Pope Francis to visit Roman parish

(Vatican Radio) This Sunday, Pope Francis is to visit the parish of San Tommaso in the Roman neighbourhood of Infernetto, on the outskirts of the city near the ancient port city of Ostia. The occasion of the visit is the 50^th anniversary of the founding of the parish, dedicated to St. Thomas the Apostle.

The parish territory is home to some 20 thousand people. The parish services include an “Oratory” or playground for young people, a Caritas outreach, regular blood donation drives, a Center for the Elderly, and the San Tommaso Association that is tasked with marshalling resources for the neighbourhood’s needy and for the support of missionary efforts in other parts of the world.

The visit is scheduled to begin at 4PM Rome Time, with Mass to follow at 6PM in the recently completed and dedicated parish church. One of the priests serving the parish and invited to concelebrate with the Holy Father, Rome’s Cardinal-Vicar, Agostino Vallini and the local auxiliary, bishop Paolo Schiavon, is Fr. Philip Larrey. He told Vatican Radio, “It’s the 50^th anniversary of the parish, and Cardinal Vallini invited [the Holy Father] to come, so, he’s going to come.” He added, “It’s going to be amazing.” Listen to Chris Altieri's conversation with Fr. Larrey: