Boxing Day

December 26, 2010

Peace and Good,

I entitled this blog boxing day because that is what it is called in countriesk that were ruled by Great Britain. The servants of the family had to serve them Christmas Day,and they didn't get a chance to celebrate until the day after when they could finally open their Christmas boxes.

Well, I finished out series of meetings on Tuesday morning. They went for seven days, and we didn't quite finish the agenda. That is OK, though, because the important things were finished, and in Italy there is usually not the sense of urgency you can find in the States to get things done. Here, if they get done, then they get done. If they don't, then maybe they weren't supposed to get done.

The last few days I have been spending just getting caught up. There are a lot of e mails coming in to take care of, and then I am still moving in to my office (mostly going through old files and reading what is necessary and shreding a lot of out of date material.

I concelebrated noon Mass on Christmas Day in our Basilica with about 20 other friars. What was odd is that there were only about 25 people in the congregation. We live in the historic district of Rome where not a lot of people live. Inner Rome has a ton of Churches and very few people, while the suburbs have tons of people and very few Churches. (Sounds familiar, doesn't it. The only problem in Rome is that these churches can't be closed because they are historic.)

I got to visit one of the suburban churches one evening, St. Mark's Church, where I was ordained a deacon. I was supposed to be ordained a deacon in another parish with my class, but a couple of days before it my appendix ruptured and I came down with peritonitus. When I got out of the hospital (ten days later and probably 30 pounds lighter), they decided to ordain me before my parents left (for they had been visiting for the ordination). I had been working in St. Mark's, and they decided to have the ordination there. The Church was packed for a Monday evening Mass. It was great.

I have travelled to Assisi for a few days of quiet and prayer. There is something about this city for a Franciscan that makes one feel at home immediately. It is so beautiful, so peaceful.

I finished a couple of books. The first is Jerusalem 1913: The Origin of the Arab-Israeli Conflict by Amy Dockser Marcus. 1913, just before the First World War, was probably the last opportunity for the Arabs and Jews to come to some form of agreement concerning the establishment of the state of Israel. It came close, but some sad incidents and some stubborn personalities on both sides interferred and led to what seems to be the never-ending conflict that we now see.

The second book was an essay on Cardinal Newman as a Musician by Edward Bellasio. I wanted to read it because he was recently beatified. Unfortunately, the book is horrible. I would not recommend it in any way!

Hope you have a good Boxing Day. Be safe.

Shalom
fr. Jude

Rome for meetings

December 19, 2010

Peace and Good,

I have been in Rome for meetings all week. I am part of tthe general counsel of our order (which we call a definitory). Throughout this week (and Monday and Tuesday of this coming week) we were meeting to talk about what is going on in the order and make plans for the future.

This week we met a series of friars who are responsible for various dimensions of what we do.

There was friar Martin who is from Argentina and is the Assistant general who is the spiritual assistant for the Secular Franciscans throughout the world. The seculars are lay people who live in the spirit of St. Francis in their everyday lives. There are actually many more of them than of the friars. When St. Francis founded his movement, it was originally a lay movement and only became a religious order as time went on.

There was friar Edoardo from Padua in Italy who assists the Poor Clare sisters. They are considered the second order of the Franciscans. (The frist order is the male religious belonging to the OFM, the OFM Conv and the OFM Capuchin, the second order is the Poor Clares who are a cloistered order, and the Third Order are lay people, a group of religious men who follow the Third Order Rule knows as the TOR's, and the Franciscan Sisters other than the Poor Clares.) There are 26 convents of the Poor Clares here in Italy and three in other countries (those Clares joined to our order, there are others joined to the OFM's and the Capuchins). Like many communties, those in Italy have become older and are joining communities together. The communities in Poland are doing much better.

There was friar Francisco from Columbia. He is the director of the office that speaks about Peace and Justice and the Safeguarding of the Environment.

There was friar Sebastian from Romania who works in the office that fosters interreligious dialog from Assisi.

There was friar Rafaele from Italy who works in the office of the Militia Immacolata, a movement founded by St. Maximillian Koble in which one consecrates one's life to accepting God's will in the same way that the Blessed Virgin Mary did.

There was friar Alcides from Argentian who works in the office for formation of the friars (those who are just entering and those who have been in for a while and need a time of renewal).

There was friar Fermino from Italy who is working on a rewriting of our constitutions (a very long and complicated process). The constitutions are the basic rules of how we are to live as friars both individually and in community.

There was friar Andreas from Germany who takes care of our archives and is working to catalog many of the important artifacts that we as an order possess.

There was friar Ryszard who is developing a new internet site for us. (By the way, if you are interested, the present site is ofmconv.org.)

There was friar Angelo from Italy who works on preparing the causes for beatification and canonization for our order (and for people who are somehow related to our order).

It was fascinating to listen to the work they are doing.

Last night the definitory went to see a movie together. It is called Men of God, a French film about a community of Trappists who lived in Algeria during the recent civil war. They were caught between the Islamist extremists and the army. It is excellent. It is one of the most honest portrayals of religious life and discerning God's will that I have ever seen.

Finally, I finished two books.

The first is Jeanne D'Arc: her life and death by Margaret Oliphant. Oliphant is English, and it shows in the descritions given, but there are also some good insights into the inner life of this saint. I still struggle with the idea, though, that God would root for the French against the English. In a case like this, why would God care who won the war. They were all miserable rulers who exploited their people horribly. I sometimes don't know what to make of it.

The other work was a collection of Best Russian Short Stories, including stories by Pushkin, Gogol, Turgenev, Tolstoy, Dostoyevsky, Checkov and Gorky. It was really a good selection and it was interesting to see the tenor of the story and the forms used change as time went on. I still think that Gorky's descriptions are some of the best I have ever read, even he did some very despicable things toward the end of his life by buying into the Stalinist persecution of many of his fellow writters.

Have a great week preparing for Christmas.

God bless and
Shalom
fr. Jude

Baltimore - Rome

December 12, 2010

Our Lady of Guadalupe / Gaudete Sunday

Peace and Good,

Well, I travelled back to Rome and will be here for three weeks. (What a joy, sleeping in the same bed for three whole weeks.) This week, after I got over some of the worst jet lag, I have been taking care of some projects. I edited a number of reflections for the daily reflections, wrote a new article for the Messenger magazine from Padua, wrote a report for our next definitory meeting which begins tomorrow, etc. I was so busy with the projects that when I went outside Saturday for something, I realized that I had not been outside the front door since I arrived on Wednesday. I'll have to watch that, it's so easy to get caught up in what you're doing.

The various Assistant Generals have been out on the road since the last meeting. They have been coming back home one by one, and it is great to see the joy on the friars faces to see them home again. It reminds me of the scenes when the disciples were sent out by Jesus and when the first friars were sent out by St. Francis and then came home. We have stories to share with each other from Paraguay, Poland, Kenya, Tanzania, Vietnam, Australia, the States, etc.

This coming week and a half are filled with meetings. I will be here at home (Santi Apostoli) for Christmas day, and then the day after I will head up to Assisi for a private retreat.

I finished a couple of books. The first was Alexander of Russia by Henri Troyat. Alexander was the czar who defeated Napoleon when he invaded Russia. He is a complex figure. He wanted to be liberal in his ideas, as long as it didnàt have to be applied to real life, e.g. the fact he did not liberate the serfs in his own country. He was the grandson of Catherine the Great. She wanted him to succeed her, but died before that could be made public. He allowed for some army friends to assisinate his father (who was definitely a loser), and he suffered from guilt for this for the rest of his life. This is not the first book I have read by Troyat. He is an excellent author, but one has to be willing to invest a lot of time because none of his books are short.

