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Diary of #CDOW150th: Sand of Colosseum soaked by blood

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Colosseum
Pilgrims from the Diocese of Wilmington sesquicentennial trip tour the Colosseum.

TheDialog.org is following the #CDOW150th as 135 people travel for a pilgrimage to France and Rome to commemorate the sesquicentennial of the Diocese of Wilmington.

DESTINATION (Day Eight): Cathedra Petri (Altar of the Chair), Vatican Museum, Sistine Chapel.

Bishop Malooly celebrates Mass at the Altar of the Chair.

HIGHLIGHTS: What a day! We started with Mass at the Altar of the Chair of St. Peter, under the Holy Spirit window in St. Peter’s Basilica. To attend Mass in honor of St. Peter, just feet from where he is buried, was truly inspirational.

A trip to tour the Roman Colosseum and Forum was next, followed by lunch and some free time.

We gathered for dinner then off to the Vatican Museum and Sistine Chapel for a private, after-hours tour. Pilgrims were awestruck at the overwhelming beauty of the masterpieces.

QUOTES OF THE DAY:  “We remember the thousands of early Christians who lost their lives here because they refused to deny their faith. The sand of the Coliseum was soaked by the blood of the Martyrs.”
— Fr. Glenn Evers, St. Mary of the Assumption Parish, at a prayer service at the Coliseum.

“One hears about the magnificent art work in the Sistine Chapel, but until one is standing there, experiencing it firsthand, it can not be fully appreciated. I get energized thinking about the tremendous talent of the artists.”
— Deanna Speir, St. John the Baptist/Holy Angels Paris.

Members of the pilgrimage of the Diocese of Wilmington.