Blog of Sicily

Mon Sep 1

Arrived in Rome about 7.15 pm, & it was good to go back to the familiar hotel I had stayed in at the top of the Spanish Steps. After unpacking I went & sat on the roof & enjoyed the view over Rome’s roof-tops as the sun set – St Peter’s was on the far right.

Tues Sep 2

I headed to the Anglican Center – the center which is the face of the Anglican Communion to the RC Church. The new Director is an Australian priest, Fr David Richardson. I have known him since before I was ordained. When he was appointed Dean of St Paul’s cathedral, Melbourne, he & his wife, Margie, lived in the same street as I did – George St, Fitzroy. It was good to see them, & to hear how they were settling into Rome (& speaking Italian!).  I then visited a few churches on my list, returning to the Anglican Center for the weekly 12.45 pm Mass. There was a lunch afterwards, attended by a varied group of Anglicans. I then did some more walking around this marvellous city.

In the evening I took Fr David & Margie out for dinner, to the resturant I had discovered in my 1st week. We had lots to talk about. I realised that this was the 1st time I had not eaten alone in 5 weeks!

Wed Sep 3

Arrived at San Diego airport at 8.15 pm. It is good to be home

My last day in Taormina! Good attendance at Mass, incl 5 parishioners I had not seen before. In the a/noon I walked around the town & then sat on the terrace, enjoying the view. Lots to reflect on. This has been a good sabbatical, with the rare opportunity to do nothing. As I said in my sermon, who would believe that I have been happy doing nothing? It has been lovely to live in this Sicilian town – albeit full of tourists. l will probably not come back to Taormina until after retirement….perhaps I will be on the list of retired priests who come here for a month every year?

I also appreciate how blessed I am to be living in San Diego & Rector of All Saints’……what a wonderful parish I have! And as I have observed the tourists & locals, I also appreciate what a gr8 country I grew up in, & how amazing we Aussies are!

In the evening I walked around the town, noting that the crowds are less. Tomorrow all of Europe is back to work! I had supper in the wine bar I discovered in my 1st week. Delicious bruschetta & anti-pasto….& the supersize 1/2 caraf of red wine, of course!

My train  leaves at 9.50 am tomorrow, arriving in Rome at 6.30 pm. Tuesday I will visit churches still on  my outstanding list & will also visit the Anglican Centre. Then on Wed I fly back to San Diego. I am looking forward to returning home. And back into work

After Mass I was in the church from 10 am – 12 noon. Visitors included a young English couple who are getting married in St George’s next year & had come to pay me their deposit. This had been pre-arranged…..I just wish I had been told! I took their details & scribbled out a receipt on scrap paper – St George’s has no letterhead or envelopes. In the afternoon I wandered around the town, conscious that this is my last weekend. Spent some time on  the terrace admiring the view. In my sermon tomorrow I quote Newman, who came to Taormina & said the view was the nearest thing to Eden he had seen! 

Beheading of St John Baptist

Woke up at 3 am & watched Barak Obama’s acceptance speech. I was impressed. Went back to sleep….I will be tired today! After Mass I sat in the church until 12 noon. Wrote my sermon & chose some rousing hymns. I hope the congregation know them!

At 7 pm there was a ring on the door – it was the American Naval chaplain from the US base near Catania. He had a donation for St George’s from his congregation. It was nice to chat with him, & explain that altho I was an Aussie, I was from San Diego, & All Saints’ military connections.

St Augustine of Hippo

I had a leisurely breakfast overlooking the sea (I could get used to this!). I noted there was a church dedicated to St Augustine, so decided to head there, hoping there might be a Mass on. Indeed there was! On this hot summer morning the church was packed, the gold vestments were out, along with lovely flowers everywere & a candles ablazing. I assumed this was an Augustinian parish, & a number of the congregation wore scapulars, some with large silver medallions – lay associates I concluded. The congregation sang heartily & it was a lovely Mass. At the offertory the celebrant censed the shrine of St Augustine. Afterwards I explored the cloisters, which revealed that there was a community attached to the church.

