THE THEOLOGY DEPARTMENT HOSTS THE ROME TRAVEL SEMINAR

This is how close our group got to Pope Benedict XVI!

Twenty students, Father Tom Orians, S.A., Adjunct Lecturer for the Theology/Philosophy Department and Director of Campus Ministry, Sister Barbara Moore, O.P., D.Min.,Coordinator of the Pastoral Ministry degree program and Janet Stewart from the Education Department visited Italy over Christmas Break to take part in a travel seminar. The Theology Department offered the seminar to undergraduate and graduate students. Among the many activities, the trip featured a Papal Audience, Mass at St. Peter’s Basilica, an excursion to the catacombs and a course taught by the Franciscan Friars of Atonement entitled, Faiths Seeking Understanding. The seminar was aimed at introducing participants to ecumenical and interreligious movements from a Roman Catholic perspective. Classes were held at the Centro Pro Unione, across from Bernini’s famous Three Rivers Sculpture. Below, Caldwell College student Kathyrn Doster shares her experiences.

ROME TRIP PROVIDES OPPORTUNITY FOR EDUCATIONAL AND SPIRITUAL GROWTH ~ By: Kathryn Ann Doster, ‘07

As the Christmas season grew to a close I became very excited knowing that this meant that my trip to Rome was quickly approaching. This trip was what I had been anticipating the entire fall semester. The history, the food, the Vatican and the Pope, what more could one ask for? It was an experience that I have difficulty expressing on paper, as the saying goes, “you had to be there”.

The process began my previous semester when I became involved in a program to extend the Dominican spirit on campus. I portrayed Saint Catherine of Siena in a small skit on stage. It seemed insignificant at the time, just another responsibility to be fulfilled, including research to be completed, but what I gained from this experience I will always carry with me. Saint Catherine led an amazing live and faced numerous obstacles.

While exploring Rome I happened to come across a metal cut out of a woman in travel with her head pointed toward The Vatican. I thought it to be an interesting piece, and continued on my journey. It wasn’t till later on when I was told that it was a sculpture of Saint Catherine of Siena in route to visit the pope. I then recalled the stories I had read about her traveling to the Pope to give him her advice. When I had read about this initially I did not understand the magnitude of this young woman until I went back to re-examine the sculpture. The structure stood quite tall, with its head shadowing the onlookers below, yet not in anger but full of love. She overcame the stereotypes set up in a male-dominated society of the time and made her opinion matter. I came to realize that my own opinions can and do hold esteem in our society today. Like St. Catherine I too must keep trying till eventually my message is glaringly obvious to those around me.

The group had the opportunity to tour Santa Sabina, a church that dates back to the fourth century. Here they are pictured in one of the offices of the Central Office of the International Dominican Order located in Santa Sabina.

St. Catherine again became a part of my life when we visited St. Mary Supra Minerva, where Catherine’s body lies to rest at the main altar. Her head remains in Siena, her birthplace. When I knelt down before the altar to say a quick prayer, I felt a calming peace fall upon me. It might sound silly, but I began to associate that peace with St. Catherine, and when I pray I constantly try to find that same inner peace.

For me, the trip to Rome was not only experiencing Italy but also getting in touch with my spiritual life. The tour through St. Peter’s Basilica, followed by a visit to the Scavi, located beneath the Vatican was an amazing experience. The Scavi is the site where St. Peter’s bones are buried. We then visited Pope John Paul II’s tomb. It was quite moving to see the broad spectrum of people who had been touched by the past Pope. A blind man waiting on line to visit the site asked the guard for permission to step over the roping and touch the tomb, which was granted. I will never in my life forget the vision of that touching moment.

These experiences allowed me to gain a better understanding of why millions of people flock to Italy each year in search of a renewed sense of faith. The spirit was lurking at every corner that you turned, even in the morning when the church bells would chime on the hour. I have realized that this wonderful spirit can also be found at home, but you might have to search a little harder. You have to get past the drudgeries and responsibilities of every day life to find the spirit, but it is dwelling within each one of us. My trip gave me a stronger understanding of my own faith and helped to show me what I need to do in the future.