my italian "angels"

There are two people who have been absolute angels to me since I met them. They are Tiziana Petrucelli and Francesco Guilliani. Tiziana and Francesco both work in administration at the hospital, and my project wouldn't be possible without all of the help that they have provided.

Front: Francesso and his lovely wife Claudia
Back: Tiziana and me

Collectively Tiziana and Francesco have helped me translate all of my questions, sent staff-wide e-mails on my behalf, taught me everything they know about the mission and the vision of Padre Pio, introduced me to wonderful physicians and researches, and most of all, have been an incredible source of support and friendship during my time here. I couldn't be more thankful for these two amazing people who I am now very blessed to call my friends.

Tiziana is leaving on Thursday for her vacation (and I'll be gone when she gets back) so last night we all went out to dinner together. It was a great night! In the customary way here, dinner began around 9:30. After dinner we went for gelatto and took a long walk through the city center and the "old town" of San Giovanni Rotondo. We walked some streets that are over 1,000 years old, which is incredible to me. Also incredible to me is that the streets were packed! The center of town is dead in the middle of the afternoon (siesta time), but from 9-midnight (or even 1am they said), the streets are full. Families, kids, older people, couples... everyone is out walking, and I'd guess at least about half are having gelatto :-)

I had a wonderful time last night and can't thank Tiziana and Francesco enough for such a great night. I just hope that they will come to the US to visit so I can return the kindness and hospitality that they have given to me!!

Claudia, Mario (a co-worker of Tiziana and Francesco), Tiziana and me

Claudia and Franceso are the sweetest couple in San Giovanni Rotondo!!

Mario, Francesco, me, Claudia and Tiziana

I went to bed as soon as I got home last night because today I was spending the day with the chief of general surgery, Dr. Di Sabastiano (picture on the left), and wanted to be ready for the day. It was another amazing day at the hospital and I continue to learn more than I thought possible. Tomorrow I will be with my mentor, Dr. Murgo, in the breast cancer surgery unit. I also have a visit planned this week with radiology, physical medicine and rehabilitation and pediatric oncology.

I don't think I can express how much I love it here. God bless you all!

good advice

I took a walk on Saturday down to the center of town and found this sign that made me smile. Indiana!! I lived in Indiana for almost ten years, though, and somehow completely missed the elephants. Hmm...


These next few pictures I took for Beau-- these few pictures don't do it justice, but the town square is pretty much a scene from "Grumpy Old Men." Everywhere you look!!! These are just a few shots, but there are places where 10, 20 even 30 men or so are all sitting around on the benches together enjoying life. It's a great scene, and Beau loved it when he was here so these next few are for you Beau--



These last few pictures are of my new friends from New Jersey & Philadelphia, Msgr John, Fr. Tom and Fr. Tom's brothers Tim and John. I met them last night as I was walking home from the hospital. I had a feeling they were American, and I said hello. We struck up a conversation quickly and they invited me to join them for dinner (and of course gelatto after :-) They are such wonderful people, and it was a huge blessing to get to meet them and spend time with them last night. I am so grateful!!!

We had wonderful conversations at dinner-- very uplifting and encouraging! At one point I asked if they had any advice for how I can bring all that I am experiencing home with me and Fr. Tom said, " with humility, dignity and love." Such good advice to think about. Msgr. John also shared his motto, "Be not afraid" and sent me off with the most beautiful blessing. I was reminded (as I have been many times this summer) that there are no strangers in the body of Christ. For that I am very, very thankful.

Enjoy today!!

Tim recommends the "watermelon and banana combo"

Me, Tim, John, Msgr John and Fr. Tom

More new friends...

When Padre Pio founded this hospital he had a very clear vision for it to be a "place of prayer and science." As much as he emphasized the spiritual aspects of the relief of suffering (which might seem most natural coming from a priest) Padre Pio urged the hospital to reach the highest levels of technical excellence and science.

As my friend Tiziana put it, "A pius cook is not necessarily a good cook yet." She explained Padre Pio's idea that if you work believing that you are taking care of the body of Christ "you have to do more, to strive for greatness and to be audacious." "This is the testimony of our faith," she said.

I mention all this to introduce to you a few of my new friends. As Padre Pio envisioned, Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza (CSS) is a leading research institute in Italy. These wonderful women make up the breast cancer research team led by Doctoressa Paola Parrella (the woman on the far left). Doctoressa Parrella did her post-doc in genetic oncology at Johns Hopkins. She is brilliant and collegial, disciplined and humble, and certainly helping through her efforts to carry on the founding vision of Padre Pio.


