A Rome update...

Matthew sent us an email recently to keep us informed about his first week in Rome.  I have attached the email as well as some pictures of the places he has visited  (These pictures are those that were found on the web to help illustrate what Matthew described.  He did not include these pictures in the email, I took the liberty to add them to message). 
God has truly blessed Matthew and our family.
Please continue to keep him in your prayers.


Hey everybody, hope all is well




Even though it is about 1 in the morning, I thought I should give you guys a heads up on what it going on in Rome. I have been having a hard time getting to sleep the past few nights. Last night I think I only got about two hours of sleep. Instead of laying in bed, I decided to send you guys an email.



Despite the fact that I have been getting such little sleep, the past two days have been awesome. The day before yesterday my class went to visit the Basilica of St. John Lateran, the Pope's Basilica.


There we were given a wonderful tour by a sister who focused on certain aspects of the basilica that pertained to priestly ministry. We then had Holy Mass in the Baptistery of this Basilica. Later that night, we went on a walk through Rome in search of gelatto, Italy's version of ice cream.



Yesterday, we went and visited the Catacombs of Priscilla, a wealthy early Christian who donated her land in order that Christians might be buried there.


It was in these Catacombs that St. Philomena was buried. You guys were very much in my thoughts and prayers as I asked for her intercession. We had Holy Mass down in these Catacombs. I cannot begin to describe how amazing it was to hear the First Eucharistic Prayer in the midst of the burial places of the early Christians.



Later that afternoon, we visited the church of St. Lawrence. It was here the Americans bombed Rome during World War II, destroying large parts of this Church. A monument was set up near the church in honor of Pope Pius XII, who personally went down to this church to aid and comfort the victims of the bombing.



St. Lawrence, St. Stephen, and a priest named St. Justin are buried here, along with Bl. Pope Pius IX. This church also contains the marble slab that St. Lawrence was laid upon after he was burned to death. One can still see the blood stains upon the slab.



Next to the church is an enormous, eight mile cemetery, which contains house-size monuments to the departed of Rome. It was incredible! It is here that the departed priests and seminarians of the Pontifical North American College are buried, including one young man who died of an illness only three months after he arrived in Rome and whose cause is being considered for canonization.





These have been packed and busy days and I am very grateful to God for all that He has been giving me here in Rome. Please pray that He send me a little more sleep. You are all in my prayers and I miss you very much. I love you all. I would like to skype as soon as you guys think it would be alright.



Matthew