Choir Trip to Italy

LAUREN BARTON ‘23

Over February Break, the Ursuline Chamber Choir and Concert Choir embarked on a spiritual pilgrimage to Rome, Italy. Over the six days of the trip, the students visited many historic spots, most notably St. Peter’s Basilica, Assisi, Trevi Fountain, and St. John the Lantern Church. Students were also able to perform hymns that they had learned in several churches and were able to get ashes on Ash Wednesday. Additionally, this trip was very important to the Ursuline community as it was the first international exchange since the Covid pandemic in the fall of 2020.

As a member of the Chamber Choir, I felt extremely honored to be able to experience this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. One of my favorite moments of the entire trip was walking into St. Peter’s Basilica for the first time. With its tall, ornate ceilings, beautiful frescos, and largerthan-life statues, this magnificent church truly took my breath away. Italy, being a country known for its cuisine, truly did not disappoint. My favorite meal of the trip was a cream-based pasta with Italian sausage that the choir enjoyed in Assisi, and it was one of the highlights of my trip. Besides the delicious food and beautiful churches, another one of my favorite parts of the trip was our visit to the headquarters of the Ursuline Nuns. It was such a unique experience to be able to talk with them, and it was even more remarkable to see the diversity of the nuns and hear their stories. There were nuns from Poland, France, Taiwan, and Italy. The nuns reminded us of the importance of Serviam in our lives, and it was incredible to be able to hear their stories about the early Ursuline Sisters and what they did to serve their communities. Overall, the trip was extremely valuable to the students’ global education by allowing them to immerse themselves in a culture different from their own.