Chapter 4: Cenacolo and the Blue Crosses
Richard was the first to wake up. Before waking Angela, he took time to enjoy her tranquil face as she slept. He smiled. After a while, the light stirred her into wakefulness. Rich really relished the sight of her deep brown eyes slowly opening to greet the new day. She stretched herself under the bedclothes, before climbing out of bed, and once again standing up to her full height.
"Wow!" exclaimed Rich, as he extracted himself from his bed, "I don't think I've ever woken up to such a beautiful sight."
"You still think I'm beautiful in the cold light of a new day?" said Angela.
"You're always beautiful," said Rich, "Whatever the time of day. Let's share that shower."
Rich and Angela once again shared the shower and prepared for what promised to be a less strenuous day than Tuesday. Since they were going to the 'Blue Cross' after hearing the testimonies from Cenacolo, Angela felt she had to observe the dress code. She wore a white sleeveless blouse but carried a long sleeved cardigan in her capacious shoulder bag. In any case, this would be needed to cover her arms for the eleven o'clock English Mass.
Breakfast this morning was at eight o'clock, leaving ample time for an exploration of the shops before Mass. The main meat this morning was sausages with slices of cheese. Angela located some muesli and yoghurt to supplement the cereal. As always, there were ample quantities of tea or coffee. The group who had been to Colombo's the previous evening agreed that Vlaho was the best place for lunch, as the meeting time for the trip to Cenacolo wasn't until two o'clock.
After breakfast, Rich and Angela joined a couple of other pilgrims, including George and Sandra Rashbrook, on the chairs outside the hotel doors.
"Did you sleep well?" asked George.
"Very well!" said Angela, "Ant I think it was the right kind of sleep. I woke up refreshed and ready for anything."
"That's good." said George, "Although I think today will be quite relaxing. Tomorrow will be the hardest, and longest day. We're going to be climbing that."
He indicated Krizevac, which was in full view from where they were sitting. Just as they were about to depart for the shops, they were joined by another young couple. The young man was quite short with fading blonde hair and blue eyes. The girl was about the same height and very slim. Her long, hair was straight, with a fringe. She had expressive deep brown eyes and a ready smile.
"It's nice to see someone else of our age on this trip." said the girl, "I guess you two come from Bristol."
"Yes, we do." said Rich, "We flew in on Monday."
"I know." said the girl, "We were on the same flight."
"How come we haven't noticed you before?" asked Angela.
"We should have been on the climb up Apparition Hill yesterday," said the girl, "But Maxxie wasn't feeling too bright, so I stayed with him in the hotel. I'm Caterina by the way, but you can call me Katie."
"I'm Angela," said Angela, "And this is Richard, although everyone calls him Rich. We met at Roundview College."
"That's a coincidence!" Said Maxxie, "We both went to Roundview, although we didn't meet each other until we met in London a couple of years after leaving."
"So, what made you book this pilgrimage with our Bristol parish?" asked Rich.
"I'm still in touch with my Catholic friends in Bristol." said Caterina, "Sandra contacted me, saying that she was coming on this pilgrimage. Would I like to come? Of course, I said 'Yes'. I also felt that Maxxie would benefit from it, so I've brought him along."
"After Mass," said Angela, "We're going to Vlaho for lunch. Would you like to join us?"
"What's Vlaho?" asked Caterina.
"It's a restaurant a couple of hundred yards from St James's church." said Angela, "The service is quick, the food's good and it's not too expensive."
"Are you okay with that, Maxxie?" asked Caterina.
"Sounds good." said Maxxie, "We'll certainly come along."
This group then left on a slow meander towards the church, visiting several shops along the way. Maxxie bought himself a set of rosary beads, as he had left his behind in London. He also noticed the prices of trainers in a shop they passed on the way.
The eleven o'clock mass on this Wednesday morning was given by a parish group from Connemara in Ireland. As a result, the homily was very much in support of the pro-life movement. It went some way to convincing Rich that Mini had done the right thing by carrying little Grace to full term and bringing her up on Alo's parents' farm. It also made Maxxie feel very uneasy, as one of his friends from Roundview, Jal, had an abortion when she became pregnant.
After the Mass, the ten people who made up this little group went slowly to Vlaho, getting there pretty well on the stroke of midday. Some tables were put together to accommodate everyone. Menus were handed round, and orders were placed. Since it had been a warm morning, the main dishes ordered were salads of various types. Most of the diners also enjoyed half-litres of a local beer.
"What happened to you yesterday?" asked Sandra, "You missed the climb up Apparition Hill."
"I don't know." said Maxxie, "I didn't sleep all that well and woke up feeling really 'vague'. I think it might have been something I ate at the airport before the flight. I'm perfectly okay now."