CSS is strong in genetic research, and has an entire other research institute located in Rome (the Mendel Institute) which I'll get to visit in a few weeks. For any science-minded friends who are interested, you can see a list of some of the publications coming out of the CSS labs here. (Click on "visualizza"-- they all are published in English.) You also can also PubMed search the name "Dallapiccola B(runo)" He is the scientific director of CSS, the Mendel Institute and the director of the "Sceinza e Vita" (Science and Life) commmittee which I'm looking forward to learning more about when I visit him in Rome in a few weeks.

Rafaella extracts RNA from tumor tissue samples.

This last picture is one I took tonight in the thoracic surgery unit. I spend a good amount of time at an office in this unit working on my project, and the nurses and staff have been so kind to me. Today Anna came by around 5:00 and invited me for coffee in their little break room. I ended up staying in the nurses station until about 9:30 talking in between their work with Anna and (through her help) the rest of the group. She is the best, and it's been a huge blessing to have an english speaking friend in the unit!! I love this group!!

Nicola, Patrizia, me and Anna

Goodnight all! I hope you had a great 4th of July!!

Grazie Dr. Di Vagno!

This blog is dedicated to thanking my new mentor and friend, Dr. Giovanni Di Vagno. Dr. Di Vagno is the chief of the Ob-Gyn unit at Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza, and a wonderful, wonderful person. I sent out an e-mail last week to a few doctors asking if I might be able to visit their units, and Dr. Di Vagno wrote back right away saying that if I came to his office on Monday that he would be happy to show me around.

I showed up on Monday morning, and Dr. Di Vagno did much more than show me around. He handed me a pair of scrubs and for the next three days proceeded to teach me more about Ob-Gyn than I thought possible. It was amazing!

Dr. Di Vagno's specialty is gynecologic oncology, and he is a gifted surgeon. He allowed me to observe his surgeries and to make rounds and see his patients with him as well (all while taking the time to teach me and to involve me in everything that was going on.) Dr. Di Vagno also introduced me to the Italian treat called "espressi freddi" (I'm sure I didn't get the spelling right... think ice cream + espresso) and the fine art of the coffee break. He treated me to lunch each day, and took the time to introduce me to practically everyone that we ran into as well. In my opinion the technical experiences I gained are definitely secondary to the mentor and teacher I now have who embodies the kind of physician that I'd like to be someday.

You are a wonderful doctor and a gifted teacher Dr. Di Vagno! I can't express my thanks enough to you for taking me under your wing. I hope our paths will cross again... let me know if you make it to Pittsburgh, or I'll just have to come back to Italy sometime :-) Have a wonderful vacation!!

Peter, Paul... and Magda

Today is the feast day of Saints Peter and Paul. I marked this day on my calendar with anticipation last week I found out that there was going to be a group from the States having mass at 5:30 today at Santa Maria della Grazie. Not that I'm not thankful for mass in Italian, but this was going to be a treat to have mass in English.

Soon after I arrived at the church I found out that the mass was completely in sign language. Wow... God continues to teach me so much here. How many times in my life I completely take for granted being in a majority, being understood, being able to communicate. By default I am talking less and listening more these days. I know that this is not necessarily a bad thing...

A few thoughts before I call it a night...

Today I began reading a book recommended to me by my friend Bob who works in the English office at the church. The book is a collection of Padre Pio's letters to/from his spiritual directors, and begins with a solid introduction to the life of Padre Pio. As I sat outside of the new church tonight after mass and read the first 40 pages or so, I was absolutely struck by something that has been on my mind a lot lately, but took form tonight in words from the introduction on Padre Pio's "Two Fine Projects":

"On fire with love for God and men, Padre Pio conceived and carried out two projects which were two different expressions of his love: a vertical expression towards God in the form of the 'Prayer Groups' and a horizontal one directed towards his fellowmen which took the form of a hospital known as the 'Home for the Relief of Suffering.'"

I have been hearing this theme since I arrived, but today it struck in a new way. I immediately looked up, and thought for a long time about the huge cross in front of me. I opened my notebook, and drew the cross. At the head I wrote "our minds to God in prayer" at the horizontal tip I wrote "our hands to our brothers and sisters in love" and in the center of the cross I drew a heart and wrote "the place of intersection."

The church and the hospital are physically nearly connected here. Beau pointed this out to me when he visited, and said that it is "all one work for the relief of suffering." The horizontal and the vertical. Both so important for the relief of suffering...

the hospital
the chruch

the two are connected by a stairway ascending to the way of the cross

A few more thoughts on my heart to share--

This is where I sat tonight to read my book...

This stream is made up of 12 little steps, designed to represent each of the 12 apostles.

If you've been to my apartment you might have noticed a framed print called "Festival of Lights" by John August Swanson. I have always, always loved the symbolism in this print of faith as a relay -- a long river-like stream-- of light, where we receive from those who come before us, and pass on to those who come after.

