grazie mille {Thanksgiving & the Feast of St. Cecilia - November 22, 2018}

it's been a week since we celebrated our first major (American) holiday in Rome. it was bittersweet, being away from family and knowing that we'd have to let go of some of our own family traditions. usually, i spend the weeks leading up to Thanksgiving poring over my recipe binder and cookbooks, perusing new recipes from my favourite cooking blogs, and sketching out a timeline to make sure every dish gets a turn in the oven at the correct temperature and that the turkey is done on time. in fact, i came across last year's timeline in my recipe binder a few days before Thanksgiving and immediately felt a pang.

Thanksgiving 2017. i almost cried when i saw this picture. i miss our dining room,
and that tablecloth that we bought on our honeymoon, and my china, and most importantly, the people at the table! 

but, knowing that our Thanksgiving would look a little different this year, we decided to throw ourselves headlong into the celebration. this included eating Thanksgiving dinner in the refectory. it was strange not to cook anything, but at the same time, i knew i'd be so frustrated if i was trying to recreate "the perfect Thanksgiving" myself without spending hours and beaucoup bucks on exotic ingredients like whole fresh cranberries or French's fried onions. so my only real preparation this year was emailing Greta's preschool teacher to tell her that Greta wouldn't be in class on Thursday (it's just a normal day in Italy!).

my Thanksgiving Day started at 5:40 AM when i rolled out of bed, pulled on my running clothes, scarfed down a cereal bar, and walked down the hallway to the parking lot where about 150 other runners were milling around for the NAC's 9th annual Turkey Trot 5K. music was pumping through the air, and it was great to see lots of women and other guests gearing up for the race, in addition to the seminarians. the mood was festive and light-hearted. several guys were wearing costumes, and a few were wearing regular clothes and shoes (including one who was wearing jeans, drinking espresso, and smoking -- a truly Italian way to race).

spoiler alert: the chicken did not win the costume contest

 at a few minutes after six, we'd all pinned on our bib numbers and gathered close together to say a prayer (St. Sebastian, the patron saint of athletes, and St. Cecilia, whose feast day we celebrated that day, got special shout-outs). then we were off, charging down the Janiculum Hill like the Israelites crossing the Red Sea, or something. it was surreal to run right in the middle of the road that's usually crammed with smart cars, motorinos, and wheezing buses. the downhill start in addition to the adrenaline that always accompanies the beginning of a race meant that i went out at a 9:30 pace, way faster than i can maintain. and i was also talking with the other runners, which was new for me (it's so different running a race with a bunch of people you actually know!). i forgot to start my Runkeeper app until we were already at the bottom of the hill and rounding the corner toward Vatican City. by this time, i was chatting with one of the deacons as we ran right up to St. Peter's, warm light spilling out of the dome against the black dawn. then we turned left and ran around the perimeter of the Vatican City wall. i kept pace with him for a few minutes, but i definitely wasn't going to be able to hold onto that (especially if we kept talking!!), so when we got to a huge staircase, i fell back to walk up the steps and the huge hill that followed. then the rest of the race was either downhill or flat, circling around the walls to come back again in front of the dome. it was so strange to run on the sidewalk where i'm normally dodging hordes of tourists with my grocery cart! i guess this is why it pays off to start early. as we turned the corner to climb the Janiculum Hill again, i walked up part of the way, then told myself i would run the rest of the way. God bless Deacon Gregory, who was cheering on the runners as we continued climbing the hill with two-tenths of a mile to go before reaching the campus. "almost there! great job, Kate!" was exactly what i needed to hear! the "finish line" was really just the open gate to the parking lot. the other runners had formed a human tunnel, cheering and high-fiving each person as they finished.

my legs were feeling pretty good, especially considering the hills, but that last uphill piece really did a number on my stomach and i really thought i was going to vomit as i crossed the finish line! thankfully, the feeling subsided and within a few minutes i was sipping an orange Powerade and comparing race notes with the guys. one of the priests told me he almost threw up too (in his laconic Southern drawl, he said, "i was about to tell all of 'em givin' high fives that they best get out of the danger zone before i upchuck on all of 'em!"). we continued to clap and cheer for everyone crossing the finish line, with wild applause for the last trio of women who walked across the line.

