Well, we made it.
After a long trip on three different flights, from Orlando to Atlanta to Amsterdam, we finally landed in Venice to begin our pilgrimage for the 2025 Jubilee of Deacons . There are 28 of us, from all over the country, including me, my wife and our priest, Father Ferdinandus (a.k.a. Father Ferdi), who is from my parish in Florida.
Our first impressions of Italy: wet. Very wet. And cold. In the 40s. This isn’t Florida. We quickly connected with our guide, Alexandra, and our bus driver, Marco, and headed from Venice’s Marco Polo Airport to Padua.
Padua was soggy but full of charm. I imagine walking the cobblestone streets with dry socks would have been enchanting.
Eventually, we sloshed our way to the beautiful Scrovegni Chapel.
The priceless frescoes by Giotto were overwhelming.
From there, we walked several blocks to the Basilica of St. Anthony of Padua, without question the most famous spot in the city. Here you can find not only the beloved saint’s tomb— shown at the top of this post, and designed so you can touch the wall and pray — but you’ll also discover some incredible relics of St. Anthony, including his incorrupt vocal chords, part of his jaw, and the remains of the robe he wore.
The church itself is something to behold. Honestly, it reminded me of some of the grander churches of Brooklyn — but on steroids.
The Blessed Sacrament chapel contained a bold, colorful fresco that looked very contemporary to me.
Father Ferdinandus was excited to find another Ferdinandus commemorated in the floor of the church.
Another standout: hundreds of pictures pinned near the tomb, from people who attest to St. Anthony working a miracle on their behalf.
After exploring the basilica — and getting a blessing from one of the friars! — we moved on to a parish church nearby for our first Mass of the trip. Surprise: the sacristy didn’t have a Roman Missal in English. Or even in Spanish. Everything was in Italian. Technology to the rescue: I found the Mass on one of my apps, iMissal, and Fr. Ferdi used that. Deacon Richard Hay, from St. Augustine, assisted at the altar and Deacon Michael Weaver, from Honolulu, preached.
After Mass, we walked to the bus one more time and drove a short distance down the road to check in to our hotel, the NH Hotel in Padua.
These snapshots from the hotel website give a good idea of the place.
Dinner was a little late, starting at 8. By that time I’d been up for about a gazillion hours and was running on Italian coffee and pure adrenalin. I regret that I didn’t snap pictures of our dinner, which was excellent. (Can you find bad pasta in Italy? No. Never.) I may try to add a few pictures later from breakfast.
By 9:30, all I wanted was to go to bed.
And at that hour, I still had a homily to work on for Saturday, but that’s another story ….
All in all, a great beginning! Saturday, we head to Venice to say hello to St. Mark, celebrate Mass, tour the usual sites, then overnight again in Padua before traveling on to Assisi!
To be continued…
