Happy Birthday my Son Benjamin!

Happy Birthday Benjamin my sweet son! I miss you especially today. I was in the adoration chapel with you this morning. I had your picture with me and I was praying that you would have a gracefilled and blessed day! Sarah and I will call you later on Skype during our breaks. We are now in London attending the Youth 2000 and we are with Fr. Emanuel CFR and your penpal Br. Barnabus CFR. Br. Barnabus is praying especially for you today!

It is interesting that we are in an english speaking country and we have a diffrent translation of the Breiary. So during Morning prayers there was only one psalm exactly the same as theirs in the translation. But still it is nice to pray in community. I hope when you wake up you will also able to pray with us morning prayer this morning!

Sarah has not caught up on the Blog but here sia little of what we did on Sunday and Monday.

Upon arriving in London we took the train to Southhampton station and had some tea. Then we met Br. Barnabus for mas at the Brompton Oratory. The Liturgy was so awesome we felt so at home! It was beautiful! There were Alter Rails and the Oratory was beautiful!
The homily was beautiful it was a letter from the Bishop to all of his diocese. I was thinknig of all of you at home. He spoke of the holy family not only of a Family but of the Church Family! We have so many blessings of friends within our parish and around the world that are such family to us!

We ate a wonderful dinner after evening prayers in the friary! We felt the Christmas ponderings in the Music of the chapel. There was a great nativity in the eating hall and we sang to our host Carol Happy birthday and even a special Capuchin rendition!

The next morning we went to mass and we met a woman whose daughter is a benedictine sister at the Isle of Wight. She asked our names and was amazed becuase she had been praying for us because Fr. Brian had asked the Sisters to pray for his American Goddaughter and her mother Sarah and Sabrena. She does not live at the Isle of Wight. What blessings here in England and Great blessings were in Rome as well!

Monday at Canterbury was a most glorious experience. Praying in the once home of the Arch Bishop Tomas Beckett at his grave and Martyrdom site. We sang and prayed the Catholic Vespers in Gregorian Chant and it seemed that he was praying with us there in the Crypt. There was a feeling of all our friends the Saints and Martyrs praying and praising God for the great miracles God had done there in that Holy Place of Pilgrimage. So many prayers answered there and so many martyrs. Benjamin there was a Franciscan Archbishop of Cantebury in the 1200's

I hope that this message you will receive with great Joy Benjamin and know that I love you dearly and I am always praying for you my son and all ov my children and for Eric as well!

The blessings of Christmas be with you and may the peace of the season and we pray especially that St. Francis will intercede for you to have a peaceful soul throughtout the day!

Benjamin I prayed especially in the Portiunclua in Assisi for you and your vocation. May God bless you abundantly throught the visit we had in Assisi!

Love your mum,
Sabrena

The Feast of St. Thomas Becket

Today was special for many reasons, but one reason was that it was Carol’s birthday! We went to Mass in the morning and then we went to Canterbury in the evening. We had real English Fish and Chips. Chips are what we Americans call “French” Fries, biscuits are cookies and crisps are chips. It was so chilly that we could not seem to warm up. It wasn’t until we went into a diner to have fish and chips that we felt warm even on the inside. The Tea was just heaven sent to warm up our bodies even to our very bones. MMMMMM! Tea time has been so much fun every two hours or so. We love the English tradition!
Then we went to the Canterbury Cathedral, where St. Thomas Becket was martyred! There was CATHOLIC Vespers in the Crypt! In the now Anglican Cathedral! After Vespers, we processed to the site of his first tomb and then to the site of his martyrdom! It was Beautiful!! We sang For All the Saints as we processed. The organ was playing and our voices carried though the whole Cathedral! It was lovely! Carol said it was the highlight of her birthday and we thought the same. My mom said she was ready to be martyred right then and there with all the other martyrs! We cannot describe the feeling that held us captive in that Cathedral. There were so many prayers felt as we wandered through the space. So many pilgrims have visited this Cathedral especially in the middle ages. What beauty of faith was brought here to pray for many graces and gifts of the Holy Spirit. We even saw a Franciscan Archbishop that was buried there. The Franciscan Friars had come to England when Francis was still alive. They were known to be of great joy. They were seen laughing along the road. Sometimes no words were spoken but they would just brake into laughter causing them to fall down upon the road. The English thought of them to be a bit strange. We were reflecting on Assisi and how the place seemed to be of great joy. They must have taken the joy of Francis with them wherever they would travel. We are so grateful for the joy the Friars bring. Always we will remember our time in Assisi…

London, England!!