this dedicated chap ran the whole race in a cassock, carrying the flag

then there were all kinds of awards and prizes given out, for the three fastest overall runners of course (the winner, who's from Seattle, ran it in 16:38!), for the highest participation out of the four classes in the seminary, for the fastest class in the seminary, for the winner of the costume contest, and probably some others that i'm forgetting.

first place finisher! notice it was still completely dark when he got to the finish line ... (photo credit: PNAC)

third place, second place, and first place finishers!

Joe won the costume contest (yes, he ran the whole race in that!)

 the official race results didn't come out til the next day, and i had forgotten to turn off my Runkeeper app until several minutes after finishing, so i really had no idea what i ran. i was guessing about 33 minutes despite the fast start, since i ended up walking most of the hills. so i was pleasantly surprised to find out my official time was 32:40 (at 10:32 min/mile pace, which is pretty good for me!). not a 5K PR, but certainly one i'll never forget!

i just love this route map!!

drinking Powerade in his espresso cup

the back of the Turkey Trot shirt reads: "The Only Three Mile Race to Go Around A Sovereign Nation"
(the Vatican City State, of course!)

just happened to catch the chicken leaping over the railing as i attempted to capture the sunrise

the whole group! i'm in all black, just to the right of the flag (photo credit: PNAC)

i got home, showered, and had breakfast all before the rest of the family woke up. Greta ran into Cecilia's room, shouting, "Happy Feast Day, Cece! and Happy Valentine's Day!" we had to have a little refresher on what holiday this actually was! then we had the rest of the morning to relax at home prior to the Thanksgiving Day liturgy at 11:30 AM. this was quite the fancy affair with Archbishop Joseph Augustine Di Noia presiding. there were several other kids at mass as well, which is always good to see! then we made our way into the refectory. the tables were completely rearranged and decorated according to state / diocese. our custom for Sunday brunch is to sit at tables arranged by state, and sometimes we bring along a few decorations (we brought our terrible towels a few times, and the Texas table always has a Lone Star flag). but for this dinner, each table was completely transformed.

the Pennsylvania table (note the Yuengling bottle!) 

the whole experience was truly a feast. the Honorable Callista Gingrich, the US Ambassador to the Holy See, was there with her husband Newt Gingrich, and she read aloud the presidential Thanksgiving address. several toasts were given, and then the meal began. we had an appetizer of parmesan, arugula and bresaola (similar to prosciutto but made of beef -- and i just learned that this is exactly what pemmican was! quite fitting for Thanksgiving); a first course of pumpkin ravioli; a second course of turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, and green beans with mint and garlic; and pumpkin pie for dessert. the fifth-year priests and a few of the fourth year deacons waited on us all -- they would eat their meal later, in a very tangible act of community service! i did miss the whole berry cranberry sauce (they had the jellied kind), gravy (!), and my beloved green bean casserole, but the meal was absolutely delicious. the stuffing had roasted pine nuts in it, which is an addition i think i'll have to make in the future!

in addition to the food, the NAC pulled out all the stops for this meal with the good wine. we have table wine at pranzo, but this was superb. the Director of Liturgy, a Pennsylvania man himself, even brought a bottle of exquisite wine to share with the table.

Greta insisted on wearing her dirndl for Thanksgiving mass and dinner 

while Nick and i were happy to relax, chat with our fellow Pennsylvanians, and eat and drink, the girls were getting a little antsy by the end of the meal. one of the seminarians quickly came over and asked Greta if she would like to see the huge turkey decoration, which of course she did. i'm so grateful that these men make up part of "our village" here!

the pumpkin pie was heralded by a band of fifth-year priests (who traditionally make all of the pies for Thanksgiving) singing a parody of a rock song which had us all yelling "PUMP-KIN!" at the appropriate intervals. the pies themselves were brought out to much applause, and once again, they were very good!

