In Rome

Today in Rome on our young adult pilgrimage, Fr. Robert is celebrating Mass at the Mamertine Prison, the oldest prison in Rome. It sits directly adjacent to the Roman Forum on the northeastern slope of the Capitoline Hill, and Tradition holds that at separate times, St. Peter and St. Paul were once imprisoned here in the prison's subterranean dungeon during their trial before their martyrdom.

The dungeon, called the Tullianum, was likely originally built in the 7th century B.C. as a cistern, and later transformed into a high-security holding cell and was often used to detain enemies of the state and dangerous criminals. The dungeon was originally only accessible by a small hole in the floor of the prison above, just large enough to fit a person through, but today is accessible via a staircase. Inside, it is very cramped and circular in shape, with a small water spring visible below the floor near the center. In the late 1500s, a church named St. Joseph of the Carpenters was built atop the prison.

Tomorrow, Fr. Robert will be celebrating Mass in the grottos of St. Peter's Basilica at the Chapel of the Madonna of Partorienti. This depiction of Mary (Madonna of the Parturient) is a devotion associated with pregnant mothers praying for a safe delivery. Constructed in 1616, It is the first chapel in the grottos to be dedicated to our Blessed Mother; however, the fresco of Our Lady enshrined above the altar, for whom the chapel is named, is older and dated to the late 1400s, originally housed in the original St. Peter's Basilica before it was demolished. Further, the chapel at one point housed the tombs of Pope Saint Leo I, Il, III, and IV, though all four have since been relocated.

Later in the week, Fr. Robert will be celebrating Mass in the only underground basilica connected to a catacomb, that being the Basilica of Saints Nereus and Achilleus at the Catacombs of Domitilla. This catacomb, built in the 2nd and 3rd centuries, spans 10 miles across 4 levels, having housed around 15,000 bodies of early Christians.

I'll have more to share about our pilgrimage soon.