i met our Mother in rome

For those of you who find North American Catholicism underemphasizing the role of the Virgin Mary in the Church, or who are put off by the extreme emphasis of Central and South American Catholicism (Myles, this is you), you need to visit ROMA, the perfect balance of all that is Mary.

Rome is constantly reminding passersby of Mary’s love and faith with the Marian art that is all throughout the city—regardless of being near the Vatican. But, not without still remembering Christ’s sacrifice and His own role as Eternal High Priest. Before I came to Rome, I knew Mary was wonderful and thought I had enough respect for her. I knew who she was; I liked the Rosary; I thought that was enough. But, until I reflect and pray sincerely and consistently on the subject, I will never begin to comprehend the beauty of the Virgin Mary.

Mary humbly lived within a world post the fall in the garden, yet practiced obedience to God in such a way that she was still worthy of that garden. She is the New Eve, whose decision is upon which our salvation rests. It’s about time a lot of Christians turn towards our Mother, who constantly turned towards God. Ad Christum per Mariam—to Christ through Mary. It’s about time I meet Mary, for real, and what better a place than Rome?

Above, Marian Statue in Santa Maria Del Carmelo, a Church about two blocks from St. Peter's Basilica, splendidly reveals to us her importance in the Church as the Queen of Heaven. And below, a Marian statue sits to side of the alter in the Chiesa del Sacro Cuore del Suffragio (Church of the Sacred Heart of Suffering). Mary is almost looking at the tabernacle, keeping our focus on the Eucharist and reminding us of Christ.

But, Mary isn't just in the churches!! Above, two pieces of artwork of Mary and Child are displayed around Rome. The left piece (a mosaic, I believe) is located above an archway which my bus passes through in transit to and from school, and the right (a painting, I believe) is located near the Piazza del Populo. They are both subtle reminders that much of Rome's beauty is religiously founded. Below, an icon of Mary sits with the first lines of the Hail Mary inscribed above it: Hail Mary, full of grace.

Above, a statue of Mary, left, towers above everything in the Piazza Mignanelli, right next to the Piazza di Spagna. This statue is atop of the column of the Immaculate Conception, which was placed here a few years after the Immaculate Conception became dogma. According to Pope Benedict XVI, in describing this statue, "Mary stands high, on guard over Rome" (read a bit more about the column, BXVI & last year's Feast of the Immaculate Conception here). The inscription at the base of the column can be seen in the photo to the right. Below, a statue of Mary stands safely in the corner of a courtyard at my school, John Cabot University, (a secular American university in Rome).

The Memorare

Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to thy protection, implored thy help, or sought thine intercession was left unaided. Inspired by this confidence, I fly unto thee, O Virgin of virgins, my mother; to thee do I come, before thee I stand, sinful and sorrowful. O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in thy mercy hear and answer me.

Amen.

when in rome... speak as the romans speak, in ITALIAN

There’s nothing quite like going to a class for the first time. There’s nothing quite like stepping into a new school for the first time. There’s also nothing quite like flying into a new country for the first time. New experiences are weird. They are exciting. They are enjoyable. They are anxiety invoking and uncomfortable. They are butterflies-in-you-stomach raising.

Last week, I was able to gather up all these experiences, savor them and put them all under my belt as I began studying Italian (new class) at a study abroad program (new school, JCU) in Rome (new city in a new country). When I first signed up for classes here, I signed up for an introductory Italian course because it seemed rude not to. I mean, going to another county and demanding they speak my language, such an American thing to do; I was above that. I planned to be a polite traveler. Yet, I wasn’t respectful enough to sign up for Italian because I was interested in the culture.

When I finally arrived in Rome and began to get acquainted with the city, I witnessed the beauty of everything. Sure, Rome is big and dirty and confusing. But, the architecture is astonishing, the history abundant and the Catholic culture apparent—you cannot walk but 100 meters without seeing either a priest, nun or seminarian.

Catherine and me in front of the Trevi Fountain on one of our first nights in Rome. This city is full of architectural and historical gems, famous like the Trevi, but obscure and hidden ones as well, just waiting to be sought after.

Everything was beautiful, but the language, that is. Even though getting around with English and three Italian words I knew—ciao, grazie, and sì—is entirely doable, it is sometimes difficult to communicate, and always exhausting. I have four years of Spanish to work with, so I can read and understand it fairly well; responding is a whole other cup of tea. I began to realize that taking Italian wasn’t just polite, but would allow me to look ever so slightly less idiotic when ordering gelato or buying a bus ticket. Still, that attitude was totally ignorant.

