On Saturday, 7th of May 2016, SSCC brothers Generalate community in Rome made a pilgrimage to the Holy Door of the cathedral church of the Diocese of Rome, Basilica of St John Lateran, the oldest and ranks first among the four Papal Basilicas in Rome, and where the Cathedra of the Bishop of Rome is placed.
Although three brothers were not in Rome, we still had seven brothers participating in one of the special events of the Year of Mercy, as well as two guests who were visiting us: Fr. Bertrand Cherrier sscc (France) and Emiliana Johan (SSCC Lay Branch of California).
The pilgrimage began at another importance site, the Basilica of the Holy Cross in Jerusalem, where according to tradition, was consecrated circa 325 to house the relics of the Passion of Jesus Christ brought to Rome from the Holy Land by St. Empress Helena, mother of Roman Emperor Constantine I.
Fr. Felipe Lazcano Hamilton sscc led the prayer, starting in front of the relic of the Holy Cross, and we began walking half a kilometer in silence along the path beside the Roman wall in the Garden of Carlo Felice, repeating by heart a mantra of one’s choice found in leaflet guide, until we reached the grand statue of Saint Francis of Assisi. There we read the Gospel of Luke on the theme: Be merciful as your heavenly Father is merciful.
From there we walked two by two towards the basilica of Saint John Lateran, located a mere 200 meters away, sharing the part of the Gospel reading that spoke to our hearts. In front of the Holy Door, we sang “Cristo è risorto, alleluia!” and one by one we passed through the door of blessing that was opened especially for the Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy. Once inside we proceeded towards Chapel of the Most Holy Sacrament (called Clementina) where we Adored the Lord for about half an hour. Finally we proceeded to the Seat of the Bishop of Rome and we prayed for Pope Francis.
We ended the pilgrimage by sharing an enjoyable Italian meal together in a fraternal ambiance at one of the cafés on Via Merulana.
05/07/2016