Just landed in Rome

The plane from Frankfurth to Rome was full but luckily the flight was short and now getting cleaned up and off to the Vatican before the chaos of Sunday's Beatification. I will try to take lots of pictures of what St. Peter's Square looks like and have a full report of the day.

Leaving for Rome

I tried to stay awake as much as possible last night in preparation for the time zone difference. My bags are packed and I am ready to go. I spent this morning with my students wrapping up their group projects and now I am off to the Seattle Airport to board my flight to Frankfurt and then to Rome. I will try to post some stories and pictures soon of the environment and activities happening in Rome. You are all in my thoughts and prayers. May the Lord bless us this week as we draw near to celebrating Divine Mercy Sunday and the Beatification of JPII...

One Week Away...

He has Risen,

Alleluia, Alleluia!

Happy Easter!!!

My bags are almost packed and the Beatification of John Paul II draws near. I have been getting many requests for religious articles and prayer intentions from friends and family. If you have a special prayer intention you would like for me to bring, feel free to leave them in the comments section of this post. I will make sure to bring your intentions to the tomb of John Paul II after the Beatification Mass this coming Sunday.

John Paul II: A radiant example of faith, Pope says

Vatican City, Apr 21, 2011 / 10:38 am (CNA/EWTN News).- During the celebration of the Chrismal Mass at the Vatican this morning, Pope Benedict said that despite many scandals in the Church, there are still "radiant examples of faith" such as John Paul II, who will be beatified on May 1.

Below is a part of Pope Benedict XVI's homily -

"For all the shame we feel over our failings, we must not forget that today too there are radiant examples of faith, people who give hope to the world through their faith and love. When Pope John Paul II is beatified on 1 May, we shall think of him, with hearts full of thankfulness, as a great witness to God and to Jesus Christ in our day, as a man filled with the Holy Spirit. Alongside him, we think of the many people he beatified and canonized, who give us the certainty that even today God’s promise and commission do not fall on deaf ears.

I turn finally to you, dear brothers in the priestly ministry. Holy Thursday is in a special way our day. At the hour of the last Supper, the Lord instituted the new Testament priesthood. "Sanctify them in the truth" (Jn 17:17), he prayed to the Father, for the Apostles and for priests of all times. With great gratitude for the vocation and with humility for all our shortcomings, we renew at this hour our "yes" to the Lord’s call: yes, I want to be intimately united to the Lord Jesus, in self-denial, driven on by the love of Christ. Amen."

October 22 will be the official feast day of Bl. John Paul II, the date that marked his first public mass after becoming Pope in 1978.

What is Kennedy Catholic doing?

This coming Thursday, there will be an assembly to give our student body information on what is happening in Rome the following week. The Kennedy Girls Club, led by Alexa Diaz and Kayla Titailii, graciously designed a banner with the following words: Blessed John Paul II, Pray for us!

All students, faculty, staff, and school families are going to be invited to sign the banner. This banner will then be brought to Rome by our Theology teacher, Mr. Mobini and placed at the tomb of Pope John Paul II prior to his beatification, if possible. This way all of us are united as we prepare for Pope Benedict XVI to beatify Pope John Paul II. As the beatification draws near, we pray that Bl. John Paul II will intercede on behaf of all of our intentions.

If you would like to sign the banner, make sure to visit the school office on Monday and Tuesday, April 25 & 26 before and after school. Contact the school office for more details.