English language Mass at the Church of St Benedict in Catania

(Information correct as at November 2023)

Visitors in Catania who wish to attend English language Mass would naturally go to the Metropolitan Cathedral of St Agatha. 

However, there are no English language Mass celebrated there. Furthermore, the website is in Italian and the Mass times are not updated in the website.

The Metropolitan Cathedral of St Agatha is located at Piazza del Duomo in Catania.

When I went to the cathedral to see if they had English language Mass, I was pleasantly surprised to see a notice on the bulletin board that English language Mass is celebrated at the Church of Saint Benedict which is located 350m away from the cathedral. 

English language Mass is celebrated at the Church of St Benedict on Sundays and Solemnities at 11:00am.

I quickly used Google Maps and navigated myself to the church.

Along the way, I saw information on the history and significance of the church. Here, read the information before I show you to the interiors of the church:

When I found the church and entered it, I could only gap in amazement at the interiors, particularly the ceiling:

The sentence in the information board outside the Church of St Benedict, describing it as "Among the most important churches of the Sicilian baroque and among the most beautiful in Europe" is true indeed.

Since I was the first person who arrived for Mass, the person-in-charge invited me to become lector for the First Reading. I was delighted at the opportunity and agreed immediately. It was the Feast of Christ the King.

Here are more pics of the church:

So if you wish to attend English language Mass in Catania, make your way to the Church of St Benedict. English language Mass is celebrated there on Sundays and Solemnities at 11:00am.

Malta to Sicily with Virtu Ferries

During my trip to the Mediterranean in November, I visited Malta, the island of Sicily (in Italy) and Tunis (capital of Tunisia).

From Malta, I travelled to Sicily on Virtu Ferries.

Since it was the low season, there was only one ferry which departs Valletta (in Malta) at 5:00am, and arrives at Pozzallo (in Sicily) at 6:45am. 

I was glad that Virtu Ferries also provides a coach transfer from Pozzallo to Catania (capital of Sicily). The journey was approximately 1 hour 45 minutes and saves passengers the hassle of having to look for transport from Pozzallo to Catania.

This is the route from Malta to Catania:

I took the ferry from Virtu Ferries Passenger Terminal in Malta to Pozzallo, and then onwards to Catania by coach. 

The day before my ferry was scheduled to depart from Valletta, I received an SMS saying that the departure time has been brought forward to 4:00am (original time was 5:00am) due to bad weather. And the coach from Pozzallo to Catania will arrive at 8:45am.

Since foot passengers are required to be at the passenger terminal 1 hour before the ferry departs, I didn't want to be late and left my hostel in Valletta early around 2:15am. I booked a Bolt and reached Virtue Ferries Passenger Terminal around 2.30am.

This is the passenger terminal:

I was around 30 minutes early and there was no one else around at that time:

It is always good to be early when catching planes, buses and ferries.

When the gates opened at 3:00am, I showed my boarding pass and passport to the personnel and proceeded to board the vessel named Saint John Paul II:

Virtu Ferries must have strong connections with the Vatican. Both Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Francis have made visits on board the ferries.

Saint John Paul II vessel has 3 levels, as shown in the Evacuation Plan:

It was free seating so I found a seat towards the back where there was a power point to charge my devices:

The vessel doesn't look like a typical ferry at all, but more like a cruise ship (although I haven't been on one myself)

There're slot machines for passengers who need to while away time on the high seas:

It was around 4:00am and in the low season (read: not many passengers), therefore the slot machines were not switched on.

Passengers who don't play slot machines may window shop: 

There is a section upstairs for First Class Passengers. However the area was not accessible at that time:

Just like airlines, Virtu Ferries has its own in-house magazine too:

It can get choppy on the high seas and Virtu Ferries have prepared vomit bags:

If you decide to travel from Malta to Sicily, do consider taking the ferry. It is convenient, safe and comfortable.

My new travel sling bag

Meet my new crossbody sling bag that I had purchase specially for my travels:

The bag is from Kenvelo, a brand with origins from the Czech Republic.

A plus point of getting this brand is that its products meet the Global Recycled Standard:

I got the bag from Travel for All at RM129.00 which was a 50% discount from the original price of RM259.00. Year-end sale, mah.

I used to carry a medium size Longchamp Le Pilage when travelling. I carried in when exploring cities, on trains and busses, etc. but it was a tad too big and inconvenient when moving around. Each time I wanted to retrieve something from the bag, I had to place it on a flat surface first before pulling the zip open. 

Soon, I moved to an Adidas crossbody sling bag. With such a bag, I could unzip the bag whilst the bag still slung over my body. Going in and out of airports and immigration is convenient with a sling bag because I can easily fish out my passport. 

I can also keep the bag in front of me, or hold it close to my body in case of pick pockets or theft.

However, the Adidas crossbody sling bag have become too small for my needs. I need a bigger bag, but not one that is too big either. The Kenvelo crossbody sling bag fits the bill! It can fit a water bottle, folded umbrella, passport, wallet, pen and mobile phone with room for other essentials.

I can't wait to bring this bag on my next travel!