Holy Week at MSC Melody, Part II

My journey began from the  Civitavecchia port, even though the rest of the passengers started their voyage from Genova. We spent the next day (April 18) on the Tyrrhenian, Ionian and the Mediterranean Seas, cruising towards Nafplion, a small port city in Greece. Because of the time difference, we were asked to set our clocks an hour ahead at night. By early morning we were passing  the Stromboli Island before sailing through the famous Messina Strait.

I had nearly twenty-five people for the morning Mass that day. The food was sufficient to make a Catholic guilty, let alone a priest, since it was Holy Week. I tried to discipline myself not to fall into the sin of gluttony!  Since there was nothing much to do after the Mass, I walked around and talked to some people. I quickly gained many friends, especially from among the staff. Some of them wanted to talk to me about improving their spiritual lives. One person wanted to know how she could be baptized and become a Catholic, once she is back in her country; another wanted to share her life struggles, looking for some possible spiritual solutions. I soon realized that there is an urgent need of a priest on every ship, more for the crew than the passengers, since they work continuously for several months and are deprived of all the sacraments. For the rest of the time I began to read the book Eschatology: Death and Eternal Life by Ratzinger.

The following morning we passed by the tip of Tainaro and Cape Maleas (the southern tip of the Peloponnesus Peninsula) and reached Nafplion around 12: 30 pm. There were several excursions offered to us and I took the “Panoramic Drive & Epidaurus”. We were transferred to the shore by small boats and from there we had a thirty minute bus ride to Epidaurus. It was an enjoyable ride through beautiful vineyards and ancient olive groves. On the hillside, the main Temple was the most celebrated healing center of the classical period, where the sick went in hope of being cured. In order to find out the right cure for their sickness, they needed to spend a night in a big sleeping hall and in their dreams the god himself would advise them what they had to do to regain their health.

The best preserved of all the ancient Greek theatres, the Theatre of Epidaurus, is still being used for theatre performances. Plykleitos the Younger designed this theater in the 4^th century BC. There are 55 rows, which could seat 15,000 people. Regardless of their seating, the spectators could hear every spoken word because of its exceptional acoustics. I went to every corner of the theatre and it offered a magnificent view from the top. The pictures, even with my ordinary camera, came out beautiful.

On our way back to the ship we went to another beautiful location – the Corinth Canal, which separates the mainland Greece from the Peloponnese Peninsula. This canal connects the Gulf of Corinth with the Saronic Gulf in the Aegean Sea.

The 3. 9 mile length canal was dug at the Isthmus sea level between 1881 and 1893. It was considered a technical achievement of that time since it saves the 400 miles journey around the Peloponnesus except for the big ocean freighters. The walls are 52 meters high, and the water in the canal is 8 meters deep and an estimated 11,000 ships pass through the canal every year.  We had a great time spending a few moments above the canal and I took several beautiful pictures from there.

Holy Week at MSC Melody

During this year’s Holy Week I received an opportunity to serve on a cruise ship for ten days. My friends in Rome normally go to a parish to help the priests. But my inadequacy in expressing myself in Italian was a hindrance in my search for a parish to work with during this season. We take turns in being the main celebrant of the Mass in the house where I stay, and every time I celebrate Mass in Italian my friends comment that I speak beautiful English!!! I thought it was a blessing for me that I could spend ten days celebrating mass every day for the crew and passengers in MSC Melody and visit parts of Greece, Ukraine and Turkey. 

In the initial meetings the priest in charge of the Maritime Ministry told us that we would be celebrating the Mass and other Holy Week liturgical services in Italian. I collected the homilies and readings in Italian and spent many days practicing everything. We also had to take all the materials needed for the celebrations including palms for Passion Sunday. But it turned out that most of the passengers on the ship were from Germany and many of them could understand English. The cruise manager insisted that I conduct all the services in English rather than Italian. But just to appease the Italian passengers, I did a few of the prayers in Italian, too.