The other book I finished was called Cod by Mark Kurlansky. As an author, Kurlansky has cornered an interesting section of the market: food. In this book, he shows how cod fed massive portions of the population in Europe from the Middle Ages. It was considered to be a source of weaalth from the new world alongside silver and gold. He speaks of how it became a cheap source of protein for the slaves on the sugar plantations in the Carribean, indirectly supporting that horrific institution. He also speaks about the collapse of the fishing stock and how desparate life is now for cod fishermen. He even include a number of recepees for cod from earlier days and the present. It was a good read.

I hope you have a good week.

Shalom
fr. Jude

Buffalo - Albany - Montreal - Ellicott City

December 6, 2010

Happy St. Nicholas Day

Peace and Good,

Hope you are all well. This week I finished off my visits to the provincials of the US and Canada. On Sunday I drove from my brother's house to Rensselaer (across the river from Albany). There I met with Fr. Justin Biasi, the provincial of Immaculate Conception Province. This is the other eastern province (my own province of St. Anthony being the other one). The two eastern provinces are in the process of joining. The schedule has the approval coming in 2013 and the actual joining coming in 2014.

Immaculate Conception is also responsible for two other jurisdictions: a custody (a baby province) in Brazil and a delegation (smaller than a custody) in Costa Rica. We spoke about the province in the US and these two entities. There are about 100 friars in all. Like St. Anthony, they have parishes, shrines, and retreat house ministries as well as college campus ministers.

On Wednesday I drove up to Montreal to visit the custody there. There are 16 friars, all from Poland, serving the needs to Polish immigrants and recently French speaking Catholics there. In the past, this custody did not belong to our conference because the friars minister to and in Polish, but now they are a part of the North American and English/Irish conference.

From there back to Rensselaer for the night. I got to meet with one of our friars who is ministering in Assisi. We shared some information and a number of stories about the joys and confusion of life in Italy.

Then on to Ellicott City. Friday night there was a reception to say goodbye to me as I get ready to head off to Rome today for my permanent stay.

I finished a few books and tapes. The first was Brother Odd by Dead Koontz. This is part of the "odd" series. This is the third in the series that I have read. It was excellent. Odd (his name was supposed to be Todd but they made a mistake at the registry) can see ghosts and his mission is to help them find peace. In this book he is staying at a monastery of monks and nuns in the Cascades. The nuns care for mentally challenged children. There is a warmth and gentleness in the description that, in spite of the fact that this is a ghost book, is firmly pro-life. It was a joy to see a book that respected the defenseless so well.

A second book was the Picture of Dorian Grey by Oscar Wilde. This is one of those classics I always wanted to read. It is written in a decadent late Victorian style. It has much more to do with moral degeneracy than with age.

The third was the Broken Window by Jeffrey Deaver. This is a Lincoln Rhyme book. He is a paralyzed investigator who solves cases for the police (or at times in spite of the police). This one has to do with a mass murderer who is drawing his information from an internet company that mines information and sells it to customers. It speaks of the danger of Big Brother watching our purchases, our moves, etc. I wouldn't classify it as great, but it was good.

Tonight I fly out to Rome and will be there for the vigil of the Immaculate Conception. Our Basilica of Santi Apostoli has a big celebration for the feast. People also bring bouquets of flowers to the statue of Mary in the Piazza di Spagna.

Take care and
Shalom
fr. Jude

Chicago - Carey, Ohio - Buffalo

November 28, 2010

Peace and Good,

This past Sunday began with liturgy at our friary at Marytown in Chicago. We had solemn morning prayer followed by a beautiful Mass. It was an appropriate way to celebrate the feast of Christ the King.

That afternoon, I travelled to the Shrine of Our Lady of Consolation in Carey, Ohio. You might remember that I was there a couple of times this past summer, preaching a retreat to our new novices and then preaching a novena for the Feast of the Assumption. I spent Monday doing some homework. Every year the Minister General sends a letter to the friars of the order throughout the world, and I was asked to translate it from Italian into English. It was a little difficult, because even though my Italian is not bad, I am not yet used to thinking in Italian (and Italians have a different way of expressing ideas, e.g. never say in ten words what can be said in twenty).

Tuesday I headed out to Buffalo where I spent the Thanksgiving holiday. Wednesday I was the celebrant at the funeral of my Godfather. He passed away Saturday morning. This was a real miracle, because I am on the road so often. What were the chances that this would coincide with one of my few visits to Buffalo. At the wake, I noticed that there was a display of his military medals, which included the silver star. Like many of his generation, Steve rarely spoke of his experience of war. One of the things that most impressed me about him was that when his wife, Eleanor, came down with Alzheimer's, he had her taken care of at home. He couldn't think of institutionalizing her. What an example! Please keep him, Steve Mayer, and his family in your prayers.

Thanksgiving was a great time to visit family here in Buffalo and then yesterday in Pittsburgh. My family is so supportive of me in so many ways.

I finished a few books this week. The first was A Passage to India by E.M. Foster. I had seen the movie made from this book years ago (it was a Merchant Ivory production). It was great, but the book was even better. I thoroughly enjoyed the book. It dealt with the theme of two cultures meeting and how difficult it can be for one to understand the other. Actually, for India, it was more than two cultures (the British, the Hindus, the Muslims, etc.).

The second book was the Gracchi, Marius and Sulla by A.H. Beesley. It deals with the period just before the rise of Julius Caesar. One can understand what happened to Caesar when one understands the social turmoil that was going on in Rome at that time.

The third book was a set of CD's called the Shape Shifter by Tony Hillerman. The story revolves around a Navaho retired detective who tries to solve a strange set of crimes. There are a number of insights into Native American culture. For example, ambition is not seen as a virtue among the Navaho's. One is supposed to fit in and help the tribe and family, not to stand out. This is well worth reading or listening to.

Today I head out to Albany to visit another provincial.

God bless and
Shalom
fr. Jude

Ellicott City - Chicago

November 22, 2010

Peace and Good,

This week began with my meeting in Ellicott City with Fr. James McCurry. He is the provincial of St. Anthony Province, my home province. We spoke about the concerns of the province as we prepare for our union with Immaculate Conception Province. Both of these provinces are located on the east coast of the United States. St. Anthony was founded to serve the Polish Americans who had settled between Buffalo, Boston and Baltimore. We are now serving in two high schools (St. Francis in Athol Springs, NY and Archbishop Curley in Baltimore) and numerous parish both in that triangle described above and in Georgia and Florida. There are around 125 friars in the province.

At this past provincial chapter, St. Anthony also assumed responsibility for our friars in England and Ireland. This is a much smaller jurisdiction, and we are helping them until they can once more be a province.

Tuesday evening I travelled to our formation house in Forestville, MD to celebrate Mass and talk with those who are in initial formation. There are eleven of them from three different provinces.

Wednesday I drove is Mishawaka, IN to our novitiate. There I spoke with our novices (7 of them) and then Thursday drove to Chicago to visit the provincial of St. Bonaventure province. St. Bonaventure is a daughter of our province. There are around 50 friars in it. They have three large houses (Marytown, Chicago and Milwaukee) and several smaller parishes. Marytown was founded on the inspiration of St. Maximillian Kolbe. They have a beautiful chapel in which they have 24 hour a day Eucharistic adoration. It is also a retreat house, well used. Milwaukee is a beautiful, beautiful basilica as well as a formation house for four older vocations studying for the priesthood. Chicago is a formation house for a number of younger men who are postulants (checking out the community) or simply professed (having recently taken their vows).

I have finished a number of books. There is a Mountain of Crumbs by Elena Gorokhova. This is about growing up in the Soviet Union in the 50's and 60's. The title comes from a game that her grandmother played with her children during the famine caused by Stalin. She only had a slice of bread for each, so she would break it up into crumbs so that it would look like more. The book is well written and it gives you a sense both of what it was like and why people wanted to go elsewhere.