I then visited St Dominic’s basilica – a huge church, altered over the centuries. The sanctuary is magnificent, & the High Altar had a beautiful old frontal. This church belongs to the Domincans, & has a lovely cloister. As I left I noticed a young Dominican go to the organ & start playing. I returned to the hotel, & caught the 2.30 pm train back to Messina, & then Taormina.

I got home about 8pm, & shortly after I had an call at the door. It was Birgith, one of the parishioners. I was delighted to have her visit….my 1st since I came to St George’s! Birgith is Norwegian &, like most of the women who attend St George’s, married a Sicilian & has lived here many years. It was good to chat with her – I have really missed socialising with the parishioners during the week.

St Monica

I decided to return to Palermo, as there was one thing there I had to see before I left Sicily – Monreale. All the trains were late (of course) & I arrived in Palermo at 3.15 pm. Monreale is a mountain overlooking Palermo, on which is a magnificent 12th cent cathedral. I caught the 4.25 pm bus, & it was a lovely view of the city as we climbed up the hill. The cathedral is magnificent. A superb Norman structure – it was built by William II as a rival to the city cathedral. It contains both the episcopal & royal thrones. It’s crowning glory are the mosaics. The apse has Christ Panocrator reigning above the Virgin Mary & various saints, incl Thomas a’Becket. 

All along the nave are mosaics of the Old Testament – incl a marvellous story of Noah’s Ark. I arrived just as a wedding was ending, & I got to hear the 7 manual organ belt out the well known “Trumper Tune”.

My investigation of the beautiful sanctuary revealed a 7th candlestick on the High Altar, for when the bishop celebrates – something rarely seen. The cathedral was built as part of a Benedictine Monastery, so I explored the cloisters. These had intricate columns, the capitals of which were carved with figures, all different. There was also a fountain. It was almost romantic!

After enjoying the view I returned to the city, & made my way to the hotel I had stayed in 2 weeks’ before. It was nice to relax in this beautiful hotel – & for my return they had nuts, cheese  & wine waiting for me

Sat in the church from 9.30 am. One welcome visitor was Linda Swenson, from San Diego. She came with her brother & sister-in-law from Sacramento. They are on a cruise with her mother & it was gr8 to show them the church & view. The a/noon was quiet. On TV the Olympics has been replaced by the Democratic National Convention!

Today was my Mt Etna adventure. I caught the 8.45 am bus to Catania, where I had 90 mins to explore the town. Then at 12.07 pm I caught the Circumetnea train. This is a cute little 1 carriage narrow gauge train that goes for 110 KM around the base of Mt Etna. 

Actually it is 3 trains. 1stly we went from Catania to Adrano, & had a 1 hour stop-over. I seemed to be the only tourist on the train – people got off & on along the route. I explored the town, which was interesting, but empty of people. It had an interesting castle & churches, none of which were open, being lunch time. I then caught the next train at 2.19 pm for another 1 hour train trip to Randazzo. Mt Etna was now looming large in the background & the scenery included previous lava flows, as well as groves of olives, grapes, citrus tress & the never-ending prickly pears.

Randazzo is a medieaval town with city walls, little lanes, villas, churches. Most incorporated lava rock in their buildings – all very interesting.

2 German tourists got off the train with me, & soon started up a conversation. This gave me a chance to practise my German. They were fascinated (like so many) that I am an Australian from San Diego living in Sicily, albeit for just 1 month. We explored the town together. At 4.50 pm I caught my train to Riposto, whilst they caught the train back to Catania. We passed little villages, wineries & ruins from lava flows, getting to Riposto a little after 6 pm. At 6.45 pm I caught the train from to Taormina, getting home at 7.45 pm.

On the last train journey it started to rain…..which was rather amazing, seeing that in my sermon about St Bartholomew’s day I mentioned the tradition that in some places it ushers in rain: “The heavens open on St Bartholomew’s heavenly birthday”! Have I received the gift of prophecy on my sabbatical?????????

Outside View of Saint George’s, Taormina

St Batholomew’s Day.

