Today was a day I can hardly believe finally came: the final day of the Synod of Bishops 2018, concluded by a beautiful mass in Saint Peter's Basilica. As I sat there in the chairs reserved for concelebrants, I could hardly believe it was over.
But I am getting ahead of myself. The day began with getting to, in and through Saint Peter's in the first place. The other masses we had celebrated during the month were outdoors, so it was relatively easy. But because this mass was indoors, there was a lot more security and crowd control. Instead of vesting in the basilica itself, we were directed to the grand corridor that opens at the Bronze Door and leads up to the Secretariat of State. Here I am at the midway point of the corridor, looking down at the assembled members of the Synod:
We had mass around 9:30 am, and then I had to head to a meeting at one of the Roman congregations. That was busy, but it did include a delightful moment of prayer prior to going into the meeting itself: the Angelus, prayed in Latin, followed by the prayers Sub Tuum Praesidium and the prayer to Saint Michael. I had a bit of trouble following along out loud as I am not used to praying these all in Latin, but at least I can say I knew where we were and what we were praying!
After the meeting I had a chance to go for lunch with a friend who works here in Rome. It was nice to catch up, and I'm glad we did it now, as the synod schedule looks pretty packed. I'm not sure we'd have the time to do it later in a leisurely fashion.
With lunch done I headed to the Paul VI audience hall, where I had to drop off a copy of the speech I'll be giving during the synod. A fun fact about this building is that the roof is covered in solar panels, helping to make the Vatican as carbon-neutral (and energy autonomous) as possible.
As the hall is located right next to Saint Peter's Basilica, I decided to go inside by a side door. By this time it was almost 3:30 pm, the time when the confessionals are opened in the afternoon. I really wanted to go to confession as part of my spiritual preparation for the synod. Happily an elderly Franciscan was available who spoke English. He was very kind, and listened patiently as this foreign bishop lived this moment of grace. I just love confession.
The rest of the day was relatively light, just emails (and a bit of blogging!). The real fun starts tomorrow, with the inaugural mass in Saint Peter's square. Tune in tomorrow for highlights from that experience!