Get me to the church on time

We've been trying to get to the 7:15am mass at Santa Chiara church for a couple of weeks now.  The thing is, it's wintery wet and cold outside, and we have to leave before dawn to get there on time.  It's only a 20 minute walk from the house, but getting out in the black, cold, morning air when it's not required, when you could just as easily stay in your warm bed for a couple more hours, it's a challenge.

So every day I set my alarm for 5:30 or 6, hoping to get up in time.  This morning I woke up at 6:51, the time I wanted to leave.  But there was a new determination afoot!  I jumped out of bed, brushed my teeth, got dressed, and headed out the door.  I busted up the hill as quickly as my legs would take me, and ran down all the little side streets I could.  And I made it to the church at 7:14!  

The nuns that join the traditional order of Santa Chiara (Saint Clare) are hardcore.  Once they join, then enter the convent attached to the church, and they never leave.  Never to be seen by society again.  However, they do sing at morning mass, hidden behind a screen next to the altar up front.  When it's time for communion, the priest walks behind the screen and gives them the eucharist, but they never come out.  The choir's voices are gorgeous, and it was moving to hear them sing this morning.

Other parts of the mass were nice, too.  Again, I was able to interpret the sermon however I liked, and it was neat to recognize different parts of the mass as they were happening, since Catholic mass is the same pretty much everywhere.  I understood when they were praying for the sick and the hungry.  I said "Pace" with everyone else when it was time to shake hands and wish for peace for your fellow church-goers, and I said the Our Father in English in a quiet voice as the rest of the folks said it in Italian.  It was nice to participate.  

Now we're off to Naples for the weekend to visit with Kim's family, so there might not be any posts for a few days.  Have a great weekend, everybody!