Metropolitan Leads Memorable 12-day tour
Metropolitan Archbishop William C. Skurla accompanied a group of 15 pilgrims to Italy, where the entourage visited the cities of Bari, Rome, Assisi, Ravenna and Venice October 19 – October 30, 2016. The tour itinerary was based on the catechesis for the Jubilee of Mercy.
Through pilgrims’ eyes: a memorable journey of faith archbishop william, 15 pilgrims experience sights, sounds, spirituality in Italy
by Very Rev. Andrew J. Deskevich
On October 19 twelve pilgrims from the Archeparchy of Pittsburgh and three pilgrims from the Eparchy of Passaic joined Archbishop William to begin their pilgrimage to the holy sites of Italy during the Jubilee Year of Mercy. Their first stop was at the city of Bari, to visit the shrine of St. Nicholas. Of course the highlight of their trip was the celebration of the Divine Liturgy at the tomb of St. Nicholas.
At the end of the Liturgy, the pilgrims sang the traditional Hymn to St. Nicholas, which was truly an emotional and spiritual experience. The rest of the day was spent visiting the other sites of Bari and then travelling to the UNESCO World Heritage site Alberobello to view the Trulli – the unique whitewashed conical-roofed houses of the area. The next day, the pilgrims began their journey to the Eternal City of Rome. On the way they made a stop at Montecassino to visit the famous Benedictine Monastery founded by St. Benedict in 529 and rebuilt after the World War II bombing.
Following that prayerful visit, the group continued their journey to Rome. After dinner, upon their arrival, an evening bus tour of ancient Rome, which included the Coliseum, Arch of Constantine, Imperial Forum, St. Peter’s Prison, Capital Square (designed by Michelangelo) and Venice Square was enjoyed by all. Following the tour, a few not so weary pilgrims visited St. Peter’s Square, which was not far from their hotel. The first full day in Rome began on Sunday, October 23 with the Divine Liturgy celebrated by Metropolitan William at the Russicum – the Russian Institute. Metropolitan William and the American Byzantine Catholic pilgrims were welcomed with a reception following the Liturgy. Following the reception, the group visited the Church St. Alphonsus, where the original icon of Our Lady of Perpetual Help is enshrined.
A copy of this icon was given to the Sisters of St. Basil the Great in Uniontown, Pa. by Pope Pius XI in 1935. This icon is venerated at Mount St. Macrina and is carried in procession during the annual Pilgrimage during the Labor Day weekend to this day.
In the afternoon the pilgrims enjoyed seeing the Pantheon, Santa Maria Sopra and Saint Ignatius of Loyola, Campo de Fiori and Piazza Navona. They were joined by two Subdeacons, Gregory Lozinsky and Vitaly Stashkevuch, of the Eparchy of Mukachevo who reside at the Russicum. The evening concluded with a visit to the Pittsburgh Steelers bar in Rome. The group enjoyed the start of the Steelers game and even met a group of students from Duquesne University studying abroad. The pilgrims continued their visit of the holy sites on Monday morning, October 24 first with a stop at the Ukrainian church of Santa Sofia to see all the beautiful mosaics.
Following that they visited St. Mary Major Basilica and Santa Prassede. In the afternoon the group was mesmerized by their guided tour of the Vatican Excavation (Scavi), the necropolis under St. Peter’s Basilica. The day ended with a visit to the Basilica of St. John Lateran, including the Cloister, Sancta Sanctorum and the Holy Stairs. The group experienced their earliest wake-up call on Tuesday so that they could arrive on time at St. Peter’s Basilica for the 7:15 a.m. Liturgy celebrated by Metropolitan William. Liturgy that morning was celebrated at the Altar of St. Basilio, under which is located the tomb of St. Josaphat. At 11 a.m. the group was honored to meet with Cardinal Leonardo Sandri at the Oriental (Eastern) Congregation, of which he is the prefect. In his remarks Cardinal Sandri welcomed Metropolitan William along with Bishop Kurt Burnette and Bishop John Pazak,CSsR who met the group at the Eastern Congregation.
The Cardinal encouraged the pilgrims during this Jubilee Year of Mercy to live out what Christ called us to be as his followers. He also implored them that as they return home to share their experiences which they had here and to help build up the Church in the United States. In the afternoon, the group was taken on a guided tour of the Vatican Museums, the Sistine Chapel and St. Peter’s Basilica. The day ended at a local restaurant in the Trastevere area for a typical Roman dinner. On Wednesday, October 26 the group woke up for the highlight of the entire pilgrimage.
On that day, they attended the General Audience with Pope Francis. As the greetings before the General Audience were being translated into various languages, the group of pilgrims from the Byzantine Catholic Metropolitan Archeparchy of Pittsburgh was mentioned by name as being among the English-speaking pilgrimage groups in attendance. It was emotional and inspiring to witness the personal greetings exchanged between the Holy Father and Archbishop William and between the Holy Father and Bishop Kurt and Bishop John as well.
In the afternoon the group toured the City Center, where they visited San Clemente Church and prayed before the relics of Saints Cyril and Methodius. In addition they had a guided tour of the excavation beneath San Clemente. The day and time in Rome ended with a visit to the Trevi Fountain and the Spanish Steps.
That evening, back in the hotel, some in the group experienced the aftershocks of the earthquakes that struck Italy. Following breakfast on Thursday, October 27 the group said “Arividerci Roma” as they headed to the town of Assisi. Upon arrival they had a guided tour of the most important sites related to St. Francis and St. Clare, which included the Basilica of St. Francis, Santa Chiara and San Damiano churches.
In the afternoon and into the evening, pilgrims had free time just to tour leisurely and explore Assisi on their own before dinner and a night’s rest. The next day, before leaving Assisi, Divine Liturgy was celebrated in the Romanic Chapel of St. Francis Basilica. Following Liturgy the group embarked upon the last leg of the their pilgrimage with their bus ride to Venice. Upon arrival in Venice, the pilgrims were shuttled by water taxi to their hotel, after which they enjoyed a relaxing dinner. On Saturday, October 29 were able to sleep in a little longer than usual for their last full day of their pilgrimage.
The Divine Liturgy was celebrated late morning at San Marco Basilica, named for the Apostle and Evangelist Mark. At first the group was directed to a chapel off of the sacristy. But as the celebrants were getting vested, the sacristan asked if they wanted to celebrate the Divine Liturgy in the crypt downstairs – at the tomb of St. Mark! This was an unexpected and most welcome blessing. Following the Liturgy and lunch, the group enjoyed a guided tour of Venice and its famous canals and historic sites. In the evening the group experienced a spectacular farewell dinner at a restaurant near the square of San Marco.
The flight home was fairly uneventful until the approach to Newark International Airport. Because of a freak storm and high winds in Newark, the plane was unable to land there and so they made an unexpected pilgrimage to the land of Philadelphia, where the plane was refueled. Several hours later after the storm had passed they were sent back to Newark. Because of this delay their pilgrimage was extended with an overnight stay in Newark. Thus on Day 13, the Archeparchy’s pilgrims flew back to Pittsburgh and went their separate ways, carrying among their souvenirs veritable memories of a lifetime.
Photos by Very Rev. Andrew Deskevich, Deacon Dennis Prestash, Mary Caryl Planiczki, Heather Hatfield.
