St. Gerard Novena: Days Five and Six

Apologies for not posting the novena yesterday; My family is currently on vacation, and we spent most of yesterday in the car, but I hope that you all took the time to say any kind of prayer for the Rome Baby.

Almighty and Eternal God,

we thank You for the gift of St. Gerard

and the example of his life. 

Because St. Gerard always had complete faith and trust in You,

You blessed him with great powers of help and healing.

Through him, You showed your loving concern

for all those who suffered or were in need.

You never failed to hear his prayer on their behalf.

Today, through Saint Gerard's powerful intercession,

You continue to show you love

for all those who place their trust in You.

And so, Father, full of faith and confidence,

and in thanksgiving for all the wonderful things

You have done for us,

we place ourselves before You today.

Through the intercession of St. Gerard,

hear our prayers and petitions,

and if it is your Holy Will,

Please grant them in the name of Jesus, Our Lord.

Amen

Day Five: Saint Gerard, model of holy obedience, throughout your life you heroically submitted your judgement to those who represented Jesus Christ to you, thereby sanctifying your lowliest actions.

Please obtain for me from God cheerful submission to His Holy Will and the virtue of perfect obedience, that I may be conformable to Jesus, my Model, who was obedient even to death. Pray nine Hail Marys.

Day Six: Saint Gerard, most perfect imitator of Jesus Our Redeemer, your greatest glory was to be humble and lowly.

Please obtain that I too, knowing my littleness in God's sight, may be found worthy to enter the kingdom that is promised to the humble and lowly of heart. Pray nine Hail Marys. 

Rome sickness

I've been feeling really homesick lately, except not for home but for Rome. I cannot tell you how much I miss Italy. Okay, there are a lot of things I don't miss about Italy, but the things I do miss, man oh man. A picture of St. Peter's in my Boss's house almost brought me to tears the other day. So in honor of my Rome sickness, I will give you my top ten favorite things to do in the Eternal City

1.Go to the Borghese Gardens at sunset. Well, you should go to the Borghese gardens anyway, they are absolutely gorgeous (beware scantily clad, sunbathing Italians), but the view of the city at sunset is utterly breathtaking.

2. Go to the Villa Borghese. I mean, as long as you're in the gardens, you might as well drop into my absolute favorite museum ever. Why is it so great you ask? One word: Bernini. The Borghese houses two of Bernini's most beautiful statues, the Rape of Persephone and Apollo and Daphne,  which are probably two of the most amazing statues in the world. Michelangelo's David is just lame in comparison. There's also a great collection of Carravagio's work, including my favorite work ever- Sick Bacchhus.

3. Go church hopping. There are so many great churches in Rome; even the ones that aren't famous are absolutely beautiful, so just have a day where you stop in every church you pass. Sure, you probably won't get very far, but you get a good feel of Rome this way.

4 . Go to Piazza Navona when the sun is shining. It is the most colorful place, filled with art vendors and, of course, scarf sellers. There is also a fantastic fountain, designed by, your guessed it, Bernini. 

5. Get gelato and coffee near the Pantheon. The Pantheon is probably the coolest building ever. I mean, it was a Roman temple dedicated to all the gods (possibly designed by the emperor Hadrian), but it was taken by the Christians and turned into a church. It's absolutely spectacular. It also helps that the Pantheon is located near some of the absolute best cappuccino and gelato shops in all of Rome. 

6. Climb the Cupola of St. Peter's. True, it's a lot of stairs, but it is one of the most breath-taking experiences you will ever have. There are two levels, first you are inside the dome itself, with a stunning view of the high altar and the baldacchino. Then you climb some more stairs, and suddenly you're on top of the dome, looking out over Rome. This was one of the first things I did in Rome, and I have never regretted it (it's much easier the second time). 

7. Go to the Colosseum at night. Sure the scarf/rose/light-up-toy salesmen won't leave you alone, but the beautiful view will be worth it. It is such a cool building, and when it's illuminated, it has an eery beauty to it. And since you're so close, you should walk over to the Roman Forum at night. 

8. Go to the Trevi Fountain. Okay, so it's nearly impossible to find, and it's not exactly the greatest piece of art ever, but it's worth the trek just to have that Lizzie Mcguire moment. Just a warning- not all the wishes you make come true: I wished for a handsome Italian boyfriend with no results. 

9. Eat eat eat! Italian food is amazing! So you should go out on a limb and try everything. Even foods that are gross in American are delicious in Italy. For example, I spent four months living off of egg plant and zucchini. You should also try Pasta Carbonara; It is my absolute favorite, and I guarantee you will love it too! Oh, and, of course, you have to drink a lot of wine with every meal. It's just the way this works. 

10. Wander! Just soak in the city. Every town has its own vibe, and the best way to discover it is simply to be there. You don't have to rush from museum to museum or try to see every single famous site. The most important thing is that you come away 

St. Gerard Novena: Day Four

Almighty and Eternal God,

we thank You for the gift of St. Gerard

and the example of his life. 

Because St. Gerard always had complete faith and trust in You,

You blessed him with great powers of help and healing.

Through him, You showed your loving concern

for all those who suffered or were in need.

