More Things to See at the Porziuncola in Assisi

When going to Assisi, many people miss the Porziuncola.  

In fact, the University of Dallas skipped over it most trips to Assisi in institutional memory. 

But Ron thinks it is the most important stop in Assisi for one who is making a Catholic pilgrimage. He has never missed it in any trip he has made there, and has taken every student to pass through Rome on his watch there. 

The Porziuncola ("little portion") is the very chapel that Francis rebuilt with his own hands when he heard Christ say, "Francis, rebuild my church." This was a bit of a misunderstanding on Francis' part! He thought Christ meant a physical church, when Francis went on to rebuild the Catholic Church which was in its own state of spiritual dilapidation.

 

With his example, modeling for us how to imitate Christ, Francis rebuilt the Catholic Church. We still benefit today from his salacious impact on Christianity. 

On this visit I saw things I had never seen before: the room where Francis slept, a garden, and a museum which I did not have the time to enter (but will hit next time for sure--I hear there is a Pisano Crucifix in there). I saw this lovely ceramic-tile image of the Annunciation. 

And the bookstore had these handmade leather books--so beautiful! We got Sebastian a journal and dreamed of getting a Bible here someday. 

St. Francis and St. Clare, pray for us!

Graffiti at Subiaco

The spring students, faculty and staff went to Subiaco. Driving up to Benedict's first monastery, I quizzed Annie on her knowledge of monastic trivia. She could tell me what Greek word "monk" derives from (monachos--one, as in single or solitary), their lifestyle of prayer, work and study, and the fact that they saved Western civilization. She could also tell me what friars are (in contradistinction to monks) and how they arose in the 13th c., just when Benedictine monasticism fell into decline (before being reformed and rejuvenated by Bernard of Clairvaux and others). Then she impressed the students sitting around us on the bus when I asked her: "What do you think 'Subiaco' means?" She worked on it for a little while. 

"Su" means below in Italian, and I suppose 'sub' means 'under' in Latin, right?" 

"Right."

"Iago--maybe something having to do with the name 'Iago'?"

"No," I said, "the 'I' is replacing something else. What letter could it be replacing?" 

"An 'L' I think."

"Right."

"Lago?" she asked hesitantly.

"Right! It means under the lake!"

I continued, as our bus wound up a steep switchback toward the top of a mountain: "Solve that mystery for me: how could a monastery be so high up a mountain, but be under a lake?"

She responded with a chuckle: "Maybe a big swimming pool was on top of the mountain?"

"RIGHT!" I exclaimed. "Emperor Nero had a villa with three man-made lakes or pools on top of this mountain. His private residence." 

The students grabbed me when we got off the bus and said: "Your daughter is amazing!" 

I don't even know how to respond to comments like that. She R-E-A-L-L-Y is. 

Visiting the monastery, Annie pointed out some graffiti in the below window: from the years 1759, 1830, 1879 and 1921!

    

Ronnie Rombs

 It is a joy to see Ron thriving in his role as Director and Dean of the Rome Program of the University of Dallas. He has forged a new relationship with the Bishop of Albano, and this delightful, humble, kind, smart, trilingual bishop was delighted to come to campus for the first time and be received by the students, faculty and staff in a lovely reception and dinner. 

I will never forget the closing ceremonies of Ron's first semester as Director and Dean, just last month. When he approached the podium, the 100 students chanted, "Ron-nie Rombs! Ron-nie Rombs!" They said he ran the program "flawlessly." One student said that no one can surpass the humor and intelligence of Dr. Rombs. Another one, memorably, wrote: "Long live Ronnie Rombs!"