On 1 May, the feast of St Joseph the Worker, a group of final year seminarians at Sedes Sapientiae, went on a pilgrimage to the Shrine of the Holy House in Loreto, where they first prayed the rosary to Our Lady in heartfelt thanksgiving for these years spent in Rome. Afterwards, they participated in Holy Mass in a chapel of the Sanctuary.
Loreto is known as a sacred place where the Holy House of Mary is venerated, kept inside the basilica erected between 1469 and 1587. The Holy House is composed of three walls, which according to an ancient and authoritative tradition are the part in front of the grotto of Nazareth where the Blessed Virgin Mary was born, lived and received the Annunciation.
After prayer and lunch, the day ended with a splendid guided tour of both the exterior and interior of the basilica of the Holy House. The show guide, Dr Stefano d'Amico, told us for more than two hours many details of the history of the sanctuary, its architecture and the numerous artistic works that can be found inside.
It was a moving moment for all seminarians and priests to have the opportunity to pray in this sacred place, renewing our yes to the call to priesthood as Mary did, who within those walls said her yes to God with conviction and courage, becoming an example of life for us.