random thoughts – Day 1,099 – (Tuesday) –The Pieta

In high school, Miss Rita Mullahy was my teacher of choice for English classes sophomore, junior, and senior years. I was fascinated by Miss Mullahy. She wore leg braces and used a wheelchair after having been stricken with polio in college. She lived with her sister. She was passionate about literature and poetry. 

There are a couple things that have stuck in my head over the decades from the years with Miss Mullahy. She shepherded us through a lot of reading with lots of questions, including the nightmarish essay question “Is it fate or free will?” I never had a hard stance in either camp and would argue both sides of that topic.

The Pieta

One random recollection is Miss Mullahy telling us that her favorite sculpture was “The Pieta” by Michelangelo. Carved in marble in 1498-99, the sculpture depicts the Blessed Virgin Mary cradling the body of Jesus Christ after his Descent from the Cross. 

When my friends and I were choosing specific things we wanted to do while in Rome, visiting St. Peter’s Basilica and seeing The Pieta was high on my list, largely due to Miss Mullahy.

Like the Mona Lisa at The Louvre, The Pieta is protected by plexiglass and ropes to keep visitors at a safe distance. Also like Mona Lisa, it was mobbed with visitors. But I saw it, and on the walk over to it I thought, “Miss Mullahy, this one’s for you.”