Welcome to my first ever Blog ...

Well, the reason for starting this Blog is to be able to write about my travels and experiences for anyone at home who is interested.

So, I thought I'd start with the reason for my travels ...

As you know, I work for the Passionists, a Congregation of Roman Catholic priests and brothers, whose 'headquarters' is in Rome, Italy. The Passionists are monks, and they were founded by St Paul of the Cross, who saw them as a group of brothers who would travel around preaching wherever they could, then return to peaceful 'retreat houses' for spiritual renewal.

The Passionists have a 'charism' or kind of holy inspiration which is based on the 'Passion' of Jesus. This kind of passion is about the final hours of Jesus' life, so it has to do with the intense feelings around death, grief, pain, loss, suffering and sadness. The Passionists work with people experiencing this kind of 'passion', as well as in ordinary parishes, as missionaries, and in all the many roles in which you find priests and brothers working in Australia.

There are Passionists all around the world, and during the normal day to day life, they mostly are active in their own local areas (Provinces) and have most to do with their near neighbours in other adjoining Provinces.

Each Province has a leader, called the 'Provincial'. My boss (see pic) is Fr Denis Travers CP, the Provincial of the Holy Spirit Province, which covers Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea. Holy Spirit is not the biggest Province in terms of numbers, but it is extremely active.

The priests and brothers have lots of stuff going on, amongst themselves and with the 'lay' people, who are people Catholics but not monks. There are a lot of women and men involved in various organisations, such as the Passionist Family Groups and the Passionist Companions. Many of these groups are about exploring individual spirituality, sharing and companionship in the Passionist charism.

Every six years, the Passionists have a big international meeting, called the 'General Chapter'. From all around the world, the Provincials and other Passionists who are involved in various committees and projects, come to a pre-arranged place ~ often Rome ~ to spend several weeks meeting, working in committee, forward planning and developing ideas, goals and aims for the next four years and beyond. They also elect the 'General Superior' ~ the man who will be the Passionists' international head for the next six years.

Sometimes, staff members from various places attend the General Chapter, too, to present reports or give advice, to assist in translating and to do the secretarial and administrative work of the Chapter ~ all the things you would expect from a big, international organisation having a kind of 'plus size' Board Meeting.

This year, 2006, the Passionists have invited me (see pic) to go along as one of the administrative support people for the General Chapter.

It is hugely exciting. I will be staying in the Passionists' own Monastery in Rome, which is on the Celian Hill, one of the seven hills of Rome. Under the Monastery is an ancient Church, where one of the first 'home churches' of the Christian faith was established. Over time it became the Church of Saints John and Paul, and is now a government run tourist attraction in Rome.

The Passionist Monastery is about 25 minutes walk from the River Tiber, and only about 35 minutes from the Vatican. It is located across the road from the Colosseum and to get to the banks of the Tiber, one can walk through the ancient catacombs and past the Forum.

Added to this amazing chance to follow in the footsteps of figures from history and literature, is the wonderful opportunity to re-connect with Passionists I have met or worked with previously, and to meet people from many different countries, cultures and backgrounds. What a chance for an ordinary person to work at such a level with such a diverse and interesting group.

Of course, knowing almost NO Italian is going to be a drawback, so I have lots of work to do on honing up some language skills! Thankfully, I am able to say Buon Giorno, Cappucino, Grazie AND Ciao, so I will never be without the essentials.