Holy Thursday

Good Friday

In the afternoon, we visit the Church of Santa Maria della Vittoria, a church built for Discalced Carmelites where we see Bernini’s The Ecstasy of Saint Teresa.

Later, we go to see the oldest icon of Mary in Rome, located in the Borghese Chapel at the Basilica of Mary Major, where Pope Francis requests the intercession of Our Lady before any major journey or diplomatic trip. The icon is at least 1000 years old, and traditionally it is attributed to Luke the Evangelist. While there, I place a request for a Mass to be held at Mary Major for all staff, students, governors of my workplace, past, present and future, alongside their friends and family members.

Holy Saturday

In the morning, we are surprised to see a relic of St Francis Xavier on display at the Church of the Gesù, the mother church of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits). His arm, to be exact.

En route back towards the Pantheon, we happen across the Basilica of Saint Mary of Minerva, and pray at the tomb of Saint Catherine of Siena.

Later in the afternoon, we trek towards the Basilica of the Holy Cross in Jerusalem, Rome, and see a series of relics that are traditionally believed to be connected to the life and crucifixion of Jesus Christ. The site is believed to have been consecrated by St Helena, mother of Emperor Constantine, as a place to house relics of the Passion. This includes fragments from the Cave of Bethlehem where Christ is believed to have been born; fragments of the Holy Sepulchre where Jesus was buried and where he resurrected; a fragment of the Pillar where Christ was scourged; the phalanx of the finger of St Thomas the Apostle; and the patibulum (horizontal bar) of the cross on which the good thief was crucified alongside Christ. There are also relics that are traditionally claimed to be Two Thorns from the Crown worn by Christ; One Nail used in Christ’s Crucifixion; fragments of the Holy Cross; and the Titulus (Title) that the Gospels describe as identifying Jesus on the Holy Cross. While the historical reliability of these objects is open to further investigation, the site is considered a sacred place to contemplate the concrete realities of Jesus of Nazareth’s life and sacrifice.

And finally, we visit the Archbasilica of Saint John Lateran, before the main altar, which contains the skull relics of Saint Peter the Apostle and Saint Paul the Apostle.

Easter Sunday

We rise early and join the line for Easter Sunday Mass at St Peter’s Square, but my wife is feeling unwell so we decide to watch it online from our nearby apartment. I return to St Peter’s Square at 10.30am, for Pope Francis’s Urbi et Orbi Address and Papal Blessing.

I then enter St Peter’s Basilica for a second time, and, anticipating our journey home, prayed once more at the Tomb of Saint Peter.