"Perhaps we could take you two up there ourselves when we have a couple of hours to spare." suggested Rich, "Tomorrow or Saturday would be good. Anyway, Maxx, apart from yesterday, how have you liked it so far?"
"It's a lot different from what I was expecting." said Maxxie, "We're in a nice hotel. This morning's breakfast was good, and this place is surprisingly good value for money."
"That's why we come here most years." said George.
Once lunch was finished, the group returned to the church, where they were due to meet the guide at two o'clock. Once all twenty-five or so pilgrims were there, half a dozen taxis were summoned to take them in threes and fours to Cenacolo. Having all arrived there, they were shown around the community before being ushered Into a small auditorium to hear testimonies from two young men, about Maxxie's age, who had their lives turned around by their experiences in Cenacolo.
The first one outlined how his addiction to heroin had lost him his job and almost, his life. He was at a very low ebb when he was encouraged to join the Cenacolo community. He outlined his recovery from the addiction and his return to his faith. On a slightly humorous note, he recalled being handed a rosary and wondering why he was being given a necklace. He was now 'clean' and now had no desire to return to his former life. The second one had been a victim of alcohol as well as some 'recreational' drugs. He too had found solace and peace as well as support for the end of his habits. It was also mentioned that Cenacolo was actually run by the young men who were benefiting from being in the community. This, he said, helped them to develop the life skills they would need in the world outside Cenacolo.
These two testimonies gave Maxxie plenty of food for thought. He remembered his friends who had succumbed to drink and drug habits, and a couple who had died as a result. He also remembered the desperate state he had got himself into after James had left him. On that occasion, he was nearly suicidal. He openly thanked God for sending Caterina to him when he was at a particularly low ebb.
When they left Cenacolo, the whole pilgrim group slowly strolled the half-mile or so down the road to the Blue Cross.
"I've just been thinking," said Rich, "Since we're here, perhaps we could take you to the 'apparition' statue of Our Lady after the visit to the Blue Cross."
"That's a brilliant idea." said Maxxie, "What would we miss by doing that?"
"A cup of tea and possibly the beginning of the Roasry at the church." said Angela, "We're going to pray the joyful mysteries on the way up to the statue in any case. Incidentally, Katie, are your shoes good for a rocky climb?"
"I hope so." said Caterina "These are the ones I hope to be wearing tomorrow before breakfast."
"This will be a good test for them then." said Angela, "The terrain on this hill is very similar to that on Krizevac, but it's a much shorter climb."
"You're looking thoughtful, Maxxie." said Caterina, "What's troubling you?"
"I was just thinking about some of my gay friends, who lost out to drink and drugs." said Maxxie, "Some of them didn't survive. They would have benefited from a place like Cenacolo."
"Anyway, cheer up!" said Angela, "We're going to spend the rest of the afternoon in happy places."
By this time, the group had reached the steeper of the two paths up to the Blue Cross. The guide mentioned that the fact that the two crosses were blue was fortuitous. Originally there was a wooden cross on this site, but it was replaced by the present metal one. A can of blue paint was all that was available at the time, so the cross was painted blue. Blue, of course, is the colour associated with Our Lady.
"If this place is called 'The Blue Cross', why are there two?" asked Maxxie.
"The first cross was put here to mark the place where Our Lady appeared to the visionaries when they were hiding from the Communist police." said the guide, "Some time later, a second cross was erected where Marija is still receiving visitations from Our Lady. I've already explained why the crosses are blue."
The group spent a short time in silent meditation at the Blue Cross, before continuing their stroll down towards the bottom of Podbrdo, the apparition hill and the cafés there. At this point, Maxxie and Caterina said they would like to take the opportunity to climb the hill with their new friends. Before they set out up the hill, Caterina asked the priest who was with the group to bless Maxxie's brand new rosary.
"Are you sure you want to do this?" asked Caterina, "You were feeling so rough yesterday."
"Of course!" said Maxxie, "I'm perfectly fit now. In any case, I could do with the exercise after spending yesterday in bed."
The two couples took their leave of the rest of the pilgrims and started on their way up the hill. Before they reached the unpaved path, they were joined by Sandra, who had left her parents to climb with them. Since she was unaccompanied, Angela invited her to lead the prayers at each mystery. She was only too pleased to do so. The five of them started the climb.
"You weren't joking when you said we'd need good shoes." said Maxxie, "A you sure yours will be okay, Caterina? I'm not all that sure about mine."
"They seem alright so far." said Caterina, "The next hour or so should prove them."
"If you have problems," said Rich, "There's a shop selling trainers quite cheaply in the village."
