Looking forward to it! My travelling companion is Fr Charles Briggs, the parish priest of St Mary's, Chislehurst which is where the emperor Napoleon III was first interred before Eugenie constructed Farnborough Abbey and his magnificent mausoleum.We'll be staying at the Domus Romana Sacerdotalis. It is just off the Via Conciliazione, near Castel Sant' Angelo and therefore quite near St Peter's. The photo below was taken from the roof terrace during the amazing procession of visitors to pay their respects to the late Pope John Paul.
I recommend the Domus Romana to any priest who wants to stay in Rome. The rates are very reasonable, the food (and wine) is wholesome, and there is a tasteful chapel downstairs with four side altars: you can say Mass whenever you want. There are a number of permanent resident priests, mostly working in the Curia, and you can meet some very interesting fellow guests. One time I was sat next to an Argentine Archbishop and a Japanese seminarian from Gricigliano. Another time, I bumped into Cardinal Gabriel Zubeir Wako - a great man who has inspired hope in his persecuted people in the Sudan.
4 comments:
It's hard not to be envious. I'd like to be in Rome tomorrow as well. God wants me to study for exams instead unfortunately. It's nice to know that there are places like the Domus Romana Sacerdotalis for priests to stay in Rome. Accomodations with chapels? Sounds almost too good to be true.
Yes, it was a great place to stay. Fr Charles and I met some good priests there and managed to get to the launch of the Italian version of "Turning Towards the Lord" where Archbishop Ranjith gave an excellent speech. We also met the Ghanaian Bishops' Conference.
If the Josephine you mention is the wife of Napoleon, it wasn't Napoleon III, perhaps Napoleon I but his wife Josephine (1763-1814) died long before Farnborough Abbey was built. In fact the woman who became a widow in Chislehurst was the Empress Eugenie (1826-1920) who move to Farnborough, built her home, Farnborough Hill (now a convent school) and built the church and community house on the next hill (starting after the Prince's death in 1879). To settle doubts, a visit to the crypt of that church will reveal in the transepts the sarcophagi of the Emperor Napoleon III and the Prince Imperial (son of the Emperor and Empress, killed fighting in the British Army in the Zulu War) and the sarcophagus of Eugenie who had made no provision for herself, so it is placed over the crypt altar. That Sarcophagus bears her name very prominently displayed.
Of course you are right. Senior moment, I'm afraid. I've amended the post. Thank you for the correction.
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