Our flight left this morning at 7:30 am from Rome to London. We were sad to leave Rome with so many great memories and laughter but, we looked to England with great anticipation in the days ahead. It was a pretty short flight, only 2 hours. The captain gave us great insight into England when he reminded us to listen to the rules of the airplane even if we have heard them before. The English love to stick to rules and it is a great contrast to Rome. Now we will not step out in front of big Mercedes Busses and expect them to stop for we will be breaking the rules and they will not tolerate such things here in the UK. Br. Barnabus met us at the Underground Station where we heard countless times, “Please mind the gap between the train and the platform!” We went to the Brompton Oratory for Mass. The liturgy was absolutely amazing and a beautiful letter was read that was written by the Bishop to all in his Diocese. The Letter was an amazing discourse on the Holy Family. You can read it here… It was a beautiful Church, not as grand as the ones in Rome but it was almost like the ones we visited. We went to the Friar’s for evening prayer and for supper and opened ‘Christmas Crackers’ that had riddles, little toys, and silver paper crowns! This is the first time we had ever actually opened Christmas Crackers. We were treated to a real Capuchin Happy Birthday song for our host Carol a friend of the Friars. “Happy Birthday, Happy Birthday, Gloom and sadness fill the air people dying everywhere but Happy Birthday, Happy Birthday.” You cannot also forget that they were clinging spoons on the Glasses as well as singing. Always the Capuchins are reminding us of our mortality as in the Bone Church the Immaculate Conception which we visited where the bones were made into some art to ponder our mortality. Sometimes we need the reminder of mortality to begin to live life with great vigor and faith…
After supper, we went to Carol’s house on the White Cliffs of Dover, where we are staying two nights. The white cliffs of Dover are an amazing sight. We cant wait to see them! We saw our first Castle on the way to Carols house. High on a hill it reminded us of the deep history that flanks this country. So much History in such a small place…St. Thomas Beckets Feast day is tomorrow and Carols birthday! We will experience the suppression of Catholicism tomorrow in the most beautiful Cathedrals in England.
Good night or good afternoon to you in America…

Assisi!!

Today we went to Assisi! Although it was cold and windy,it was my favorite place so far!
We went to St. Mary of the Angels, where there is a chapel, the Portiuncula, that St. Francis helped rebuild and also where he died, The Basilica of St. Francis , where he is buried and St Claire's basilica, where the original San Damiano Cross is and where St Claire is buried. Fr. Solanus was our tour guide and a great one too, we learned so much. St. Francis’s Basilica had two levels, the Lower Basilica and the Upper Basilica. The Lower was built first within 2 years! It was darker then the upper basilica. It had frescoes that showed parallel scenes of the lives of Jesus and St. Francis. We got to pray at length at St. Francis’ tomb and it was so cool knowing that his body was right there! In the upper Basilica, there were frescoes of stories from St Bonaventure's biography of St. Francis. We also had Mass in the lower Basilica. On the Feast of the Holy Family. Riding back on the train, we played soduku, hangman, and solitare

Good King Wenceslaus looked out on the feast of Stephen.

Today was an exciting day! We went to St. Pricilla's Catacombs and San Lorenzo. Fr. Fidelis and Fr. Solanus said Mass in the catacomb! We got to see the tomb where they found St. Philomena, who is my confirmation saint! It was 90% humidity and warm down there but you could see your breath! It was amazing!
We tried to go to Santa Cruce in Getsemine, but it was closed. We decided to go to San Lorenzo, since it was St Stephens Day and he is buried there. So we went and as we were waiting for it to open, the gate to the monastary opened, and a car pulled in. Then a man and a priest walked into the gate to find out what time the Church opened but they got locked in when the gate shut! We talked to Fr. Justin for about an hour until we finally got ahold of the people to open the gate. He is in Rome studying Canon Law from South Africa.
So anyway, the Church finally opened and we prayed at the tomb of St. Lawrence and St. Stephen. We prayed especially for Fr. Lawrence who is named after St. Lawrence. Merry Christmas! Ciao!

