Mystique of Sicily

I'm making a rare double blog entry because I didn't get the Venice post up yesterday like I had wanted.

Sicily was to be my relaxation stop. Our group was fragmented at this stop with some going to the top of Mt. Etna, which was nearly $250 and out of my range to afford. Others went to Taramino to shop. Others went on the "Godfather" tour that took them to some of the major places of the film. I chose to simpy go out on my own.

Messina is a nice city but my thoughts about it are mixed. It has some beautiful buildings such as their Municipal Building and the Mary of the Assumption Cathedral. There were also some beautiful parks in the city that I enjoyed. However, mixed in with these beautiful buildings were many rundown buildings, abandoned buildings and a lot of graffiti. I know enough Italian to know that those writing the graffiti are very creative writers.

Another disconcerting aspect of the city was the rudeness of the people. The Sicilians, for the most part, were friendly enough but many were not. For example, I was looking for some nice cheese and not finding any small grocery stores I went into a wine shop. My logic was the concept of "wine and cheese" so I was hoping to find something. As I entered the shop a gentleman came up to me and asked, in Italian, if he could help me. I said, "Parlo un po' d'italiano" which is "I speak very little Italian." I could tell right away that it wasn't going to go well because he got a grouchy look on his face. So, using the little Italian I DO know I said, "Avete qualcosa formaggio?" (Do you have cheese). He shrugs his shoulders with a blank look on his face and I take that as meaning he didn't understand me which I can sympathize with because my Italian accent is very poor. So I repeated my question and he says, "Formaggio vino?" asking if I wanted cheese flavored wine. I said no and tried again. He again seemed to think I want cheese flavored wine, which to my knowledge there is no such thing. I was about to try a third time when he waved his hand dismissively and said, "Se ne vada Americano idiota!!" which means "go away you American idiot!!"

So, while the city had some attractive buildings, the people negated that. It was a good experience overall but it would have been much better had they treated their tourists, which I suspect brings in a large amount of their income, with better respect. We're at sea today and will be coming into the port of Barcelona tomorrow so until next time...God bless.

posted by: crossman at 22:55 | link | comments (2) |
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Voluptuous Venice

I spent Sept. 28th and the 29th in Venice as our ship was docked overnight. What can I say about the city of Venice? It is beautiful and charming in many places.

We took a waterbus from the cruise ship to the waterfront which gave us a wonderful view of the city. There was a balcony on the back end of the waterbus where I sat and took a number of great photos. We saw dozens of churches, historic buildings, domed structures and just the beauty of the waterfront.

The canals and bridges along the waterfront are very picturesque. Once you leave the waterfront, however, the scenery isn't as beautiful. The bridges are in more disrepair, houses show signs of the salt water and there is the odor that is missing along the waterfront - the fact that the canals are also their sewer system.

But along the waterfront it if beautiful. St. Marks Square and the Cathedral are like going back in time to the Renaissance. The Ducale Palace is a fascinating place. The artwork and detail of each masterpiece is unreal. Our guide was one of the best we've had at any site. He is a historian turned tour guide so he gave an in-depth and wonderful history and insight into the works of art and the history of the Dulcale who governed Venice to the end of the 1700's. It was quite an experience.

Venice was a wonderful experience. I thought it a fascinating city and very different from anything I have experienced. We are at sea today having just left Messina, Sicily. I will post again tomorrow about my adventures in Messina. Until next time...God bless.

posted by: crossman at 22:49 | link | comments |
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Dubrovnik???

When I first heard that the cruise would be stopping at the port of Dubrovnik I said, "Where is Dubrovnik? I've never heard of Dubrovnik." After examining a map I found that it is in Croatia. I still didn't know what there was to do in Dubrovnik so I chose to simply tour the city today.

Dubrovnik is known as the "walled city of the Adriatic" and is named this because the 'Old Town' is surrounded by an ancient fortress wall. When we got off the ship I noticed that Dubrovnik is located in a valley with quite steep hills surrounding it on three sides and the Adriatic sea on the fourth. It would have ovbiously been well defended with the fortress walls protecting it from attacks via the sea. The city within the walls is very beautiful and resembles what I think Jerusalem would have looked like. There is a mix of Old World charm with the modern. Makets with fresh vegetables and fruits sit next to Internet Cafe shops. You can buy handcrafted jewelry at one market shop or Coca Cola t-shirts and Wrangler jeans at the next one. A very unique mix of the old and the new.

