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“To me, living in Rome is like a life-long love affair. The joys and frustrations are both marked with great passion. I must say, Rome has offered me many more joys that frustrations, the city welcomed me and gave me a role to play here alongside the millions of other travelers, pilgrims and immigrants that have come here over the centuries. Caravaggio and Michelangelo were foreigners in Rome, as was St. Peter, and each one fulfilled his destiny on this soil. This thought gives me the impetus to give my all every day, to try follow worthily in so many illustrious footsteps. The Romans, albeit often a bit rough on the surface, have helped me at every turn, allowing me to become more deeply a part of the city. I am very proud to serve as an examiner on the Rome Tourism Board, as well a consultant for the Vatican Museums. I became an Italian citizen in 2008 and to my surprise, found myself quite moved to know that at last, I was a member of this wonderful country. America gave me a strong sense of self-confidence and the certainty that hard work and dedication would never be vain. Italy in turn, gave me countless opportunities to exercise my skills. There is always something new to learn or discover which makes one feel perpetually young in this ancient city. As St. Ignatius pondered his future at La Storta in the outskirts of Rome, Jesus appeared to him pronouncing the words, “Ego vobis Romae propitious ero,” or “I will be fortunate for you in Rome.” While I have little in common with St. Ignatius (especially in the area of personal sanctity) those words have long resonated with me. Andrea Pozzo painted this scene in the apse of the church of Sant’Ignazio and every time I see them, I feel as if they were meant for me. I have been honored with many privileges: I have met both John Paul II and Benedict XVI on more than one occasion, I have taken extraordinary people around the city, from Henry Kissinger to Eddie Murphy to Dorothy Hamill, I have explored the most obscure catacombs and visited the most inaccessible corners of palaces and museums. And of course, the backdrop of daily life in Rome is like none other in the world. From the lapis blue of our evening sky, to the golden glow of our sun soaked monuments, every day offers a wonder to behold in Rome. The magical beams of light in St. Peter’s in the afternoon, the picturesque balconies overhung with flowers tucked behind imposing palaces in broad travertine and the silent skeletons of the great remnants of our antique glory add grandeur to the simplest of daily tasks. But perhaps my favorite aspect of Rome is its element of surprise, whether the Trevi fountain seeming to leap out from behind a corner or the stunning façade of Santa Maria dell Pace waiting at the end of a medieval alley. These startling encounters with beauty always make me think of how the Divine often erupts unexpectedly in an ordinary existence, much like the light in Caravaggio’s finest paintings, and it transforms one’s life into something richer and fuller than one could have ever imagined.” |
