About the Book
In recent decades, Americans in Rome have revived an ancient Christian custom: the daily pilgrimage to dozens of Rome's most striking churches during Lent and Easter Week. Along this historical and spiritual pathway, pilgrims encounter hidden artistic wonders and treasured Christian commentaries while also confronting the great mysteries of the Christian faith through a program of biblical and early Christian readings. The itinerary of the Roman station church pilgrimage offers Christians an opportunity to reflect on their religion and ponder the quality of their discipleship. In Roman Pilgrimage, bestselling theologian George Weigel, art historian Elizabeth Lev, and photographer Stephen Weigel guide readers along this religious and aesthetic journey with gorgeous photographs and revealing essays on the pilgrimage's art, architecture, and liturgies.
A reminder of the call for renewal and conversion during each Lenten season, Roman Pilgrimage reflects on the deepest truths of Christianity and the exquisite beauty of the station churches of Rome.
About the Author :
George Weigel is one of the world's foremost authorities on the Catholic Church and the author of the New York Times bestseller Witness to Hope: The Biography of Pope John Paul II. He is a Senior Fellow of the Ethics and Public Policy Center in Washington, D.C., and a consultant on Vatican affairs for NBC News.
Elizabeth Lev is an art historian, bestselling author, international speaker, and certified sommelier. She teaches Baroque, Renaissance, and Christian art at Duquesne University in Rome. Bob Souer is a full-time professional storyteller, voice actor, and AudioFile Earphones Award-winning narrator. He has narrated broadcast and nonbroadcast projects for corporations and ministries across North America. His voice has been heard on PBS, the History Channel, the Military Channel, and many other networks. He has also narrated radio and television programs for the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, D. James Kennedy Ministries, SIM, and Compassion International.
Review :
"Roman Pilgrimage is as beautiful as it is profound. Part travelogue, part meditation on Lent and Easter, part art-historical feast, this sumptuously produced book, full of striking photographs and theological wisdom, provides readers with a personal spiritual itinerary through the Eternal City during the holiest time of the year."
-- "New Criterion"
"On cold, damp, late-winter early mornings, hundreds of priests, seminarians, sisters, and devoted lay people walk the Roman cobblestones to one of the Eternal City's forty most venerable sites, the station church of that Lenten day. It's a microcosm of the pilgrim Church and of life's journey, and Easter is never brighter than after faithfully completing this sixteen-century-old pilgrimage tradition."
-- "Timothy Cardinal Dolan, archbishop of New York"
"The Lenten station church pilgrimage is increasingly popular in Rome, especially among English-speaking Catholics...Up to now, though, these sunrise pilgrimages have been known to few outside Rome. No more!"
-- "Edwin Cardinal O'Brien, grand master of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulcher of Jerusalem "
"This is a unique guide book, referencing not only theology but the history of Western art, modern and postmodern literature, urban history, and church history. Valuable to believers, scholars, students, armchair travelers, and those planning pilgrimages following Phil Cousineau's guides."
-- "Booklist"
"Visitors to the Eternal City, either in their armchairs or on foot, will learn much about the spiritual journey of Lent and Easter through Rome's station churches, many of them little-known artistic treasures."
-- "Bruce Cole, chairman, National Endowment for the Humanities, 2001-2009 "
"Weigel, popular Catholic author and senior fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center, traces an ancient Christian pilgrimage traditionally undertaken during the liturgical season of Lent...These reflections bring the traditional Lenten ascetic practices of fasting, prayer, and almsgiving into a contemporary context."
-- "Publishers Weekly"
"Weigel's reflections allow one to enter into the spirit of the Lenten experience of conversion. The descriptions of the architecture and artistic decoration of each church by Lev (art history, Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas)...enhance the text...Will appeal to any Christian seeking to experience somewhat the pilgrimage that many have followed to prepare themselves to celebrate Easter."
-- "Library Journal"
"Weigel's Lenten tour of Rome acts as part travelogue and part theological primer, and he introduces readers to some of Rome's most splendid and historically significant places of worship...Engrossing."
-- "Kirkus Reviews"