A second book is the Third Reich in Power by Richard Evans. This is the second of a trilogy on the Third Reich. It is incredibly thorough. This volume covers the years that run from the time that the Nazi's took power until the beginning of World War II. As I read it, I am constantly amazed as to how evil some people can become. It answers well the question as to why the Germans allowed it all to happen.

A third book is the Legends of the Jews by Louis Ginzberg. This an extensive collection of legends (mostly written by the rabbis) about the early books of the Bible and the characters of those stories. Many of the stories seem strange and foreign to our ears, for they are a mixture of moralistic tales and science fiction. Yet, for me, as a Bible scholar, it was well worth reading.

Hope that you have a wonderful Thanksgiving.

Shalom
fr. Jude

Rome - Baltimore - San Francisco - Baltimore

November 14, 2010

Peace and Good,

As you can see by the title, this has been a week on the planes. I came back from Rome on Monday and Wednesday I flew out to California to visit with the provincial of St. Joseph Cupertino Province.

This is a rather small province, just over 50 members. It goes from Los Angeles to San Francisco and out to Reno. Their friars are most involved in parish ministry, although a number of them do have singular apostolates.

Fr. Chris Deitz is their provincial. He is beginning his third term. He resides at Arroyo Grande which is near Pismo Beach.

The province has taken on responsibility for our new mission in Vietnam. We have a number of friars who were born in Vietnam living in California, Australia and Japan. A few of them have founded a mission in Vietnam and Fr. Chris will be visiting them shortly to help them in their early growing pains. It appears as if there are many young men who would like to join out community there. One of the friars at the friary where I was staying, Castro Valley, will be heading out there for a three month trial in a couple of months. Having worked with the refounding of the province in Romania, I find this very exciting.

The travel back and forth has left me quite jet lagged. I am not all that good on that, and at times it takes me a week to adjust. I just do what I can and when I need a rest, I do that.

This has been a good week for articles for the Messenger Magazine and daily reflections for the internet site. I finished them up to Christmas eve. It is good to be so far ahead.

In terms of books, I listened to Justice Denied by J.A. Jance. He is quite popular lately. This book speaks of a series of murders by a vigilante. She has an informant in the DNA lab and gives her information about unsolved rapes, and she then dresses in a nuns habit and executes them. The action and the character development which quite good.

A second book is Fortunate Son by Walter Mosley. This is the story of two boys, one white and one black, who become brothers through a relationship of one's father and the other's mother. When the mother dies, it all falls apart. There are some masterful sections and incredible insights, but one thing really bothered me. Twice there are instances where people in the book have sex with underage children. In both cases, the development was unnecessary and I just don't know why the author would include it and glamorize it.

A third book was The Curve of the World by Marcus Stevens. This is about a jet that crash lands in the Congo during civil war. One man runs into the jungle to escape what he is sure will be a massacre. We hear of his struggle to survive, and also of his wife who travels there with her son who is blind to try to find him. I thought that this is one of the best books I have listened to in years. Many of the insights into intercultural situations rang true from what I have observed.

This week my trips will not be quite so far - Chicago, South Bend, Carey, Ohio and Buffalo.

Take care and
Shalom
fr. Jude

A Week of Meetings

Rome

November 7, 2010

Peace and Good,

This has been an eventuful week. On Tuesday morning at Mass I was sworn in as Assistant General. My duties began shortly after Mass when we began a meeting of the General Definitory. The Minister General is the head of the order, and the rest of us who are assistant general are a type of cabinet who advise the general and who serve as liasons to the various sections of the globe where the order is established.

This first council meeting went for four and a half days, about seven to eight hours a day. In addition, there was often homework to do to prepare for the discussion the next day.

I was incredibly impressed at the fraternal caring of those at the meeting. There was no attempt to outshine the others or force one's opinions on the others. The primary question is how can we serve the order and the individual friars.

Being new, I often had to ask questions concerning various topics. The others were more than willing to bring me up to date. They were patient with my Italian, which is not horrible, but definitely rusty.

One of the major concerns for the order is how to keep updating the friars and help them to grow spiritually. That is so important because we can so easily get caught up with what we are doing that we forget who we are.

This coming year, I am already programmed to visit the US, Canada, England, Ireland, Poland, Spain, Kenya and Malta. Those are the required trips, others might pop up as time goes by.

I fly back to the States tomorrow for about a month to visit the various provincials throughout the States and Canada. Then back to Rome on the Feast of St. Nicholas.

In spite of the work, I'm still reading. It keeps me sane. I finished another biography by Jacob Abbott about Genghis Khan. This was not his best. So little is know about him that Abbott often resorted to side topics to fill out the book.

A second work was Empires before Alexander by Robert Dise. This was one of the Teaching Company courses. It was excellent. The author provides a great amount of information but he throws in a great dry sense of humor every once in a while. At one point he was talking about Israel and how, when the Israelites entered the promised land, they probably did not really conquer Jericho and make its walls come tumbling down because it had not been inhabited for hundreds of years before and after their conquest. His line was that you didn't need hundreds of soldiers with trumpets, a half dozen of them with kazoos would have done the trick.

A third work was the Children of the Frost by Jack London. These were stories from Alaska and the Yukon. Many of them spoke of the Inuit and other native American tribes. It was excellent, and as always, whenever I read something about a very different culture, it opens my horizons as to how people think. Of course, the only problem is that London is an outsider, but he seems to have been respectful to their culture.

God bless and
Shalom
fr. Jude

At Home in Rome

October 31, 2010

PEace and Good,

Well, I arrived in Rome on the 27th of October, just in time to celebrate my feast day in my new friary. I am living in the general curia near the Basilica of Santi'Apostoli - the Church of the Holy Apostles. The bodies of Ss Philip and James are the major relics in the Church, brought back by the crusaders (which is a nicer way than saying that they were robbed from the Eastern Church in some of the ugliness that characterized the crusades).

This Tuesday I will be attending my first definitory. This is a meeting of the council of Assistant Generals and the Minister General. We have three assistant generals for Europe, one for North America, one for Latin America, one for Africa nd one for Asia.

I have begun to explore Rome a bit already. Today I went to the Church of the Gesu. This is the headquarters of the Jesuits, and it is only a couple of blocks from where I live. The Church is a masterpiece of Baroque. That is not my favorite art style. I prefer the Gothic which is simple and clean. In the baroque, sometimes it seems as if the heavens are vomiting cute little angels all over the place.

The church was dedicated just after the Council of Trent, and it shows a few of the changes in theology effected at the council. There is no narthex or entranceway. One walks directly into the body of the church. The idea was that no one should be able to hide away in the entranceway of the church during Mass and chat away while Mass was going on. For a similar reason, there are no side aisles. The Church is one large open expanse. There are major relics there of St. Ignatius (his body), St. Francis Xavier (his arm - the rest of his body is in India where he was a missionary), the body of St. Joseph Pignatelli, and the arm of St.Andrew Bobola (I still don't understand why we Catholics cut the bodies up, I just don't find it respective to the remains.)

I live on the 4th floor of my buiilding (which in American buildings would be considered to be the 5th floor because here they count the first floor as the ground floor). There is a beautiful terrazza outside of my room which I can walk upon for my daily walk. (It beats the heck out of trying to dodge tourists in the streets.)
It's odd, one part of me feels everything is new and confusing, and the other feels as if I have always been here.)

I have finished a few books. The first was a CD of Deep Black, Dark Zone by Stephen Coontz. This is not really a recommended one. It was a cheap attempt at a spy novel about the bombing of the Chunnel (the train running under the English Channel) and the Eiffel Tower.

