Strano, ma buona settimana...

It's been both a strange and good week. Tuesday I decided to visit Sant'Anselmo to officially register as a student there. A priest of the Archdiocese of L.A., a resident of the Casa and also a student at Sant'Anselmo, graciously offered to assist. We took the bus from the Casa, up the Aventine Hill, passed the U.S. Embassy to the Vatican, the General Office for the Cistercians, and the church of Santa Sabina, the general office for the Domincans.

I met with the financial office to arrange tuition payment (amazingly, less than a mid-level laptop) and then met with the school's president. Thankfully my Italian served me well enough. I then made my way to the Segreteria to show all pertinent documentation.

Then Friday morning I took the Italian Proficiency Exam. The 30-minute written portion went well enough, I thought. The oral portion of the test, which followed, left me very unsettled. I find out the results Monday morning.

So, it's great to have successfully gotten through Italian bureaucracy and register successfully. But, I anxiously await the language test results.

I also learned that I won't just be taking Greek and Latin all year as I had thought. The school has added this year two seminars required for all students in this propedeutic year.

Today is the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi, a beautiful feast of a saint who seems to be universally loved. I am reminded of moments spent there, especially two. One was praying vespers with two fellow collegian seminarians back in 1996 and seeing the beautiful vista during the Magnificat. The second was spending two days there with my parents back in '06.

Tomorrow at the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls the Holy Father will celebrate Mass which officially opens the World Synod of Bishops. I am fortunate to be able to distribute communion along with many other priests from around the world. I promise to take photos, but I also promise not to become that which I can't stand: priests and bishops who take photos during papal liturgies and/or wear sunglasses. They are priests of God in the holy liturgy, not tourists!! A small pet peeve of mine. In the meantime, Go IRISH, beat Stanford!