Papal audience begins busy day

"I was watching `The Beverly Hillbillies' last night in Italian," remarked Lynda Brackley of St. Bernard's parish in Cohoes over a hotel breakfast. "The one that plays the grandmother is the funniest thing in Italian!"

Later, when Regina Tours representative Simona Patrizi noted that the tour bus was passing a now-familiar landmark, her question "Guess what we're going to see?" was met with a chorus of "Santa Maria Maggiore!" -- complete with Italian accents.

Old hands

For some pilgrims, this encounter proved to be even more exciting than the papal Mass had three days before. Before the audience, the Pope traveled every aisle in his "Popemobile," so those who had missed a "close encounter" with him last time now got to call out to and photograph the Holy Father.

Stacia Wszolek of St. Stanislaus parish, Amsterdam, climbed up on a chair right next to the barricades to see Pope John Paul. "I can't believe we were that close to the Pope!" she exclaimed after he drove by.

"I was so excited, I got my camera and couldn't even find the button!" agreed Florence Restifo of Glenville.

Memorable audience

In his English message, he called the assembled masses "dear brothers and sisters" and spoke of the joy Christ brings through the Eucharist. The Eucharist, said the Pope, is not only food, but a promise of what lies ahead when we enter eternal life.

"I'm happy to welcome the English-speaking visitors here today," Pope John Paul continued. He read a list of those present; when he got to "the Diocese of Albany, led by Bishop Hubbard," the Albany pilgrims rose and cheered.

At the end of the audience, Bishop Howard J. Hubbard was among the clergy who lined up to kneel before the Pope and kiss his ring. "I just told him who I was, and he smiled and gave me his blessing," the Bishop told The Evangelist afterward.

Hand in hand

"Touch my hand, because it touched the Holy Father's hand!" he offered, shaking hands all around.

"That works for me!" joked Rosetta Burke of St. John the Baptist parish in Schenectady, grabbing his hand. Later, she remarked to The Evangelist that while the audience wasn't as powerful an experience as the Mass had been for her, she didn't mind.

"I was here. I was in the Pope's presence. That's all that matters," she stated.

Blessings

"These were my grandmother's and then my mother's," he explained, showing off a set of Rosary beads. "We bought a lovely gift for the parish to commemorate six pilgrims coming here. It's a replica of the bronze [holy] door, and we're going to get it inscribed."

For Teresa and Mike Rossi of Holy Cross parish, Schenectady, the audience ran second to Michelangelo's most famous work. "The Pieta made me cry," Mrs. Rossi said.

"I saw it once in the World's Fair, 25 years ago, so it was good to see it again," Mr. Rossi added. "And the Sistine Chapel was a trip!"

Underground

The largest of Rome's catacomb sites, these were the tombs of early Christians. Roman belief at the time stated that the dead should be cremated, but Christians did not practice that because of their belief in the resurrection of both body and soul.

"If you are claustrophobic, it is not advisable that you visit the catacombs," warned a guide before the group descended ancient stone steps to the cool, dank tombs.

Another local guide noted that 63 catacombs have been discovered in Rome since 1650. Used from the third to the fifth centuries A.D., the St. Domitilla catacombs cover 11 miles and have four levels. Lower- and middle-class Christians were once buried here, sealed in lime behind paintings and frescoes into tiny niches or large, arched ones that held up to 12 bodies at once.

Deep faith

Before entering the tombs themselves, the group passed through an underground basilica, the only one of its kind in Rome, whose origins go back to the fourth century. Fragments of slabs that were once part of tombs cover the walls, some of them inscribed with the doves or fish that served as symbols of Christianity.

The tour continued through the catacombs, the niches now mostly empty of remains to save the bones from desecration. In one area, the dampness was so pronounced that water dripped down a wall.

On leaving the tombs, the pilgrims apparently needed some comic relief: "I thought I finally found my niche!" joked Ray Koch, eliciting groans from his fellow travelers.

Souvenirs

"We make bread all the time, so I had to get the `panne' apron," noted Maria Ciani of Our Lady of Mercy parish, Colonie, holding up an apron patterned with different varieties of Italian bread.

Her mother, Isabelle Ciani, explained that bread-making is serious business for her large Italian family. "It's a recipe my mother gave me -- it's a workout," she said. "You've got to make the Sign of the Cross while you're making bread, because it helps the bread rise, my mother said."

Church tours

A guide told the group that according to tradition, the saint's head bounced three times on the ground after it was struck from his body, and each time, a spring miraculously gushed forth from the spot.

The original basilica dedicated to St. Paul was built by Emperor

Constantine in the fourth century. Destroyed by a fire in 1823, it took 25 years to reconstruct. Today, it is the second-largest church in Rome and still contains an ancient door rescued from the fire.

After the pilgrims passed through the holy door, Rev. Donald Manfred of the Ogdensburg Diocese led a group in the prayers required for those seeking the Jubilee Year indulgence. Then the group explored the fifth-century mosaics and the spot under the main altar that houses the tomb of St. Paul, covered with coins and paper money tossed by visitors.

At St. John Lateran, pilgrims recited the "Our Father" as they crossed the threshold. A guide called the basilica "the most important church in Rome," because it is Rome's main cathedral and therefore the Pope's parish.

Another church that has been destroyed and rebuilt several times, St. John Lateran contains a bronze door dating to the second century and a fragment of a 14th-century fresco by Giotto.

Dinner together

The evening concluded with a meal of several courses, dancing, thank-you's to the Bishop and to trip organizer Mary Breig of The Evangelist, and a round of "happy birthday" to both Mrs. Breig and The Evangelist photographer Dave Oxford. (11-02-00) [[In-content Ad]]