What to do in Rome?....like I need to ask!

Okay, I don't want to get too ahead of myself. But its so hard not too!

I know that it will be difficult in Rome, and I want to be realistic about that reality. What with not knowing anyone, or the language, or anything really it will be hard for little melancholic like myself. Missing all the weddings and ordinations back home.....Being in a foreign far away land completely unfamiliar to myself. But then again, with all the Church surrounding me, nothing could be closer to home. While homesickness for the States is a strong probability, a homesickness for Heaven is only highlighted in that, so thank God for homesickness. And lets be real, I am so excited for all the things that come with Rome. ROME!

I will limit myself at this time to only a few.

The Holy Father. I am so excited to be in such close proximity to our shepherd. I mean, I could go to a Wednesday audience, because I can, because I will be in Rome. I really cannot express the thankfulness for this privilege; to see him so often, to be so connected with the heartbeat of the Church.

The Holy Stairs. I'm not going to lie, I would live in Rome if only for this. I can't wait to spend every Friday praying on the very stairs, on the very place that began Jesus's Way of the Cross. Because I can, because I will be in Rome. To see where the wood has been rubbed away by thousands of knees, thousands of prayers....and to offer something to Jesus in return for his generosity.

The intellectual challenge. Let's face it, I have loved my undergraduate experience, I wouldn't trade it, but it has not been the most intellectually challenging. I was looking at the fall schedule for this year and it is (almost) intimidating (SOO excited, plus I'm kind of a nerd) a couple of ethics courses, history of ancient philosophy, psychology, logic, (should I go on?) Latin about 4 more philosophy courses....a grand total of 29 credit hours....all in the first semester. But I am so excited, I have wanted to study all of these things for so long....

And if I start talking about liturgy......well, I just probably shouldn't, I did say I would stay brief........

The Letter From the BISHOP!

Okay, so although I do not have the slip of paper in my hands saying that I will be in Rome in the fall of '11, Bishop Jenky did write a letter of recommendation and sent it off to be signed by the Apostolic Nuncio (the ambassador to the US from the Vatican) and it is being sent off to the Angelicum!

Nothing is impossible for God Lk 1:37

Needless to say, I am very excited. This is a big step and now all I need is a visa to study there.

In order to get a visa, there's a ton of paper pushing and blah blah blah. First step though, finding a place to live in Rome. Right now I am working on finding a cheap place and it seems promising. Then I have to prove that I can pay for it all.....

I am still kind of in shock that I will be in another country, God willing, in the fall, for four years. This is just so unexpected, so unasked for, so past what my thoughts were. I know that if I go, my life will be radically changed in a way I didn't expect, it's impossible for it not to. There's too much that happens in four years even if you aren't in a completely foreign land. Who knows (but God himself) what will come of all this. Not that I knew before what would happen, but it seems that even the "probably"s are "not"s and the "possibilities" aren't even though of. I could end up teaching at a seminary or finding a religious order in Europe, or helping in some small way to unite the Orthodox...those Russians.....

Studying in Rome

My name is Taryn Watkins. There’s not too much else to say about me, but God has done so much for me, and there is a ton to say about that. I have been blessed with so many things, among them a deep desire to learn who God is. Another blessing God has given me is a talent and passion for art, hence I am about to graduate from Illinois State University in May with a degree in painting. This has lead me to pray about what God wants from me after I graduate.

I have a deep love for my Catholic faith and the Newman Center has been an integral part of the development of that faith. The more I learn, not just about but who God is, the more I want to know. And while I think that reading and prayer are essential, I also know the value of a formal education. I would very much like to continue my education in Theology and I feel that God is calling me to this. I would like to study at the St. Thomas Aquinas Pontifical University (Angelicum) to obtain my Licentiate in Theology. This is a four year program in Rome where I will study Philosophy for two years and Theology for the next two. What happens after that is all part of Gods plan (which he knows and I don’t yet) but while there I hope to further not only my education in a formal sense but also experience the liturgy of different rites and deepen my understanding of the profound mysteries of the Mass. I would love to experience the Universal Church in this way and also have an opportunity to volunteer with the Missionaries of Charity in Russia (another one of my loves). And there are so many other opportunities to enrich my passion for art and the liturgy!

But, I need help getting there! How can you help? I am asking for prayers most of all, and that’s not just a thing that I am saying. This is actually what I need more than anyone else (those who know me best will tell ya). But if you would also like to help with the physical realities of studying too, I am selling paintings and other works (some of which you can see on this blog, more to come!) and I would love to do custom commissions as well. A portrait of your family or icons of your patron saint, whatever you would like. I also have a handy donate button. You can help me in my mission to do God’s work! You are needed to make this possible! If you are at all interested in buying any work or in commissioning something specific, please contact me directly at
tarynawatkins@gmail.com. I will be updating this blog with updates as they come, thank you so much.