St. Peter's Rome EYC

St. Peter's Rome EYC St. Peter's Episcopal Youth Community is made up of 6th-12th graders coming together to celebrate, worship and fellowship. The Episcopal Church Welcomes Youth!!

While many of our activities involve FOOD, fellowship and fun, we strive to keep God, Son and Holy Spirit, at the center of our experiences. Youth of all backgrounds are welcome to join with us as we celebrate Christ and his presence in our daily lives. There are many opportunities to be involved with the EYC at St. Peter's in Rome. We gather on the upper green space on Sunday afternoons from 4-5:

30pm. There is food, fellowship, and time for scripture & how it applies to our lives. As weather permits, we are there! EYC Adventures at least one weekend a month, where we get out and explore God's creation through outdoor recreation. Coffee Hour on the 1st and 3rd Thursday of every month through the school year at Swift and Finch. We meet at 4:30pm on the porch. Service Projects let us give back to our community and grow deeper in our understanding of God's call to serve. Join us, we welcome you!

What a great night! Thank you to our gracious hosts. They’re wondering why we don’t this monthly in stead of annually…...
12/17/2025

What a great night! Thank you to our gracious hosts. They’re wondering why we don’t this monthly in stead of annually… we’ll see what we can do. Maybe sometime in the spring.
Merry Christmas from this amazing group!!!

After the rain passed, it was a beautiful night for a grill out! Thank you to Eli, John, Matt, and David for manning th...
11/07/2025

After the rain passed, it was a beautiful night for a grill out! Thank you to Eli, John, Matt, and David for manning the grills and Callie for leading us in compline.

Thank you, St. Peter’s, for all of your donations for Northwest Georgia Hunger Ministries!! We’re going to keep the food...
11/07/2025

Thank you, St. Peter’s, for all of your donations for Northwest Georgia Hunger Ministries!! We’re going to keep the food drive open and continue to deliver donations. Feel free to drop off in Daniel hall any time.

Today, June 30th, was the last day of our pilgrimage. As we close out on our journey, I would like to reflect on what st...
06/30/2025

Today, June 30th, was the last day of our pilgrimage. As we close out on our journey, I would like to reflect on what stood out to me the most. The first day started with a long plane ride and a bus ride following it as we traveled to Assisi. Before getting settled at the monastery we were staying at, we took a trip to San Damiano, where we met sister Elaine, who gave us an introduction of St. Francis. From there, I knew this trip was going to be special for me in getting closer with God. Assisi, a beautiful city on a mountain which had the most beautiful streets and grand churches. It’s hard for me to pick a church that stood out the most to me in Assisi because they all felt meaningful as there was something different and special about all of them, however, the basilica down the hills called Santa Maria degli Angeli stood out to me because of how quiet it was. To just walk around without noise and look at all the paintings and take in what was really around helped me really connect with God. Our second location in Italy, La Verna, was a smaller town up in the mountains where nature surrounded us. While staying there, we traveled to the Sanctuary of La Verna where the views were beautiful. A brother gave us a tour of the monastery and after we were allowed to go on our separate hikes. This gave me the opportunity to go out and explore and look at all the nature around me which really helped me feel closer to God. I felt that the reason St. Francis came here was for peace. A place doesn’t need to be grand and lively with people to be important. La Verna was lively with nature and peaceful, making it an important place to me. Our third location in Italy was Florence. We went to church at St. Mark’s which felt a little like home while reading the same scripture that we use at St. Peter’s. Even though the big city can feel like a stride away from the true meaning of a pilgrimage, it added a lot more. Here, everyone was able to connect together as we walked down the streets and ate dinners. On this trip, I got to know many people that I had barely interacted with before. I’m grateful to have had this group for a pilgrimage as we traveled the journey and grew closer together.
-Lucas Herring

Today, June 29th, was our first full day in Florence and while the busyness of the city distracts us from the true mean...
06/29/2025

Today, June 29th, was our first full day in Florence and while the busyness of the city distracts us from the true meaning of our pilgrimage, small parts of today reminded us of the whole point. I was inspired by Nick during our pre-compline convos when he said something along the lines of, “Even though the cities we’ve been in are so populated and we are constantly doing something with our fellow pilgrims, this trip can feel isolating because of the language and culture barriers.” I thought about this before walking into church this morning. Our visit for Sunday morning church at Saint Mark’s Church in Florence felt a little like home., with the similar Anglican Sunday service in English and its combination of coffee, cake, and conversations upstairs after the service. The priest talked about names and their significance, how being called bad names stuck and changed how we feel about ourselves and how good ones became an expectation to live up to. He told the story about how at the time Simon was called Peter by Jesus and that’s the only name that mattered from that point on. It reminded me that any name I’ve ever been called has never mattered because the only one that matters is what god calls me. To pull from the Songs of Solomon, "Behold, you are beautiful, my love, behold, you are beautiful; your eyes are doves."(versus 1:15-16). This plus the priests word put into perspective God’s unconditional love for us no matter what anyone else has to say or think about us.
-Callie Dempsey

