Dominican Sisters at S. Sabina and S. Cecilia

We are now in our final week in Rome before heading to Assisi for our retreat for priestly ministry. We have concluded our academic portion of our trip, and now just have a few places to visit this week before heading to Assisi on Thursday.

Yesterday, we traveled to the Aventine Hill area of Rome to visit the Basilica of S. Sabina, where there is a group of Dominicans (OP) Sisters of S. Cecilia ("Nashville Dominicans") in residence. One of the sisters gave us a short tour of the outside of the Basilica, where there is a door that has one of the earliest depictions of the crucifixion that has survived to today.

The door to S. Sabina;
The crucifixion is in the
top, upper-left panel.

Then she gave us a tour of the inside of the Basilica, which looks a bit bleak but has all its dimensions based on one measurement found in the apse. It is very similar to our very own SPS chapel in S. Paul, Minn.

After this, we were able to celebrate Mass in the cell that S. Dominic used when he stayed in residence; it wasn't his personal cell per se, but he used it when he stayed there. It is a very small space, especially for a priest, 16 deacons, and three sisters. Dn. Kevin Manthey preached and did well; I'm going to attribute the quality of his preaching to Our Lord and S. Dominic, whose order (OP) was founded with preaching as one of its main charisms.

After Mass, we got a quick tour of some other notable items: a framed listing of some well-known Dominicans who have been in residence at S. Sabina, the room Pope S. Pius V, and the window the Dominicans used to sneak peeks at S. Dominic when he was at prayer in the main church nave.

After this, we descended the Aventine Hill to the Trastevere area of Rome to the Basilica of S. Cecilia (virgin, martyr), the patroness of this particular order of Dominican Sisters. Under the altar is a sculpture of how S. Cecilia's body was found in the 1600s after it was exhumed and found to be incorrupt (see below)

Sculpture of S. Cecilia's body
underneath the altar at S. Cecilia's Basilica.

Today we celebrated Mass at S. Peter's Basilica at the altar dedicated to S. Joseph.

Post by Dn. Grant Gerlach.