Hanging with the Dead – A Catholic Halloween
We Catholics know how to do death and the afterlife, right?
Keep reading for some of Rome's creepiest relics, crypts, incorruptible bodies, and messages from the dead.
But first…
Upcoming Pilgrimages
Paid subscribers filled up my Fatima to Lourdes pilgrimage almost immediately. Thank you! I will offer it again in 2025.
Poland and Lithuania has 11 spots left. This was by far my favorite destination of 2023, and this is what the priest who traveled with me had to say…
“After going to Poland with you twice, I can honestly say that it feels like the third Holy Land after Israel & Rome. It is the story of Divine Mercy and how a thousand years of Polish/Lithuanian History culminates in Ss. Faustina Kowalska, Maximilian Kolbe, and John Paul II. The Proper Poland trip was easily one of the greatest trips of my life. I am changed after that pilgrimage. I hope others decide to take that journey of faith with you.”
→ → → You can sign up here.
I mentioned last week that it was looking like a few people would be moving to another of my pilgrimages, opening space for Rome, Just Rome: Advent Edition. Well, they did! So now I have a few spots available for that.
As a reminder, this is a “staycation” in Rome with a small group of fun people doing some really cool things…
We have tours with Agnes Crawford and Liz Lev.
A food tour with Sophie Minchilli.
A dinner and wine tasting at the legendary Rimessa Roscioli.
We will be opening and turning on the lights of the Vatican Museums — just us, all alone in the Sistine Chapel.
And, of course, daily Mass, lots of amazing meals, and some off the beaten path experiences.
→ → → You can sign up here.
By the way, today is the 511th anniversary of Michelangelo’s completion of the Sistine Chapel, and
writes about that today in her always informative newsletter.Relics and Incorruptibles
I wrote this article years ago and it’s been reprinted and reposted many times. I’ve added some new pictures and stories... levitations, bodies that are still flexible and moist hundreds of years after death, eyes opening, detached heads, etc.
→ → → Read Hanging with the Dead.
The once a year crypt visit on Tiber Island
A group of people used to bury the unwanted dead of Rome. Now the bones of those dead are on display in a crypt that is only open for an hour each year on All Souls’ Day. After a Mass and a procession along the Tiber, the faithful visit the crypt to pray for the dead. The crypt is musty, cramped, and filled with hundreds of skeletons.
→ → → Check out the eerie Sacconi Rossi Crypt.
The Devil’s Stone and the Vial of Darkness
One of the most terrifying relics in Rome is the lapis diaboli, or Devil’s Stone, found in the Basilica of Santa Sabina. The tradition is that Satan tried to distract Saint Dominic while he was praying in this church. He produced a solid black stone and threw it at the saint. Of course Dominic didn’t flinch. Today the stone is in the back of the church with Satan’s claw marks still present.
Some people have bucket lists of places they want to visit. I have a bucket list of relics, and this one is at the top… a collection of relics of the seven plagues. These are kept in the church of San Marco Evangelista right in the heart of Rome. Why these exist, I have no idea, but they are rarely on display, possibly only by invitation once a year. The one I am most excited and terrified to see is the vial of darkness. From what I hear, it’s literally just that, a vial of the darkest dark matter that basically sucks all the light and joy from anything around it. I’m uncomfortable just thinking about it and I can't wait to see it!
Purgatory in Rome
There’s a little known museum in Rome dedicated to the souls in purgatory. People always get a bit uneasy when visiting.
→ → → Read about it here.
Have a happy and holy Halloween, All Saints’ Day, and All Souls’ Day!
Here’s me dressed as ET.
— Mountain
Thanks for the mention, Mountain!
Love your Halloween edition 💀