Rainy Day | Musings from Rome

Hello to all my blogolites!

Today I woke up to blue skies and warm temperatures in Rome.

Throughout the city, the Cardinals celebrated Masses at their titular churches.  Scot Landry covered Cardinal Sean O'Malley's Mass very well on his blog.  There are also some beautiful pictures from the very talented George Martel.

Now back to those blue skies; they didn't last.  It is now pouring out and the Tiber river is expanding and flowing rapidly.

A couple of quick observations about Rome. After watching the scooters and small cars whip around each other and weave in and out, dodging people and other vehicles I was convinced that these were the worst drivers in the world.  After watching them more closely I am now sure that they are in fact the best drivers in the world.  They never hit each other or pedestrians.  It is like a live demonstration of the game frogger were the frog tries to get across the road.  These drivers are truly remarkable!  They move at rapid speed, all over the place, with scooters darting in front of them and nothing happens.  They do not beep their horns or slam on the breaks.  Truly remarkable.

It's thundering and I have a small tv in my room to help ride out the storm.  It has over 900 channels to choose from, which is the good news.  Every one of those 900 channels are in Italian.  The bad news: I do not speak Italian.

Stay well and please pray for all the Cardinals voting in the Conclave.

Your Friend,

Jay

Press Coverage | Musings from Rome

Hello my fellow blogolites!


This afternoon I would like to discuss the media presence in Rome.

One word to describe it is massive. I have been to Rome many times to cover events because we are a television network and our role is to bring programming into homes that inspire people to live out their faith more fully. I was fortunate to be in Rome from the death of Blessed Pope John Paul the II through the election of Pope Benedict the XVI. I do not think that anything will top those few weeks in regards to media, but this is close.

There are over 5000 accredited media in Rome to cover this event. Most are regarding this as news and will move on to their next target soon after the installation. CatholicTV regards this as a historical moment that will affect the lives of all those who watch CatholicTV. We bring a perspective that other stations would ignore. We invite our viewers to pray with us and await with great anticipation and hope the election of the next Holy Father.


While most stations have huge crews and gigantic budgets, CatholicTV has just Tim and I to cover this life changing moment. There is a line of satellite trucks costing hundreds of thousands of dollars to send their stories around the world. We use Skype and the Internet to send ours for free.

Tim Stonesifer

Yet with only the 2 of us, and our cheap way of doing things, our message is stronger than all the others. We are transmitting more than a sound byte, more than a story. We are demonstrating that the Catholic Church is alive and vibrant. The Church is relevant and the fabric of so many people around the world.

It is with this charge that Tim and I continue to search out the stories that will affect people's lives in a positive way. Our role is simple; bring people closer to Christ through the use of television and media. I pray we are doing that and I thank all of you for your kind comments and affirmation and support.


Let us join together and witness history together.

Your friend,

Jay

Picture blog | Musings from Rome

Hello to my fellow blogolites!

Before I tell you about the special blog I will bring to you this morning, apologies are in order. I have been writing this blog for a week and have not recognized the fine work of Helen Lee. For this I am sorry. I send my musings back to the States and somehow Helen makes them coherent and uploads them onto the page. She is the engine that makes this vehicle run.

Today we are going to take a photo tour of my walk up tithe dome of St. Peter, or as it is called in Italian, the cupola. In all my travels to Rome I have never gone to the cupola so this will be an adventure for all of us.

Tim and I arrived early to climb the stairs, we thought there would be a long line but it was just us and a couple of young ladies. We had our choice of taking the stairs or the elevator. Being brave we chose the stairs. I found out that brave and foolish are sometimes closely related. What a climb. Our first stop was inside the cupola looking down into St. Peter's. Here you can see the view.

I actually got a bit confused and it took me a few minutes to figure out how to get outside. My confusion may of been from exhaustion because of my "brave" decision to take the stairs.

Let's discuss the stairs. Here are a picture of my feet on the stairs.



As you can see they are very small and this next picture looking up shows how steep they are to climb and how the walls lean way to the right.



As I climbed my shoulder and head hit the wall to the left. In full disclosure, I found this interesting and fun.

I finally made it out onto the outside of the cupola and WOW! It is breathtaking. Literally it takes your breath away. Before me was the city of Rome in all its beauty. Here you will see pictures of the square.



The Vatican Gardens


The Sistine Chapel



Vatican offices


I could have stayed in the cupola all day but alas I had work to do in other parts of the city.

