Two coins bring two friends back to Rome!

It is the blessing of a lifetime to be in Rome. This is my second visit and I still can’t believe I’m here. On my first visit, I came on pilgrimage with friends from Trinidad and Tobago where I was born and raised. We visited different religious and cultural sites, one of which, was the beautiful Trevi Fountain. This is where my friend Marianne, told me of the tradition of throwing a coin into the fountain and the belief that by doing so you would return to Rome. At the time, Trevi was undergoing renovations but we tossed our coins into what little water was there, our hearts filled with hope. That was in 2014. Now, 9 years later I’m back in Rome and so is Marianne as well as a couple more of our Trini friends! Life is beautiful and God has a sense of humour!

I came this time to participate in a course on Ecumenism and Interreligious Dialogue at the Centro Pro Unione in Rome. I’m here with another lovely group of friends that I’ve made through my studies in Theology at the University of St Michael’s College at the University of Toronto.

It’s been quite the adventure seeing different sites including the Piazza Navona, Vatican City, the Colosseum, Castel Sant’ Angelo and the Pantheon. The heat is sometimes unbearable (I swear Rome is an oven) but it’s worth it to have this experience. It's also impossible to see all that Rome has to offer in one or two visits.

I’ll be sure to return to the Trevi Fountain to toss another coin in!

By Rheema Farrell

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Rome Ecumenism Course 2023

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