You never failed to hear his prayer on their behalf.

Today, through Saint Gerard's powerful intercession,

You continue to show you love

for all those who place their trust in You.

And so, Father, full of faith and confidence,

and in thanksgiving for all the wonderful things

You have done for us,

we place ourselves before You today.

Through the intercession of St. Gerard,

hear our prayers and petitions,

and if it is your Holy Will,

Please grant them in the name of Jesus, Our Lord.

Amen

Day Four: Saint Gerard, spotless lily of purity, by the angelic virtue and wonderful innocence of your life you received from the Infant Jesus and His Immaculate Mother, sweet pledges of tender love.

Grant, I beg you, that I may ever strive courageously in my lifelong fight, and therefore win the crown that awaits the brave and the true. Pray nine Hail Marys. 

St. Gerard Novena: Day 3

Almighty and Eternal God,

we thank You for the gift of St. Gerard

and the example of his life. 

Because St. Gerard always had complete faith and trust in You,

You blessed him with great powers of help and healing.

Through him, You showed your loving concern

for all those who suffered or were in need.

You never failed to hear his prayer on their behalf.

Today, through Saint Gerard's powerful intercession,

You continue to show you love

for all those who place their trust in You.

And so, Father, full of faith and confidence,

and in thanksgiving for all the wonderful things

You have done for us,

we place ourselves before You today.

Through the intercession of St. Gerard,

hear our prayers and petitions,

and if it is your Holy Will,

Please grant them in the name of Jesus, Our Lord.

Amen

Day Three: Saint Gerard, Bright seraph of love, who despising all earthly love, consecrated your life to the service of God and your neighbor, promoting God's glory in your lowly state, and ever ready to assist the distressed and console the sorrowful, obtain for me, I beg you, that loving God, the only good, and my neighbor for His sake, I may be hereafter united to Him forever in glory. Pray nine Hail Marys. 

Happy Independence Day

Sometimes good things come in big doses... Like America. 

St. Gerard Novena: Day Two

Almighty and Eternal God,

we thank You for the gift of St. Gerard

and the example of his life. 

Because St. Gerard always had complete faith and trust in You,

You blessed him with great powers of help and healing.

Through him, You showed your loving concern

for all those who suffered or were in need.

You never failed to hear his prayer on their behalf.

Today, through Saint Gerard's powerful intercession,

You continue to show you love

for all those who place their trust in You.

And so, Father, full of faith and confidence,

and in thanksgiving for all the wonderful things

You have done for us,

we place ourselves before You today.

Through the intercession of St. Gerard,

hear our prayers and petitions,

and if it is your Holy Will,

Please grant them in the name of Jesus, Our Lord.

Amen

Day Two: Saint Gerard, most generous saint, who from  your earliest years did care so little for the goods of earth, grant that I may place all my confidence in Jesus Christ alone, my true Treasure, who alone can make me happy in time and eternity. Pray nine Hail Marys. 

Bad News and Big prayers

On our last night in Rome, we did class superlatives: Who was the biggest pope groupie, who was most likely to forget essential clothing on trip, etc. But at the end, Ryan, our head of student life, said that he wanted to add his own superlative to the list. Then with a big grin on his face, he said, "Most likely to be pregnant goes to my wife, Ellen!" The whole room erupted with cheers. Our entire class could not have been more thrilled, and, in a way, we felt that this was "Our Rome Baby" in the same way that we felt the faculty and staff were our second family. We all adored Ellen, and Ryan was okay too, so the prospect of a Rome baby was absolutely happiest thing ever.

Unfortunately, we learned today that our Rome baby has a serious heart defect that seriously limits her (Yes, it's a girl!) chances for survival. It's possible that she will not even make to to term. Of course, our whole class is very sad, but I know her parents are devastated because she is their first child. So, my dear readers, I'm asking for your prayers. My class is not called the "Crusher Class" for nothing, we will do our best to crush the gates of Heaven, but we also need your help. For the next nine days, I will be posting a novena to St. Gerard, the patron of expectant mothers and my patron. But please feel free to start your own novenas, in particular, her parents have asked for prayers to Blessed Pope John Paul II, who will be canonized in October, when the baby is due. Thank you in advance for all your prayers!

Almighty and Eternal God,

we thank You for the gift of St. Gerard

and the example of his life. 

Because St. Gerard always had complete faith and trust in You,

You blessed him with great powers of help and healing.

Through him, You showed your loving concern

for all those who suffered or were in need.

You never failed to hear his prayer on their behalf.

Today, through Saint Gerard's powerful intercession,

You continue to show you love

for all those who place their trust in You.

And so, Father, full of faith and confidence,

and in thanksgiving for all the wonderful things

You have done for us,

we place ourselves before You today.

Through the intercession of St. Gerard,

hear our prayers and petitions,

and if it is your Holy Will,

Please grant them in the name of Jesus, Our Lord.

Amen

First Day

St. Gerard, ever full of faith, obtain for me that, believing firmly all that the Church of God proposes to my belief, I may strive to secure through a holy life, the joys of eternal happiness. Pray nine Hail Marys.