Today, June 28, was mostly a travel day from La Verna to Florence. I feel like this was a bigger travel day than what we...
06/28/2025

Today, June 28, was mostly a travel day from La Verna to Florence. I feel like this was a bigger travel day than what we’ve done so far because we are moving from the peace and quiet to a loud city. Even though a big city, like Florence, can be overwhelming and loud, it can be just as peaceful as a quieter city.
Today we took a bus ride to Arezzo, which was one of the places where St. Francis stopped. In Arezzo, we went to the Basilica di San Francesco. It wasn’t a guided tour In the church, and we got to explore the church one by one. While I was walking around I noticed all the paintings have been eroding away because of how long they’ve been in there. The stained glass was one of my favorite parts of the whole church. The sun was so bright and it paired so well with the glass that you didn’t need any lights to light it up. After our self guided tour we all went out to lunch and had yummy paninis. Then we went back on the bus for a little bit longer to get to Florence. While I was on the bus I got to reflect on where we’ve been so far. What’s really impacted me on this trip is our journal time every day. Each day we have a specific time where we write out our thoughts. It’s been most helpful for me because it’s made me reflect on all the important details of the day. It’s helped me channel deeper emotions and has made me closer to God. I’m so glad I came on this pilgrimage because I’ve learned more things about myself that I never would’ve known. All the nature we’ve gotten to experience has also been very impactful for me. Hearing the wind blow through the trees and the birds fly around has made me feel more peaceful and relaxed than I’ve ever felt. Assisi and La Verna were thrilling and exciting and I can’t wait to find more of the peace in Florence as I did in Assisi and La Verna!
-Cate DuVall

Today, June 27th, I would say was the most impactful day for most. Although we didn’t do much, the meaning behind everyt...
06/27/2025

Today, June 27th, I would say was the most impactful day for most. Although we didn’t do much, the meaning behind everything we saw left a greater impact. This church seemed to be not as significant as the others, just because Francis only spent a short amount of his time here. When we arrived at the Church in La Verna, the first thing to notice was the location: on top of a great mountain where the breeze almost cooled you off completely. Walking towards the church you didn’t except much, but around some turns and you were facing one of the most beautiful sights one could see. With the guided tour we got to experience and feel what Francis did thousands of years ago and that’s something most people do not get to experience.
Today was most impactful to me because of the way I connected to this church. It was surround by a national park and mountains that faded into light blue the further they got. I didn’t realize how much I loved being outside until I got to experience it without the worries of technology taking over. Many would say they found the guided tour most impactful, but I would say my hike with Callie was most impactful to me. Throughout the course of this trip I found that I feel most connected to God through nature, his initial artwork. Seeing every tiny rock to every huge tree with great detail puts it into perspective that the same God to create all those beautiful sights, created you. When we first went on the hike, we stopped at a tiny opened spot on the side of the mountain to journal. Journaling has became something important to me on this trip because I found it as a way to express my thoughts and feelings without having to act out of emotion, whether it’s good or bad. After we stopped for a little to journal, we continued our hike. The first stop was a small rock with small opening where Callie and I were amazed with just that view thinking we couldn’t find anything better. As we continued our hike, we made frequent stops, each better than the next. Finally we got to the top of the mountain almost after an hour of laughing, talking, rambling, and sharing our thoughts to one another. We stopped and admired the trees that were above us until we noticed a small trail that led to the side of the mountain. We decided to follow through and see where it led, we then came across the most beautiful view I have ever seen. Standing on a giant rock, with a wide opening, looking at the far blue mountain covered in bright green trees with sun glistening on them, and towns below them with such warmth. A sight I will never forget. This was so impactful for me because it made me realize there is so much of God out there, than people can see. First seeing that view it was almost like you could feel God’s presence standing right next to us. Sitting in silence with Callie while watching the views is something I’ll always cherish with her, both looking at the same beautiful view, filled with adrenaline, and thinking about what’s yet to come. The impact the view left for me is something I wish I could express more, but it’s only something you have to experience to understand. I’m so thankful to have experienced this and hope one day to see it again. I’m excited to see what else will be impactful to me in Florence and I can’t wait to spend these last couple days with some of the best people I’ve met!
-Molly Ledbetter

Today, Thursday, June 26th, was mainly a travel day from Assisi to La Verna. It was still a very impactful day as we vis...
06/26/2025

