Sunday in Los Angeles

Sunday began with Mass in Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity Chapel, with early risers attending Mass in the extraordinary form at 7:15, and the rest of the group going to the ordinary form Mass at 9:00. Because students would be spending the day in Los Angeles — and not returning until late in the evening — there was then a study session in the library, so that all would have time to prepare for Monday’s classes. Afterward came lunch, and then students, prefects, chaplains, and a few tutors boarded three coach buses for the city. The first stop was the Getty Museum in the Santa Monica Mountains, with its panoramic views of the Pacific Ocean and the vast expanse of metropolitan L.A.

At the Getty students viewed world-renowned paintings, ancient Greek and Roman sculptures, illuminated manuscripts, and other works of art, including some by Monet, Van Gogh, and Renoir, as well as sketches by Da Vinci and Michelangelo. Students also found time to take plenty of pictures around the museum’s beautiful gardens, fountains, and outdoor patios.

At about 5:00 p.m. the group re-boarded the buses for a trip to the Hollywood Bowl, where students enjoyed a quick pizza dinner on the picnic grounds before settling in for the performance. The night’s concert was Pagliacci & Cavalleria rusticana, billed as “the extreme, no-holds-barred passions of jealous lovers in this beloved double-bill from two Italian opera composers at the top of their game.” Students delighted in the spirited performance, relaxing under the stars on a hot summer night in the Hollywood Hills.

The concert ended fairly late (about 10:30 or so), at which time students returned to the buses back to campus. Then it was off to bed for some much-needed rest before Monday’s classes on Euclid’s Elements and Tolstoy’s Death of Ivan Ilyich.