"I'll bear that in mind." said Caterina, "I think Maxxie noticed it this morning."
When they reached the plaque representing the Annunciation , Sandra led the prayers with the Apostle's Creed. Then led the first full decade, before the party moved on to the second plaque, representing the Visitation. Angela led the second decade, and they took it in turns to lead each decade as they climbed the hill. While standing on the large triangular rocky area in front of the last plaque, Sandra led the group through the 'Hail Holy Queen, The 'Memorare', and the prayer to St Michael.
"Thank you Sandra." said Angela, "You did well. You also provided the fifth voice, so none of us had to do anything twice."
The five young pilgrims then made their way, cautiously, to the statue and prayed there for a while before descending back to the bottom of the hill. By this time, it was about half past five. They made their way across the fields back to the church, praying the sorrowful mysteries. They arrived there just before six o'clock.
"Perhaps I will get some shoes." said Caterina, as they reached the open space in front of the church, "Incidentally, Maxxie, neither of us have been to confession yet."
"Right, then," said Maxxie, "We'll sort out your shoes, then we'll go to confession. After that we'll see what the time is. See you three at dinner if we don't see you before."
Maxxie and Caterina set out up the street to find a stronger pair of shoes, while the other three found some vacant seats for the international rosary and Mass.
"I think you'll find what you want in the second shop with trainers in its window." said Maxxie, "I noticed it this morning."
After about ten minutes, the couple reached the shop in question. On display were a wide variety of trainers from Adidas, Nike, Reebok etc. Caterina selected a pair she liked, which would be tough enough for the rocky climbs up the local hills. Maxxie, not to be left out, also bought a new pair of trainers. They were now equipped for the following morning's ascent of Krizevac. After sorting out their footwear, they set about the serious business of looking for someone who would hear their Confessions in their own language. After wandering round the area to the left of the church for a few minutes, Maxxie and Caterina found a priest hearing confessions in English. Since they were not in at the beginning, there was quite a number of people waiting. The bells signifying the time of Our Lady's appearance had sounded before the cleric was able to hear them. By coincidence, he was the Irish priest, from Connemara, who had said Mass that morning. After this, they were fortunate to find a couple of vacant seats for the international Mass. They did not manage to meet Rich, Angela and Sandra until dinner, back at the hotel. At this, the five young pilgrims sat together.
The dinner this evening was worth the wait. The hotel served up a spicy tomato soup, followed by roast beef, once again with potatoes, green vegetables and salad. The dessert was fruit; bananas, pears and apples.
"Make the most of this." said Angela, "We won't eat again until we've prayed the Stations of the Cross."
"Oh, yes!" remembered Maxxie, "We've got to be up really early tomorrow. I suggest we have our nightcaps here, then get some sleep. We'll need it."
During the dinner, the guide made her nightly visit to the group. She confirmed that the start time for the climb of Krizevac would be five o'clock the next morning. A coach would take them to the bottom of the mountain. She said that it will be round about sunrise when they started the climb, so torches wouldn't be necessary. Depending on the time, they would either take taxis back to the hotel, or walk back through the cemetery. She went on to say that breakfast would be at nine o'clock to allow time for the climb. The second thing she mentioned was the next day's main activity, a visit to Mostar. The group would meet at Our Lady's statue immediately after Mass to board the coach.
Due to the very early start, instead of the usual after-dinner stroll to a local bar, most of the pilgrims made themselves comfortable in the hotel dining area and had nightcaps of tea or coffee.
Maxxie and Caterina made their way to their bedroom just before ten o'clock and prepared for a somewhat short night's sleep.
"If you're okay with it, I'm going to sleep naked tonight." said Maxxie, "I think part of the reason I was having trouble sleeping the last two nights was the fact that, not only was it a strange bed, but I'm not used to wearing pyjamas."
"I'll do the same, then." said Caterina, "Neither of us is used to nightwear. I'd better set an alarm."
Caterina picked up her mobile phone and set its alarm for four o'clock in the morning.
"That should give us plenty of time." said Caterina as she placed the phone between the beds, and removed all her clothes.
"I never tire of seeing that." said Maxxie, as he stripped off his own clothes, "You're still so perfect."
"You shouldn't really be thinking of matters of the flesh." said Caterina, "But yes, I have come to like the way I look, since I've been with you. You've made me a lot more confident about my body."
"I don't think it's a sin to appreciate real beauty." said Maxxie, "And you are really beautiful."
The couple lay down on their beds, pulled the bedclothes over them and enjoyed a comfortable, but short, night's sleep.
In the adjacent bedroom, Rich and Angela also set a four o'clock alarm before they also enjoyed the sheer sensual comfort of sleeping naked in bed.