First Weekend

Mary Shannon: Last night we met up with a friend from Arkansas who is backpacking through Europe with his brother for the next four months. It was so NICE to see other Arkansans. We also discussed maybe meeting up one weekend and going to see our friends in Greece together, or meeting in Switzerland. They have already been to Paris, Naples, Venice and some other places. They said Venice was so far their favorite. We also just met up with our Wisconsin friends and went to English mass at the Duomo. It was absolutely breath-taking! The priest was really good and discussed love, faith, hope, and using those things to appreciate our time here and really get close to God. The mass also seemed very holy, with more time to reflect, and a very humble prayer by the priest to prepare him and us for receiving the Eucharist. The main dome was covered in one huge portrait of what seemed to be hell, purgatory, then heaven. At the top point of the Dome, it looked as if these men were looking down on us with their feet dangling down. We also signed up with some other American students to maybe go on a pilgrimage to Rome and Asisi(?) with two brothers studying to be priests in Rome. Also maybe a 3-on-3 basketball tournament haha! Wish us luck. love you all