I had lunch at a small outdoor restaurant called Ojkimos. I had Croatian meal consisting of turkey and mushroom in a slavic cream sauce over pasta and a large glass of Croatian beer. The meal was extremely good and the price was very reasonable; about $20 in U.S. currency. After the meal, I boarded a bus back to the ship. I had walked to the Old Town, which is about 2 miles. Unfortunately, my foot that I broke last December is really hurting from all the walking so I couldn't make the return walk. It continues to hurt and we have a 20-30 minute walk from the ship into Venice tomorrow with no other options so I am hoping it will be better by morning.

Other than that, Dubrovnik is a charming city and really has a wonderful feeling of stepping into history while at the same time balancing that with the modern as well. We are off to Venice tomorrow and are in port overnight so I will probably make my next post after our two days in Venice. Until next time...God bless.

posted by: crossman at 22:16 | link | comments (1) |
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What a day...in Pompeii

This morning at 7:00 am our ship docked at Naples, Italy. Our group disembarked at 8:00 am to meet our private tour guide for our trip to Pompeii and Sorrento. The first thing I noticed when I got off the ship was Mt. Vesuvius rising up in the background of Naples. Then we boarded our bus to begin our trip to Pompeii.

Our tour guide was Gino and he gave us a wonderful history or Naples and Pompeii for the 45 minute ride to Pompeii. All along the way we got closer and closer to Mt. Vesuvius and it was such an impressive site. Upon arriving at Pompeii, Gino gave us all maps of the city and we began our tour. Pompeii is such a surreal experience. The volcano erupted so suddenly and so violently in 79 AD that it basically froze Pompeii in time. Mt. Vesuvius actually erupted for 3 days and 3 nights eventually covering the city in over 15 meters of volcanic ash and stone. Once discovered, Pompeii became a sort of portal into the past. About 3/5 of Pompeii has been uncovered and it is such a sight to see. I'll give you a brief overview of the highlights of Pompeii. Probably the most beautiful thing about Pompeii is that all the artwork, designs and intricacies of the city were preserved. The beautiful colors, detailed designs and minute details of every column and home are so impressive. The second thing that strikes you is the level of technology this city had. They had running water. Now, the water ran through lead pipes but since the average lifespan was about 35 years old that probably wasn't an issue. They had a whole shopping district, beautiful temples to various gods, two story homes with their own running water and sewage system and an industrial area that made cement and other construction materials.

There are numerous casts of persons who were buried in the eruption. I say casts because when these persons were buried everything excepts their bones was burned to ash. When archeologists began discovering these spaces and realized they were the 'remains' of people they filled these spaces with plaster to create a cast of the person complete with their skeleton. In truth, only about 2,000 to 2,500 people were killed in the eruption. That may seem like a lot but Pompeii was a city of 50,000 people. The persons who were killed were the slaves that their owners left behind to protect their belongings. Pompeii is something everyone should see at least once in their life.

After Pompeii we took a beautiful 45 minute bus ride along the Bay of Naples to the city of Sorrento. The beauty of the ocean and Mt. Vesuvius as a backdrop was something I cannot put into words. Sorrento is a city built on the side of a set of cliffs. It is mostly a shopping city. We spent 2 hours in the city shopping (they shopped while I explored the city). Sorrento is known for a liquor called limoncello which is a sipping liquor made from lemons. Lemons and olives are the two major crops grown in the area.

After Sorrento, we returned to the ship. We set sail again at 7:00 pm and are on our way to Dubrovnik, Croatia. Our trip to Croatia is a two day journey so we are at sea all day tomorrow. So, I will likely post my next entry the day after tomorrow when we have finished our day in Croatia. Until next time...God bless.

posted by: crossman at 22:08 | link | comments |
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Rome sweet Rome

Greetings from aboard the Carnival Splendor in the port of Civitaveccia (pronounced Chivee-ta-veeche) Italy. The ship is just leaving port and we are about to begin our cruise. However, this is my third day in Italy. I spent Sunday, Monday and today in Rome. It has been a glorious experience!

