I thought it was a little crowded around here.

From Vatican News: 

Etymologically, the word ‘deacon’ means “servant”.

4,000 of these “servants”, together with 2,000 others, are gathering in in Rome for three days, starting this Friday, February 21.

The deacons are coming to Rome for a Jubilee pilgrimage from over a hundred countries, including the United States, France, Brazil, India, Cameroon and Australia.

However, the “Servant of the Servants of God”, Pope Francis, will not be present: he has been in hospital for the past week at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital.

The event kicks off this Friday in 12 of Rome’s churches, with prayer at 3:30 p.m., followed by a series of meetings on the theme “Concrete signs of hope in diaconal ministry”.

On Saturday morning, Jubilee participants will be able to pass through the Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica, one of the conditions for receiving the plenary indulgence granted during the Jubilee year, while a conference on the role of deacons in the Synodal Church will be held in the Auditorium de la Conciliazione, from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.

The day will conclude with a prayer vigil in the Vatican’s Paul VI Hall.

On the final day, Sunday February 23, 23 deacons will be ordained during a mass in St. Peter’s Basilica, presided over by the pro-prefect of the dicastery for evangelization, Archbishop Rino Fisichella.

Read more. 

Curious about what I’ve been up to? Check out my posts about our pilgrimage so far: