A Special Visit to St. Peter’s Square
Jacqueline Leahy, National Chair, President General's Communications

Wednesday morning began with an incredible experience: a papal audience. It was the honor of a lifetime to shake the hand of His Holiness Pope Francis and accept his greetings to the members of the National Society. No matter your faith tradition, seeing His Holiness interact with visitors from around the world is a moving reminder of our ties of faith, hope and love. It was so special to share this experience with my fellow Daughters. In fact, one of the Texas Daughters on the trip, Jan Garrison, is someone I met in line for a previous papal audience back in 2003! While in line back then I told her about DAR, and she and her daughter Gwen are now dear friends who share in service to God, Home and Country. We followed the papal audience with a guided tour of St. Peter’s Basilica and a visit to the charming Trastavere district. Our day ended at Villa Farnesina, a Renaissance villa notable for its works by Raphael. Che bella!

–Pamela Wright, President General

 

Our morning began early, navigating Rome’s narrow streets and traffic to return to the Vatican for the very special chance to experience a papal audience. Daughters of many faiths and beliefs joined an audience that filled St. Peter’s Square. The Holy Father, Pope Francis, spent considerable time in the Square greeting those who had come and then shared a reading from scripture and a teaching on the subject of the devoted service of Madeleine Delbrêl, who spent decades providing assistance to those living on the streets in Paris during the early 20th century. The Pope then delivered an Apostolic Blessing upon the crowd, which extended beyond those in attendance to loved ones who are sick and suffering.

Following this special service, we enjoyed a guided tour of St. Peter’s Basilica, where we saw several famous works of art, including Michelangelo’s Madonna della Pietà and Bernini’s Baldacchino di San Pietro. We learned that the latter was cast from bronze “stolen” from the nearby Pantheon, a practice that our guides noted was common throughout Rome’s long history.

Our group then traveled to the famed Trastevere district, where we enjoyed lunch and explored the neighborhood, which has long been favored by artists. Nearby, we had the opportunity to visit Villa Farnesina, a Renaissance villa that was built in the early 16th century and is famous for its frescoes by Raphael. Today, in addition to serving as a historic site and museum, it is also home to the Roman academy of sciences.

Learning about Rome’s thousands of years of history this week has certainly placed our nearly 250 years of American history into perspective, but by the same token has highlighted just how special the liberty and values that our Patriot ancestors fought for truly are—as well as our unique calling as Daughters to help preserve that history for years to come!

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