned on for a few hours in the evening and again in the early morning before Mass so the girls can study.  After Kathy quit feeling sorry for herself upon seeing the water containers and having no electricity, she thought of the first missionaries who came over 30 years ago and how they hauled water for everything and from a much farther distance.  She also thought of the women she has met in the Water with Blessings program who have to carry water up the mountain day in and day out…Kathy quickly realized she has nothing to complain about and everything to be grateful for.  We pray the rains come very soon.  We actually did get about 1.5 inches over the course of a couple of evenings, but to fill the cistern, Fr. David has done the calculations and figured out we need about 24 inches of rain!  On Wednesday evening, which was the first evening it rained, Kathy could hear water coming from the rain gutter of the Sister’s house and splashing onto the cement and all she could think of was how we could use that water.  So, Kathy took one of the 210-liter water drums that sits in the dining room serving as an end table and placed it underneath the rain gutter of the Sister’s house since they were not collecting it.  One full 210-liter container will save a trip  to the shamba to retrieve water from the well.  The next day, while Kathy was weeding the flower beds, Sr. Alice passed by and made the remark that “it was good you were harvesting the water last night” to which Kathy simply said, “yes” and “asante” (thanks)!  The next day, we decided to empty one of the 55-gallon barrels that we received water filters in when they came by cargo ship.  Because the opening of this barrel is much wider, more rain water makes it into the barrel.  Hopefully, we only have to do this for a couple more weeks. 

Please know that we keep you in our prayers and ask that you keep us, the Mission, and those we serve in yours.  Mungu Akubariki!

See photos from our trip to Rome, Sorrento, and Assis this week in the album section by clicking on the link below. 
Note:  If unable to view the photos using the link below, you can still view them by going to St. Joseph’s Parish website and scrolling down to the section titled Kenya Mission – photo album.  The website:  stjparish.com


https://stjparish.com/photoalbums/kenya-3-5-23