From the anti-Christian era, our minds turned to the modern, as the party made its way to Calvary, the hospital of the Blue Sisters, the Little Company of Mary. Mother Mary Potter the Foundress of these Sisters died in 1913. The introduction of her cause has interested Boscombe and we were delighted to visit this Convent accompanied by Mother Potter, one of our own mistresses who is the niece of Mother Mary Potter.

An English atmosphere prevailed even in the heart of Rome - and we were fortunate in being able to attend Benediction in their Chapel. The latter is very beautiful and most unusual - being heart-shaped. In front of the altar, stairs lead down to the crypt where the body of the Holy Foundress rests.

That evening news came that the incredible privilege of a Private Audience with the Holy Father had been granted to the Religious of the Cross and their pupils. Did this really mean ourselves? Could it possibly be true? Early next morning having crossed the Piazza in front of St. Peter's, a group of Nuns and pupils made their way through the columns to the right.

Who can say whether awe or excitement predominated as the Swiss Guards on duty permitted us to enter the passage which would lead eventually to the Pope's apartment. How lethargic the Guards and officials appeared - we felt that everyone should be sharing the spirit of eager anticipation which was urging us to rush forward, whereas Vatican etiquette required us to proceed at measured pace two by two.

The floors of the passages were tiled, the ceilings covered with rich mosaic work with blue the prominent colour. Nor were the walls plain; they too were coloured but in more subdued tones. No windows overlooked the staircases, which seemed unending. At length, the ascent was over and a room even more sumptuous than those of the ground floor had to be traversed. Our feet sank into the thick, curly carpet.

On and on we went, through one magnificent stateroom after another until we reached one where we were instructed to wait. This room was directly connected with another by a door through which we were told that the Holy Father would enter.

The Nuns took their places along the wall nearest the door, while Boscombe pupils stood in front of the throne and the pupils from France end Belgium on the opposite side of the Nuns.

Our great moment, the climax of the Pilgrimage had come. A tall figure, dressed in white appeared at the door, and the whole group knelt in recognition of the presence of Christ's Vicar on earth. Any sense of awe was dispelled by the smile of those penetrating eyes. Reverend Mother General addressed the Holy Father, asking his blessing upon the Society of the Cross, and all its works.

Having recognised the homage offered by Reverend Mother General in the name of us all, His Holiness began to move towards each of the Nuns who kissed his ring and received a little packet.

There were questions for each one - her nationality, work and Convent. If only we could enjoy the privilege too! Was this too great an honour to expect?

No, the Holy Father was moving towards our group, and Ann Wyatt presented him with the Spiritual Bouquet on which the offerings of the Congregation and its Pupils had been inscribed.

And now my turn had come. Forgive the personal touch at this moment for the thrill could never be objectively described. His Holiness, Pope Pius XII was speaking to me, allowing me to kiss his ring.

His questions had nothing of the condescending remarks of a great personage; he was genuinely interested in what each one had to tell him and the kind, searching eyes seemed to be recording impressions.

I wanted to be assured that all was real. As he passed on, the little blue packet pressed into my hand assured me that this was no dream but a wonderful reality. Having spoken with everyone, the Holy Father went towards the door by which he entered and paused there speaking first in French and afterwards in English: "From the depths of my heart I give you and your families and all dear to you at home, my blessing."

As he uttered these words, he stood there with his arms outstretched towards us as if he wished to embrace in that one gesture the whole of Christendom. We knelt to receive his blessing and then rose to sing the chorus of "God Bless Our Pope". He turned back, listened intently, extended his arms as he had done before, bowed, smiled and was gone. All stood in silence, each one busy with her own thoughts.

If our visit to Rome had consisted in this Audience alone, it would have more than sufficed.

Once more in the Piazza of St. Peter's, we came back to earth and decided to spend the rest of the morning exploring the Vatican Museum and the Sistine Chapel. Of course, there is no possibility of appreciating the wealth of treasures in so short a time, but we carried away a general impression of the precious books, documents, jewels, frescoes and statues.

No visit to Rome would be complete without seeing the Catacombs, and we were fortunate to have as escort, Mr. L. Stewart, who is studying for the priesthood at the Beda College, and who was a pupil at Boscombe as a small boy. It gave great pleasure to Mr. Stewart to renew contacts with Boscombe, and he proved a most interesting guide, giving life to the prosaic facts of the Guide Books.

These dark underground passages lined with earthen graves made a great impression on us all. How much the Christians of the past had been prepared to sacrifice for their Faith! We were treading on soil stained with Martyrs' blood. In niches were the altars where Mass was said in the days of persecution. By dint of careful listening and scrutiny of his gestures, we managed to follow the trend of the Italian Guide's explanations.

How strange it was to stretch on the ground in order to observe the picture of Our Lady on the ceiling of one of the cells; this painting is attributed to a 2nd Century artist and is thought to be the first ever done. A crucifix from a very early period attracted attention, for Our Lord was depicted as triumphant, rejoicing, and not enduring the pangs of death, as we see on our crucifixes to-day. This symbol was typical of the current attitude of the Christians; Christ Crucified was regarded pre-eminently as the great Conqueror of Death, triumphing by His Resurrection.

Our last day was devoted to a farewell visit to St. Peter's, and as we gazed up at the windows of the Vatican, all our previous joys were recalled and renewed. Our last official act of the Pilgrimage was to go up the Scala Santa on our knees.

Farewells to the Nuns at the Assumption Convent came all too quickly and we shall retain most happy memories of our stay with them.

The return journey was so arranged that we passed in daylight the districts we had come through by night. The Pilgrimage so long anticipated was a thing of the past in itself, but the recollections were ours to enjoy at leisure in the future.

Two days' stay in Paris enabled us to visit many of the places that every tourist wishes to see; Notre Dame; le Sacre Coeur, Montmartre; the Sisters of Charity Chapel, rue du Bac; and Saint Sulpice to mention some of the Churches, and of course the Arc de Triomphe, Tuileries, the Louvre and Les Invalides.

The return crossing was made on Saturday night and at early Mass in Southampton on Sunday morning we united in gratitude to God for the great grace of such an experience. We had been to Rome and now we were nearing home, supremely happy.

May this account of our Holy Year Pilgrimage close with the message given by the Holy Father at the end of the General Audience,

"You carne to Rome as pilgrims: you must go home as Apostles."

M. Hughes (Upper V).