Orientation passed, I became more familiar with my neighborhood, the bus system and this Roman world I entered. Classes began. When I went to Italian the first week, I wasn’t expecting much. I figured it would be like any language class I’ve taken in the past. But, learning the language of the country you are visiting currently is entirely different. My professor, Valentina, was both adorably Italian and deeply challenging. She told us, “if I go to America, I do not expect you to speak Italian for me.” And, it should be the same for me in Roma.

Valentina warned the class not make Italy a new America or our experience in Rome just an Italian version of America. “I know Italy is a magical land of alcohol, and you cannot drink in the States,” she said. But, she explained that it was so much more than that. She encouraged us to drink and enjoy ourselves, but to “open our eyes” to what the city had to offer. If we didn’t, she warned, “you are wasting four months of your life… and a lot of money.”

Not that English isn’t a great language, spreading across the globe more rapidly than ever—knowing English is definitely a powerful academic tool. But, while I am here I need to study Italian, and not because it is more convenient or less embarrassing, but because it is a gorgeous language that has a lot to offer.

An Italian man declared to me, “you’re studying in the best city in the world!” I laughed at the time, but I’m seriously starting to realize the truth in that.

On the way to my apartment from class, I stopped by the Vatican and snapped some photos. While he crossed St. Peter's Square, and cute Italian man stopped and offered to take one for me. When I told him I was visiting for a whole semester abroad, it was as he shot this picture that he said, "you're studying in the best city in the world!"

I have begun to open my eyes to what Roma, Italia is all about.

Ciao. A presto.

the cranberries @ the electric factory - bringing 20 years of music full circle

Dolores O’Riordan joined The Cranberries in the year of my birth. With assistance from my brothers, their first album, “Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Can’t We" was one of the first CDs. And, through the purchase of “No Need to Argue,” from my local used Record store (Record & Tape Exchange on Main Street), they quickly became my favorite band. When I was young I had dreams of seeing The Cranberries live, waking up and imagining what they would say and do on stage. But, they went on hiatus when I was just 13 years old—the outcome being I would never see them in concert.

But, in 2007, Dolores released a solo album. She toured that summer and was set to play at the 9:30 Club, but I could not get away from my summer job at camp, and even later found out that the show had been canceled anyway because of a family emergency. Alas, it seemed like it was never meant to be.

Until, in 2009, The Cranberries announced they we GETTING BACK TOGETHER. And, they were performing a North America Tour!! Of course, fate again stepped in when a class conflicted with almost every tour date that was reasonable for me to attend. Thankfully, Tuesday, November 17 was clear; Sara, my roommate, and I immediately bought tickets.

Sara and I driving to Philly (Left) to see The Cranberries! On the way, we visited Joey Rampino (Below) at his seminary, Saint Charles, which is located right outside of the city. To read more about Joey, click here.

So, when the concert came around, Sara and I skipped our Tuesday classes and drove North to Philadelphia. After a quick visit and tour of St. Charles Seminary, where my friend Joey attends (it is beautiful, by the way), we jumped back into the car and winded our way through the confusing one-way streets of Philly. The Electric Factory was our destination, which we arrived at plenty early. After parking in an extremely sketch parking lot several blocks away, we were able to find standing room second row center. It was unreal.

Cranberries fans are a strange phenomenon. I thought it would be entirely a sea of older women trying to relive the ’90s. However, there was a fairly split population gender wise. Though, the crowd leaned more toward the older end of the age spectrum, Sara and I were obviously not the only college aged kids at the venue. They were also a fairly pleasant crowd. Other than the obnoxiously drunk, uncomfortably large, middle-aged man behind us who kept offering everybody drinks from his flask, we managed to make some friends. The most notable was the guy in front, slightly older than us who had listened to The Cranberries since their first release in 1993 and had seen them two times previous for their reunion tour. His other musical choices—all of which were quite dissimilar from The Cranberries’ female vocals and melodic Pop/Rock tunes— were what made him different. He was a metal head, listened to nothing else, except The Cranberries. Who knew that that demographic existed? Regardless, I was happy to speak with him about more obscure Cranberries’ releases, his interest in the band, and how the other shows went which he attended.

