Motherhood of the Blessed Virgin Mary

(II Class)
To commemorate in the liturgy the fifteenth centenary of the Council of Ephesus (held in 431), which vindicated the title of Theotokos or "Mother of God" for our Lady, Pope Pius XI in the year 1931 instituted this feast to be observed by the whole Church as a double of the second class.

Saturday morning, John got up for Lauds which were sung in the very house (now crypt of the Basilica) in which Ss. Benedict and Scholastica were born. After breakfast a group of us went to sample what we were told was the best cappucino in town (it was very good), and to take a tour of Norcia. The town itself is very small, but the center is a busy Piazza, with two Churches, a fortress, and various shops surrounding it, and a large statue of St. Benedict in the center.

Next up was the ordination. The entire ceremony was beautiful. Afterwards we were blessed by the newly ordained Pater Maria Benedictus Nivakoff, O.S.B. The luncheon following the ordination was a huge, 5 course meal. After arriving in Norcia we learned that while a few people come to Norcia because it is the birthplace of St. Benedict, it is known to the secular world for the outstanding quality of its food, in particular the prociutto. We have never been to such a meal as this, and at the end of it the Prior of the monastery approached us and said he hoped we had enjoyed it, because we were going to do the same thing the next day following Fr. Benedict's first celebration of Mass.

The remainder of the day was free-time. We wandered the streets, looking for a shot glass, which we never found. We did however find an abundance of shops selling prociutto! They were all marked by at least one, although quite often several, boars's heads mounted on the outside wall. Once it got dark the ITI group gathered on the steps of a church and sang songs from many different countries, while the children danced.