Devin McGill – Senior Mechanical Engineer
No class today so we were all able to sleep in and get some much needed rest! The class broke into small groups and we went on our own adventures.
Some students started their day by going to mass at St. Peter’s Basilica. The majority of masses in Rome are spoken in Italian, but it is not difficult to find an English mass. With hundreds of churches enclosed in such a small area one can always find a mass time.
Later in the day some students went to St. Peter’s Basilica to hike to the balcony on the dome. This climb is not for the faint of heart as there are 551 steps to reach the top. As one gets closer to the peak the steps get progressively more narrow and winding. The final flight is a tight corkscrew staircase barely as wide as one’s shoulders. All that said, even if you struggle with claustrophobia, the final view is worth it.
Interesting St. Thomas connection here in Rome. Below is pictured “Angels Unaware” by Canadian artist Timothy P. Schmalz. This sculpture, located in St. Peter’s Square, was unveiled in 2019 during a mass celebrated by Pope Francis. The University of St. Thomas commissioned Schmalz to make a statue of St. Thomas Aquinas for the new Iverson Faith Center, its installation was just recently finished. For more information click links below.
University of St. Thomas installs statue of its namesake as part of building project
A few lucky students even got a glance of Pope Francis!
Looking Forward
There are so many things to look forward to this week but I’ll keep it to my top three.
- Papel Audience on Wednesday
- Vatican Scavi on Monday
- Florence on Thursday
Ciao!
Devin