We celebrated St Bartholomew today, which gave me the chance to pick such wonderful hymns as For All the Saints & Ye Watchers & Ye Holy Ones. The organist turned up, so we had music. 12 present….& all the visitors were C of E, for a change! I do enjoy meeting them & finding out about their parishes.

In the a/noon I watched the Olympics closing ceremony. Beijing has done well – but I do hope London will be better! Tonight I have my weekly Italiano lesson, watching the AFL telecast

A quiet day. After Mass I went shopping, then sat in church writing my sermon. Watched the Olympics & movies on TV. Cooked dinner.

For my last day in Malta I had a leisurely breakfast on the balcony, enjoying the view. I then walked around the area, where there are some nice villas. I saw a rough track leading over rocks to the sea, so decided I should at least touch the Mediterranean. And I did! My flight left at 4.10 pm & I was back in Taormina by 7.10 pm.

Today I caught the bus to Mdina. The 45 min bus ride took me to the center of the island, to a wonderful walled city that was to be a pilgrimage for me. Here in AD 60, after St Paul was shipwrecked, he lived for 3 months (Acts 28). Mdina has historically been the important city of Malta, & many of the nobility lived here. Their homes still exist, & some are occupied by the same families today. It is a wonderful town, with little alleys & massive walls. My 1st stop was St Paul’s cathedral, & once again my All Saints’ Rector card got me in free!

This is the real cathedral of Malta – St John’s in Valletta is a co-cathedral. The current church is only 300 years old, but it stands on the site of the villa that belonged to Publius, the Roman governor who befriended St Paul. He subsequently became a christian & was ordained by St Paul to be the local bishop. The church is beautifuI, with a large icon of St Paul in the sanctuary. I prayed in the side chapel, giving thanks for St Paul’s, Port Adelaide & its important part in my life.

I continued exploring the city – there was a marvellous vista from the city walls to Valletta & beyond.  I came across another Port Adelaide connection…..a Carmelite Church. The Carmelite Fathers have a long association with Malta, & this church was where they settled centuries ago. The Port Adelaide RC parish is a Carmelite parish also. I continued on my walk, leaving the city for its adjacent suburb of Rabat. Here is the cave where St Paul lived for 3 months, preaching & converting the poeple. The Maltese are very proud of their long christian history, & the guide proudly recounted the story for 3 of us, of how St Paul preached, converted, baptised, healed & celebrated the Eucharist. It was as if it happened recently! The final place I visited was the remains of a 1st cent BC Roman villa. There is not much – mainly a mosaic floor, but it was impressive. The best part was getting a discount for being over 60 – just like in England this time last year! I then caught the bus back to my hotel. It was now about 2 pm. I decided that as I was staying in a 5 star hotel with its own beach I should enjoy it – something I don’t usually do. A pleasant 2 hours saw me fall asleep!!! Now for my last night on this little vacation in Malta – perhaps dinner by the sea & drinks in a quiet bar

St Bernard

Arrived in Malta at 12 midnight. Got to my hotel at 12.30 pm. It is in the heart of the hotel/bar/club part of Valletta………..crowds of people were going from bar to bar as I arrived at the hotel! Very nice modern hotel, & I have a room with a balcony that overlooks the harbor.

Monday I caught the bus into Valletta. It took forever…..the worst bus ride I have ever had – almost as bad as the bus I caught in Romania in 1991!

Firstly I headed for St Paul’s Anglican cathedral. A very impressive church – but a very unfriendly verger/custodian.  My enquiry for the church office got the rudest reply I have ever encountered at a church. Even after identifying myself as a priest I was not asked if I would like to see one of staff. Am I the only priest who thinks churches should be friendly & welcoming?

After that experience I walked around the city walls, finishing up in time to see the firing of the midday cannon near the city gate. I then went to the church of St Paul’s Shipwreck. This commemorates St Paul’s landing on Malta, recorded in the NT. It has a large statue of St Paul, which is carrried thru the streets of Valletta on the feast-day. There are also 2 relics – part of the pillar on which he was beheaded, & his wrist-bone. In the beauty of the church & surrounded by history I was transported back to the 1st cent & the beginnings of the christian faith. My next stop was St John’s Cathedral, built in 1577.

