Creepy...
Date: 2/22/2009
From:
Catholic Audio 
Morbid!
In the above artwork, full of skulls (you could say downright "skully"!), is a depiction of man's mortality. You'll often find some depiction or another in any Catholic Church and most symbolic artwork of a skull... or, in this case, TONS of skulls.
The Church likes to remind man that he is mortal. Man will not last forever. In fact, man lasts a very short time. Sorry to give this to you on a Sunday... but this being the last Sunday in ordinary time before Ash Wednesday, I figure it would be appropriate to help you get 'in the mood' for the week in which we begin our preparations for the Lord's coming in the Resurrection.
Oh, and be sure to say and sing "Alleluia!" as many times as you can today, because it'll be a while before you can say or sing it again!
I already said goodbye to the Alleluia. Septuagesima came a couple weeks ago.
This is crypt is in Rome in the Capuchin Church of the Immaculate Conception (Cimitero dei Cappuccini). There are five rooms like this. Here are some more pictures of the bones: http://www3.sympatico.ca/tapholov/pages/bones.html . and here is some more info about the crypt: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Order_of_Friars_Minor_Capuchin#Cimitero_dei... .
I've used the MS clipart version of this for Tobacco Cessation Classes during October (right before the Great American Smokeout)