As I made my way down, the first exit led me to an area right behind the statues of Jesus and the apostles that reside on top of St Peter's basilica. Here's a picture from a position you rarely see.

From there I made my way down into St Peter's and then out to the square where I typed this blog.

Well I hope you enjoyed this picture blog, and thanks to Helen, Tim and Fr Reed for all their help in making th
is possible. Stay well.

Your Friend,

Jay

The Cardinal says: "Stay with us..."

We have a conclave! | Musings from Rome

Hello to all you blogolites!

A date has been set for the Conclave. It will start this Tuesday afternoon. In the morning the Cardinals will celebrate a Mass at St. Peter's Basilica.

It has been with much prayer and anticipation that the faithful have awaited this decision. The Cardinals from around the globe have been meeting with each other to discuss issues and concerns that need to be examined in the Church. It seems as though there has been much discernment and reflection before they decided on a date. A time and date was not the issue, but coming to a consensus of what needed to be addressed and taking the time to understand first what the questions that should be asked must be, and then the answers to those questions had to be developed and scrutinized.

The Vatican is a tiny country surrounded by Italy. But this small country has the attention of the world.

That focus will be intensified starting on Tuesday and grow with each moment that a pope is not named. There is an excitement and a sense of wonder as we await the decision of the Cardinals on who will be the next leader of the Catholic Church.

Let us continue to pray that the Holy Spirit guides these men in their deliberations.

Your Friend,

Jay

You are not alone | Musings from Rome

Hello blogolites!

I hope all is well with you wherever you are reading this blog. For the third day in a row it was a rainy morning in the beautiful city of Rome. In a sense that was very appropriate because today we interviewed the pilgrims from Boston who were following the steps of Blessed John Paul II.

It was in 1979 that he visited Boston, Massachusetts and celebrated a Mass in an absolute downpour. During the the Mass, to great applause, he said, "America the beautiful, even in the rain."

So it was in this gloomy rainy backdrop today that the pilgrims would complete their journey from his birth and baptism in Poland, to his resting place inside St. Peter's Basilica. Father Chris O'Connor, who is leading this pilgrimage, celebrated Mass at the tomb of blessed JPII with the pilgrims as his congregation and with Father Jonathan Gaspar and Father Eric Bennett con-celebrating.

During his homily Father Chris said something that resonated with me. He used a line that Blessed John Paul II often quoted, "be not afraid."

During this time of Papal transition we are like a flock of sheep without our Shepard. We are almost adrift as we eagerly await the election of a new Holy Father. But we should not be afraid because God walks beside us to guide and comfort us in good times and bad. He only waits for us to invite Him into our hearts and minds. He is the anchor that keeps our boat buffeted from the waves of doubt and rocks of despair. How fortunate and loved we are as He calls all of us by name.

The world is waiting for our new Shepard but God is ever present and permeates the air we breathe and move in. As St. John said, " God is Love."

Thank you for reading my blog and know you are never alone!

Your Friend,

Jay

Feeling sorry for myself | Musings from Rome

Hello to all my blogolite (my new term) friends!

We just heard that a date was not set for Conclave in the morning session as they await the arrival of one final Cardinal. Today they discussed finance, which is required during the transition of a papacy.

I have to admit, when I heard the news that a date was not set I was disappointed. OK, I was more than disappointed. I was passing angry and going right to ticked on the emotion scale.

Don't get me wrong, I love Rome. In fact, it's my favorite city and I have a number of friends here. It's that I miss my family and I'm going to miss my children's play, sports playoffs, and most importantly their smiles. Don't the Cardinals know I have things to do?!

But I thought about it and realized something important. They do care that I have things to do, and they care that you have things to do, and they want to make sure they make the right decision so that this faith that is so important to all of us is protected.

They cannot rush to judgment. They need to take their time, pray, and make a decision that will be of benefit to the Church and the world.

What an awesome responsibility it is to be charged with being the Vicar of Christ. The Holy Spirit is part of these deliberation as are all of us through our thoughts and prayers. We need to trust in the process. We need to pray for these decision makers. We, and I especially mean me, need to realize that we are not picking out our furniture or a car; we are choosing the Apostolic Successor to Peter.

In a world that demands quick answers and instant updates, I say let's all slow down and become part of this historic moment, opening our hearts and minds to the reality that God does not have a stop watch.

Thank you my fellow blogolites and know I am thinking of you while in Rome.

Your friend,
Jay

Beauty Revealed | Musings from Rome

Hello to all my blog friends following our adventures in Rome!

Today Tim and I traveled to St Peter's square for an early morning interview. You'll be able to watch a video soon so stay tuned.

