I’m both happy to be back in Rome and a little sad because it means that the summer holiday with my family has come to an end for this year. The years are affecting my grandparents more than I have really thought about, and I think that the holidays we will share at the farm are fewer.
The opportunity for prayer for my grandparents is very important to me, and this morning I prayed for them to be spared any loss, like dementia or stroke. I know these are not as prevalent in the south of Europe like they are in north.
Celebrating the Holy Mass is also a way to celebrate my grandparents who first took me and my parents, my brother, to my first Mass. The entwining of my life with the life of the Christ was so essential to them, for me, in their hearts. My future was very much mapped out by my baptism, and my confirmation at Palermo cathedral.
Church this morning represented a continuation of my spiritual destiny, my journey through my Christian life of faith and service.
San Gioacchino ai Prati di Castello ("St Joachim's at the Fields of the Castle") is a church in Rome dedicated to Saint Joachim, the father of Mary, mother of Jesus. Construction began in 1891 and the building was opened to the public in 1898. It was consecrated on 6 June 1911 by Cardinal Pietro Respighi. Pope John XXIII made it a cardinal's titular church in 1960.
