April 10, 1977

From the diary, April 10, 1977: " The city is freezing cold but we had a great outdoor Papal Easter Mass on the piazza. We kept everything molto semplice. I did the second reading and then the English intentions. The goddam bells started chiming during my reading. I considered stopping until they were done, but that would have been a bit troppo and even the pope wouldn't stop if the bells went off during his sermon, besides, the sound system when we do televised, is really sensitive. When I looked at the crowd, I thought about the fact that this will be my last Easter in Rome for who knows how long. Later, Steve knocked on my door. His friend in SF sent him some weed which we smoked and then went to the Ukrainian minor seminary where they were showing The Shoes of The Fisherman which we had to leave because we were laughing our heads off. Then we drank Vermouth in Mark's room and played cards on the roof till 3AM and no one knew that I was looking at their faces and wondering where we all would end up and if we would ever have these days in Rome again. I don't think anyone is allowed a second go around of a life this wonderful."