Category: St. Peter’s Basilica

Visiting the Vatican on a Trip to Rome

Crack!  went the gavel as the auctioneer announced I had won the five-day trip to Rome for an audience with the pope and a tour of the Vatican — completely by accident. Having always dreamed of a trip to Italy, I’d raised my hand for an opening bid far outside my budget, certain that one…


St. Peter’s Basilica: The Most Magnificent Church in All of Christendom

Peter, the first pope and bishop of Rome, appointed by Jesus himself, took the lead to establish Christianity in Rome. He was later martyred; however, his legacy was set. One and a half millennia passed, and the inspired Pope Julius II sought to honor St. Peter and the origins of the papacy. He turned to…