Roma!

Caio ragazzi! Sorry it's been so long since my last post but the wireless internet in Rome is garbage. I'm having a BLAST here. I've had so many wonderful opportunities! When we arrived, we got to tour St. Peter's Basilica and the day after that we got to go on the Scavi tour! We got to see St. Peter's bones!! and an old Roman burial city. We're staying at the equivalent of a decent country club. We have an awesome gym, sauna, pool, tennis courts and bar right where we're staying and we're just a 15 minute trip from the Vatican! I'm having such a great time and I'm being showered with so many blessings!! I have the blessing of being able to go to Mass every day and sometimes it's even in English! I'm learning some Italian but not enough to talk to people yet. The food is DELICIOUS!!! I've had my fill of pizza and pasta but I'm definitely not tired of it yet! I'm addicted to wine and cappuccinos! I put some new pictures up on facebook but I have just been enjoying it to the fullest and not taking too many pictures. There are churches at every corner here in Rome and there are incorrupt bodies of saints in most of the churches. This is SUCH a great place. I can't wait to tell all of you about it when I get home!! I have so much more to say but only 23 minutes of laptop battery left. God bless you all and keep me in your prayers! You are in mine!! 

Wicklow

Hello blog friends! Today was magical. I got to experience the wonderful wicklow mountains! It was a blast. we went out to the mountains with a quick stop by the EMO gas station to pick up some wine and club orange. We headed out to the park and after a short walk we were in the middle of INCREDIBLE graveyard and monastic church ruins. The old graves and churches we a reminder of eternity and how important developing the soul is rather than material things. God blesses me continually. We took some great pictures and joined in the morning prayer before embarking to our next destination... LUNCH! We had some great sandwiches and digestibles (that's what the amazingly yummy cookies are called). After that we hiked around to a wonderful lake with the sun finally coming out to say hello. As I was getting Pat to take a picture of me some vibrantly colored ducks swam right up next to me and started skimming the water with their bills and it brought me joy. I walked a little up the hill to an ancient church with what appeared to be a tabernacle with a burning votive candle inside. It reminded me of the warmth Christ shares with us even on the cloudiest of days. Upon looking at some graves, Adam and I thought about how we were amongst the bodies of saints and how God calls all of us to be holy. Towards the end of the day we too a hike up by a waterfall and went venturing through the woods. God's earth is beautiful! It's amazing how something that's been still for many many years can bring you so much joy. Speaking of joy, yesterday we went over to Killmyshall to volunteer with Mother Light in a small Irish village. We stopped by the top of the mountain where the wind was blasting the rain sideways at us with such epicocity that we couldn't help but scream FREEDOM!!! When we went to volunteer, the little Irish children brought us so much life and at the same time made us very tired. We operated a pinata beating for them with some american candy inside. They pinata was a box with a picture of St. John Bosco on it and it said "St. John Bosco, Pray for us" on it. I thought it was a bit strange but Mother Light assured us he wouldn't mind. God shined through Mother Light and showed me that He continues to bless me on my journey. Please feel free to send pray requests as you will be continually in my prayers. God bless. Peace be with you!!!

The Med Bar

So tonight I went to the Med Bar with all the group!! It was soo much fun! We had a Guinness or two and had some great conversation to some very awful music at points. It was delightful! Everyone was very friendly until Adam and I started dancing on the floor. There weren't really that many people there but of course, somebody had to rain on the parade. We started dancing and then the bartender (a 40 something year old lady) came and asked Adam to "calm down". We sat back in our seats and enjoyed the rest of our time there. I had my first shot of tequila!!! ay ay ay ay ay ay ay!!!! It was pretty darn good. After we left, we were taking a group shot and some drunk guy came into our picture. We fit 10 people into the 8 person max cab van. WAY cheaper than the bus. Tomorrow's gonna be a chill day so I'll be reading some great material and praying for everyone. God bless!! Peace be with you. 

