Photos From St. Peter's...

Yes, I know these are sorely overdue! I've been battling the dreaded lurgy all week, and it's taken all my spare energy, after the shock of actually having to return to work after Half Term...

One of the highlights of my Rome trip was daily Mass at St. Peter's. Being accompanied by two traditionally-minded priests had its advantages - the main one was Mass in the Extraordinary Form each morning. On the first morning, both Fr. Tim and Fr. Charles disappeared into the Sacristy, and I waited outside, ready to follow one of them to whichever altar they were allocated.

After having attended Mass celebrated by Fr. Charles at one of the many side altars (I forget which!), he asked me to pick up the Missal, as he was carrying the chalice and paten, and there wasn't a server. I assumed it was a Missal from the Sacristy, and duly followed Fr. Charles back there. Unfortunately he hadn't told me where to bring it. I spotted Fr. Tim, returning from his own Mass, and tried to give the Missal to him to take into the Sacristy. His hands were full - he had cruets and his own Missal. Feeling a little lost, I wandered further in to the Sacristy. A huge security guard came to head me off at the pass, and I waved the Missal tentatively in his direction, hoping that he would take it from me. He glanced at the Missal, said "Si, si..." or something along those lines, and waved me through. Before I knew it, I had found myself inside the Sacristy itself...

I then discovered that I was holding Fr. Charles' own Missal, and so sat down on a bench at the side of the Sacristy watching all the priests and servers vesting and unvesting. I got one or two curious looks, but, I guess that, dressed in black and with my mantilla firmly in place, I managed not to be too conspicuous!

My two "chaplains" then took me round the Basilica, pointing out items of interest. We stopped at the tomb of St. Peter to gain the Plenary Indulgence...

I asked Fr. Tim if it was possible to go down to the actual level of the tomb itself. I didn't hold out much hope, but was working on the hypothesis that if you don't ask, you don't get. Sure enough, he said something to the guard by the entrance, and we were allowed through, down a spiral staircase into the grottoes.

It was absolutely amazing, and rather spooky, to be down in the grottoes. To stand at the tomb of St. Peter himself was an experience which brought a lump to my throat, and made me feel all goose-bumpy. It's hard to explain, but two thousand years' worth of history was hitting me full-on! To think I once sneered at the idea that the remains of St. Peter could actually be at the site of St. Peter's Basilica (in my "I'm a sceptical scientist" days!)

I think, even if that is all I had managed to see, this would rank as one of the greatest experiences of my life! I would actually have liked to spend a whole day in there...

There are a few more photos from St. Peter's Basilica, including the tombs of Pope John Paul I and James Stuart in my Flickr set St. Peter's June 2012...