Sr. Sandra (left) and Sr. Lynne traveled to Rome this past summer.

Sr. Lynne and Sr. Sandra's
Pilgrimage to Rome—2006 part 3

"True pilgrims contemplate with the lenses of their eyes and the lenses of their hearts. They are able to gaze upon, to reverence, to go slowly, to seek treasures that do not rust, to move around the holy ground of the holy sites with staff in hand and bare feet."

This month, we’re continuing a series of articles on our website to share with you highlights from the Benedictine pilgrimage and renewal experience in which Sr. Sandra and I participated in June and July 2006.

During Benedict’s time the Roman empire was beginning to crumble. As a young man, Benedict was sent to Rome to study. In my first report from our trip, I included a picture of the cell where he is reputed to have lived while in Rome. Gregory the Great wrote in his Dialogues that Benedict became disenchanted by the decadent life he saw around him in Rome. So he left his studies and went first to Affile outside of Rome. Then to find further solitude, he left the area altogether and went to the region of Subiaco in Umbria where he found a cave to live in. A local monk named Romanus discovered him, vested him with the habit of a monk, and Benedict’s monastic life began.

For the next three years, Benedict lived in the cave on the side of a mountain reading Scripture, praying and dealing with temptations. Romanus brought him food and lowered it to Benedict in a basket over the side of the mountain. In that cave Benedict’s vocation to monastic life was tested and formed. Eventually, shepherds from the area found Benedict and he began to teach them the Christian life.

The current Monastery of Sacro Speco (Holy Grotto) was built in the 13-14th centuries. The shrine consists of two churches, one above the other, and several chapels built along the side of the mountain. Every wall of the shrine is covered with frescoes. I’ve included some pictures here. One depicts Benedict and Scholastica’s last meeting. Benedict wanted to return to his monastery after they had spent the day talking, but Scholastica asked him to stay longer to talk about the spiritual life. When he refused Scholastica prayed and a rain storm broke out that kept Benedict from leaving until the next day.  

One of my favorite frescos is of Mary Mother of the Church. Mary shelters the Christians under her cloak. Even the archways are filled with frescos.

The cave itself where Benedict stayed is quite small. In it is a 17th century statue of a young Benedict with his arms on his breast and his eyes fixed on the cross. We held a prayer service in the cave and spent time there praying individually. The picture here of the cave is from a book about the monastery. We spend the morning viewing the frescoes and praying in the chapels. At noon, we ate our lunch in a covered walkway at the entrance to the shrine looking out over the beautiful Umbrian mountains.