photo credit: PNAC

Cecilia started brushing her hair with her doll's brush, to questionable effect

finally, we concluded the meal with another prayer of thanksgiving, and then all rose to sing America the Beautiful before toasting with champagne. i've always thought that this should be our national anthem, and it never fails to bring tears to my eyes with gratitude for my country. on this occasion, of course, it was even more emotional, missing our actual families but feeling so grateful for this new community that is slowly but surely becoming family in its own way.

lots of applause for the Italian kitchen staff! (photo credit: PNAC)

Cecilia took a nap in the afternoon, and the rest of us just relaxed. i was struck by how strange (and wonderful!) it was not to have any dishes or cleanup to do! it reminded me of being a kid again, enjoying all the food and celebration without actually having to do anything. then again, i realized with a sudden despair that this also meant we had no Thanksgiving leftovers ... quelle horreur! or should i say, mamma mia!!

at six p.m., we rallied the troops for the mile walk to Santa Cecilia in Trastevere. on the occasion of St. Cecilia's feast day, mass would be sung by none other than the Sistine Chapel Choir. i had my doubts about how well the girls would do sitting through two masses in one day, but we had to at least give it a shot to hear the choir! as it happened, Greta threw a fit and refused to go for about ten minutes. i had made breaded veal cutlets for dinner but we didn't have time to sit down to eat before we left. figuring her protests had something to do with being hungry and/or tired, i wrapped a cutlet in a paper towel so she could eat it in the stroller. lo and behold, after eating five bites, she fell asleep in the stroller and slept for the rest of our walk and the entirety of mass!

the outside of Santa Cecilia

Cecilia was very much awake, and we spent the service alternately inside, mesmerized by the music, and outside on the portico letting her run around. she met another little girl named Cecilia (Italian pronunciation: "chey-CHEE-lia") and they played together for quite a while. then she would say "i hear my ky-er?" (choir) and go back inside for a bit. i have absolutely no regrets about telling her that the choir was singing just for her feast day -- she was so excited! below is a montage of four different video clips from throughout the mass. (and as i put this together a week later, Cece came running over and said "dat my ky-er!")

interior of the church

playing in the portico with her new friend Cecilia (on the left)

at several points during the mass, Nick and i exchanged looks of disbelief and gratitude that we are here. at what other point in our lives will we be able to literally walk a mile to hear the Sistine Chapel Choir sing (for free)?! of course we miss home, and we're so looking forward to being back in three weeks. but moments like this are something which we can only ponder in our hearts, and give thanks.

after mass, we went up to say hello to the wonderful organist (who plays for St. Peter's Basilica) and then to look around the church a little. the church is built over St. Cecilia's house in Rome. she was martyred around the year 230 under the emperor Alexander Severus. she is the patron saint of musicians, and is often depicted with a harp, an organ, or a viola. one interesting bit of trivia i found is that from 1515 to 1530, Cardinal Thomas Wolsey (yes, the Brit!) was assigned to this church!

Saint Cecilia with an Angel, by Orazio Gentileschi (credit here)

the most striking piece of art in the church is the sculpture of St. Cecilia under the altar. this was sculpted in 1600, based on the appearance of her incorruptible body when her tomb was opened in 1599. her actual relics, and those of her husband St. Valerian, are in the crypt chapel below (they were moved here from the Catacombs of St. Calixtus in the ninth century).

as we left the church, we could hear a raucous noise rising from the fountain in front of the church. the choirboys were indulging in some very age-appropriate shenanigans, jumping around and shrieking in their boy soprano registers. Cecilia really wanted to go play with them and kept walking closer. finally, we coaxed her back into the Ergo and began the walk back to our house.

as we walked along the Lungotevere (the road that follows the river), i thought of the first time we walked this way, dripping in the August heat. the past three months have flown by, but each day has been full. we've had so many new experiences, but also plenty of relaxing days at home as we settle into a routine. it's hard to move to a different country -- emotionally, mentally, and in our specific case, physically as we walk or take public transportation everywhere. but it's been clear to us since Nick's interview that this is where we belong right now. God has truly blessed us, and for that we say grazie mille ... and melted smoosh.