This was a marvellous experience, begining with free admission after I showed my All Saints’ Church Rector card! The cathedral is amazing. Originally built as the conventual church of the Order of the Knights of St John, it has the most beautiful interior I have ever seen. It breathes the history of the order & there are 7 side chapels dedicated to the different countries that the knights came from. The sanctuary was just magnificent – nothing but the best for this house of God. There is also a chapel of the Blessed Sacrament, reserved for prayer, & I was glad to spend some time there. The museum begins with an oratory, containing a haunting painting of the Beheading of St John Baptist by Caravaggio. I did not know he had been a member of the order. 

After the cathedral I went to the Grand Master’s Palace – now the parliament & presidential building. I then decided to walk back to the hotel. This proved more difficult than expected, as pedestrians are not expected on Malta’s roads….there are in fact no footpaths! However I persevered, of course! As I got closer to St Julian’s footpaths appeared – accompanied by bars, hotels & restaurants! It had taken me 90 mins to walk back. Now for a relaxing night – perhaps at the hotel’s beach-side bar 🙂 

Sat in church 10 am – 12 noon. Not so hot today. Relaxing a/noon. At 6.45 pm I catch the bus to Catania airport for the 10.30 pm flight to Malta. Originally I planned to catch the ferry, but that would have meant returning at 7 am Friday, which is not my idea of a relaxing holiday! I will spend 3 nights in Malta – a place I have longed to visit. Staying in the Intercontinental at St Julians….using points hard earned in the US!

Sat in church 10.30 am – 12.30 pm. Relaxing a/noon. Disappointed that Britain has passed Australia in the Olympic medals tally!!!!! At night watched one of my all time favourite movies, Remains of the Day. The wonderful acting and the emotions in the story still move me.

20 at Mass today. Mainly visitors, incl an Aussie! One was an organist, so we had music for the hymns. I had chosen some old faithfuls: All People that on Earth do Dwell, All Things Bright & Beautiful, Rock of Ages & Bright the Vision.

After 9 am Mass went shopping. It is gr8 to shop in the local market & bakery. So different to Vons….but then they don’t give you miles like Von’s! Sat in the church 10am – 12 noon. After lunch watched the Olympics, then walked down to the town cemetry. There is an Anglican part, with interesting graves of Brits, Americans & even Germans. Came home & on BBC TV there was a program about the Barossa Valley (fond memories) & also the Anglican Communion.

The feast of the Assumption – a major holiday, of course. It started the night before with fireworks on the hills at a nearby village. The Corso was mercifully deserted in the morning & at 9.30 am I opened the church & proceeded to prepare my sermon, hymns, etc. At 10 am I was interrupted by more fireworks at that same village! At 2 pm I caught the bus to the station, & then the train to Messina.

This is the place to be for the Assumption, with a huge parade in the evening. I got to Messina at 4.15 pm, & walked up to the hill overlooking the town, taking in the beautiful view. I then wandered around the town – all was quiet, as people set up stalls, etc.

At 6 pm I attended Mass in the cathedral. As I left crowds had started to gather, & I found a vantage point. At 7 pm there were fireworks a mile away, where the parade was starting, followed by canons from the harbor fort. But this was no typical American parade….there were no barriers & the crowds were not the least bit interested in patiently waiting on the sidewalk. They just wandered up the road, or stayed there chatting!

At 7.30 pm more fireworks went off somewhere close, & soon the parade appeared. The police pushed back the crowd & the parade came with banners & young men attired in medieaval dress, followed by a water truck. This was to cool down the road. At 8 pm more fireworks from around the corner, but the parade seemed to take forever, with gaps betwween groups. More banners & more groups……..then it came – the Vara. This is a huge pyramid structure on a cart, representing the Assumption of Mary. Quite over the top, it contains angels, sun, moon & other symbols. It was escorted by young men in white uniforms & blue sashes, all barefoot. Meanwhile the crowd shouted “Viva Maria”.  Long live Mary….how very appropriate for the Assumption! It all seemed quite natural & joyful here in Sicily.

