Highlights at the Sistene Chapel included seeing the infamous Adam & God-Touching-Fingers fresco. While it is one of the best known works of art in one of the best known chapels in the world, Nancy reminded me it was also recently featured on an episode of Arrested Development where characters reenact the scene at a renaissance fair: George Micheal with a body suit posing as Adam and George Senior getting a break from prison in order to be God.
At St. Peter's Basilica (the place where Peter was crucified upside down and buried) what stood out to me was that 1) Peter was the first pope- somehow not emphasized in all my Protestant education 2) the obelisk in St. Peter's square was an Egyptian monument to pagan Gods that the Romans stole and put a cross on top of it. "Roman" artifacts and monuments from conquered people is a theme here.
And my favorite history-making site in the Church this week is here at Suore Della Sacra Famiglia de Nazareth (Convent of the sacred family of Nazareth) where we are living among the first graduating class of a first-of-its-kind masters program developing leadership among the sisters, the women, of the Catholic church around the world.
About 25 sisters from all over the world (Sri Lanka, Uganda, Kenya, Nigeria, etc) are finishing up a masters program they've been working on for a year and a half through my dad's department at Duquesne. They will graduate at the end of June with a Master of Science in Community Leadership . In their home communities they hold management positions in schools, hospitals, HIV clinics and other community institutions.
The fiesty sistahs in permanent residence at this suore are mostly from Poland. It's been a pleasure getting to them as they tease us for locking ourselves out of our room and for liking the Jiffy set out at breakfast. I couldn't believe my eyes yesterday when I saw one of them standing in the midst of a huge billow of smoke conducting some sort of controlled burning on the grounds.
Everyday a new sister extends her arms to Nancy and I first excitedly asking "Are these the friends of 'their Jim'" and then asking when we will be visiting their home country. I'll take this welcome of the up-and-coming Sistahs of the Church over the Pope's marble column embrace anyday.
3 comments:
Those sistahs do look like a fun, multicultural bunch. And the fun brothah in the middle is from ... Hawaii? (teehee)
... or is that the pope?
Had you not told me over the phone about the stolen monuments which make up Rome, I'd never have guessed. There's something that seems wrong about stealing someone's work of art, adding a doo-dad and calling it your own.
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