Mass for English language pilgrims in Rome ahead of Benedict XVI’s last Angelus

(Vatican Radio) This Sunday marks the final Angelus address in Pope Benedict XVI’s pontificate. Rome City Council has strengthened bus and train lines to meet the demand of the tens of thousands expected to pour into St Peter’s Square for the noon prayer and benediction.

But ahead of this last great Sunday gathering, English language pilgrims are also being invited to celebrate Mass together a bare 150 meters from St Peter’s Square, in one of the oldest pilgrim churches in Rome, Santo Spirito in Sassia.

It’s an initiative of the Pontifical Council for the New Evangelization for the Year of Faith. A weekly Mass for English language pilgrims to the See of Peter, a stone’s throw from the Apostles’ tomb, held in time to allow pilgrims to then go together to hear the Pope and receive his Angelus blessing.

The Mass takes place every Sunday at 10am and is celebrated by the many native English speaking priests who work in or around the Vatican. Such as Fr. Eugene Sylva, a New Jersey native who is also the English language official at the Pontifical Council for New Evangelization.

“The Church of Santo Spirito is on Borgo Santo Spirito which is literally two blocks from St Peter’s and mass in English is on every Sunday at 10 am”, he says adding that it is not exclusive to mother tongue pilgrims either. “The numbers are building and building and we have had pilgrims from the Netherlands and Scandinavia as well as College students from the US who have helped in the liturgy, to make it as inclusive as possible”.

Fr. Sylva who arrived in Rome last June adds “the history of this church is just fascinating because it has been welcoming pilgrims to Rome since the 8^th century. Sassia means Saxon in Latin, so we now are just continuing the tradition that was started centuries ago”.

“It’s just a beautiful, alive experience on Sunday mornings because we have the English speaking mass at 10 and then the Italian mass at 11 and its so wonderful to see the different people coming together and introducing themselves and meeting and recognizing the fact that as Catholics we are never alone, even when we are not in our home country. Then we invite them to go over to the Angelus and 12 noon, to go together to hear the beautiful wisdom of our Holy Father, so it’s just a wonderful experience”.

But this is just one of the many initiatives the Council is promoting or the Year of Faith. Others include a gathering for lay movements and associations in May and a two day event centered on Evangelium Vitae in June.

Listen to the full interview with Father Sylva, who talks to Emer McCarthy about events due to take place in the upcoming Year of Faith and the work of the Council: