Solemnity of All Saints
Five years ago, I moved to Rome to start my mission in the Eternal City. One of the privileges of living in Rome is being surrounded by many saints. As St. John Paul II said to the Seminarians studying in Rome, they must learn about the city itself, because the street they are walking is the same one many saints walked a hundred years ago. When it's time to celebrate Jesuit saints, I can easily visit the tomb of St. Ignatius of Loyola at Chiesa de Gesu, or the tombs of St. Robert Bellarmine, St. John Berchmans, and St. Aloysius Gonzaga in Chiesa San Ignacio. Outside the Jesuit saints, there are many places that I can easily visit and pray. On the memorial of St. Monica, I can pray in front of St. Monica's tomb in the Basilica of Sant'Agostino. On the memorial of St. Catherine of Siena, I can pray before her tomb at the main altar of the Basilica Santa Maria Sopra Minerva. Moreover, you can easily find the traces of St. Peter and Paul across the city. Or you can easily take a train outside the city to make a pilgrimage to different saints, such as visiting the tomb of St. Maria Goretti at the Basilica of Nostra Signora delle Grazie in Nettuno, south of Rome.
My journey with Saints abruptly ended when I left Rome two years ago and ended in Omaha, Nebraska. Living in this Midwest town, I initially felt that I had lost the privilege of being closer to the Saints. But soon I realized that the communion of saints never left me and was never far away, even though I am no longer residing in the eternal city. In my work at Law School, St. Thomas More is constantly praying for me. When I am hearing confession, St. John Vianney is certainly praying for me. Whenever I start my research and writing, I continuously pray to St. Thomas Aquinas. As I struggle to secure an academic position in the university, I constantly pray for the intercession of St. Edith Stein, also known as St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross. With the canonization of the first Millennial Saints, Carlos Acutis, I felt that my generation was being overlooked. But again, I realize that there is a Blessed Chiara Luce Badano from my generation. I hope and pray that she will be the first woman from Generation X to be canonized as a Saint. Indeed, Blessed Chiara Badano has been praying for me and continues to pray for me in my journey as a priest.
So, wherever you are living, the communion of saints is always near you, and they will continue to pray for you—happy Solemnity of All Saints.