Today, Thursday, June 26th, was mainly a travel day from Assisi to La Verna. It was still a very impactful day as we visited a beautiful church in Gubbio, the church of San Francesco. Visiting Assisi for those three days was very precious to me and something I will cherish for the rest of my life. From the beautiful churches to the amazing time spent with everybody here, I will always miss this place, but still I was ready to experience more about the footsteps of Saint Francis.
This church today, my personal favorite, was very gorgeous despite the fact that it was mostly smaller than some of the other churches we have seen. The church of San Francesco was located in Gubbio because this was a city that resonated a lot with Saint Francis. His dad was a merchant and Francis would often travel with his dad to Gubbio; in addition there is a very unique story about a Francis with a wolf. The story goes along with ideas of unity and coming together, as this wolf would continuously eat the people’s livestock and they needed Francis to put a stop to it. As Saint Francis goes to talk to the wolf, Saint Francis understands that the wolf is just trying to eat. He stops the wolf, with the agreement that the people make sure the wolf never goes hungry, and I thought that was a very beautiful story. This is a great story that represents Saint Francis as a person, someone who cares about every living thing and that animals are just as important as human beings.
Going into the actual church there wasn’t anything too different from other churches. However, at a closer glance some of these paintings describe amazing stories. One of these walls of paintings describes stories from Mary’s life. These were my personal favorite because I was able to look at these and figure them out piece by piece what they meant. The scene depicted moments from the before Mary was born with St. Joachim and St. Ann praying for a baby, to the birth of Christ, and Mary’s death and funeral. All these depictions were created with frescos which have beautiful coloring but are also weathered and partly cracked so you can’t fully see some of the paintings. Seeing these paintings was my favorite part of the day and a great way to show the magnificence of Mary.
With Assisi completely finished, we head out to La Verna. The drive up to this city was beautiful, an incredible view of this mountaintop city, and with this first part of our journey done, I can’t wait for what’s to come.
-Grant Molnar

Today is Wednesday June 25th, and today really struck home with me. We began our journey today at Maria Immacolata, our ...
06/25/2025

Today is Wednesday June 25th, and today really struck home with me. We began our journey today at Maria Immacolata, our home away from home, with morning prayer and a simple breakfast. From that point we made our way to Basilica of St. Francis. This Basilica is really close to where we are staying, only taking about a 7 minute walk. The Basilica of St. Francis is a huge cathedral with many spaces for prayer, people constantly participating in services, and the location of the final resting place of St. Francis himself. This has been my favorite part so far because this was the building we drew several months ago for the fundraiser. Being able to recognize this monument was satisfying to see my study in faith was already paying off. Leaving from the Basilica of St. Francis, after a short lunch break, we traveled a couple miles to Basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli where I navigated, leading the group down to the outskirts of Assisi from the main town. I made many mistakes, taking wrong turns or not turning where I needed to. To be honest, I was very humiliated with myself. After all I am a scout, I’ve led scouts through mountains before, but I couldn’t make my way through a small town? But during navigating, I revisited a concept explored by a brother at hostel the previous day. The brother spoke about a story where St. Francis broke his oath and ate meat, and he was so ashamed of himself that he asked his fellow friends to es**rt him in front of a crowd NAKED and shame him for what he’d done. However, the crowd did not shame Francis for what he had done. Much like the group that Francis had surrounding him, I had many kind souls around me as well. My fellow pilgrims did not shame me for the errors I’d made, even though they were many. They laughed with me, and continued to follow me as if I hadn’t made a single mistake once to begin with. When we arrived at Basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli, it was a breath of fresh air to step inside that church. Even though it was under construction, the church was quiet. The silence was so loud that you could hear whispers of tourists from the opposite side of the cathedral. In Basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli, we wrote in our journals, drew pictures, and sat in silence as we took it all in. One thing I notice upon exiting is how loud that the outside world is… and it was really hot… But from that point forward, our group took a ride back into the walls of Assisi, letting us enjoy our evening in fellowship. It might only be the second full day, but I feel a stronger connection with the ones around me. Coming into this trip, it felt awkward to talk to these new friends of mine, but I believe we all will become a bonded group by the end of our journey, wherever it might lead.
-Nicholas Bell

Today, June 24th, was a fun filled day. We all woke up bright and early and quickly made our way to the Eremo delle Carc...
06/24/2025

Today, June 24th, was a fun filled day.
We all woke up bright and early and quickly made our way to the Eremo delle Carceri. It is now a monastery built on top of the caves Saint Francis would visit to write and pray. There, we met brother Mateo, who told us everything there was to know about Saint Francis‘s history in Assisi.
To me, the thing he said that stood out the most was the story of Saint Francis and the l***r. Mateo read to us from Saint Francis’s writings and Francis had written something that loosely translates to:
“I was on my horse, and he[the l***r] was on foot. It was God that brought us together to meet.”
That really stood out to me because at the time l***rs were considered ‘lesser’ by society, but God doesn’t condemn them - he loves them all the same.
Then, after hiking a few of the trails and eating a quick lunch, we made our way back into town.
We went to see the Basilica de Santa Chaira and were able to see the original San Damiano Cross, which was the original cross that Saint Francis was praying to when God spoke to him and told him to rebuild his church.
From there we moved onto the Assisi Cathedral, which was created in honor of San Rufino, who was the first bishop of Assisi. We were able to climb to the top of the bell tower, and it was pretty amazing to see the whole city spread out below us.
We finished up our day with a tour of San Rufino’s crypt and saw some artwork featuring Saint Francis and Saint Claire.
Overall this day has been amazing and I am so excited to see what is in store for us the rest of the week!!
Caroline Sawhill

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101 E 4th Avenue
Rome, GA
30161

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