The Reckless Rector blog: Good Morning and Good bye For Now

Good morning from Rome, faithful reader. Today marks the last day of my time here, and the rest of this sabbatical is to be devoted to prayer and reflection about the last two months. So alas, this is the final blog entry reflecting on a wonderful journey.

However, before retreating into my cave, did I tell you that it's possible to climb about a million steps to the very top of the dome of St. Peter's.....? These stairs not only keep going and going, but they become narrower and narrower as you go up.....but the view, even for those of us who hate heights.....spectacular!

And then there was Sunday morning, what with Ida and the kids off to the airport for the flight home (only to learn when they got there of a 6 hour delay... oy vey); but, with no objectors in tow, I headed first for the early Mass at All Saints Anglican Church with its mahhhhvelous stained glass, very British crowd (okay, small gathering....okay, it was me and a couple of couples) and then off to the sung Mass at St Paul's Within The Walls, an Episcopal Church using OUR Book of Common Prayer (the English still use the really old Prayer Book and I still have some thees and thous twisting around my mouth) which is the first non-Roman Catholic Church in Rome, I am told.

To add to the small world notebook, as I was leaving at the end of the Mass, the priest in charge asked where I was from, and when I told him, he said to give his very best to Walter (our Dean!) who's a good friend from Sewanee Seminary)......

So faithful reader, many thanks for your prayers and well wishes. I miss you all very much and look forward to seeing you in just a few more weeks.

Blessings and peace....and a few pix of Roma......