I love St. Peter's square. It is a blend of so many different people from around the world. By the time I left the square, the line to get into the Basilica stretched all the way around the colonnade to the other side. I felt like telling the pilgrims they had a LONG wait to get through to the metal detectors and security.

There are statues of the saints lining the colonnade. In the past few years the structures and statues have been cleaned due to the generosity of the Knights of Columbus. They look brand new. The Basilica had gotten so dirty over the centuries that it looked black instead of white and hid the beauty.

In fact, when they cleaned the area where the newly elected pope will walk out it revealed beautiful marble red columns and green marble above the door and on the side. At first people were outraged because they thought that the Vatican had painted those areas. What they did not know was that those were the original colors, and that they had been hidden by the grime over the centuries. Look to see if you notice it during coverage by CatholicTV!

That is all from Roma (that is my Italian).

Your friend,

Jay

Where is Kevin? | Musings from Rome

Hello to all my blog friends! Well it has been a busy day in Rome. 

 

Father Chris O'Connor from the Archdiocese of Boston is leading a pilgrimage through Poland and Rome.  I had the chance to briefly catch up with them in St. Peter's square and they are a wonderful group. 

 

Aldona, the Director of the Master of Arts and Ministry program is on the pilgrimage as well as students from MAM and the TINE program.  It is clear that they are having a blast.

 

Father Chris never slows down and they have a full schedule.  I spoke to several of the Pilgrims and one of the first questions they asked was, "where is Kevin?" I found this funny because Kevin asks the same question.  Just kidding Kevin!  (OK, he really does ask that question but I don't want to hurt his feelings.)

 

After meeting with the pilgrims from Boston, Tim and I were off to the NAC.  We found out that the Cardinals had decided to halt all press conferences so the 2:30 taping was out.  That however did not slow us down. 
 

Thanks to Msgr. Burrill we were able to interview 4 seminarians and a priest who were from different dioceses across the country.  What a group of outstanding young men.  I couldn't help but think that these are the future leaders of the Church.  If that is the case we are in good hands!  Watch for a special with these men soon on the CatholicTV Network. 

 

From the NAC, Tim and I went to St.Peter's for the prayer service.  I told a person from ABC News that Father Reed was supplying commentary for CatholicTV.  I met Terry Donilon and Greg Tracy, and also Angela Flood from the Archdiocese of Washington there by happenstance. 

It was a beautiful service and I was struck when I saw 2 nuns kneeling on the stone floor.  There was a great crowd all participating in the service.  Another wonderful day in the very rainy city of Rome.  That is right-- it's pouring, and without an umbrella I am now a soaking mess.  Time to dry off.

 

Thank you for reading my blog!

 

Your Friend,

Jay

Close Call | Musings from Rome

Last time I wrote you may remember that I was rushing to get to St. Peter's to do a live Skype interview with Father Reed and Kevin. It had been a very hectic day and time was not a luxury that I had. 

 

I would like to set the scene at St. Peter's.  It is swarming with pilgrims and tourists.  The surprising fact is that most of the people visiting are relatively young.  It's refreshing to witness so many people filled with their Catholic faith. 

 

Surrounding the square are the press.  Not just a few press people, but hundreds.  There have been over 5,000 press credentials given out for this event.  The press hover on the outskirts of the square, never crossing the invisible line to get inside.  They bounce around from one end to the other. 

 

If one does cross into the square they quickly are greeted by the ever present security.  The greeting is not pleasant but always brief.  It consists of a request for credentials, and if the press person does not have them, they are politely but firmly asked to leave. 

 

It's amazing how many security guards there are on the square.  Some drive in small cars, some are in uniform and on foot, and some are undercover. 

 

It was in this environment that I did my live feed inside the square.  I did it with my iPhone.  I held the phone out, arms length away, with St. Peter's behind me. 

 

As I did this security was swarming my area watching me closely.  My arms grew tired from holding the camera and I was fearful that I would be asked to leave during the interview.  If you watch the "This the Day" interview, you will see that I am looking around constantly. 

 

 

During the interview people could hear Fr. Reed and Kevin on my phone and could see me talking so some started to gather.  It was stressful, but fun!  That's all for now.  More to come later so stay tuned and I hope you keep reading. 

As an aside, as I've been writing this, an elderly Italian man keeps singing as he cleans the area I am in during these early am hours.  He is very happy this early in the morning and I have to admit that it put a smile on my face.

 

Stay well.

Your Friend,

Jay