Kentucky Irish American. (Louisville, Ky.) 1898-1968, 1905-08-19
Tells of His Visit to the Eternal
City and It's Many
Treasures.
Celebrated Mass at the Tomb
of st. Anthony of
Padua.
WILL SOON BIZ HOMETARD BOUND

nC NV LohhCA AAs
st. Mary's of the Knobs, has written an
other interesting letter to the Kentucky
Irish American. The previous letter de
scribed his visit to the Holy Land. 1:
this one he tells us something abou
Rome and other cities in Continental
Europe:
DUSSELDORF. GERMANY, August 2
1905.-Iu my last letter, dated at Rome
1 stated that would remain there fol
some time. So 1 did. I arrived at the
Eternal City from my trip to the Holy
Land via Briudisi, June 25, and remained
until July 10. This, you see, gave me
ample time and opportunity to see con
siderable Of the old city founded by
Romulus and Remus. Rome is quite
large. It contains at least 400 900 in
habitauts, and most of the public and
private buildings are substantial, stately
and artistic. Thousands of its stores are
filled with all kinds of wares. Rome has
many fountains and beautiful gardens,
aud nearly all the streets are connected
byelectric tramways. While most of the
public buildings are of recent date and
quite modern, many of them are very
old. visited many churches, public
buildings, parks and other places of in.
terest to every traveller. OF course my
first visit was to the grand St. Peters
Cathedral. the queen of all churches
beyond the Tiber.
St. Peters is undoubtedly the largest
aud as to the interior the finest church in
the world 1t easily holds 5000 people,
and 1 have seen not less than 10000
worshipers present at Pontifical mass
-ceiebrated by his Eminence Cardinal
Rampolla on June 20, the feast of SITS.
Peter and Paul. l visited this grand
church at least once every day during my
stay in Rome. In a church near the
basilica of ST. John Lateran saw the
scala sancta or flight of stairs which our
Divine Lord was compelled to ascend
when taken before PLATE. 1t is said that
these stairs were brought from Jerusalem
to Rome by Queen St. Helena, the
mother of Constantine the Great, the
first Christian Emperor. These stairs
contain thirty-three steps and the faith
full are wont to ascend them on their
knees. also saw the ruins of the Colos-
scum in which, as every reader of history
knows. were fought the gladiatorial con-
tests, and that, too, long before the birth
of our Lord. Thousands of Christians
suffered martyrdom for their faith in
Jesus Christ in this great amphitheater.
also visited the ruins of the great
Forum, where so often the voices of
Cicero, Caesar and other great orators
and celebrities were heard.
OF course l visited the catacombs,
those subterranean passages which run
for miles under the city. The catacombs
of St. Callista. the most renowned, con-
tain thousands of graves of the early
Christians who were driven there by
their pagan prosecutors to live and die.
1 saw in the catacombs of st. Callista the
exact place where st. Cecilia was buried
after having suffered martyrdom for her
faith in Jesus Christ and His holy re-
ligion. The place where this great saint
lived and died is now adorned by beau
tiful basilica.
From Rome l went to Padua, a dis
lance of about 800 miles. l arrived there
early in the morning and at once went to
the church that contains the body Of the
great St. Anthony. Not only Italians,
but every good and faithful child of the
Catholic church, loves St. Anthony, and
many favors and blessings have been
granted by Almighty God through the
-intercession of His faithful servant, St.
Anthony. After having said mass there
left Padua for Venice, beautiful Venice.
There is no city in the world like it.
Neither are there any horses or vehicles
there. All traffic is done on canals by
means of gondolas. was in Venice two
days and enjoyed my visit very much.
At noon left Venice and few hours
later reached Milan. That city is noted
for its large and beautiful Dom or Cathe-
dral. The city is clearly. we'll built and
much business is done there.
From Milan went to Einsiedeln,
Switzerland. Einsiedeln has large
Benedictine monastery. Here / found
two of my former professors, Fathers
Siegesbert and Ludwig, o. S. B. Both
of them were for some years professors at
the seminary of St. Meinrad, in Spencer
county, Ind. From Einsiedeln went
to Lucerne and Zurich. Both places are
quite pretty and are largely frequented by
Americans and Englishmen. At Lucerne
met many Americans, among them
three gentlemen from Louisville. The
great Pilatus, one of the Alps, 1000 feet
high, is near Lucerne. was foolish
enough to ascend it. spent four days
at Lucerne. From there l went to
Munich, Bavaria. Munich is lively
town. Everybody there is jolly and in