I finished Magic Terror by Peter Straub. This was a collection of truly disturbing short stories. Some of them were ghost stories, other murder stories. I did not so much enjoy as get through it.

I also finsihed a set of tapes called Iron and Silk by Mark Salzman. This was the story of a young American who went to China to teach English and studied martial arts with one of the best experts in the world. It was well written. I'm not sure at all that the experiences would be the same (although some of the beaucratic stories are still valid in many parts of the world, including Italy), but is was good. He even draws a connection between the discipline required to become a good caligrapher and doing martial arts which requires a thoughful and artistic stance.

I'll be here in Rome for the week and then back to the States next Mohday.

Take care and Shalom
fr. Jude

PS I am not that good of a speller, and unfortunately when I write this blog in Italy and try spell check, every English word comes up as misspelled. I'll do the best I can, but please forgive any mistakes.

Packing up

October 25, 2010

Peace and Good,

This past week involved the end of one apostolate and the beginning of another. A week ago I finished my last weekend retreat at the Dominican Retreat House in McLean, VA. Then on Monday I flew out to Louisville to visit on of our American Provincials, fr. Jim Kent. He is the provincial of Our Lady of Consolation Province. This is one of five provinces in the US, one of two Midwestern provinces.

Geographically, it is extensive. It runs from Minnesota to New Mexico to Ohio. There are around 100 friars in it. fr. Jim filled me in on some of the projects of the province. They have spent an enormous amount of spiritual energy to renew their community life. This has been an ongoing project for the past ten years, and the friars feel that it has borne serious fruit in the quality of life together as friars.

They are also very mission oriented. They were one of two jurisdictions to found the province in Zambia where they still have four active friars. They still have a close bond with the friars there and have offered a number of forms of assistance over the years (e.g. with the guidance of a lay volunteer, they sponsored leadership training programs for the people in charge in the province and in various other associated activities).

They also founded a custody in Central America that especially serves the poor in Honduras and El Salvador.

They are not making an outreach to our relatively young province in India to help them develop their apostolates and assist them any way that they might.

I was incredibly impressed by the outreach to these needs. Most impressive was their outreach to India. We friars often assist jurisdictions that we have founded, but India was not founded by these friars. Yet, they have reached out to them.

The main apostolates for the province are parish ministry and retreat work. They have four retreat houses in Minnesota, Ohio, Indiana and New Mexico. They also have a number of friars in education, especially at the university level.

I came home in time for dental surgery. That evening I came down with the flu. Don't you love it. I'm just feeling better now just in time to pack.

People keep asking me whether I am excited about going over. I am not sure that I can use that word. I have absolutely no doubt that the Spirit is behind it, so there is a real feeling of trust. It will all be well.

I finished a few books. The first is actually two short essays on Rembrandt by Josef Israels and Mortimer Menpes. We know so little about this incredibly talented artist. His style went out of fashion even before his death. He lived a bit of an extravagant life style that bankrupted him. Yet, his works are incredible. His mixture of shadow and light take ones breath away.

I read a work on China and the Manchus by Herbert Allen Giles. The last dynasty that ruled Chine before it became a republic at the turn of the 20th century was actually a group of foreigners from the north. They ruled China for some 300 years, and this was an overview of their reign.

Finally, I finished the River War by Winston Churchill. Yes, it is that Winston Churchill. He is actually a good author, although incredibly prejudiced against Africans, Indians, Irish, etc. This is an account of how Egypt and Britain reconquered the Sudan after a rebellion there led by a religious figure who claimed to be the Messiah (Mahdi).

I'll write you from Rome next week.
Shalom
fr. Jude

The Last Hurrah

October 18, 2010

The Feast of St. Luke

Peace and Good,

This past week has been a whirlwind of getting ready to head over to Rome. There were dental appointments, packing, etc. All has come off quite well.

I have not yet taken my oath of office but already I have begun to assume some of the duties. I am a liaison between the General Offices of the order and the provincials. I am not quite sure what that will mean, but at the very least I will be translating communications to and from Italian into English for each side.

This past weekend I preached my last retreat before I begin those responsibilities. I was at the Dominican Retreat House in McLean, VA for a preached men's retreat. There was a group of around 40 men. It is interesting to notice the different dynamics between men and women on these retreats. Men especially want time to sit and ask questions about the faith and life, etc. Women tend to want more quiet time and one on one discussions. The retreat house in McLean is a wonderful place, and the sisters there make it so welcoming.

Today I fly out to Louisville to meet one of the provincials. Most of the others I will meet when I return from Rome in November, but this provincial will be out of the country. This is just a fact finding trip and to get to know him a bit better and he to get to know me.

I found out that many of my theology books will end up at our house of studies in Nairobi, Kenya. I am thrilled. They will be put to good use.

I finished a number of books and tapes. The first was a book on Mary Tudor by W. Llewelyn Williams. She is commonly known as "Bloody Mary" because of the many Protestants she put to death during her reign. Williams is more balanced that many other authors I have read on the topic. Mary comes across as trapped between divergent choices that led to disastrous results, rather than being a paranoid murderer.

The second work was the Fall of the House of Usher by Edgar Allan Poe. I have heard about this short story forever, but I had never read it. It is a wonderfully gothic tale of tragedy and doom.

The third book was by Carmen Callil and it was called Bad Faith: A forgotten history of fame, fatherland, and Vichy France. It is the story of how an anti-Semite among the French collaborated to deport so many Jews to their deaths during World War II. The Vichy period has always fascinated me because most French like to ignore it or downplay how much they collaborated with the German occupiers. The fact is that most people just did what they had to survive, a small minority actively fought the occupation, but about the same number actively collaborated with the occupiers.

A fourth work was the Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad. Again, I have always seen this title, but had never read the book. It was the source for the story portrayed in Apocalypse Now. It is the story of a trader in ivory who goes mad and becomes the god for a tribe in the backwoods of Congo during the 19th century. It is well written and fascinating. It always amazes me that Conrad was such a good author even though English was not his native language for he was Polish by nationality.

God bless and
Shalom

fr. Jude

Packing up

October 11, 2010

Peace and Good,

This past week I have been home sorting through things and deciding what I will be taking to Rome. It is for three to nine years, so it is a pretty definitive move.

The greatest difficulty was sorting out books. I a scholar, a lover of books, and a person who has an uncanny ability to find inexpensive book stores. This means that I have many, many books. I am giving away most of them. Some will go to our novitiate library, some to the library of the house of studies for our men in Washington, some to a student from Africa who is doing Bible studies, and some will be send to Africa for a seminary library.

I will take most of my clothes, but leave some here in the States for when I make visits. In my job, I will be back at least a few times a year to meet with the provincials and for other events.

It is a good feeling to get rid of much of what I have. I really don't need most of it. Even with books, I will be next door to the school where I did my Bible studies (the Biblicum), and as an alumnus, I have library privileges.

This past weekend I preached a retreat for a group of Secular Franciscans in Priestfield, WV. The seculars and candidates were great. It was a privilege to spend time with them. Priestfield is also a wonderful retreat house. It is the best food I have ever had at a retreat house, and the staff goes out of their way to be helpful and friendly.

I finished a few books.

The first was Pyrrhus by Jack Abbott. This was a Greek king who lived shortly after Alexander the Great. He is famous for having won a Pyrrhic victory (which means that he won, but he lost so many of his own troops in the victory that it all but destroyed his army). He was an incredibly restless soul, running from one war to another and never settling down to enjoy the fruits of his efforts.

The second was a book called Absolute War: Soviet Russia in the Second World War by Chris Bellamy. This was an incredibly complete overview of the invasion of the Soviet Union and its eventual victory over Nazi Germany.