I caught the last train back to Taormina. But the night was not over! More fireworks followed when I got home – this time it was the various villages along the seafront below – one after the other. No doubt each trying to outdo the other! They were still going at 12 midnight.

After a very nice breakfast on the terrace I walked into town. 1st destination was the cathedral – & it is magnificent. Built in 1179, it has been added to over the years, so that you can see Norman, baroque & arabic architecture all in one. The interior is breathtaking, with wonderful byzantine mosaics in the apses and arches. Near the sanctuary is the shrine of St Rosalia (patron of Palermo) with silver altar, candles, etc. There are also traditional Sicilian shrines. I have never seen so many representations of the Assumption!

Then it was on to the Norman Palazzo, now the seat of the Sicilan assembly. This was built in the 11th cent & has wonderful rooms. The heart of it is the Palatine Chapel, with even more splendid mosaics than the cathedral. Unfortunately Metlife had decided to have their annual staff conference in Palermo & were visiting complete with guides – & successfully slowing down the lines. I expressed my opinion of this to one of their leaders & pointed out that I would not be buying anymore Metlife insurance. When he stated cooly that Metlife didn’t sell in Europe, I replied that I actually lived in San Diego!!

I continued on my merry way, pausing at one church where they had set up the most bizarre thing for tomorrow’s celebartion of the Assumption- It was a figure of  Mary appearing to be asleep on a bed. I imagined that tomorrow at the end of Mass she would be magically raised up to the roof, amidst a chorus of Ave’s from the faithful! I found several more churches – sadly some seemed permanently closed. 2 were built as part of convents in the 12th cent, & were in basilica form. I also encountered a very busy market – everyone was buying up for the Feast tomorrow.

I was back to the hotel by 12.30 pm, with the train to catch at 2.30 pm

The train arrived at 2.30 pm & I went straight to the hotel. And very nice it is, too – an old villa, beautifully restored. Situated right on the sea-front, it has a  terrace for meals & cocktails. But I did not come to eat & drink…I came to see Palermo. It was a 30 min walk into the town – past the jail where all the mafia finished up after the trials in recent times! The town was busy & noisy. I was most intrigued by the local cops, who wore red pointed caps, with a long tassle. These they wore on the back of their heads – I was wondering how they managed to keep them on……paper clips perhaps?

As I lesuirely walked around I passed the enormous post office built by the facists, complete with huge corinthian columns, & the recently restored opera house. My desitination was Piazza Marina, where there are some old buildings – incl the Palazzo Steri-Chiaramonte, (1307) & the La Gancia church (1485). There was a wedding going on, & I reflected on how nice it was to see an old church being used. I also wondered why they would hold a wedding in  August, when everyone sweats in their suits & long frocks! 

I continued my tour, encountering more old churches. By this time I was feeling both thirsty & hungry, so decided to head back to the hotel, checking trattoria, etc on the way. Most had menus in English – which meant they would not be cheap, so I declined their suggestion to make a reservation (7pm was far too early to eat!). 

“Seek & you shall find”………eventually I came across a very local market, & figured that somewhere here there would be a little restaurant. Sure enough, I stumbled across an outdoor bar in front of a shop-front, which revealed tables & chairs in a room slightly smaller than my living room. My enquiry about food to a non-English speaking woman had me seated & ordering. I was able to convey “no fish or mushrooms, please”, & soon the now-traditional 1/2 carafe of red wine appeared. Grandma then came & suggested I have spaghetti. Grandson (15) then arrived from a nearby shop with bread. Then his pregnant sister appeared…..all fascinated that I was Australian. I figured it would be too hard to explain I lived in San Diego, USA! Grandma made a most delightful pasta sauce. Then they enquired as to what 2nd course I wanted. I pleaded for just a salad. In the end I was well fed & left feeling that this was a true Sicilian experience. Perhaps it is the highlight of my time, so far.