By Marco Ceccarelli
A group of 35 students and five teachers from Mercedes College’s Italian Language and Culture tour group had the privilege of attending a Mass celebrated by Pope Francis earlier this month.
The Pilgrim’s Mass, held on 3 April, was celebrated by the Pope in St Peter’s Square, much to the delight of the eager students who had been looking forward to catching a glimpse of the Pope in their tour of Italy.
The Mass was concelebrated by many cardinals and bishops and attended by special guests.
Seated near the Vatican obelisk at the centre of the square, with the Jubilee Holy Door as a backdrop, the group had a clear view of the Mass and were also able to catch a glimpse of the pilgrim representatives from the Sisters of Mercy with their banner held high.
For those minor details of the Mass not visible from the centre of the square, the large video screens on either side helped the group to see the liturgy in its entirety.
The Principal of the college, Mrs Kerrie Fraser, who was participating in her first tour with the college since commencing her role in 2015, defined the event as a great learning experience, particularly since the Mass was spoken in Italian with the Prayer of the Faithful in languages from around the world.
“A highlight of the liturgy was the beautiful singing by the choir, and the parts of the Mass sung by cantors,” Mrs Fraser said.
Speaking to The eRecord, the students were clearly moved by their experience, with Year 10 student Brianna Paparone stating that she had felt blessed on her arrival to the mass and Year 10 student Sophie Hamer emphasising significant this Mass was for her.
“I thought it was a special moment and I felt privileged to be able to see the Pope so close and in real life,” Sophie said.
The Mass ended with Pope Francis completing a lap of St Peter’s Square in the PopeMobile which enabled many of the group to get photos close up of the Pope.
The group continued its three-week tour in Rome and visited the south coast of Italy before travelling north to the Tuscany region, Venice and Milan.
They visited a number of historic and tourist sites, attended language classes and participated in a cooking and ceramics class.
Among the many highlights listed by Head of Languages at Mercedes College, Angela Velletri, were the breathtaking views from the Cupola at St Peter’s, La Civita di Bagnoregio, La Torre del Moro in Orvieto, Piazzale Michelangelo in Florence and the renowned Leaning Tower of Pisa.
“The famous monuments which before were only images in books or on the Internet came to life right before our very eyes,” Ms Velletri said.
“We imagined what life was like as a gladiator at the amazing Colosseum, we all managed to throw our coins in the Trevi Fountain to ensure our return to the beautiful city of Rome, we delved into the mysteries of Pompeii, we fell in love with the city of Florence with its Ponte Vecchio and we stood in awe as we admired the statue of David and felt absolute joy on our gondola through the picturesque city of Venezia. Our visit to the beautiful and unique islands of Capri, Murano and Burano will stay with us forever.”