Even though the ship started its voyage from Genova, I embarked on the ship from Civitavecchia, which was only an hour train ride from Rome. It was my first experience on a ship and my only knowledge of such voyages were my readings of Moby-Dick by Herman Melville and Life of Pie by Yann Martel, and movies like The Titanic and Pirates of the Caribbean. My friends warned me about possible Tsunamis and attacks from the Somalian Pirates. I told them if there were  a Tsunami, it would be  good that a priest died with the people, and if Pirates captured the ship I could preach the gospel to them. As usual, my friends ignored my comments!

At the Civitavecchia port, I submitted my credentials to the MSC Melody Crew manager and we had an initial discussion on selecting a place and the times of the Masses. He was extremely gentle and welcoming to accommodate me in arranging everything necessary for the daily Mass. One of the staff members took me to the cabin assigned to me. It was small but spacious enough and had a bath attached to the cabin, which was a kind of a luxury for me. Immediately after placing my bags in the room I went around the ship to get familiarized with my surroundings. I also decided to present myself in my priestly dress for the people to recognize me. It really helped since many asked me about the mass times and the other spiritual services available for them on the ship.

Melody is the smallest of all the ten cruise ships of the MSC shipping company, but it had nearly fourteen hundred passengers and more than four hundred crew members the week I was there. There were not many people for the Palm Sunday Mass and later I realized that many of them came to Rome and attended the Mass of the Holy Father at St. Peter’s. The office crew prepared the Scripture readings for the Mass in English, Italian, German, French and Spanish. I never had troublefinding people to read in those languages, and they all were pleased that they could still attend mass on the ship.

…will continue…

Our Pilgrimage to St. Benedict Abbey in Monte Cassino

Collegio San Norberto arranges two pilgrimages every year for the staff and students of the college. I wrote in my blog last October about Our Pilgrimage to Mount Prenestini and the Sanctuary of Mentorella. Last Saturday we went to the Monte Cassino Abbey, located on a rocky hill about 81 miles (130 kilometers) away from Rome. It was almost two hours ride from our house also. I occupied a front seat thinking that nobody would come and sit with me and I could listen to the Italian lessons in my iPod. But, Fr. Rector came and sat next to me and showed a book he was reading, written by a priest who suffered through the Nazi atrocities. He wanted me to read a chapter of the book. I began to read, and then fell asleep before he could notice it.

Montecassino Abbey is considered the beacon of Western Culture as it was a spiritual center for fifteen hundred years. St. Benedict established his first monastery here around A.D. 529. Ever since, the Abbey has been of inspiration for thousands of people because of the tireless works of the Benedictine monks. They worked hard to preserve many scientific and medical books besides many other things.

Ora et Labora was the principle of St. Benedict and it was instrumental in building up of Catholic spirituality in Europe. The Basilica restored by the Italian Government after its complete destruction in the allied bombing during World War II, is one of the most beautiful baroque churches in the world. The mortal remains of St. Benedict and his sister Scholastica are kept in this Church.

Gregory the Great has written a biography on the Life of Saint Benedict of Nursia and he tells in the book that the monastery was built on a site previously dedicated to the pagan god, Apollo. After removing the statues of the pagan gods, he dedicated the church to St. Martin and built another chapel, dedicating the altar to St. John the Baptist. St. Benedict never left his Abbey and wrote the Benedictine rule that became the founding principle for Western Monasticism.

During World War II, the Abbey was completely destroyed due to the heavy Allied air-raids which happened because of the mistaken belief that it was a German stronghold. The Abbey was used as a refugee camp and the monks helped the refugees during the war too.

We are proud of our Catholic heritage and the great culture and civilizations these great institutions brought to the life of the people in Europe. At the same time visiting these places must also inspire us to follow the great examples they left behind. By connecting themselves with Christ, they transformed the culture and lives of a great generation. It is our responsibility to keep this light burning brightly by the Spirit-filled life we lead today. We will prove to the world that St. Benedict’s work was not in vain and Christ will guarantee that our work will not be in vain if we follow the path of the saints.

To All the Mothers…

I have a mother, the most beautiful in the world.

Rose is her name, but without any thorns.

