A DAY OFF

Last Saturday was a special temple day for the women of the Milano Stake.  As a result, they didn't need all of the men temple workers.  So while Chris was working I went into the Roma center.  I had about six things I had planned to see there...and in the end I saw all TWELVE of them!!!  Usually we have to wait for the city bus to arrive, but the '435' and I both got to the bus stop in front of the temple at the same instant.  The transfer to the 'B' metro line at Jonio was also quick.  So within only about 35 minutes, I was standing in the nave of the Santa Maria Maggiore Basilica, my first stop of the day.  By about 3 pm and after over 10 miles of walking, I had managed to see all of the following:  Santa Maria Maggiore / Santa Prudenziana / Santa Prassede / The Naiad Fountain at Repubblica / Santa Maria Degli Angeli e dei Martiri in the Baths of Diocletian / The Moses Fountain by Santa Maria Della Vittoria (closed until October) / San Bernado Chiesa / San Carlino (The Boromini Church that influenced the design of the Rome Temple) / Fontana del Tritone at Barberini / Pietro Canonica Museum & Studio in the Borghese Gardens / Carlo Bilotti Museum / Piazza del Popolo / Spainish Steps at Piazza del Spagna.  I also passed by the Canova Tadolini Restaurant located in the former studio of these two great sculptors, a restaurant that is filled with casts of their works.

From Spagna I hopped back on the Metro and with my tired feet went back home.  My only real mistake of the day was not watching closely to tell the bus driver when I wanted off!  So instead of getting off right in front of the temple, I had to ride to the Porta di Roma Mall and walk about 15 minutes back.  Just what my feet needed.  But I can't complain about this amazing day.

Santa Maria Maggiore

Mosaic from Santa Prudenziana

Apse of Santa Prassede

San Carlino

Pietro Cononica Studio and Museum

Piazza del Spagna

Canova Tadolini Restaurant

 A new post

"BRAVISSIMO FRATELLO LUI"

17 September 2021

Daniele Lui and his wife work with us in the Rome temple. When I first met him last week, we talked together about some of the paintings in the temple.  When he discovered that I knew several of the artists whose paintings are displayed there, he asked about one that was special to him. The painting is "Christ in America" by Utah artist Jeffrey Hein.  Brother Lui wanted to know more and find an electronic copy of the painting.  I easily found the information online and sent it to him.  The next day in the temple Brother Lui showed his appreciation by giving me a chocolate bar...and three more for Chris!

This morning our apartment phone rang.  Chris answered with the typical "pronta" greeting.  It was Brother Lui.  He invited us to go to the chapel across the piazza from our apartment so he could sing for us.  When we got there we realized that we were the only ones invited.  With recorded accompaniment he sang excerpts from three classical works: An arrangement sung in English of "Jesu, Joy of Mans' Desiring" by Bach, a selection by Brahms based on Shakespere
's "Hamlet" sung in Italian, and a third selection (I don't remember the source) sung in Latin.  His operatic baritone voice filled the chapel and was absolutely beautiful.  We were very surprised, complimented and touched by this sweet gesture.  Bravissimo Fratello Lui!

 A PROMISE FULFILLED

Today's temple preparation meeting included a video reminding us to keep proxy ordinance work as sacred and special as the ones done when people come for their own.  Later in the evening, a Brother and Sister Parma from Utah came to do proxy sealing ordinances.  Sister Parma had mentioned earlier that one of the people for whom her husband was acting as proxy was very important to him.  As we were finishing, I asked Brother Parma if he could share why the one person was so special to him.  He began to sob as he told his story.

Brother Parma was introduced to the church and converted as a young man in the 1970's here in Italy.  One of his first church responsibilities was to be a home teacher to an older couple in his ward.  The husband was an active and faithful member, but his wife was not a member and refused to have anything to do with the church.  This brother asked his young home teacher to promise him that one day he would go to a temple and have them sealed together for eternity.  Brother Parma had later immigrated to the United States, married and raised his family, but had never forgotten his promise.  Now that the required number of years had passed, Brother Parma wanted to return with his wife to the temple here in Italy to fulfill the commitment he had made almost fifty years previously.  He added that he felt the presence and acceptance of this couple in that sealing room.  As ordinance workers we were all very moved by this simple yet eternally significant proxy ordinance.

Bertel Thorvaldsen's "Christus" and "Twelve Apostles" in the Rome Temple Visitors' Center

 FAST FORWARD - COVID

Our plans to spend three months as temple workers in Rome were rudely interrupted by a global pandemic!  The Covid 19 virus quickly spread across the globe, and Italy was hit early and very hard.  After not quite two weeks in Rome we had to leave for home into a new culture of facial masks, quarantines, and school closures.  All of our church meetings ended as in person events, school classes went to computer broadcasts...the world changed completely.  We hoped it would pass quickly, but even now going on two years later our world is not back to normal.  In fact, I think we are now facing a new "normal".  But in spite of all the changes...and with the help of hopefully effective vaccines...we are now back in Rome and restarting our temple experience.

View of the Rome Temple from our apartment window on "Temple Square".