Rosary in crypt of St. Peter by tomb of John Paul II

Tonight in the crypt of St. Peter’s Basilica some young people with rather well-known prelates recited the Holy Rosary near the tomb of Pope John Paul II on the anniversary of his death.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

About Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Fr. Z is the guy who runs this blog. o{]:¬)
This entry was posted in SESSIUNCULA. Bookmark the permalink.

19 Comments

  1. A point of curiosity. The gold rose stem is constructed so that it can contain a real rose? or the rose itself is, perhaps, made of jewels or enamelled something or other? I have a vague recollection of a ‘golden rose’ that the popes send to Catholic sovereigns; maybe the rose on John Paul II’s tomb is of the same type?

  2. surge says:

    It was well attended (and very moving)in the Piazza.

  3. Geoffrey says:

    Thank you, Fr. Z! Beautiful pictures. I am surprised the Luminous Mysteries weren’t used.

  4. Jon says:

    Add to that this evening’s Vespers; Office of the Dead, Roman Breviary.

    In gratitude for “Quattuor abhinc annos,” and “Ecclesia Dei adflicta.”

  5. Justin says:

    Requiscat in Pace.

    Thank you John Paul.

  6. Krister says:

    If You look at the fouth picture from above You will se a bronze plaque and a bronze crown.
    This is the tomb of Queen Christina of Sweden.
    She was the daughter of the Swedish king Gustav II Adolf (Gustavus Adolphus) who lead the protestant troops during the 30 year war. Christina succeded him on the throne of Sweden in 1632. Christina a very unusual queen and monarch.
    She never married and abdicated in 1654.
    As an interesting note, she invited the French philosopher René Descartes to teach her philosophy. He came to Stockholm and died of pneumonia.
    Christina, the daughter of the greatest political and military threat to the catholic world converted to Catholicism in Innsbruck on November 3rd 1655.
    She moved to Rome where she was welcomed by the Pope and after her death in 1689 she was given the honour of beeing buried in the Grotto under the Vatican basilica. Now resting next to John Paul II.

  7. PMcGrath says:

    Who are the prelates there, and the younger priest in tenue de ville? I recognize Cardinal Dzwisz, but the others I don’t recognize.

  8. Geoffrey says:

    Cardinal Ruini is one. I’m not sure of the others…

  9. One of them looks like Cardinal Rodé? I could be wrong

  10. Kradcliffe says:

    I got to visit his tomb and pray when I was there in February. I felt so priveleged. I regret all the times I went to Rome before being Catholic, when I couldn’t be bothered to try and attend a Papal audience. Then, again, we didn’t attend this time, either. Rome is a very tiring place to visit and I don’t have the energy I did ten years ago! Whew!

    I just got my prayer card with second-class relic from his Cause for Beatification. When we got back from Rome, I found a 5 Euro note in a pocket and didn’t know what to do with it, so I sent it as a donation.

    As soon as I heard that he’d died, I said a prayer to him. I don’t know if that’s what we’re supposed to do, but I was and am utterly convinced that he went straight to heaven!

  11. TNCath says:

    I believe the third cardinal is Cardinal Comastri, the archpriest of St. Peter’s.

    I noticed the cardinals are dressed in their house cassocks and rochets. Strictly speaking, shouldn’t they be in their red cassocks? I’m not trying to be critical, just wondering. The pictures are very nice.

  12. Emilio says:

    TNCath – I believe so yes, or in a perfect world – they should be in choir dress. Quite moving nonetheless. Thank you Fr. Z for devoting the attention that was due to this “titanic figure,” as you put it, yesterday. Ora pro nobis Sancte Pater…

  13. Henry Edwards says:

    As soon as I heard that he’d died, I said a prayer to him. I don’t know if that’s what we’re supposed to do, but I was and am utterly convinced that he went straight to heaven.

    Yesterday I attended a solemn Requiem Mass for John Paul II, complete with black catafalque topped with papal red. At the end of the Mass the celebrant removed his black chasuble and donned a black cope and proceeded to the pulpit, where he first outlined how the traditional requiem Mass deals directly with death as the wages of sin — after which each of us should expect judgement followed by either purgatory or hell — with the sole purpose of praying for repose of the soul of the deceased. Then in the final two sentences he said,

    “Someday we can hope to be privileged to pray to John Paul as Blessed. But this day, in the words of one of the propers, we pray that the Lord accept the sacrifice we offer up on behalf of the soul of our deceased pontiff, begging that he may be joined in fellowship with the blessed in Heaven.”

    Of course, prayer to as well as for the deceased is commendable. Indeed, if no one prayed to them, there could be no miracles proven in response to those prayers, and hence no saints canonized by the Church (under the present requirements).

  14. Jacob says:

    Would anyone know what order those sisters are from?

    I sent in a request for a second class relic and a prayer card awhile ago. Thanks for reminding me about that. I’m still waiting I guess…

  15. Ken says:

    I never did understand what a priest thinks when he shows up at the Vatican dressed in a clerical suit with a tab collar. What is this, a Jesuit picnic?

  16. They are from St. Faustinsa’s order the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy.

  17. giovanni says:

    There was a recent article that said there already plans to move him upstairs in the Basilica if he is raised to the glories of the altar. Even our Dear Benedict called for his intercession at his homily yesterday, I believe. How much we need his strength and wisdom these days!

    “In paradisum deducant te Angeli; in tuo adventu suscipiant te martyres, et perducant te in civitatem sanctam Ierusalem. Chorus angelorum te suscipiat, et cum Lazaro quondam paupere æternam habeas requiem.”

    Thanks for the beautiful shots, padre.

  18. Geoffrey says:

    When John Paul the Great died, I tried to keep my prayers to him at a minumum, as I knew he was being bombarded! For the nine days of mourning I prayed for him, even though I felt in my heart he was in heaven. I think he spent his Purgatory here on earth, especially in his last years of suffering. Now I pray to him daily. Ioannes Paulus Magnus, ora pro nobis!

  19. Fr. Darrell Roman says:

    The sisters in the photo are not from Sr. Faustina community.
    These sisters are Sercanki…Sisters of the Sacred Heart. They were the Holy Fathers Cooks, secretary, and nurse. They also were with the Holy Father when he was a cardinal in Krakow.

Comments are closed.