Well last night I attended a candlelight procession of Our Lady of Grace in the square outside the church and kept feeling like I was living this print. The pictures really don't do it justice, but it was beautiful. Truly a festival of light!



All in all, I think it was a fitting way to celebrate the feast day of Saints Peter and Paul. Streams of flowing water... seas of glowing light. And the reminder of the call (the horizontal and the vertical that meet in the heart) to take our place after them to become the living stones.


Last but not least, this is Magda! Have you heard of "an Italian grandma"? Well, I have one here in San Giovanni Rotondo. She's teaching me Italian, taking me to the grocery store (where she picks out all of my fruit and buys me cookies), and feeding me gelatt0. Yep. Here is she is in all of her cute-Italian-grandma-ness :-)


Now I am off to bed... I get to spend the day tomorrow with the head of the Ob-Gyn unit, and I am really looking forward to it. Hope you all have a wonderful day today!

Queen of Peace

Hello everyone! Sorry it has been so long...

My good friend Beau came to visit me here in Italy last week, and over the weekend we journeyed together to Medjugorje. It was amazing week and so nice to have a friend here to share in this time with. I made a little video as a thank you to Beau for making the journey, and I thought I'd share it here too.



In Medjugorje we stayed at a little inn run by the Tunin family, and Matthew Tunin (who is my age and a gifted photographer) has created a really nice website where you can read all about the history of Medjugorje and the messages of peace coming to us from this humble little village. I also just read this interview with Mirjana that I really enjoyed. She seems so down to earth and likable, and I hope her words will bless you as they did for me.

If you read about Medjugorje you might read of the miracles that are experienced there-- the dancing sun, the statue of resurrected Christ dripping liquid from the knee-- but I assure you that the biggest miracle is what happens in the heart... there is a living peace, a vibrant sense of joy and an active way of love that permeates the place. Grace abounds, and I hope not only to return again someday, but to bring what I found there home to all of you.

love to you all!

nicole

ps. The quotes in the video are from messages from Our Lady. The music is the talented violin playing of a woman named Melinda Dumistrescu who has moved to Medjugorje to use her gifts to serve all of the pilgrims who come. She plays daily (I think) at mass and adoration services, and Beau and I both immediately though of Danielle when we heard her violin begin to play.

pps. There are stories for most of these photos-- especially the ones from Medjugorje. Please know that I would love to share the stories if you would like to know about them...

pps. I would also like to share a story about two people we were able to meet, Nancy and Partick Matta, and how their hearts have been changed. As today's Gospel reading says (which I always cling to in matters of discernment)...

"By their fruits you will know them."

more sights from rome...

Hi everyone!

I have so much catching up to do on the blog from the last week and a half of traveling! I have arrived to San Giovanni Rotondo where I will be doing my project this summer, and I am very thankful to have internet here at my apartment. So now that I have internet I am going to start sharing photos and hopefully some stories too from the past two weeks. Here first are the rest of the pictures from Rome. Enjoy!

this is me with marcy, one of my brother's roommates, who met me at the airport and was an awesome guide through rome!

This picture is for Ryan-- the Church of St. Ignatius Loyola

the pantheon

trevi fountain!!

Roma!

To me this picture captures perfectly my first day in Italy. It was absolutely magical.

I will write much more soon, but had to share a few photos interspersed with part of my journal entry to explain what happened my first few hours in the Eternal City...

As we were on the bus for a second go around the city we were planning to get off at the Trevi Fountain, get some dinner, and then do a night walk through Campo de Fiori and then head to St. Peter’s (because I was just dying to see it in person not from the bus and in the glow of evening.) Something even better happened than I had thought. As our bus approached the majestic view of St. Peter’s from atop a hill, we heard the sound of choir singing, and saw that St. Peter’s square was flooded with candle-light. I was in love!

Marcy and I changed our plans, and decided to head to the square. When we go there, we saw several big screens projecting the image of a man who was speaking. I immediately thought it was the Pope. Marcy wasn’t sure, and said that she thought he came out publicly on Wednesdays and Sundays. We worked our way closer, and I asked a guard, “Is the man speaking the Pope?” “Si, si,” he said.

Marcy and I hurried closer into the group. We didn’t have candles, but were now surrounded by their glow. I found a program and with my limited understanding of Italian realized that it was a celebration in honor of Mary, I believe concluding the month of May in her honor (it was May 31st—the feast of the visitation.)


How beautiful and fitting that my first, long dreamed of visit to Rome was on Mary’s day of the Visitation. I have always thought of the visitation as a feast day of friendship, as Mary ran to Elizabeth to share her good news. She wanted to tell her friend, to be with her friend, to not be alone as she was waiting for Christ. As Marcy and I stood there in awe, the Pope raised his hand and offered his blessing. Blessed by the Pope! Less than 12 hours in Rome…

More to come soon!!! Love to you all!