Last of the Sabbatical

I want to start this last part of my sabbatical blog with this picture of me kayaking on the Sea of Galilee.  It was a highlight of my experience.  It is an example of how I went about things.  I never did anything the easy way.  The rest of the group was on a boat that you will see later in these pictures.  I wanted to have an experience that was closer to what the fisherman would have had, including a fear of the sea.  The little bit of wind that was happening at this time was just enough to help me know that those guys would have been at the mercy of the sea.

This is actually a picture of the group that went to the Holy Land.  It was taken at Cana.

This was taken at Capernaum, above the house of Peter.

This was the hotel in Jerusalem that we stayed at.

These guys are on the boat that I didn't go on.  They were enjoying the Sea of Galilee the easy way.

In the background you can see a similar boat that gives you a sense of the size.  Each would hold over 40 people.

This is a few of our group enjoying the mineral baths at the Dead Sea.  This I did not do.

This a shot of the cable car that takes people to the monastery on the Mount of Temptation.

These members of our group were willing to try anything, even attempted entertainment.

This was taken at Montecassino early in the sabbatical.  These were taken by other guys so they are in the blog late.

This was at the seminary on one of my last days.  These are Nebraska guys, John Norman (Theology 3), a deacon from the Grand Island diocese who I am afraid I don't remember his name, Matt Niggemeyer, (Theology 1), Rev. Rheo Ofalsa, (Theology 5), and Msgr. Joe Hannefeldt (finishing his 5th and last year at the PNAC).

This was taken in the chapel of the Mother of Divine Love Shrine.

Many miracles have been attributed to Mary through this Shrine just outside Rome.

The first one was a man who was protected by Mary from a pack of wild dogs, portrayed here.

The area the dog attack happened many years ago.

This was taken at Tre Fontane where St. Paul was beheaded.  Tradition has it that his head bounced three times within about 15 feet and a fountain appeared at each spot.

This was St. Peter's crucifixion. 

In the base of this altar/shrine is one of the fountains.

These were all taken at the three churches built at the Tre Fontane area.

This is a closer view of the monument remembering the fountain.  This one has a image of St. Paul's head.  Inside the grating I could barely see the spring of water.

These were taken at the Divine Love Shrine and each memento symbolizes a miracle that was attributed to Mary at this place.

This dog was at the shrine and loved to play dead.

Here is the church at the Divine Love Shrine.

Mother of Divine Love image.

These were in the garden area of the shrine.

This is an Italian War Monument.

This was taken in the Church of Quo Vadis.  I had been in this area earlier in the sabbatical but did not get into this church.  But on the last Sunday of the trip, we had this bus ride to see the shrine, the war memorial and the Basilica of San Sebastian.  I convinced the group to let me off to see this church because it was so important to my trip. 

It was not a glorious church.  Just a reminder that St. Peter almost ran away a second time when the going got tough, but met Jesus on the road and went back to be crucified.

These footprints inside the church of Quo Vadis are said to be where Jesus stood while confronting Peter.

The is the exterior of Quo Vadis Church.

This is a beautiful marble image of St. Sebastian in the Basilica of San Sebastian.  I had been to this church before.

Since it is so close (1 mile) from the Quo Vadis event, they also have a image of the footprints.

This is the closing meal and graduation dinner.

That dinner was at a nice restaurant next to San Sebastian

Last but not least I wanted to have this reminder that I spent a fair amount of time with the PNAC seminarians.  I was not the ping-pong champ but I did hold my own.  I had just beaten these two, but they were not going to loose to me again.  I hope you have enjoyed this blog.  Share it with any friends you might feel are interested.  Fr. Frank