The Pope's arrival to Padua was greeted by a sizeable crowd.

June 6, 2011. Rome, Italy. One of the “perks” of studying for the priesthood in Rome is that there are opportunities to serve in papal Masses. This past May 8, a group of 12 Legionary religious went to the city of Padua to help distribute communion during a papal Mass with 300,000 people in attendance. The trip began with a community Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, followed by a stopover in Venice and then Padua.

Legionary religious Br Thomas Flynn, who will be ordained to the transitional deaconate in Rome on July 2, tells the story and shares the photos with his family and friends in a newsletter entitled "Venice, Padua, and the Pope."

An excerpt is presented below. To read the rest of the newsletter, click here.

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Dear Friends and Family in Christ,

Greetings from Rome!  I wanted to send all of you a note to let you know about the many graces I received this past weekend.  Sure, being in the seminary can be tough at times but it does have its perks every now and again.  Hope you enjoy:

On Saturday we all jumped on a bus and headed for St. Peter’s Basilica early in the morning.  While

	Br Thomas Flynn, LC, with a Venetian parking lot in the background.

the city was not yet awake we arrived at the doors of the giant church and waited our turn to enter.  Once inside, all 400 of us rushed to the altar of St. Sebastian for a Mass that none of us will forget…

To read more and view the pictures, click here.