Tuesday and Wednesday in Rome

This account is all out of order... bear with me.

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On Tuesday the 12th, I met Fr Rowe at the bus stop and we went off to St Mary Major's, where I served his Low Mass at the altar of the Crib.  In honour of the Infant Whom the Magi found laid in the Manger (the remnants of which were before us) - "and falling down they adored Him" - he read Mass of the Epiphany (it being a feria within the old Octave); the Mass ended, we prayed the Litany of the Most Holy Name of Jesus before leaving the chapel.

Next, after breakfast, shopping!  I am allowed to report Fr's delight at finding an ecclesiastical furnisher having a closing down sale, so that he was able to buy a good new thurible for the parish at half price.  (He had a list of items needed for St Anne's.)  It was interesting visiting De Ritis, Barbicone and the rest; Fr also found a very cheap reversible green and white chasuble (ideal for travel) at Gammarelli's.  It was a lesson in the old principle that you find real bargains if you shop around and make more than a cursory search.

Why was I brought along?  To carry all the bags, of course!  Reliquaries, Low Mass sets, you name it...

To repay me, Fr very generously shouted me an excellent lunch at Casa Bonus Pastor.

In the afternoon, we successfully reached Santa Sabina and its attached bookshop, where I had some shopping of my own to do; and afterward we walked to Santissima Trinità dei Pellegrini, where we met with Fr Brendan and his M.C., then heard a Requiem.

By the end, it was evening, and we walked back to near the Vatican to meet our friends Fr Justin (a Melbourne priest), Mike and Brennan: we went out for Chinese, and a good time was had by all.

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 Wednesday was a tryingly early start again (I seem to get up earlier on holiday!)...

Fr said Mass at the altar of St Sebastian (with the body of Bl Innocent XI reposing in a glass case under the mensa), served by Ignatius, one of the Corboys, friends from Wangaratta who are also here on holiday.

As mentioned below, I then went to the Papal audience...

Lunch afterwards was nice, but had a sting in the tail: the cappuccinos cost €6 each!!!

I had a pleasant afternoon, and caught up with Brennan for a while.

I'm having a quiet night in to-night.