The third was a book called Istanbul by Orhan Pamuk. Pamuk received the Noble Prize for Literature many years ago. This is the story of his youth in the city of his birth, and how he eventually came to write. One gets a very good sense of the spirit of the times and the turmoil of his own soul.

This week I am heading to Buffalo for a couple of days to visit family. This weekend I will be giving my last retreat for quite a while to a group of men at the Dominican Retreat House in McLean, Virginia.

Take care and
Shalom
fr. Jude

Getting Ready for the Move

October 5, 2010

Peace and Good,

I hope that all is well with you. I was in Sacred Heart Parish in Kingston, Ontario this past week giving a parish mission. Kingston is an archdiocese but is not all that big. It is a very old diocese (either the oldest or second oldest English speaking diocese in Canada). The friars are stationed there.

The theme was the Gospel of Matthew. I based the evening talks (Sunday through Thursday) on that Gospel. Then, in the morning, we had sessions on the other Gospels.

One of the themes from the Gospel of Matthew is how St. Peter receives the keys of the kingdom. This is a theme which leads us to a consideration of the papacy. Last week, CNN was running an expose on what Pope Benedict knew about the abuse scandal. After the main talk, I invited those who wished to remain and discuss the abuse situation. I didn't want to impose that discussion on everyone, but I wanted to give everyone who wised an opportunity to talk about it. I think the discussion went very well. We didn't solve anything, but we were able to talk in a loving and pastoral way. Even though there was a lot of emotion expressed, there was a deep feeling that the Spirit was guiding our discussion.

On Friday I drove back to the States, stopping in two friaries on the way home. I stopped in the friary at Assumption Basilica in Syracuse for coffee with the friars. The friars there run an incredible apostolate (or rather multiple apostolates gathered in the one site). They are truly serving the poor in so many wonderful ways.

I then stopped for supper and an overnight at Mother Cabrini Parish in Shamokin, PA. This is a combined parish, and again, the friars have done a wonderful job of serving the people by binding the disparate groups into one parish family.

I am now in the process of packing and getting ready to go to Rome. I will be going over there on October 26th for a first visit (10 days). I will be back on November 8th. Then, in early December, I will be going over there for good.

I finished a number of works this week. The first is Unconscious Comedians by Honore de Balzac, a 19th century French author. It is about a country bumbkin who visits Paris for some business and runs into his cousin who introduces him to the corruption of the big city. It is a novella and quite good.

The second was Act of Treason by Vince Flynn. This was about a vice presidential candidate who had his wife killed in a supposed terrorist attack in order to win the election and get rid of her. This is a CIA, action packed story. It is not all that good, but rather OK.

A third is Deep Sleep by Greg Iles. A war photographer searches for the murderer of her twin sister in New Orleans. Her sister was the subject of a mass murderer painter who kills young women and then paints them. Some of the story is quite implausible, but overall it is a good read.

The fourth is Bright Shiny Morning by James Frey. This is a long series of vignettes on people living in Los Angeles. They go from a Hispanic young woman who worries about her looks to a gay male movie star who almost ruins his career by his heedless life style to a wino living on the beach to a young run away couple trying to survive. Like LA, the pace is fast, jumping from one topic to the next. It is really quite good.

Take care and
Shalom
fr. Jude

A funny thing happened on the way to the Forum

September 25, 2010

Peace and Good,

My title signals something unusual that happened to me this week. I was preaching a mission at Sacred Heart Parish in Newburgh, NY (an Italian parish with about 2,000 families). On Tuesday I received a phone call from my Minister General (the big boss). He and the general counsel were meeting in Poland, and they had approved the suggestion of the English speaking provincials that I should be made an Assistant General of the order.

This had all started on September 1st when I received a call from my provincial, Fr. James. He was meeting with the other English speaking provincials in Montreal, and they had discussed the various candidates for this position. It was to fill out the six year term of Br. John Joseph Dolan, a very good and holy friar, who had passed away earlier this summer. There are another three years until the next general chapter. Fr. James asked me whether they might submit my name for this responsibility. I was all but speechless. I didn't expect it, I never even wanted it. I loved what I was doing, the preaching apostolate. But Fr. James said that he and the other provincials felt it was the call of the Holy Spirit. That was all I needed to hear. I had to say yes.

Right now I am preaching my last parish mission at St. John's parish in Kingston, Ontario. All the other missions on my schedule must now be cancelled. I feel bad about this, but when you're summoned to Rome, you don't say no.

My new responsibilities will be to participate in the general counsel, to be a liaison with the general government of the order for the English speaking jurisdictions, and whatever else the general assigns me. I will probably be travelling a little less, but the travel with be farther ranging.

For now, I will be keeping up this blog. We will see if that is possible in the future. I also intend to keep up the daily reflections, God willing.

I have finished a few works this week. One of them was an abridged book on tape called McNally's Dilemma by Lawrence Sanders. It takes place in Palm Beach, Florida, among the rich crowd that lives there. McNally is a type of detective who lived a devil make care life. It is just a loose, not too serious work.

A second work was Dracula by Bram Stoker. I have seen a million films about vampires. This is more or less the origin of all of them. It is really a masterpiece of Victorian horror. The book is so much better than any film I have ever seen. Much of the action is described in terms of diary entries of the main characters. If you have never read it, it is well worth reading.

The third book is Black Notice by Patricia Cornwall. I usually like her books about Kay Scarpetta, the medical examiner for the State of Virginia. This was not her best book. It is a little far fetched in spots, and it is a bit vindictive at times. She seems to like to portray women as scheming and jealous.

I won't give you my future calendar because, with my new assignment, that is changing by the day. I will be going over to Rome from October 26th to November 8th to begin to move in and for our first counsel meeting. Then I will come back to the States to finish off the arrangements. In early December, I will head over there for the next three years.

Please keep me in your prayers.

Shalom

fr. Jude

Sacred Heart Parish, Newburgh, NY

September 19, 2010

Peace and Good,

Hope all is well! I finished up my mission in Iowa. Holy Rosary Cluster has five sites and one priest. A couple of the sites are relatively close, but a couple of them are over 20 miles from each other. It is a real challenge.

The people of Iowa are very much like all the people whom I have met in the mid-west. They are honest and friendly and straight forward. It was a pleasure working with them this past week. I had a morning and evening session at each of the sites, one of each of the Gospels and one on the Acts of the Apostles.

I flew back to Baltimore on Friday, and picked up the van and headed up 95. I drove as far as Trenton, NJ and stayed there for the night. Then I drove the rest of the way the next morning. The parish I am in now has about 2,000 families. It is called Sacred Heart, and it was originally an all Italian parish. They still have a Mass on Sunday morning with the readings and songs in Italian.

I finished a few works this week. One is a book by G.A. Henty called When London Burned. I had read a book by him earlier in the year about the battle of Agincourt. He wrote a large number of books about English history - historical fiction. He died around 1900, and his books are basically feel good stories of heroism. Once in a while it is good to read something simple like that.

The second book I finished was a biography of Kosciusko by Monica Gardner. K. was a Polish aristocrat who fought with the Americans during our revolution. When he returned to his native land, he fought the dismemberment of his own country by Russia, Prussia, and the Austrian empire (the partitions). He led a rebellion, and was eventually imprisoned by Catherine the Great. He was only liberated during the reign of her son.

The third book is actually a work in three volumes called Traditions of the North American Indians by James Athearn Jones. It was published in 1830, and purports to be a series of stories told by native Americans. I am not sure if all of the stories are authentic, but it was good reading and gave me a bit of insight into their culture.

