A taste of Calvary.

The day after graduation (that post will come later), we took the night train towards Turin, Italy to go pray before the Shroud of Christ, which is only displayed for veneration every 4-5 years; how blessed we felt to be in Europe at this time! This was to be the start of our little family vacation/Papa's graduation trip in Malta. (Ryan Air flies super cheap to Malta from Turin, btw!)

Our little Dominic was a fine spirits and both boys slept soundly the whole night. The kind conductor moved us to a compartment that we could have all to ourselves! Thankful.

 A little tired but ready for the day's adventure! We had to switch trains in Milan, so hopped over to get a glimpse of the Duomo piazza during our little layover.

 

The minute our feet hit Italian soil, Michael started clamoring for gelato - his memory is a little too good sometimes. So, we had berry gelato for brunch.

Then it was back to the station for the 2 hour train ride to Turin = nap time for the boys.

We dropped our things at our hotel before heading over to the Shroud exhibition. We were thrilled to meet up with our friend from Ave Maria Univeristy/Miami, Krystelle, who was in the midst of her 100 day Marian pilgrimage in Europe. The boys took a liking to her right away.

The walk through security and on the designated path was like a little pilgrimage in itself in length! We were there on a weekday and breezed right through with no wait, but they have been handling huge crowds on the weekends.

Then we arrived at the front of the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist, where the Shroud is preserved. We watched a short video explaining the location of Christ's wounds made visible on the Shroud. It was a very solemn, silent video, which set the tone for the relic we were about to see.

Entering the church, the tomb of Blessed Pier Gorgio Frassati was on our left. We said a quick prayer at this Italian's tomb that all young Christians might have the courage and perseverance to live Christianity as he did.

Then we were ushered in front of the Shroud for our 4 minute viewing. It was hard at first, to grasp the significance of what lay before our eyes, but how can one truly fathom the gift of Christ's body sacrificed for the salvation of us poor, wretched sinners?

Here on the left, you can see how the Shroud covered Christ's front; the crossed hands are visible, and Christ's chest and head above them.

This 15th century painting depicts how the Shroud covered Christ according to the outline of Christ's body and wound markings.

Here are some negatives made from the imprints of the Shroud.

The wounds and blood caused by the crown of thorns is plainly visible here. Despite Dominic clamoring "Jesus, Jesus" the whole time, it was a very moving experience to breathe a few humble prayers in front of our Lord's burial shroud - wow.

I wanted to share this shot of Pope Francis' visit to the Shroud, two weekends after we were there.

The next morning, I got up early and popped in Our Lady Help of Christians Basilica. We had tried twice to enter the day before, but it was chalk full of private pilgrim Masses for the Salesians coming to visit the tomb of their founder, St. John Bosco. Don Bosco, whose official Church title is "Father and Teacher of Youth" worked mainly to educate abandoned boys and struggling families. He followed what he called his "preventative system": reason, religion, and kindness, with a good mix of music and games thrown in.

Beautiful church full of Marian imagery.

The remains of St. Dominic Savio, a young boy who was mentored by Don Bosco, and hoped to become a priest but died at age 14. He lived a life of heroic virtue and holiness. Don Bosco's own mother said of Dominic, "You have many good boys, but none can match the good heart and soul of Dominic Savio. I see him so often at prayer, staying in church after the others; every day he slips out of the playground to make a visit to the Blessed Sacrament. When he is in church he is like an angel living in Paradise."

 

The tomb and remain of St. John Bosco.

Pray for us parents and teachers, who wish to help our children become holy.

The Salesian center where Don Bosco lived and worked and below is the courtyard where Don Bosco played ball with the boys.

What a nice visit in Turin - happy to know we will be seeing Miss Krystelle down the road again in her travels! We were off to the airport and Malta and she was off to Rome.