Spring has officially arrived in Rome, although it’s actually been disturbingly like summer at times of late (so much for the lovely four-month springs back home). This marks the first time I am having Lent during the Spring which, while being the normative experience for most of Christian history, nonetheless feels a little strange for me.
I’m used to having falling leaves and darkening skies help me get into the penitential Lenten mood. I suppose the blooming flowers and singing birds will make a fine backdrop for Easter, but at present I’m trying not to bask in all the new life too much just yet!
While on the theme of significant changes, I should report that I have recently had a change of universities. During first semester I was studying at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross (Santa Croce), which is run by Opus Dei and has classes solely in Italian.
I very much enjoyed studying there, and it was particularly edifying to get to know some of the fine Opus Dei priests and laypeople who taught us. Suffice to say, their friendly, down-to-earth nature was nothing like the group’s stereotype in the popular imagination.
However, my Italian language proficiency was not making as much progress as I had hoped (it was probably the thing that suffered the most during the New Man Show saga), and I was subsequently struggling to keep pace with the lectures.
Furthermore, the North American College’s presence at Santa Croce is smaller and more recent than it is at the other universities, and as such a comprehensive English notes system to aid the weaker Italian speakers has yet to be established. While I managed to pass all of my units, I did not feel like I had learned much actual theology, which is obviously the main priority.
As such, between semesters I decided to change my enrolment to the Pontifical University of St Thomas Aquinas (Angelicum), which is run by the Dominican Order and has the option of classes in English. I’m now a few weeks in and I’m really glad to have made the switch. It’s a relief to be able to comprehend everything and to have mental energy left over to wrestle with the material, particularly given how much I know I still have to learn.
I have also been pleasantly surprised by the quality of the lecturers, given the stereotype among some regarding the supposedly basic standard of the Angelicum’s English track.
The clear highlight has been the opportunity to take a unit taught by Fr Wojciech Giertych OP, who is the current Theologian of the Papal Household (ie he checks the theological clarity of speeches written for the Pope among other things).
In addition to his obvious intellect, his ability to explain complex themes with clarity, humour and humility is both impressive and appealing.
Meanwhile, even though the seasons here are different, I have had an external aid to help me embrace Lent: a broken finger sustained during a basketball game a few weeks ago (thankfully on my non-dominant hand). I guess I’ve had a fairly blessed upbringing health-wise, as this has been the first time I’ve ever needed surgery.
The combination of German surgeons and an Italian hospital made for some amusing moments, though I was glad that I couldn’t make out what was being said between them while the cutting, drilling, and such was taking place (I also managed a rather groggy Rosary to help distract myself from the gory details).
The ensuing brace and bandages on my hand would make many routine daily tasks – such as dressing and bathing – exceedingly difficult.
And yet, while the situation has been frustrating at times, it has also resulted a greater appreciation of things that I would so often take for granted, particularly each time I regained the ability to do something seemingly basic such as tying my shoes.
Furthermore, my temptations towards self-pity have been tempered by the awareness of the countless poor folks both here and around the world who lack access to the kind of quality medical care I have received.
As I have noted previously, poverty and homelessness is more in-your-face here in Rome than it is back in Perth. One’s reactions can range from sincere sympathy to suspicion of charlatanry, and the regularity of such encounters sometimes leave me struggling to discern how best to respond, particularly given the limits of my Italian proficiency. One somewhat amusing result of my injury was that, while I was wearing the brace, I noticed a slight but perceptible difference in the way that some of the beggars on the streets of Rome interacted with me.
In a seeming case of “duelling sympathies” it was as though they considered their efforts at eliciting sympathy to be wasted on me, given my own apparent case for sympathy (to the point that pained expressions were sometimes put on hold until I had passed by, at which point they were resumed).
Nonetheless, despite the periodic elements of performance that can be observed, there remains a poignant reality behind the amount of homelessness that one encounters here.
Indeed, almost by way of a reminder of how fortunate I really am, my broken finger occurred as I began volunteering at the Vatican soup kitchen run by Mother Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity.
It has proved to be a good ice-breaker in my halting attempts at conversational Italian with the guests who come for meals, and the friendly Sisters would always make sure that it did not prevent me from being able to contribute to the work at hand.
Anyway, the finger is more-or-less back to normal now. Winter gives way to Spring, Lent gives way to Easter, and the life of a seminarian in Rome rolls on with its continuous struggles to live and love with the integrity befitting the Christian vocation. Apud Deum omnia possibilia sunt…
Mark Baumgarten is studying for the priesthood for the Archdiocese in Perth in Rome.