1- The Marble slab St. Lawrence was laid on after being roasted.

2-Sarah with San Lorenzo in the backround

3- A mosaic with St Francis, St Joseph and, St Catherine of Siena(L-R)

4- Tomb of St Lawrence and St Stephen , 3 sisters praying in front

5 - Fr. Fidelis and Fr. Solanus after Mass in Catacomb

A beautiful Christmas!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!! Joy to the world the Lord has come!

We went to the Midnight Mass last night(this morning rather) and we were on the left side on the Aisle! We waited for 7 hours in line from 4- 10:30pm on the 24th to get in. We were at the front of the line and around 9pm, people started crowding around the front and pushing a little bit. While we waited, we listened to Christmas Music and watched Prince Caspian on the iPod,courtesy of Benjamin Goldman. At 10 :30, the gates opened and every one started running! We walked carefully trying not to be run over. When we got inside, we sat down on the aisle and waited for Mass to begin. First, the priests that helped distribute Communion came in. Fr. Solanus CFR was one of them. After there were some reflections from the prophets and other Old Testament readings pointing to Christ and some songs sung by the choir, the procession began. The acolytes, then the Priests, Bishops and Cardinals, and finally, the Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI!! The mass was beautiful! The Choir was about 50 young boys and 15 men. At the Gloria, the Church bells were ringing! It was a lovely Mass all in Latin! The only thing I couldn't really understand was the homily because it was in Italian. During the procession to the manger, as the Pope passed, he looked right at me! I couldn't speak, it was amazing! We got home at 3am and put baby Jesus in the manger! It was so lovely.

We got up later this morning and opened presents. Then Fr. Solanus and Fr. Fidelis came over for dinner. We had Turkey, gravy, mashed potatoes, green beans, cranberry sauce, and finally some delicious gelato and Christmas Cake.


I couldn't get the pictures to upload! Sorry, I'll try again later!

More Chuches...

Well today was a packed day of 6 Churches!! We went to Saint Paul outside the walls, Santa Sabina, The Pantheon, St. Maria supra (over) Minerva, Santa Suzanna, St Cecilia, St. Anslem’s monastery and Santa Maria Immaculata. First, we went to St Paul’s and walked through the HUGE basilica-style church. We also went out into the cloister where there are old plaques from the tombs they found under the Church. There were relics of different saints as well as old vestments, coins, hand written bibles and other things. WE prayed for everyone there as we always do! :) After a snack and a drink from the water fountain, we headed to Santa Sabina! St. Dominic stayed there for a while right before he died and planted an orange tree. The church, which is relatively small, is erected over the site of St Sabina's home in Rome. In the back of the Church, there is small black stone that looks like an oval black bowling ball that the Devil threw at St. Dominic. WE prayed at the foot of the altar where St Sabina's bones are. I prayed especially for Ms. Mulhern for her upcoming (very fast) wedding this weekend! We also went up the via a bit to the key hole at the knights of Malta and looked through it and saw.... the Vatican! It was awesome! Then we stopped in St Anslem's monastery chapel and went to the "park" behind Santa Sabina's and had some lunch. There was a cat there that was really cute and we all took turns petting her. Then we walked to St. Cecilia’s Church, but we only had 1 minute before they had to close for lunch, so we prayed in front of St. Cecilia’s tomb quickly and had to leave. We passed by the place where Caesar was assassinated. It was, as Fr. Fidelis called it, 'A Cat haven'. There were cats EVERYWHERE!!
WE went to the Internet Point to blog some. Then we went to the Pantheon(now a Church dedicated to Mary and The martyrs) and Santa Maria supra(over) Minerva.…Ciao!!

