How can one visit Assisi and Rome and not write a blog about the experience! It was an amazing time (except for getting Covid!) From Sept 1 -20, I was a Benedictine delegate from North America, and participant in the CIB (Communio Internationalis Beneictinarum) conference in Assisi. What a sacred place to hold meetings. Following this gathering, the delegates were invited to attend the Congress of Abbots meetings held at St. Anselmo’s in Rome. In this blog I would like to share just one lovely experience, of many. At an invitation by Mother Maria Cristina, a delegate from Argentina, we were invited to Mater Ecclesiae Monastery for lunch, a tour of the Monastery and the Vatican Gardens. Last summer, Pope Francis desired to have contemplative sisters live in Mater Ecclesiae and made the request to Mother Christina. Six sisters from her community moved to Vatican City in early January and will continue their residence for the next three years. Following his resignation from the papacy Pope Benedict lived at Mater Ecclesiae until his death in 2022. Located on a hillside behind St. Peter’s Basilica, many of the rooms have the same furnishings as when Pope Benedict lived in the dwelling. I had seen the movie The Two Popes and was delighted to tour the building and recall scenes from the movie. A memory, I carry, is that each window had a marvelous view of the gardens and many showcased the back of St. Peter’s Basilica. Following a delicious meal prepared by the sisters, we prayed midday prayer in their simple yet elegant chapel. Though a small number, the chanting of the office was beautiful. The tour of the Vatican gardens followed. The sisters’ hospitality “spoke” true Benedictine. Their joy, kindness and openness made each of us feel very welcomed. To top it all off, myself and another delegate who planned a visit to St. Peter’s that afternoon were given entrance to the Basilica at a special door. What lovely memories.