My schedule for the next weeks is:

09/25/10 - 09/29/10 - St. John, the Apostle, Kingston, Ontario p.o.c. Fr. David Collins (Parish Mission)

10/02/10 - 10/06/10 - St. Raphael, Burlington, Ontario p.o.c. Fr. Maurice Richard (Parish Mission)

10/08/10 - 10/10/10 - Priestfield Retreat Center, Priestfield, WV p.o.c. Carolyn Protin (SFO Retreat)

10/14/10 - Dominican Retreat Center, McLean, VA 22101 p.o.c. Sr. Agnes (Evening for Married Couples)

10/15/10 - 10/17/10 - Dominican Retreat Center, McLean, VA 22101 p.o.c. Sr. Agnes (Men's Retreat)

10/22/10 - 10/26/10 - St. Julia Church, Siler City, NC 27344 p.o.c. Reverend James Fukes (Parish Mission)

11/06/10 - 11/11/10 - Sacred Heart, La Plata, MD 20646 p.o.c. Fr. Ron Potts (Parish Mission)

11/13/10 - 11/18/10 - St. Alphonsus, Wexford, PA 15090 p.o.c. Fr. Peter P. Murphy (Parish Mission)


God bless and
Shalom
fr. Jude

In the Heart of Iowa

September 11, 2010

We pray today for those who died in 9/11, for their families and friends, and for those who caused those terrible events.

Peace and Good,

I spent the past week at home in Ellicott City catching up on a few things. I am home so rarely that my few days home are filled with doctor's and dentist appointments as well as meetings with either people for whom I am a spiritual director (which I love doing) or with others. I had to run up to Totowa, NJ, to pick up the freshly printed Lectors' Workbooks that I put together for this coming liturgical year. This week also included a meeting with my new provincial, Fr. James. The provincial is the boss for a group of friars in a geographic area (in our case Buffalo, Boston and Baltimore with friaries in the southeast). We both travel so much that this meeting had to be arranged a couple of months ago. Fr. James and I have lived together, so it is easy to discuss matters on many different levels.

Yesterday I flew out to a parish cluster in northern Iowa. This is a grouping of five different sites, each of which has a church. There is one priest who handles this arrangement very well. I heard yesterday that the average Sunday attendance at Mass is over 80% which is astounding. I will preach one night in each of the sites as well as having a morning session in four of them.

I finished a few works this week. One was Sunday's at Tiffaany by James Patterson. This books can best be described as cute. It is definitely a feel good book and it is quite funny. It was a nice book to relax.

A second book was Defenders of the Faith: Charles V, Suleyman the Magnificent, and the Battle for Europe: 1520-1536 by James Reston, Jr. This is a great history book about an incredibly traumatic period in European history. It concerns the moral decline in the papacy, the reformation of Martin Luther, the break of Henry VIII, the invasion of Europe by the Muslims, etc. If you like history, this is a great book. Not relaxing, but informative.

The third work was a rendition of the Jumping Frog of Calaveras County by Mark Twain. I obtained this from librivox.org. They have taped books which can be downloaded for free. This is a typical Twain story. It is told in four parts (almost like four movements of a symphony). He tells the story of how a perpetual gambler is cheated, then he gives the story in French, then he gives the English translation of the French translation (which is very funny), and finally he speaks of how he was told that the story was actually an ancient Greek story (which it turns out not to have been).

My coming schedule is:

09/18/10 - 09/23/10 - Sacred Heart, Newburgh, NY 12550 p.o.c. Sr. Mary McCarthy/Most Reverend Dominick J. Lagonegro (Parish Mission)

09/25/10 - 09/29/10 - St. John, the Apostle, Kingston, Ontario p.o.c. Fr. David Collins (Parish Mission)

10/02/10 - 10/06/10 - St. Raphael, Burlington, Ontario p.o.c. Fr. Maurice Richard (Parish Mission)

10/08/10 - 10/10/10 - Priestfield Retreat Center, Priestfield, WV p.o.c. Carolyn Protin (SFO Retreat)

10/14/10 - Dominican Retreat Center, McLean, VA 22101 p.o.c. Sr. Agnes (Evening for Married Couples)

10/15/10 - 10/17/10 - Dominican Retreat Center, McLean, VA 22101 p.o.c. Sr. Agnes (Men's Retreat)

10/22/10 - 10/26/10 - St. Julia Church, Siler City, NC 27344 p.o.c. Reverend James Fukes (Parish Mission)

11/06/10 - 11/11/10 - Sacred Heart, La Plata, MD 20646 p.o.c. Fr. Ron Potts (Parish Mission)

11/13/10 - 11/18/10 - St. Alphonsus, Wexford, PA 15090 p.o.c. Fr. Peter P. Murphy (Parish Mission)

God bless and
Shalom

fr. Jude

The Gospels and the psalms

September 3, 2010

Peace and Good,

This past week I have been in Mishawaka, Indiana. This is where we have our interprovince novitiate. The Conventual Franciscans have five provinces in the United States, and we collaborate on some levels of our formation of the new friars coming into the order.

Remember a couple of months ago I preached a retreat to the new novices. This week I gave them and a group of five sisters from the Franciscan Sisters of the Eucharist a workshop on the four Gospels (for our Franciscan life is based upon those Gospels) and the Psalms (which we pray throughout the day in our recitation of the Divine Office. The psalms especially can be difficult to understand, for they were written between two and three thousand years ago, and their symbolism can be very foreign to us today. Yet, as a Church, we are praying these psalms throughout the world. There is not a minute throughout the day or night that someone is not praying for the Church and for us. That can be a real consolation, especially for those who are in difficulty and for some reason cannot seem to pray for themselves (e.g. when they are depressed).

Tomorrow I head back to Ellicott City. I have a couple of days off, and then a series of meetings with various people and various medical and dental appointments (have to get them in while I am home).

I have finished a few works. The first was a book on tape called Simple Genius by David Baldacci. I like his writing, but this probably is not his best work. It is a story of the murder of a genius at a research center which lie next door to a CIA training facility. Not a bad read, just not the best.

The second book was a taped version of the Matarese Countdown. This is by Robert Ludlum. Normally, I love his writing, but once again, this was not his best work. I just had the feeling that he "phoned it in," giving a substandard performance because he knew that he could sell books just by his name being on the cover.

A third book, a history, was excellent. It is called Operation Mincemeat by7 Ben Macintyre. It is the story of a hoax which the British Secret Service put over on the Nazi's during World War II. The allies were getting ready to invade Sicily, and everyone knew it. They were afraid that the opposition of the Italians and Germans would be too intense. Someone came up with the idea of dropping a dead body in the sea with false documents that implied that the allies intended to invade Greece and Sardinia instead. They dropped the body off of Spain, knowing that even though Spain was neutral, they were really secretly collaborating with the Nazi's. There is a nerve wracking section where the Spanish find the body, but refuse to turn the documents over to the Nazi's. The British don't know what to do, because the last thing that they could do is apply too much pressure or the Spanish and Germans might think that the documents are false. Fortunately, they eventually turn them over and the Germans fall for the trick.

