Trip to United States
and Italy

6-30 November 2009

21 November 2009
(Rome)

I thought it was unusual for the Vatican to have a meeting on Saturday but we had the final day of our conference on deaf people today. In the morning we met at the Synod Hall in Vatican City and heard summaries of the past two days and recommendations for the future. There actually seems to be hope of some movement within the Vatican in relation to Catholic deaf people. The next steps will be for us to come up with creative follow-up. In the afternoon we met at the parish church of St. Catherine and St. Francis, the patron saints of Italy, to discuss a few ideas that weren't on the agenda for the conference. Then we had mass together and then a light supper at the house of the Piccoli Missioners, a group that works only with deaf people.
Two priests from the United States had been making notes on all the proceedings and today they presented a summary of the conference. Another speaker then made recommendations for follow-up. Then it was time for a closing ceremony in which all the bishops present went up to the platform. Closing ceremony of the conference
A large solid doorway in Vatican City.
A Vatican City doorway
The Swiss Guards may have spiffy uniforms but much of their work is ordinary, like traffic control. They are for real, though.  They have 9mm Glocks bloused in their uniform tops, I am told, and Uzi machine guns.  It's neat that, when dressed as a priest, I make eye contact, they snap to attention, stamp their feet and halberds on the pavement, and salute. Cheap thrills! Swiss Guards
The beauty of the architecture and the immense scale of the building make Michelangelo's Basilica stand out from many angles. A corner of St. Peter's Basilica
Old Roman is just beautiful.  There are the seven hills of the original city with gentle curving streets, huge old trees, and historic monuments and statues everywhere. A beautiful Roman street
In the afternoon we met at Ss. Catherine and Francis Church for additional agenda that was not part of the conference proceedings.  Especially we discussed ideas about the role of the International Catholic Foundation in Service of Deaf People which is the only international coordinating body. Afternoon meeting session
A panoramic view of the participants--mostly deaf--crammed into the small meeting room at the church. Meeting participants
A bishop who had attended all the sessions of the conference as one of the organizers also joined us for an evening mass that concluded the official activities of the weekend. Beginning of evening mass
Then we walked up the hill to the house and headquarters of the Piccoli Missioners group.  They were founded in the 1870s to minister to deaf people who were even then recognized as an especially marginalized group. House of the Piccoli Missioners
One part of the Piccoli house has been given over to a deaf club and tonight dozens of local Italian deaf people and all the visitors were crowded together and making acquaintances. Saturday night at the deaf club
Then there was a light supper at the house where those who had been together the past three days had a final chance to socialize before saying goodbye. Supper at the Piccoli house