December 22, 2008

Santa Maria Maggiore, Santa Giovanni in Laterano, and the Roman Forum!! It was a great day with Fr. Fidelis as our guide. First we saw the Roman Forum and the Colleseum where I got a picture with the Gladiators. Then to St. Mary Major where we ate lunch in fromt at the Corinthian Collum. We fed the pigeons a big peice of bread which they would all attack it until a big seagull came and took the rest! :) After lunch, we went into St. Mary's. It was beautiful! We weren't allowed to take pictures of the inside but we have some of the outside which we will post later. Under the alter, there were 5 planks of wood from Jesus' manger in Bethlehem!!! WE prayed for all the babies, born and unborn, especially for Jadyn(my 2 year-old cousin who needs a kidney transplant).
At St john Lateran, the Pope's Church, there is a peice of the Last supper table, the heads of Sts. Peter and Paul above the main altar, and the altar St. Peter and the first popes used in the main altar!! We also went to the prison of Sts Peter and Paul right next to the forum. It was dark,cold and musty.More later....

More pictures from Vatican and Juniculum Hill

1- The Vatican from Juniculum Hill 1
2- The Vatican from Juniculum Hill 2
3- Sabrena and Sarah over looking Rome
4- Juniculum Hill
5- Sarah and Sabrena at the Vatican waiting for the Angelus to start
6- Maria Cuccia, Lenora Cuccia, Doloras, Moreen, and Phil Cuccia at the Vatican

Angulus Domini nunciavit Mariae..

...et concepit de Spiritu Sancto...

today after Mass at The Basilica of St. Agnes, we went to the Vatican to say the Angelus with Pope Benedict XVI. He addressed the crowd in 7 differant languages(see video below..) We prayed it in Latin and he congratulated 5 new priests from The Ligionary of Christ that were ordained yesterday.

After the Angelus, We went to the Pope Pius XII exhibit there at the Vatican. It was very interesting and we learned alot. Next, Lenora(my godmother) my mom and I went down into the crypt of St. Peter's where most of the popes are buried. We did stop and pray at Pope john Paul II's tomb remembering those who asked us to pray there especially our hardest-working friend ;) We were reading and traslating the latin inscriptions on the tombs and elsewhere.Then we went up stairs and walked all over the basilica and saw EVERYTHING! We didn't get a whole lot of pictures because our memory ran low but we got a couple.

We were at St. Peter's from 12- 4pm! After that, we went up to the hill that oversees ALL of Rome. it was a beautiful sight as the sun was setting. (See Below for pics). Lastly, we came home and had a splendid dinner prepared by Phil's sisters who are also visiting from Texas! It was Spaghetti and meatballs with delicious fresh Italian bread, califlower, mozzerelle, black olives, and riccota. mmmmmmmmmm!
Well, that's for today! Congratulations to STMA on their first concert!! Hope it went well! Anyway, God Bless!

Sarah Elisabeth and Sabrena

Rome Sweet Rome!!

We are finally in Rome!! YAY! We had a two hour delay in New York because the snow was freezing on the plane and they had to defrost it. Finally after 11 hours on the plane, We landed in Rome! YAY! While we were flying this morning, we saw the Alps and some green-houses that were pink! It was a beautiful view as you can see in the pictures below. We were greeted by Fr Fidelis CFR and taken to my godmother's house for lunch. Ive been playing with little Maria ever since this afternoon when we got to the house. Fr Joe is coming over for dinner tonight... Ciao!

The picture is of Maria under the Nativity Set.

SNOW!!!

THERE IS A BLIZZARD IN NEW YORK!!!! Okay not a blizzard, but it's snowing really hard and there is going to be 3-5 inches!!! The first REAL snow I've seen all year! hopefully our flight won't be cancelled or delayed! Check back later for more. Ciao! Sarah and Sabrena

The Journey had begun!

Sitting in a crowded airport sleep deprived and excited, we are anticipating no delays. NY is covered in snow so pray that we make it over the Pond...
Thank you in advance for your prayers and all your support especially our family!

Check Back for more participles and musings this afternoon!

Click here for more! http://sarahisreflecting.blogspot.com/

Ciao!

Sarah and Sabrena