Take a revelry in the beauty of Catholicism

This October, Legates can enter the inner orbit of the Catholic Church, during the exceptional Legatus pilgrimage to Rome where all will see the Church, both behind the scenes and on the world stage. The tour group will venerate the unassuming relics that seemed so insignificant to the mighty Roman Empire: the bones of St Peter—the fisherman killed in the wake of a mad emperor’s ambition—in the Vatican Scavi, the slivers of ancient wood that held the infant Christ in St. Mary Major, and the simple linen cloth that absorbed the blood of Christ in the Eucharistic miracle of Bolsena. Then pilgrims will marvel at how these humble seeds bore glorious fruit in the breathtaking basilicas and works of art.

Walking through the Coliseum, marveling at the crumbled vestiges of Imperial Rome, the Legatus group will learn how the Romans, who worshipped men as gods, came to believe, thanks to brave witness of the early Christians, in God-made-Man. A few steps further and we’ll stand before St. John Lateran, the first legal Christian church and the cathedral of Rome.

The centerpiece of the trip will be Vatican City state, where pilgrims will dive deep into the beauty and history of the Church, even as history is being made. In a private after-hours visit to the Sistine Chapel, the Legatus group will stand alone before the glorious paintings of Michelangelo revealing in powerful forms and brilliant color the invisible beginnings and ending of our great story of salvation. They will visit the enclave of the Swiss guards and learn the history of Europe’s oldest private army. Don’t let the colorful uniforms deceive— this group of young men offered their service to the pope 500 years ago and still proudly promise to protect the pope with their lives today. Legates will see their armory containing the ancient weapons used to save the life of Pope Clement VII to the brand-new, state-of-the-art helmets forged just this year.

Even as the group tours and learns and basks in beauty, they will witness the Church renewing herself.

Mostly the Legate tour group will partake in the joy of the Christian faith, expressed in the soaring frescoes of the great basilicas, the delightful fountains donated by generous popes, and even the fun of learning how to make pizza together!

Come and revel in the ancient true faith that remains vibrant and living, to renew hearts and spirits in the beauty that is the Catholic Church!

For more information on the Legatus 2018 Rome Pilgrimage Oct. 5-12, contact Kendall Ripley at Corporate Travel for details (866-468-1420) or [email protected]

ELIZABETH LEV is an American art historian living in Rome, and teaches art history at Duquesne University’s Italian campus and at the Pontifical University of St Thomas Aquinas. She is a commissioner of the Tourism board of Rome and a consultant on art and faith for the Vatican Museums, for whom she authored Vatican Treasures: Art and Faith, a film that was presented to Pope Benedict XVI. She also works as a Vatican analyst for NBC.

SCRIPTURE 101

… and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with ability and intelligence, with knowledge and all craftsmanship, to devise artistic designs, to work in gold, silver, and bronze, in cutting stones for setting, and in carving wood, for work in every craft. Exodus 31: 3-5

CATECHISM 101

Pilgrimages evoke our earthly journey toward heaven and are traditionally very special occasions for renewal in prayer. Catechism of the Catholic Church, #2691