At the Heart of the Church - Vatican City

Today we visited the heart of the church – Vatican City. 

Inside St Peter's Basilica

We had another lucky day! Our group was able to celebrate Mass right in front of the tomb of St Peter in the crypt of St Peter’s Basilica! That was a real privilege! After Mass, we were able to admire the magnificent artworks in the Basilica. I felt overwhelmed by the vastness and richness of our church here! And was very happy to find the picture of St Maria Mazzarello and the statue of St John Bosco among so many statues and mosaics. 

Sacred Heart Basilica

After St Peter’s Basilica, we visited the Sacred Heart’s Basilica, the church that Don Bosco was asked to complete just before he died. It was a moving experience to climb the same stairs that Don Bosco climbed with great difficulty, and to hear how sick he was when he was asked to complete this enormous project. A well-organised museum keeps some memorabilia and relics of Don Bosco and Fr. Rua. It was touching to see them! 

Display of FMA Charism

Another highlight of today was the visit to the “Display of the Charism” in our General House in the evening. The room was beautifully laid out with the “light and water” theme. Here we found displays of images and information of our Institute since the first Mother General, Mother Maria Mazzarello, until our current one, Mother Yvonne Reungoat.  It was a really long day but was worth it!

by Sr Thuy-Linh Nguyen SPR