We arrived in Rome on Sunday, Sept. 21st at 8:30 am local time (1:30 am CST). We were taken to our hotel, which was 2 blocks from Santa Maria Maggorie Basilica (St. Mary Major Basilica). We spent the afternoon wandering around the local shops. At 4:45 pm that evening we were taken to San Martino ai Monti Basilica to celebrate Mass. This is a church a few blocks from St. Mary Major and was built upon one of the original "home" churches in Rome. Also known as a domus church, these were private homes that we used by the early Christians in the first 3 centuries of Christianity because the Christian religion was illegal in the Roman Empire. Mass has been celebrated on the grounds of this church for over 1800 years!!! Being able to celebrate Mass in such a historical place was unbelievable.

On Monday we went to St. Peter's Basilca and at 7:30 am Fr. Regie and I celebrated Mass in the Polish chapel in the crypts of the Basilica. This is the chapel built in honor of Pope John Paul II. Just being able to celebrate Mass mere yards for the bones of St. Peter was indescribable. After the Mass we were given a private tour of the Vatican Museum including the Sistine Chapel. We were then given a tour of the Vatican Gardens. The Gardens are such a beautiful place. It is 55 acres of lush green grass, flowers, plants, bushes, trees and numerous fountains and grottos. It was absolute paradise. Lastly, we took a private guided tour of the Basilica. This included to tour of the crypt but not the scavi excavation tour.

Today we began with a tour of the St. Callitus Catacombs. It is quite impressive to see the underground burial crypts of such saints at St. Celilia, Pope Sixtus and others. After the catacomb tour we visited the Roman Ruins and the Coliseum. As we left the city for the cruise ship we stopped at St. Paul Outside the Walls. Because Pope Benedict has designated that as the Year of St. Paul, visiting St. Paul Outside the Walls gains you a plenarary indulgence.

It has been a busy few days. Tomorrow our ship will arrive in Naples, Italy where we will be taken to Pompeii and Sorrento. It looks to be another enjoyable day. Until next time...God bless.

posted by: crossman at 22:06 | link | comments |
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As time goes by...

Wow...has it really been over a month since I made an entry? Time just flies when all your days seem to become one big long day that never ends.

Before my sabbatical from my blog, I had said that we would discuss the trifold role of the Catholic priest to his people. I want to discuss this topic in-depth but I will be leaving next Saturday for Europe and will be there until October 5th. So, I have decided that we will discuss the topic on the role of the priest when I return.

However, that does not mean I won't be making another post until October. The cruise ship I will be on has shipwide Wi-Fi so it is my intention to post a few blog entries while on the cruise. I obviously will not be able to make an entry each day but I would like to make a half dozen entries during the trip.

I'll give you a few details of the trip and what I will try to blog about. We leave on Sept. 20 for Rome. We arrive in Rome on Sept. 21st in the morning. We are staying in Rome for 2 days prior to the ship setting sail. I am hoping to visit the Vatican museum so I may post an entry about that. Also, I have gotten permission to celebrate Mass in one of the chapels at St. Peter's Basilica so I will almost certainly blog about that experience.

We set sail on the evening of Sept. 23rd and arrive in Naples on Sept. 24th. We are going to Pompeii and Sorrento that day. Then we are at sea for a day so this will be a chance for me to blog. We arrive in Dubrovnik, Croatia on Sept. 26th. We arrive in Venice on the afternoon of Sept.27th. This is a Saturday and St. Mark's Cathedral has their Sunday Vigil Mass in English at 6:45pm. I have gotten permisison to concelebrate the 6:45pm Mass. We are in Venice overnight so I will amost certainly post a blog entry. We set sail on the evening of the 28th and are at sea on the 29th. We arrive in Messina, Sicily on the 30th. I am spending the day at the beach so there's really nothing to blog about there. We are at sea again on Oct. 1st so I may blog then. We arrive in Barcelona, Spain on Oct. 2nd and will see many of the works of art there including the black statue of the Mary at Montserret. On Oct. 3rd we arrive in Canne, France where the International Film Festival is held each year. We're going to Nice and Eze instead. On Oct. 4th we arrive in Liverno, Italy and will be going to Florence, which is nearby. I will try to make an entry that evening when we return to the ship. Lastly, we return to Rome and fly out that that morning arriving in Kansas City that evening.