A day in Killkenny

Early start today after a night of fun last night. We nearly missed the bus this morning on the side of the highway but we made it! Then we journeyed into Killkenny and from the bus station you can see all four cathedrals and the castle reaching to the sky! It's a beautiful town indeed. So we began our day with 30 minutes of prayer in a GORGEOUS Irish Church followed by a beautiful Mass. The priest spoke movingly and the congregation sang with angel's voices. I was uplifted from the rainy green outside to a heavenly paradise. I hesitate to take pictures inside churches with people so as to be reverent. After Mass we spoke to the priest and he told us a little bit about the history of the church and then we went into town. The tiny streets and bustling people brought the day to life. We took a tour of the Killkenny Castle with the English John! He was full of whit and he brought the portraits on the walls to life. He told us about a good place in town called Lanigan's and we went there for lunch. We OF COURSE had a pint of Guinness and I enjoyed my first meal of bangers and mash... DELICIOUS!!! The bartender tried to lure us back to the traditional Irish music night with 7 free shots but we had to catch the bus. After lunch we journeyed through the cobblestone streets to a little restaurant where we enjoyed hot tea, hot chocolate and scones. After that we went to St. Mary's at the top of the city. The inside was beautiful and we took a little bit of time out of our day to pray. There's a real connection with the spiritual here. God is surely knocking. We made it back to the bus and got dropped off at the wrong bus stop, a minor detour. Tonight is supposed to be pub karaoke night. All I can think of is the scene from P.S. I love you where she sings and falls off stage. Ireland is the best!!! Peace be with you!!!

Wednesday Morning In Ireland

Top O the mornin to ya! So the friends that got stuck in Dublin missed the 8  bus and won't be back until 14. It's been good though since I got to rest up and load some fbook pictures. I'm really happy to have so many awesome friends commenting on my album and I miss you guys! I'm writing this post to let you know that I might not get pictures up this fast in the future but KEEP LOOKING!! I love you all!! Peace be with you. 

Dublin

Today I went into downtown Dublin for the whole day! It was such a wonderful time and I got to see a lot of great sights. There was a three million dollar needle and LOADS of pubs. We started the day with mass at St. Mary's in Dublin where the priest ended mass with Adoration!!! We went to a place called the Vat to eat lunch after that and I had lamb shank with potatoes, carrots and broccoli... and of course a pint of Guinness! There was a single malt whisky called Merrys and it was terrible. Oh well, I had a great time and we walked around a lot. We took the latter part of the day to visit two beautiful Cathedrals. One was Christ Church which I think was erected in 1030 and it was BEAUTIFUL!!! After that we went to St. Patrick's cathedral and it was amazing. There were big old banners that were deteriorating and they reminded me of the Black Pearl. I wish I could have to have the chance to celebrate mass there weekly. I lit a prayer candle for BAC Men's Household!! You're in my prayers guys. We took the 2 hour bus ride back to Leighlinbridge and I bought Irish skittles that tasted like tomatoes. Lamesauce. Half of our group detoured to visit Angela's brother in seminary and they missed their bus back so they're staying in a hostel in Dublin. Tomorrow we're going to Killkenney to explore castle ruins!!! Life is beautiful! Peace be with you!!

IRELAND!

So I'm in Ireland! I had a great six and a half hour flight from Chicago to Dublin and I viewed an accelerated sunrise entering Dublin. The sky was pink and purple like cotton candy! Our descent was peaceful and welcoming until we got to the airport. Our long wait in the customs line was a GREAT way to start our first day in Ireland. My friends welcomed me with awesome signs and wonderful cheers! It was great to see familiar faces. We had a two hour bus ride past Carlow to Leighlinbridge. Delicious food for dinner and wonderful friends. We played taboo for a good hour or so and now everyone's heading to sleep. Pictures will follow soon. Tomorrow we're off to Dublin for the day! Peace be with you