In My Father's Footsteps: Not Just Any Mass

A Brief History

My father, Jim Stevens, as one of the soldiers of the 601st Tank Destroyers, was on active duty for the entire engagement of the North African Campaign and The European Theater of Operations in WWII - for over 4 years. He experienced 546 days of actual combat. While he fought at the Kasserine Pass and El Guettar in North Africa and then in France and Germany, it is the Italian Campaign that I have chosen to focus on. Jim has often said that he would have liked to return to Italy. For him it would have been a ritual journey allowing him to reconcile the brutality of the war he fought with the people, culture, beauty and history of the country that he also experienced. At 91, he cannot take that journey so I am taking it for him.

Sunday, October 23, 2011

Not Just Any Mass

We stopped into Santa Maria in Trestevere for a prayer when the church started to fill up. We could hear bells and singing from the street, creating a dramatic sense of anticipation. We were in time for the mass of the anniversary of Pope John Paul’s beatification. Here are some photos of the church and the recessional. The organist was excellent, the communion hymn and the recessional were accompanied by guitar. The entire congregation sang and clapped, the church was filled with joyful music.