Rome Here We Come!
Two weeks ago, if you would have told me I was going to Rome, I would have laughed out loud!
It just goes to show you how quickly things can change.
Many of you may know that my Husband is a Permanent Deacon with the Roman Catholic Church here in Toronto. What does that mean? Well, to put it in it's simplest terms, a Deacon Serves. My husband serves by visiting inmates once a week at the local jail/holding facility. He also visits the elderly at a nursing home, and visits the children in schools (2) in our neighborhood.
We (he and I) entered the Diaconate Program in 2005, went to school for 4 years and then in 2010 Alan became a fully ordained Deacon, while I received a Diploma in Theology.
Deacon Alan as Deacon of the Mass May 29. 2010 with Rev. Bishop Vincent Nguyen officiating.
Our current Pope Francis had called all deacons to Rome, last year. We did not expect to be in a position to go to Rome, so put it out of our minds. But, this year, during our anniversary celebration of ordination, with our fellow Deacons (and wives), we were encouraged to come along.
Now both my husband and I, were in a cross roads. Circumstances in our lives had changed (not for the better), so a time away to rethink, relax and recommit our lives, seemed to be the order of the day. So that's the background as to why and how we ended up making a quick trip to Rome.
Now the Fun Begins:
What astounds me the most, is that if you are meant to be somewhere, doors will open and things will fall into place, like they were meant to be. On Saturday May 7th 2016, we found out about this trip and by Monday May 9th, airline, hotel and everything else that needed to be booked to get us to Rome, was indeed booked.
Second Thoughts:
What hadn't occurred to us, was that there was a cut-off date for those Deacons who were going to show up in Rome, to make themselves known to Vatican staff. So to our dismay, we looked and found out that the closing date for this Once in a Lifetime opportunity was March 31, 2016!
When God wants you to be somewhere, He opens the door and let's you walk through. We e-mailed the Vatican, let them know that we were really late in getting our applications done and waited. I was on pins and needles, the Deacon, he just smiled and said, "If we are supposed to be there, we will be accepted." What he didn't realize is that I had already paid for the airline tickets......
As reported earlier, If He Wants You There:
We are delighted, elated and thank God for giving us this opportunity, not only to go to Rome, but to be able to speak with Pope Francis on topics that relate to us, in our ministry here at home. Both Deacon Alan and I are elated at this chance to speak with a Pope that we feel understands, is sympathetic, and empathetic to the needs of the Church abroad. This meeting should be really interesting, since just last week, he (the Pope) was speaking about the role of women in the church! I know many North Americans are really interested in that subject. Hopefully, we can be the voice of some of the people here in North America and that he will take what we say and take them to heart.
Now we are scrambling:
Not only to get everything we need in order, but also to get Rome maps, tourist guides and a sense of what we want to see. Good walking shoes are on the agenda, blisters do not make for happy feet and we only have 7 days to do all the sights, picture taking and eating that glorious Roman cuisine, so we better have a plan in mind.
Cameras are ready, extra batteries, medications, passports, suitcases and hundreds of other little necessities are piling up on my dining room table. Rome guides are ordered and should be here soon. Now we just have to be patient until the 23rd of May, when we will be flying out of Toronto on our Way to the
Eternal City, ROME!
By the time you are reading this review, we will be on our way home from Rome. We arrive on June 1st, late in the evening, God Willing.
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