She is a character, like any other mother,

It is from her I learned to be compassionate and loving.

Once I was in her womb; a place safe and sound -

I wish I could be there again, not seeing the violence in the world.

It could be why I cried when I came out of the womb.

Sometime ago I left my mother and motherland.

It was to serve my mother Church.

Here, also, I got many more mothers -

They are all cute, holy and old!!!

I didn’t tell this to my mother, not to make her worry.

It is always a joy talking to my mother.

Hours of talk; but much left unsaid to talk again.

She still treats me like a little child,

Giving me homilies which I cannot reproduce in the church!

I get the gift of tongue listening to my mother in the mother tongue.

One time she talked for hours -

I was just like a kid in the candy store, not knowing what to do.

All I said was “hello” and “bye.”

That unfinished talk will continue

Just like most confessions - repeating the same words again and again.

But, there is joy in listening to her

I believe in showing my love while she is alive

Than sending some flowers once she is gone.

Everyone should have a loving mother
Even the Son of God was born of a woman.

Mother is a gift we've all had and she can be a mystery, too.

We accept the gift as it is and try to understand the mystery.

For those who love their mother, everyday is mother’s day.

But today we consciously say “Happy Mother’s Day!”

Embrace us again as you did when we were young;

Your gift of life is worth more than anything in the world.

The Beatification of John Paul II

“There came a man who was sent from God; his name was John” (Jn 1: 6). John the Evangelist records these words about John the Baptist, and I believe we can apply this to the life of Blessed John Paul II. He continues to attract millions of people even after his death.  I was very tired after a sleepless night travel, finishing up my Easter holidays, but still couldn’t resist the temptation to attend the Saturday night vigil service prior to the Beatification ceremony of John Paul II. The prayer service,  conducted at Circo Massimo (Circus Maximus) is within walking distance from our house. This ground previoulsy used by ancient Romans for their chariot races and in its heights could hold more than 200,000 spectators. Amidst applause and tears Sister Marie Simon-Pierre described the miracle she attributes to Pope John Paul’s intercession, how she felt something change in her and her symptoms of Parkinson’s disease were gone.

I spent some time praying along with the multitude of people gathered from all continents. Then I walked around for some pictures. There was an electrifying energy in the air as thousands of people gathered in one place, and prayed with lighted candles, and listened to the testimonies of the people who came from all over the world. It was the holiness of John Paul II, which was instrumental in bringing all these people together. There were all kinds of nationalities and both young and old. The city of Rome has done an admirable job arranging to accommodate the influx of a large number of people. I took a few pictures of young children praying with candles, teenagers making their way to open their sleeping bag to find some space to take rest, and some elderly women with tears and joy attending the vigil service.

After the night’s vigil service it was not easy for me to wake up early in the morning and be at St. Peter’s square before everyone else. It was impossible to get a space even if I did get there before 4: a.m. After unsuccessfully trying to get somewhere close to St. Peter’s for more than an hour I decided to watch the Beatification Mass on television.

John Paul was instrumental in influencing a whole generation. He continues to be the beacon of light for millions of people around the world. The people express their special love for him in different ways. Just as in the first centuries of Christianity, it was the popular demand, which put him on the ‘fast track’ to the Canonization process.

In reality when we look at his life, not many of us went through the sufferings John Paul II did as a child and young man. He lost his entire family even before becoming a priest. He courageously faced the Nazi and Communist atrocities. He gave up a promising career as an actor or a writer to become a priest. When one of his friends remarked that he would defeat the enemies with his gun, the young Karol Wojtyla remarked that he would defeat them with his rosary. He experienced extreme physical pain when he had to work in the quarry, breaking the hard rocks. However, his faith was strong enough to overcome every obstacle he faced in his life. Because of his complete surrender to the Lord, he became not only the leader of the Universal Church, but also the moral voice of the world. No single person in human history had met people face to face as John Paul II. Millions of people attended his funeral from all continents. He has given an example to all of us on how to be reflection of Christ in our day-to-day life. The best way to express our love and affection for John Paul is to follow Christ faithfully as he did.