In 2010 I went on a pilgrimage "Walking in the Footsteps of the Early Christians" as a Spiritual Companion to students from St. Mary's College of California. On the feast of St. Agnes we visited the Church of Sant' Agnese. Two white lambs were brought into the Church in a large basket decorated with red roses. They were blessed before the assembly and taken back to be taken care of by the Sisters there. These lambs will later be shorn to make the pallium, a white stole given to the Bishops installed in the coming year. I love the story of St. Agnes and the devotion the Roman people have to her. It is a story of innocence and courage in the face of injustice. Lambs are such a perfect symbol for that!
