A joyful reunion.

We met up with Sisters Catherine and Monica in St. Peter's Square and the boys were so excited to see Auntie Catherine!

 We went back to the apartment to relax and play with the boys. Michael talked Catherine's ear off, filling her in on all his European adventures.

We had a nice cappuccino date that afternoon and caught up on life. So happy to see her!

The next day, we tried to make it in to St. Peter's for a morning Mass, but the line was too long. So, we set off across the Tiber for a walk in hopes of finding another Mass, but late on a Saturday morning, those are hard to find.

In Piazza Navona.

Finally got a shot of how we lug our stroller around!

In San Augostino, playing at the statue of the Madonna of Childbirth. Love all the pink and blue ribbons and notes of thanksgiving hanging near!

Kissing our Lady's foot.

Sr. Monica praying before the tomb of St. Monica.

We met up with a long-time friend of our family's - Fr. Jeffery Keyes - for lunch. Fr. is on sabbatical in Rome for a few months, and it was lovely to see him.

After lunch, Andrew took the boys back to the apartment for a nap, and I walked around Rome with the sisters. It was such a beautiful day!

 

Santa Maria in Vallicella, most commonly known as Chiesa Nuova, where we spent a good while in prayer. The church is the headquarters of the Oratorians. St. Gregory the Great actually built the first church on this site, and it was dedicated to "Our Lady of the Little Valley." This beautiful church was rebuilt in 1575 and has a few Caravaggio's and Rubens' paintings.

 

The tomb of the in-corrupt St. Philip Neri.

The Pantheon.

The tomb of the artist Raphael! Nice to visit after seeing his beautiful work in the Vatican. The inscription reads: Here lies Raphael, by whom Nature feared to be outdone while he lived, and when he died, feared that she herself would die.

Dear Sister Catherine, it was so wonderful to see you! We had a joyous time reconnecting and the boys still speak of you lovingly. We are praying for you on your next adventure in Argentina doing the Lord's work! We love you!!

In which we tour the Vatican Museums.

So, one of my sisters, Catherine, who I haven't seen in 2.5 years due to our absence and her vocation to be a missionary sister, was sent to Medjugorie for 1 month to work with pilgrims. I tried and tried to find a way to meet her down there, but it was just too expensive. So, the Holy Spirit prompted me to write her head sister and ask permission for her to stay in Rome one night with us on her way out of Medjugorie, and permission was granted! So, down we traveled to Rome for 1/4 of the cost that it would of been to go to Medjugorie. We were so happy; the timing was perfect, as it was also a 4-day holiday weekend for ITI. 

 Waiting for the train to go into Rome from Ciampino, where our dear cheap Ryan Air flies into. Boy, we really are relaxed whenever in Italy. We had a nice first evening walking around; always new things to discover and old places to re-learn!

Mom graciously found us a little apartment to stay in quite near the Vatican so that Catherine could easily reach us and the train station. It is always fun to see a new part of Rome. The day before she arrived, we had booked tickets to finally see the Vatican Museums! I was a little trepidatious about taking in 2 toddlers after reading some not-so-nice-reviews, but we tried to plan it for their nap time, planned to go slow and only see what we really wanted, and not sweat the rest. I think our Guardian Angels always help with shielding poor passer-byes' ankles from our stroller anyway...

A successful start - both boys sleeping and we're out of the rain!

We headed first for the Pinacoteca, which is an absolute gem of Christian art gathered from various churches in Rome, many from the 12th-13th century. I'm so glad I went past Rick Steves on this one and researched, because it can not be highly recommended enough.  

There were so few people in this section!

The Transfiguration by Raphael.

Caravaggio.

The Chiaramonti Museum, with over 1000 antique Roman portrait busts, idealistic and funerary sculptures. Some things from B.C. in here!

Emperor Nero's bathtub. Ok then.

The sarcophagus of Empress Helena, mother of Constantine, and finder of the True Cross of Christ.

The Hall of Maps. The boys woke up here and Michael enjoyed seeing the huge, colorful maps.

Break for fresh air and spy out into the Vatican Gardens.

Michael really liked the old globes and wanted to take pictures of them.

And Dominic, apparently.

 

Andrew liked the Egyptian artifacts. 

Got a fun glimpse of life inside Vatican city on our way to the Raphael rooms.

Splendid glory!

The School of Athens!

Michael wanted to carry Dominic. So sweet. We did make it to the Sistine Chapel, which was pretty crowded and hot, so we didn't stay as long as I would have liked to take it in. Simply amazing to be in there though, and the paintings still breathes life and vision after all these years. No pictures allowed in there.

Arrivederci, Musei Vaticani, thanks for the beautiful sights.

The rain had finally stopped so we took in St. Peter's Square. Again.

 Our most favorite building. Ever.

This little cheeser took a selfie.

 Then, the sun came out!

We were so excited to meet Auntie Catherine in this spot on the morrow!