Once again, we made the trek up to Aviano to visit our favorite Air Force servicemen. We arrived on Saturday afternoon before Palm Sunday. We had our ritualistic Taco Bell. Then, to the chapel to start work on setting up Palm Sunday. The services were beautiful even if we could find a donkey for Fr.
That Monday we dropped down to Venice for the day. What a fun city! We went to St. Mark, which was very nice. We might have taken a gondola ride, but it was outrageously priced. Instead we just wondered around getting lost and finding awesome churches. We wandered into one simple church only to find that the interior was absolutely beautiful and there were the bones of St. Zachariah, father of John the Baptist.
On Tuesday, we rented a car and drove over to Slovenia. There was an island in the middle of Lake Bled. It was so beautiful and peaceful. We took a row boat out to the island, which had an 8th c. church beneath an 11th, beneath a 16th century one. Then we had to get back to Aviano to work the Holy Week.
All of the Triduum was beautiful. The Veneration of the Cross, the washing of the feet…it’s just a time of year that has very special liturgies to help us complete Lent. One of the coolest Italian things that we got to do was on Good Friday night. We went through the streets of Budoia and Dardago following the Via Crucis, Stations of the Cross. The pastor asked us translate the names of the stations for the English speakers who came. It was absolutely beautiful to watch the devotion of the people. An old woman lighting candles along the way stood out as one of the most powerful images of the night for me.
After a wonderful week with the kind, kind, kind community of Aviano, we made o
ur way to Leuven, Belgium. There is an American seminary there; however, it will be shut down this summer due in large part to low numbers being sent there. To get there, we took a train to Milan and flew out early the next morning. Leuven is a nice town, but definitely it is a college town. While many of the building proclaim its Catholic history, Belgium, like much of Europe, is working through their secular stage. Near the school is the church of St. Damien of Molokai. His story is a powerful testimony to the Will of God, and what is asked of those strong enough. St Damien was a priest from Belgium who went to Hawaii as a missionary. While still nice in 1865, it wasn’t the paradise it seems to be today. When he heard about the plight of the people on Molokai (leprosy colony), he discerned to join them for they had no one to bring Christ to them. He lived with them; he cared for them; and he died of leprosy with them. He sacrificed his life, his comfort, and his entire self to be Christ for them and to bring Christ to them.
We also went to Brussels one day. It was nice. I don’t think I’ll ever go back. It’s a city. Yes, the EU headquarters are there. But, eh. Not so impressed. Especially because their “greatest” treasure was a statue of a little pissing boy, who is famed to have so loved Brussels that during a horrible fire he decided to help put out the fire. Is it true? Who knows. I’m just not impressed. The Cathedral, on the other hand was very nice. It provided many picture opportunities.
Other than that, we ate at Pizza Hut and an all-you-eat ribs place. Neither was stellar, but it was good enough for us. We kicked back and relaxed, and returned home in time for the Beatification of JPII. But that’s for another blog entry.
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