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Free Day

Venice, Italy

As we wrap up our pilgrimage in Venice, we were given a free day to choose between taking the train to visit the basilica of St. Anthony in Padua or taking a slow day to roam in Venice. We gathered together for a vigil mass at San Zuliano and then got on our boat transport to get back to the hotel.  Throughout the day our priests Fr. Arturo and Fr. Kasule encouraged us to reflect on the graces the Lord has given us throughout this pilgrimage.  It really hit me at the end of the day how much it rejuvenated us to have a day off to process, recollect, and have some recreation time. 

Group Photo in front of the Church of St. Anthony of Padua

This feeling of being recharged at the end of this experience is not only a gift in itself, but it reminds me of the gift that the Lord gives us each week to have a day of rest. It is a day of rest not only for us physically and mentally, but it is a day of rest in and with Jesus.  It’s so easy for us to get caught up in our work, technology, schedules, etc. that our sabbath, our day of rest, can become our overflow day for the chores we didn’t get done throughout the week if we’re not careful.  Especially in our day of secularism, it is easy to forget why we have a sabbath day.

It was a great blessing to see the most beautiful churches in the world on this trip, particularly in Venice, but at the same time it also brought disappointment to see that the primary use of these churches was not the Holy Mass, but to perform as a museum showcasing works of art.  This is the example of what can happen if we let our faith go to the back burner, if we forget why the Lord gave us a sabbath day. While that might bring us down, I think it’s important that we see that as a source of motivation to authentically and joyfully live out our Catholic faith so that we don’t suffer the same fate in America.  Perhaps the best witness to the faith we can give is to be loving and joy-filled through our faith even when the society around us pushes us to forget about the sabbath day. 

Last Mass celebrated by Fr. Kasule in Venice

With this being the final blog post and on behalf of the entire class, I want to thank everyone that has supported us to make this experience possible either financially and/or through prayer.  May you all have a Merry Christmas and know that all of our lives have been changed through this experience!  May God bless you all!

-Mike Wojnarowski — Diocese of Rockford

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