The following is my schedule for the next few weeks:

09/11/10 - 09/16/10 - Holy Rosary Cluster, Elma, IA 50628 p.o.c. Fr. Ray Atwood (Parish Mission)

09/18/10 - 09/23/10 - Sacred Heart, Newburgh, NY 12550 p.o.c. Sr. Mary McCarthy/Most Reverend Dominick J. Lagonegro (Parish Mission)

09/25/10 - 09/29/10 - St. John, the Apostle, Kingston, Ontario p.o.c. Fr. David Collins (Parish Mission)

10/02/10 - 10/06/10 - St. Raphael, Burlington, Ontario p.o.c. Fr. Maurice Richard (Parish Mission)

10/08/10 - 10/10/10 - Priestfield Retreat Center, Priestfield, WV p.o.c. Carolyn Protin (SFO Retreat)

10/14/10 - Dominican Retreat Center, McLean, VA 22101 p.o.c. Sr. Agnes (Evening for Married Couples)

10/15/10 - 10/17/10 - Dominican Retreat Center, McLean, VA 22101 p.o.c. Sr. Agnes (Men's Retreat)

10/22/10 - 10/26/10 - St. Julia Church, Siler City, NC 27344 p.o.c. Reverend James Fukes (Parish Mission)

11/06/10 - 11/11/10 - Sacred Heart, La Plata, MD 20646 p.o.c. Fr. Ron Potts (Parish Mission)

11/13/10 - 11/18/10 - St. Alphonsus, Wexford, PA 15090 p.o.c. Fr. Peter P. Murphy (Parish Mission)

God bless and Shalom,

fr. Jude

PS Please remember that we are seeking some money to print a translation of my articles as a book in India (in the native language of Kerala, the region where kthe friars are located). We need $3,000. If you can help in any way, please send your donation to Evangelization Office; 12290 Folly Quarter Rd; Ellicott City, MD 21042.

A bit of time off

August 26, 2010

The 100th Birthday of Mother Theresa of Calcutta

Peace and Good,

This past week I was at a retreat house in Faulkner, Maryland (run by the Jesuits) giving a retreat to a group of Maronite seminarians. There were six of them. The Maronites are an Eastern Rite centered in Lebanon. They are of the Syrian tradition. In the East, there are two major tendencies. One is the Greek tradition such as the Byzantines and the Melkites. The other is the Syriac tradition. The Maronites were founded in Syria, and they migrated to Lebanon over the course of time. They now have two dioceses in the United States. It was interesting to compare the traditions in the East and the West. This is especially true when one considers the Gospel of John which was the major theme for the retreat of the week. As I would speak of the Gospel, the seminarians would speak of the Eastern Fathers and how they had said exactly the same thing. This makes sense, for the Gospel of John was written in this world. It is filled with a profound spirituality which is the characteristic of the Eastern Church. It really made me want to read more of those fathers.

I am taking a week off this week, staying at a condo that the friars have in Ocean City. I'm not too much of a sitting of the beach person. I do love to hear the waves. Ten minutes of them and I am totally calm. I am spending most of the week reading and cooking for myself.

I have finished a few works this week. One was a novel called The Surrendered by Chang-rae Lee. It is a very interesting work. It has stories about China and Korea during the Second World War and the Korean Conflict. It travels to the US as well as Italy. There is quite a bit of violence due to the wars. All of the characters are very flawed characters. They do the best they can, but their baggage is so great that the best they can do is not all that good. It was well worth reading.

A second work is called from Yao to Mao by Kenneth Hammond. This was a course from the Teaching Company that gives a very long study of the history of China from its earliest days until the present. It was very well done.

A third work was a book called The Perfect Heresy: The Revolutionary Life and Death of Medieval Cathars by Stephen O'Shea. This is the story of a heresy that surfaced around the time of St. Francis and St. Anthony of Padua. It was a dualistic heresy which spoke of the good and the bad and how they were totally opposed. The Catholic Church first fought against them with words, but then attacked them with a crusade. Some of the episodes were brutal. As the Catholics were invading one town, a soldier asked the monk leading them how they could distinguish who was Catholic and who was heretical. His answer was that they should kill them all and let God sort out the good from the bad.

Much of the warfare was not all that religious. It was the attempt of certain medieval lords and the king of France to conquer territory, using religion as a sanctimonious excuse. This is not to say that there were not real, honest attempts to bring people back to the faith (e.g. St. Anthony, St. Dominic). Overall, though, it is a sad story.

This is my schedule for the next few months:

08/28/10 - 09/03/10 - St. Francis of Assisi Friary, Mishawaka, IN 46544 p.o.c. Br. Paschal (Novitiate Talks)

09/11/10 - 09/16/10 - Holy Rosary Cluster, Elma, IA 50628 p.o.c. Fr. Ray Atwood (Parish Mission)

09/18/10 - 09/23/10 - Sacred Heart, Newburgh, NY 12550 p.o.c. Sr. Mary McCarthy/Most Reverend Dominick J. Lagonegro (Parish Mission)

09/25/10 - 09/29/10 - St. John, the Apostle, Kingston, Ontario p.o.c. Fr. David Collins (Parish Mission)

10/02/10 - 10/06/10 - St. Raphael, Burlington, Ontario p.o.c. Fr. Maurice Richard (Parish Mission)

10/08/10 - 10/10/10 - Priestfield Retreat Center, Priestfield, WV p.o.c. Carolyn Protin (SFO Retreat)

10/14/10 - Dominican Retreat Center, McLean, VA 22101 p.o.c. Sr. Agnes (Evening for Married Couples)

10/15/10 - 10/17/10 - Dominican Retreat Center, McLean, VA 22101 p.o.c. Sr. Agnes (Men's Retreat)

10/22/10 - 10/26/10 - St. Julia Church, Siler City, NC 27344 p.o.c. Reverend James Fukes (Parish Mission)

11/06/10 - 11/11/10 - Sacred Heart, La Plata, MD 20646 p.o.c. Fr. Ron Potts (Parish Mission)

11/13/10 - 11/18/10 - St. Alphonsus, Wexford, PA 15090 p.o.c. Fr. Peter P. Murphy (Parish Mission)

God bless and Shalom,
fr. Jude

What an Event!

August 18, 2010

Peace and Good,

What an incredible event the closing of the Our Lady of Consolation Novena was. I had been preaching this novena in honor of Our Lady in Carey, Ohio, since August 6th. On the evening of August 14th we had the closing of the novena and the opening of the celebration of the Solemnity of the Assumption. All that day people were arriving by car and bus. There were literally thousands of people there. Then, at nine in the evening, we had a procession to a local park (run by the shrine) where we celebrated Mass with the bishop of Toledo. There had to be four to five thousand people there, all with their candles, praying the rosary as we marched along. Throughout that day many of them had gone to confession. There were just so many good and holy things occurring in that day. Many of those who attended were from the Chaldean rite, a group of Iraqi Catholics who are in union with Rome.

While I was in Carey, I met a priest who had been reading my articles on scripture for decades. He had translated many of them and would like to publish them as a book. He lives in Kerala, India, and he translated them into Malayalan (I think that is the spelling), the language of that area. This is the most Christian area in all of India. The friars cannot afford the publishing cost, so he asked me to ask you if anyone would like to help them. It will cost about $3,000. Once they sell the books, it will be a fund to be able to publish other books and pamphlets in the future. If you could help, please contact us at our address of:

Evangelization Office
12290 Folly Quarter Road
Ellicott City, MD 21042

Thank you for considering this.

This week I am at the Jesuit Retreat House at Faulkner, Maryland, giving a retreat to the seminarians of the Maronite Rite (from Lebanon). There are six of them, and they are really a joy to work with. The theme of the retreat is the Gospel of John and how our priesthood should be a greater falling in love with our Lord.

I have finished a few books and courses.

The first is France since 1871 by John Merriman. It is a course from Openculture.com. Merriman is entertaining, but he has a fault of going off on a tangent and rarely getting back to the main theme. He also has a bit of an ax to grind with the Church, always citing the fact that he went to a Jesuit High School as his credential to be able to criticize it.

The second work was Bismark, the foundation of the German Empire by James Wycliffe Headlam. It is biography of Bismark. It is a bit too reverential to him, always excusing his lying, manipulations, etc.

The third work was the Great Upheaval. It speaks about the world toward the end of the 18th century. This was the time of the American and French Revolution and the reign of Catherine the Great of Russia. It is by John Wink, and is a well written book, worth the time to read.

