Excited for Part II of my pilgrimage to walk in the footsteps of Angelo Cardinal Roncalli
Some background on what leads up to this pilgrimage that I start this Thursday, June 14.
In 2009 I received a Lilly Teacher Creativity grant from the Lilly Endowment that allowed me to spend three weeks in Europe walking in the footsteps of our school's namesake, Angelo Cardinal Roncalli, now known as St. John XXIII.
During this pilgrimage I was able to visit the following locations:
Sotte il Monte, Italy - his birthplace, childhood home, church in which his parents were married and in which he was baptized and eventually served as an acolyte; small chapel dedicated to the Blessed Mother that his mother would take him to on the special Marian feasts
Bergamo, Italy - location of the seminary that he started to attend at the age of 11 and from which he graduated. His first assignment as a priest was to return to Bergamo where he would teach at the seminary and serve as the secretary for the Bishop of Bergamo
Paris, France - served as Papal Nuncio from 1944-53
Venice, Italy - served as Patriarch of Venice from 1953-58
Assisi, Italy - went there multiple times for personal retreats including a personal retreat to Assisi in the days leading up to the start of the Second Vatican Council in 1962
Rome, Italy - served here for a few years as the director of the Society for the Propagation of the Faith and then as Pope John XXIII from 1958-1963.
While visiting all of these locations I was able to see homes in which lived, offices in which worked, churches in which he celebrated mass and countless, countless artifacts of his life and ministry. Maybe most significantly, I was able to meet and converse with numerous people who had known Pope John XXIII personally, some of whom worked closely with him, including his personal secretary for ten years, Monsignor Loris Capovilla. It was a terribly moving, life impacting experience.
Upon returning home to Indianapolis and back to my work at Roncalli High School, I felt a strong urge to brainstorm ways for more members of the RHS faculty/staff to enjoy a similar type experience/pilgrimage. I presented to our president and board of directors a proposal that would accomplish this goal. It was enthusiastically received and to date 40 members of our faculty/staff have participated in the "Life, Legacy and Spirit of St. John XXIII Pilgrimage." What a blessing it has been and what a huge THANK YOU we owe to President Joe Hollowell and our board of directors.
In January of this current year I was notified by The Lilly Foundation that my application for a second pilgrimage - Walking in the Footsteps of Angelo Cardinal Roncalli - Part II, had been granted a second Lilly Teacher Creativity Grant. This grant provides me with $12,000 to fulfill the wishes set out in my application.
In this pilgrimage which begins on Thursday, June 14, I will be visiting the remaining places in which Roncalli served during his 59 years of ministry. Specifically, I will be visiting the following places
Sofia,Bulgaria - where he served as Apostolic delegate from 1925-34
Athens, Greece - where he served as Apostolic delegate from 1934-44
Istanbul, Turkey - where he served concurrently as Apostolic delegate from 1934-44
The Holy Land - where he visited multiple times during his years of ministry.
I have made arrangements with people in many of these locations who will be showing me the homes in which lived, offices in which worked, churches in which he ministered, statues erected in his honor and/or memory, streets named after him, etc.
I am thrilled to have been granted this second grant from the Lilly Foundation and am deeply indebted to them for making possible this unbelievable opportunity.
I look forward to sharing much of my pilgrimage with you via this blog. I ask for your prayers for a safe, stimulating and divinely inspired pilgrimage.
God bless you and God bless Roncalli!
In 2009 I received a Lilly Teacher Creativity grant from the Lilly Endowment that allowed me to spend three weeks in Europe walking in the footsteps of our school's namesake, Angelo Cardinal Roncalli, now known as St. John XXIII.
During this pilgrimage I was able to visit the following locations:
Sotte il Monte, Italy - his birthplace, childhood home, church in which his parents were married and in which he was baptized and eventually served as an acolyte; small chapel dedicated to the Blessed Mother that his mother would take him to on the special Marian feasts
Bergamo, Italy - location of the seminary that he started to attend at the age of 11 and from which he graduated. His first assignment as a priest was to return to Bergamo where he would teach at the seminary and serve as the secretary for the Bishop of Bergamo
Paris, France - served as Papal Nuncio from 1944-53
Venice, Italy - served as Patriarch of Venice from 1953-58
Assisi, Italy - went there multiple times for personal retreats including a personal retreat to Assisi in the days leading up to the start of the Second Vatican Council in 1962
Rome, Italy - served here for a few years as the director of the Society for the Propagation of the Faith and then as Pope John XXIII from 1958-1963.
While visiting all of these locations I was able to see homes in which lived, offices in which worked, churches in which he celebrated mass and countless, countless artifacts of his life and ministry. Maybe most significantly, I was able to meet and converse with numerous people who had known Pope John XXIII personally, some of whom worked closely with him, including his personal secretary for ten years, Monsignor Loris Capovilla. It was a terribly moving, life impacting experience.
Upon returning home to Indianapolis and back to my work at Roncalli High School, I felt a strong urge to brainstorm ways for more members of the RHS faculty/staff to enjoy a similar type experience/pilgrimage. I presented to our president and board of directors a proposal that would accomplish this goal. It was enthusiastically received and to date 40 members of our faculty/staff have participated in the "Life, Legacy and Spirit of St. John XXIII Pilgrimage." What a blessing it has been and what a huge THANK YOU we owe to President Joe Hollowell and our board of directors.
In January of this current year I was notified by The Lilly Foundation that my application for a second pilgrimage - Walking in the Footsteps of Angelo Cardinal Roncalli - Part II, had been granted a second Lilly Teacher Creativity Grant. This grant provides me with $12,000 to fulfill the wishes set out in my application.
In this pilgrimage which begins on Thursday, June 14, I will be visiting the remaining places in which Roncalli served during his 59 years of ministry. Specifically, I will be visiting the following places
Sofia,Bulgaria - where he served as Apostolic delegate from 1925-34
Athens, Greece - where he served as Apostolic delegate from 1934-44
Istanbul, Turkey - where he served concurrently as Apostolic delegate from 1934-44
The Holy Land - where he visited multiple times during his years of ministry.
I have made arrangements with people in many of these locations who will be showing me the homes in which lived, offices in which worked, churches in which he ministered, statues erected in his honor and/or memory, streets named after him, etc.
I am thrilled to have been granted this second grant from the Lilly Foundation and am deeply indebted to them for making possible this unbelievable opportunity.
I look forward to sharing much of my pilgrimage with you via this blog. I ask for your prayers for a safe, stimulating and divinely inspired pilgrimage.
God bless you and God bless Roncalli!
Comments
Post a Comment