So, that is the trip and I am really looking forward to it. I will try to make one or two more blog entries between now and the 20th to give you a few details of some of the actual sites we are going to see in these cities. Until next time...God bless.

posted by: crossman at 08:05 | link | comments (1) |
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No I am not dead

Contrary to popular belief I am not dead. It has been a busy couple of weeks though. I want to begin my discussion on the triple role of the Catholic priest. However, with Prince of Peace school starting this week and three regional council meetings next week I have decided that I will begin making posts again on September 2nd. So, basically, as was suggested in my last post by one of my readers I am going to take the rest of August off and begin fresh and new at the start of September. Until then...God bless.

posted by: crossman at 21:31 | link | comments (1) |
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been awhile

I know its been awhile since I made a post and its going to be a few days longer. I am leaving tomorrow morning for 3 days with my graduation class from Kenrick. I'll be back on Saturday and will start my posts on the tri-role of the priest that next week. Until next time...God bless.

posted by: crossman at 07:40 | link | comments (1) |
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The role of the priest

In my blog entry on July 9th I addressed an incident I faced challenging the role of priest as a teacher. This got me thinking about the role of the Catholic priest. The Catholic priest shares in the threefold mission of Christ: that of teacher, priest and shepherd. A Catholic priest serves 'In Persona Christi Capitis' ( in the person of Christ the Head) and as such share in the headship and ministry of Christ. As I was thinking about this I decided that I would spend the next three blog entries blogging on each of these ministries and responsibilities of the Catholic priest.

I want to give a little background on the priest and his position in the Church as a foundation for these next three blogs. The Church speaks of the two priesthoods of Christ. The first is royal priesthood and this is a priesthood shared by every baptized and confirmed Catholic. Those belonging to the royal priesthood, also called the common priesthood, have an important role to play in the Church. "The common priesthood of the faithful is exercised by the unfolding of baptismal grace --a life of faith, hope, and charity" (Catechism of the Catholic Church, para. 1547).

The second priesthood, the hierarchial or ministerial priesthood, is that of the ordained ministry and is at the service of the common priesthood. The ministerial priesthood is bestowed by the sacrament of Holy Orders. There are three degrees of Holy Orders: bishop, priest and deacon. Each have a special role in the the service to the common priesthood. The bishop and priest share in the the ministerial priesthood of Christ whereas the deacon is intended to help and serve the bishop and priest. With that in mind, I am going to focus on the bishop and priest as they share in the ministry of the Person of Christ the Head.

The ministerial priesthood is ordered in the ministry of bishop and of priest. The bishop is said to have the received the "fullness of the sacrament of Holy Orders" (CCC, para. 1594) meaning he is a successor of the Apostles and is the visible head of Church. It is the bishops, in union with the Holy Father, that govern the Catholic Church. It is only the bishop who can ordain a man to the priesthood. The priest shares in the ministerial responsibilities of the bishop and serves as a co-worker with the bishop. It is their ministy as teacher, priest and shepherd that we will focus on in these next entries.

Obviously, with the discussions we have had recently, my first entry on this subject will be on the role of priest (when I refer to the priest this will also include the bishop as they both share in the ministerial priesthood) as teacher. Until next time...God bless.

posted by: crossman at 08:47 | link | comments (1) |
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So much to do...so little time...

Wow! The response to my last post on the role of the priest as teacher was impressive and also very comforting. I didn't really question my responsibility as a priest to be a teacher of the flock but it is nice to know that good, solid Catholics agree with that role of a priest.

The reason I haven't followed up is that I am preparing to take 20 teens from our parish to a youth conference in Springfield, MO. This is my 5th year of attending this conference but is the 1st year for Prince of Peace so I have been handling alot of the specifics. As a result I have not been able to blog like I usually do.

I will be leaving on Thursday morning for the youth conference and will be away until Sunday. I am leaving again Monday for a class retreat and will not return until Wednesday. So, I will not be making a blog entry again until sometime after July 24th. Until next time...God bless.

posted by: crossman at 16:24 | link | comments (3) |
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