"Non abbiate paura...spalancate le porte a Cristo!"

       What a day it was. I don't do this often, but I feel like any time you go to bed at midnight and get up at 2:00 (AM), your day always turns out to be a big one...
       I met eight other people from our residence downstairs (Angelo, Giuseppe, Chiara, Camilla, Anna, Roberta, Marie, and Dan) at 2:40 so we could catch a bus into the city by 3:00 at the latest. Armed with snacks and bottles of water, we jumped on the bus slightly tired, but excited at the prospect of what we were about to experience. As we made our way the five or six blocks to where we were to wait for hours, there were what can best be described as "event staff" lining the streets. I knew that the Beatification was going to be a pretty big deal, but each new sight of the day made the experience more real. Getting free boxed breakfast was probably one of those...

       Below is a picture of what the neighborhood looked like at the beginning of the service - notice how many people there are! I'm going to use this as a reference for our progress over the course of the morning...hopefully it helps you figure it all out! (side note: see the section of white up front and on the left? those are the priests who later distributed communion. let that sink in for a minute...)

Okay, so this big long street in the middle is Via della Conciliazione - created by Mussolini who basically liked to show off Rome and what he could do to it as much as possible - and all of those little white lines are columns that line the street. We made it to the east (bottom) end of the street at 3:30, and were pretty close to the front of the line...as long as you count out all of the people who were literally sleeping on the street and

in the piazza in anticipation for the big day. Over the next two hours (before they opened the gates to the street), we were joined by tons and tons of other people, who filled up the street in all directions - even onto the bridges that cross the river. We filled this time with all sorts of conversation and jokes, but mostly the type that are only funny when you are super sleep-deprived. Throughout the crowd there was some singing, but as time wore on, mostly there were just shouts of "aprite, aprite!" (open up, open up!), because the street was getting so full that when ambulances needed to pass by to get to a nearby hospital, it was literally impossible for them to get through. As the gates finally opened, we all grabbed on to one another and pushed along with everyone else through the teeny tiny opening to try and get as far down the street as possible.

       As we were rushing down the street, we paused only to grab the complementary newspaper and bottled water that was being handed out by volunteers, then joined the rest of the crowd. We were all moving as fast as we could without actually running or stampeding over the people still sleeping on the street and laying all over the sidewalks and doorsteps or tripping over all of the trash that covered the street. (I'm pretty sure that if I had slept on the street, I'd be up to be at the front of all of that excitement, and would have tried a little harder to pick up all of my refuse, but I guess my opinion differs from all of theirs...) We were somehow able to move pretty far up the street before we had to stop again - and the next two hours were a mix of pushing ahead with everyone else and standing and waiting...and waiting. Packed in so tightly that we couldn't move, much less munch on our snacks or read our papers, so we passed time mostly by zoning out - again, the tiredness factor was sinking in. Around 7:30 we found ourselves at the gate of Piazza Pio XII (which is the big open space in front of Piazza San Pietro. Wait a minute...are we going to be able to get into the Piazza?!

6:30am - looking back

6:30am - looking forward

maybe this was worth all of the effort!

       When the gates to Piazza Pio XII opened, we again pushed forward and then walked around to join everyone else waiting (again) to go through security. By this point, we had split up and our group of 9 had become 7, but we kept pushing forward (literally and figuratively). Once we got into the Piazza, we started searching for a spot to stand (but preferably sit), but I was able to snap 

a few photos of the people who were just waking up to start the day - and were annoyingly staying still and sprawled out across the whole area. I think I only stepped on four or five people as I made my way through, but I can't really know for sure. The realization of how far we had come started sinking in once I wasn't quite as worried about being trampled or losing the rest of the group in the crowd, and I began to let my surroundings sink in. Yes, there were plenty of crazy, 

sleep-deprived people who were doing all they could to get as close to the action as possible, but there were also plenty of people enjoying breakfast together, joining prayer circles, shouting across to others from their home nation (mostly in Polish, but that was just to be expected...), and greeting the day in whatever way they found appropriate. We were able to secure a semi-open spot where we could see a good half of the altar and stage (which was what it most resembled), but more importantly (at that time) a place to finally sit that was right next to a screen where we could see everything by around 8:45. Soon after, the prelude music began and helped calm us down, which was very necessary after the crowds that we had just pushed through. The screen also kept flashing the faces of the VIPs who got priority seating, and among those I recognized were the Prime Minister and President of the Republic of Italy and the King of Spain along with the rest of the Royal Family - who knew they were coming?

      They then moved into The Chaplet of the Divine Mercy, which (like everything else) was multi-lingual. We all knew that the Mass was about to start when the procession started and the Pope came out (somehow, that's always a sign). He rode through the crowd on the Popemobile and

made his way (along with the countless amounts of cardinals) up to the altar. After the penitential rite, we moved into the Beatification Rite - and here is where I make a confession to you all. I didn't really have a huge personal interest in JPII before the Beatification, especially because I didn't remember him and didn't know much about him, but went because I knew it would be a good experience and that I had to go on behalf of my Aunt Pam, who may have shunned me had I not gone. But as the biography was read and I connected historical events, his papacy, and the waves of emotion running through the crowd that I was a part of, it all became real to me. After he was named Blessed John Paul II, the entire mass of a million people erupted into cheers and applause, which lasted for a solid five minutes, and began waving their flags. It was one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen and one of the most emotional things I have ever experienced - I don't know that I will ever be able to fully express those emotions...so I hope that this picture helps.

And although you can see that there are A LOT of people here, I didn't fully understand how lucky we were to be so close to the front until I saw news coverage when we got back - incredible. On top of that, there were piazze full of people all across the city watching live coverage (not to mention worldwide) - the crowds weren't just in this neighborhood.

       As the relic of his blood was brought forward and placed before the altar, the sun came out. Pope Benedict XVI said a few words, but had to take many pauses to let the crowd get all of their cheering, chanting, and applause-ing out. After some more time passed, announcements rang out (at least five or six, each in a new language) asking everyone to be quiet so that we could prayerfully proceed with the Eucharistic Celebration. As the crowd quieted in sections, Mass then 

progressed as usual (or as usual as it can with one million people when it is in Latin) and I somehow made it through all readings, the Gospel, and the homily without falling asleep and without an umbrella to give me shade (note that everyone else thought to bring one...what beautiful colors!) For the Eucharist, all of those priests who had reserved seating came forward so that they could distribute, then dispersed through the crowd. I'm still not exactly sure how far away from the Basilica they went, but there were

definitely a couple hundred priests ready to go. We took Eucharist and then left early, missing the closing rite and hymn - first time I had done that in my life, but also the first time that I had been to a 10:00 mass and already been up for eight hours...and was too tired to want to wait and then try to beat a million other people (literally) to the same modes of transportation. Our main goal was to hit the public transportation before everyone else, which we were somehow able to do. Even as we were leaving, I kept getting new views that gave me a little more of an appreciation for what we had witnessed and how fortunate we were to get to where we were - more people, more crowd control, more smiles, and more tears.

       After getting back to Villa (around 1:15), I showered, ate a sandwich, and skillfully avoided too much conversation so that I was back in bed by 2:00, oh-so-ready for a nap. Although I planned to only sleep for four hours, I somehow woke up right before 8:00, and that is still a mystery. Even after a full night's sleep, I am still tired, very sore from pushing through the crowds and being pushed, but still so glad that I went. That was an unforgettable experience, and one that I can't wait to better share with you all once I see you face to face again.

Anna, me, Dan, and Marie

       Next adventure? Mom and Dad's are coming to visit for a week...in only 8 days! Check back later for details on that experience...