The opener, Griffin House, was a charming guy with an acoustic guitar and harmonica. He was enjoyable to listen to. His song, “The Guy That Says Goodbye” I’m sure made whatever girl he wrote it about cry; it was so sweet. But, it wasn’t the most creative or compelling act I’ve ever seen. His outfit was stellar, though, his white dress shoes, which he explained to have worn at his wedding, were outrageously excellent, but Griffin House’s music lacked something.

Bass player Mike Hogan and singer Dolores O'Riordan performing at the Electric Factory on November 17 2009. This concert was the 5th one of their reunion tour after being on hiatus since 2003.

My hands were literally shaking by the time bass player Mike Hogan, brother and guitarist Noel Hogan, and drummer Fergal Lawler, came out along with Denny DeMarchi, who I later found out played keyboard on Dolores’ solo albums. My heart beat faster and faster; and then, finally, Dolores came out yelling “Hello Philadelphia,” dancing across the stage in shiny black spandex, velcro silver hightops, and a loose cutoff brown shirt and then singing the lyrics to “How,” from their first album.

The Cranberries played 21 songs throughout the night, over half of which were from their first two albums, including “Linger,” “Daffodil Lament” and “Ode To My Family,” and none of which were from their last album, “Wake Up and Smell the Coffee.” Of course, from “To the Faithful Departed,” they played “Free to Decide,” which had the crowd singing along to almost every word. Dolores looked over at both Hogan brothers with a knowing smile during that one; they were obviously comfortable and so happy to be playing together again. They only played singles from “Bury the Hatchet,”—“Animal Instinct” and “Just My Imagination”—both of which were crowd pleasers, with Dolores pointing the mic into the audience more than just a few times. The band also decided to sprinkle several songs from her solo career into the performance including “Ordinary Day,” from “Are You Listening?”

My favorite Cranberries song, one of their shortest, “Salvation,” was a brief but intensely satisfying part of the concert. Dolores marched back and forth across the front of the stage, swinging her hips to the speedy snare hits and intimately leaning towards the audience as if telling us a secret, then pointing out the mic so everyone could tell her one back, “salvation is free.” Sara and I kept looking over at each other, confused if everything was actually real.

They followed “Salvation” up with “Ridiculous Thoughts” and “Zombie.” These back to back “No Need to Argue” hits concluded their regular set. “Ridiculous Thoughts” may have been Dolores’ best performed piece. She bagan singing while laying on the floor of the stage, then got up and flew around dancing. For “Zombie,” Dolores, Noel and Denny were all on guitar at certain points. Still, this didn’t stop Dolores from head banging, picking up the mic when she wasn’t playing and moving around stage with that dynamic energy that only Dolores O’Riordan has. The group’s clear lyrics of peace haven’t changed since their formation.

Dolores O'Riordan laying down at the start of "Ridiculous Thoughts." Luckily, we were standing in the second row, so Sara could snap this photo. Dolores drove the entire show with her dancing and eccentricities.

Their encore began with just Dolores and Denny onstage for “Lunatic,” from “No Baggage” and continued as the rest of the band came out for “Empty.” Fergal got to move to the front of the stage to play the hand drums for this song. Then, they played Dolores’ “The Journey,” one of her singles from her new album, “Even though this is not my favorite song from her solo career, it was performed in that beautiful Cranberries performance with Dolores’ beating heart at the center of the action. They finished off their concert with everybody singing along to “Dreams,” bringing the entire show full circle almost 20 years earlier to their first album and bringing the entire room to awe as the instruments came in and she softly sang the opening lines, “Oh my life is changing everyday in every possible way.”

Noel Hogan playing acoustic guitar (Left) and Fergal Lawler drumming. To see future concert dates click here.

When you see Dolores sing, you see her different faces. She can have a look of pure joy, clearly having a good time, and she has a serious face when she is singing something particularly emotional, grave or personal. But, she also has this face where you know she is focusing on nothing other than the music she is producing; she is possessed by the sounds and the moment. This look, in turn, posseses you.

Sara and I certainly relished the 90-minute set before travelling back to Williamsburg through the night, so Sara could take a test, (nothing more jolting than the reality of school). But, Dolores’ words from the concert will stick with us always as a reminder that it was REAL. During the middle of the set, Dolores crouched down and said “we will never get this moment back.” She is absolutely right, but it doesn’t stop me from wishing that I could.

…and who knows? Maybe I will. The Cranberries will be touring in Europe this Spring and playing a show in Milan while I’m in Italy. In the meantime, however, I’m satisfied with letting just this one concert linger in my memory for a while.