Rome at Sunrise and the Papal Audience

So this past Wednesday I had the wonderful privilege and pleasure to attend my first Papal Audience in the Vatican; in fact, the professors at JFRC (the Rome Center) cancelled classes all day so that every single student would have the opportunity to go to this impressive event.

I began the day by waking up before 6am so that I could get into the event.  Although the projected start time was not until 10:30am, we were told to be there at around 7am so that we could guarantee ourselves the best seats.  As for myself, I completely lucked out, as I was able to get a seat just a few rows from where the Pope was speaking.

During the audience, it was an amazing experience for me.  Although I do not consider myself religious, there was a spiritual aura with just being able to sit back, listen to what the Pope had to say, and to literally feel the history of the Vatican all at once.  During this time, I really gained a sense of my purpose, not only with what my mission on this earth is, but also who I am and what I have to offer.  Because the Pope offered his blessing and reaffirmed a sense of faith, I was able to reaffirm a sense of my mission here.

Anyway, I felt that it was very important to give this unique experience its own entry.  If anyone reading this has the chance to go to Rome and experience a Papal Audience, do it!  You will not be disappointed, as it is an event of growth and self-discovery.

I will be posting again soon on my trip last weekend to Bari, a small coastal city on the Eastern shores of Italy.

Ciao per allora!

-I