In Umbris Sancti Petri

For the past few months I should have retitled the blog, In Umbris Diei Comitialis. (We'll see who gets that one...) But finally, it seems that I'm resurfacing from the murky depths of politics into the refreshing shadows of St. Peter's.


So, I thought this would be a good chance to address my brothers in Rome, who are truly living in those shadows, and whose experience of the universal Church is indeed as enviable as it is humbling. Living in Rome—and perhaps even in the Vatican—isn't really an experience that you can describe, especially from the standpoint of experiencing the faith. Anyone who's been to the Eternal City can tell you, there's just something about it, and about the Church in her midst, that makes you feel really good about being Catholic. Walking through the pope's backyard, around the tombs of his predecessors, and even eating at Benedict's favorite German dive (Tirolese) are just a few of the Catholic-Disneyland experiences I rank among my favorites. Those are the things that people enjoy hearing about; the things that make them want to make a trip to Rome.


But the thoughts that provide me with the sincerest memories are the things I got to see outside the public sphere of tourism and ecclesial pomp. Visiting the children at Bambino Gesu Hospital; talking to Florentina, Mario, Nicholai, Olympia, Brasilia and the other poverelli on the way to and from the Gregorian in the mornings; soaking up Italian culture on Saturday strolls down the Via Giulia; drinking two or three cappuccini in a single day; watching the sun rise over the Alban Hills on cool mornings before Lauds; watching the sun set on sweltering evenings beyond the Villa Doria Pamphili; hearing the bells of St. Peter's chime eleven o'clock, just down the street.


I love Rome. And I enjoyed living in umbris Sancti Petri. But now, it's my goal to make the shadows of that beautiful basilica—the beauty of the teaching that flows from it—accessible to others. And so, as the election season dies down, I look forward to focusing more and more on the ideas that prompted me to start this blog in the first place: the influence of Catholic thought and culture on us in the rest of the world. I hope that you have enjoyed reading, and that you'll keep tuned in for more!