One of the spiritual wonders of Rome are the catacombs. There are about 50 catacombs, of which the important are San Sebastiano, San Callisto, Priscilla, Domitilla, and Sant'Agnese. Catacombs were the ancient roman burial sites made up of underground passages which often extend to many kilometres. In the period of persecutions of the early centuries, the catacombs were the locus of Christian worship in hiding.
On Sunday, 1 September some seminarians along with don Eduardo Baura, visited the catacomb of St Callixtus. It is located on the right side of the Via Appia, near the church of Quo Vadis. The Catacombs of St. Callixtus are among Rome's largest and most significant burial sites. They were established around the mid-second century and form part of a cemetery complex covering 90 acres, with a labyrinth of tunnels extending about 12 miles across four levels, reaching depths of over 20 meters. Within these catacombs, numerous martyrs, 16 popes, and many Christians were buried. The catacombs are named after the deacon Callixtus, who was appointed by Pope Zephyrinus in the early third century to manage the cemetery. Thus, the Catacombs of St. Callixtus became the official burial ground for the Church of Rome.
Also, like the early Christians, we celebrated the Sunday Mass in a small grotto within the catacomb, on the altar of St Callixtus. Another important place that we visited was the crypt of St Cecilia, where St Therese of Lisieux had received a profound spiritual experience during her Roman visit.