NATCHEZ &8212; A period of rest and renewal spawned unexpected pleasures for the Rev. David O&8217;Connor, who returned a few weeks ago from a three-month sabbatical in Rome, Italy.

Some moments loom large in his memory &8212; touching the hand of Pope Benedict XVI, celebrating Mass with the pope and thousands of participants at St. Peter&8217;s Basilica during the Easter season, taking part in the Stations of the Cross at the historic Coliseum and in the Mass of Chrism with the pope and 2,500 other priests.

He enjoyed the people, culture and food in Rome and liked to spend time in the gathering places in the heart of the city.

And he relished the time to travel in Europe, visiting churches and other great buildings and surveying the ancient ruins of Pompeii.

At home now in his parish, where he is pastor of St. Mary Basilica and Assumption Catholic Church, he has realized other rewards of the sabbatical.

&8220;For the first time in many, many years, I had time to think, reflect, pray and do a little journaling,&8221; O&8217;Connor said. &8220;Out of that came time to think about my life being blessed by the people in it &8212; my family, the people of Natchez, getting to come back to Natchez for a second time.&8221;

His reflection time found him thinking about his family, his education and the people who have loved him and whom he has grown to cherish.

&8220;While I was in Rome, a central theme for me was the blessings of my life, and out of that came a tremendous sense of gratitude for being blessed like that,&8221; O&8217;Connor said.

As a priest, he appreciated the opportunity in Rome to get the big picture of his church, meeting others from diverse backgrounds and celebrating Mass with people from all over the world and in many languages.

His home parish remained a part of his daily life there, however, as he took the names of all of his parishioners with him and prayed for a few of them each day. &8220;It was a satisfying experience,&8221; he said.

O&8217;Connor and the other priests chosen for the program lived and studied at North American College on Janiculum Hill, located just a short walk from the Vatican.

Lectures took up about two hours in the morning and again two in the afternoon, but the priests were free to take time off as they desired. &8220;I attended about 95 percent of the lectures, but there was a freedom about the program. I really had three months of doing what I wanted, a great gift.&8221;

An incredible sense of fraternity welled up among those who participated in the Easter season Masses, O&8217;Connor said. &8220;On Easter Sunday, there were probably 600,000 to 700,000 in St. Peter&8217;s Square. We priests were ministers of communion and distributed communion throughout the square.&8221;

Those Mass celebrations gave him a chance to see the pope numerous times and up close, O&8217;Connor said. Many people had wondered about Benedict&8217;s transition to pope.

&8220;He came from a background of being seen almost a policeman of orthodoxy, but he has transformed into a warm and friendly person with a true gift of engagement in an audience situation,&8221; he said.

&8220;I saw a peacefulness in his face. I knew all of his talents had not been used up to now.&8221;

His aura and personality may not be not the only surprises the pope has in store for the world. O&8217;Connor believes the pope is setting the stage for a more unified approach to the Christian church.

&8220;He is profoundly theological in his understanding of God&8217;s church and the unifying thread of faith in Christ,&8221; O&8217;Connor said. &8220;We&8217;re blessed with this man.&8221;

Overall, the sabbatical exceeded his expectations, O&8217;Connor said. The lectures were stimulating and his time in travel included trips to Paris and Chartres in France and to many countries in Central Europe, including Hungary, where he visited the square in Budapest where Hungary&8217;s young people confronted Communism and fought for freedom in 1956.

He visited the hometown of Pope John Paul II and touched the baptismal font where he was baptized. He visited Auschwitz in Poland.

Before leaving for Rome, O&8217;Connor received a request from George Souderes, whose father died in World War II and is buried at the American Cemetery in Florence.

Souderes hoped O&8217;Connor could go the cemetery and look at the gravesite.

&8220;I did go to Florence and just decided I would try to go to the cemetery,&8221; O&8217;Connor said. He searched for someone who knew where it was and then for someone who would take him the 10 miles or so by taxi.

Finally, he found a way, arrived at the cemetery and found the director, who spoke English and indeed had been born in Washington, D.C.

O&8217;Connor took pictures of the marker, and the director made printouts of all the burial information from his computer.

&8220;The people in this country would be very proud of how they maintain that cemetery,&8221; O&8217;Connor said. &8220;I am a nationalized citizen, and it made me very proud.&8221;

That side trip was unrelated to the sabbatical but &8220;such a sweet aspect of it and well worth the effort,&8221; he said.