Here are my assignments for the next couple of months:

08/28/10 - 09/03/10 - St. Francis of Assisi Friary, Mishawaka, IN 46544 p.o.c. Br. Paschal (Novitiate Talks)

09/11/10 - 09/16/10 - Holy Rosary Cluster, Elma, IA 50628 p.o.c. Fr. Ray Atwood (Parish Mission)

09/18/10 - 09/23/10 - Sacred Heart, Newburgh, NY 12550 p.o.c. Sr. Mary McCarthy/Most Reverend Dominick J. Lagonegro (Parish Mission)

09/25/10 - 09/29/10 - St. John, the Apostle, Kingston, Ontario p.o.c. Fr. David Collins (Parish Mission)

10/02/10 - 10/06/10 - St. Raphael, Burlington, Ontario p.o.c. Fr. Maurice Richard (Parish Mission)

10/08/10 - 10/10/10 - Priestfield Retreat Center, Priestfield, WV p.o.c. Carolyn Protin (SFO Retreat)

10/14/10 - Dominican Retreat Center, McLean, VA 22101 p.o.c. Sr. Agnes (Evening for Married Couples)

10/15/10 - 10/17/10 - Dominican Retreat Center, McLean, VA 22101 p.o.c. Sr. Agnes (Men's Retreat)

10/22/10 - 10/26/10 - St. Julia Church, Siler City, NC 27344 p.o.c. Reverend James Fukes (Parish Mission)

11/06/10 - 11/11/10 - Sacred Heart, La Plata, MD 20646 p.o.c. Fr. Ron Potts (Parish Mission)

11/13/10 - 11/18/10 - St. Alphonsus, Wexford, PA 15090 p.o.c. Fr. Peter P. Murphy (Parish Mission)

God bless and
Shalom
fr. Jude

A Novena for the Feast of the Assumption

August 11, 2010

The Feast of St. Clare of Assisi

Peace and Good,

I am in day 6 of a novena to Our Lady of Consolation at the Shrine of that name in Carey, Ohio (about 60 miles south of Toledo). The shrine is run by the friars of one of the Mid Western provinces, named after Our Lady of Consolation. They have a tremendous turnout during the novena, especially from Chaldean people from the Detroit area. Chaldeans are one group of Eastern Rite Catholics from the Iraq area. I worked with many of them when I was a student in Rome. They had fled Saddam Hussein in the early 80's, and I worked with various groups to help get them resettled. It is good to see them again here.

I am working on various themes throughout these days. So far I have preached on the power of prayer, why pray for the intercession of the saints, Mary as a model of prayer, Mary as a model of service, the Immaculate Conception, and tonight I will speak about Mary as a model of faith and discernment.

The friars here have been most welcoming. It is great being a friar - I feel that I am home all throughout the world.

I have finished a few books this week. The first is actually a college course I picked up on freeculture.com on the Rise and Fall of the Second Reich by Margaret Andrew. This was about the rise of Bismark and the unification of the German state in the 1870's. The course was good, but I could not believe how Bismark lashed out against the Catholic Church so severely. Many sisters groups in the United States were founded in those days when he expelled them from Germany. He did say toward the end of his life that this was the greatest mistake he had every made. He wanted to unify Germany by making everyone belong to a state church (Lutheran), and he didn't like the fact that the Catholic Church answered to a power outside of Germany's borders (the pope in Rome).

A second book I finished was Queen's Consort: England's Medieval Queens by Lisa Hillen. This dealt with with queens of England from the time of William the conqueror until the days of Henry VIII. It was quite good and informative. For example, one of the queens (I can't remember which one now) inherited the toll on London Bridge but failed to improve it physically, which was why the children's song, "London Bridge is falling down" began.

A third book was a biography of John Newton by Jonathan Aitken. His name might not be familiar, but he is the author of Amazing Grace. He worked as a slave ship captain before he converted and became an Anglican minister. It is a good story of conversion and a truly holy man.

My schedule for the next weeks is as follows:


08/05/10 - 08/15/10 - Our Lady of Consolation Shrine, Kerry, OH p.o.c. Br. Jeffrey Hines (Novena)

08/28/10 - 09/03/10 - St. Francis of Assisi Friary, Mishawaka, IN 46544 p.o.c. Br. Paschal (Novitiate Talks)

09/11/10 - 09/16/10 - Holy Rosary Cluster, Elma, IA 50628 p.o.c. Fr. Ray Atwood (Parish Mission)

09/18/10 - 09/23/10 - Sacred Heart, Newburgh, NY 12550 p.o.c. Sr. Mary McCarthy/Most Reverend Dominick J. Lagonegro (Parish Mission)

09/25/10 - 09/29/10 - St. John, the Apostle, Kingston, Ontario p.o.c. Fr. David Collins (Parish Mission)

10/02/10 - 10/06/10 - St. Raphael, Burlington, Ontario p.o.c. Fr. Maurice Richard (Parish Mission)

10/08/10 - 10/10/10 - Priestfield Retreat Center, Priestfield, WV p.o.c. Carolyn Protin (SFO Retreat)

10/14/10 - Dominican Retreat Center, McLean, VA 22101 p.o.c. Sr. Agnes (Evening for Married Couples)

10/15/10 - 10/17/10 - Dominican Retreat Center, McLean, VA 22101 p.o.c. Sr. Agnes (Men's Retreat)

10/22/10 - 10/26/10 - St. Julia Church, Siler City, NC 27344 p.o.c. Reverend James Fukes (Parish Mission)

11/06/10 - 11/11/10 - Sacred Heart, La Plata, MD 20646 p.o.c. Fr. Ron Potts (Parish Mission)

11/13/10 - 11/18/10 - St. Alphonsus, Wexford, PA 15090 p.o.c. Fr. Peter P. Murphy (Parish Mission)

God bless and
Shalom
fr. Jude

On the Road

August 6, 2010

The Feast of the Transfiguration

Peace and Good,

I'm a little late this week getting the blog done, but a couple of things got in the way. First of all, there has been travel. I have driven over 1200 miles since this past Saturday. There was the travel from the Chautauqua Institute to Ellicott City, then I travelled up to Totowa, New Jersey and back to meet with my publisher, then from Ellicott City to Carey, Ohio, where I begin a Novena to our Lady for the Feast of the Assumption at the Shrine of Our Lady of Consolation.

The Chautauqua Institute was incredible. It is a cultural institute founded by the Methodists in the late 1800's (originally a tent meeting sort of gathering) on the shore of Lake Chautauqua in south-western New York State. During the season there are bout 12,000 people there. There are lectures, concerts, operas, plays (including plays in progress where one gets to give feedback to the author), etc. The Catholic House is right across a walkway from the outside concert hall, so one can sit on the porch and listen to the lectures or the concerts throughout the day. The Catholic House does have a number of rooms which they rent out. They choose the occupants with a lottery every November, and the price of the rooms is very reasonable (although there are other fees for participating in the activities of the Institute). The people are all relaxed. Everyone is walking or biking around the grounds. It reminds one of a small town in the old days.

A second reason why this blog is so late is that I had a tear duct infection which began ten days ago. At first, I thought it was just an allergy to something, but it got worse and worse until I had to go to the Emergency Room. They gave me antibiotic drops, and I didn't realize how badly I felt until I started to get better. It is incredible that such a small thing can throw one off so much.

I finished a few books/tapes this week. The first is the Guns of August by Barbara Tuchman. This is a book about the beginning of World War I. I had read it a number of years ago, and it was worth rereading. Tuchman is a very good popular historian (although she does not like the Catholic Church).

The second book was A Journal of the Plague Year by Daniel Defoe. This is one of the classics I picked up on my Kindle Reader for free, and I had seen this title for years and wondered what it was about. It speaks exactly about what one would think, the chronicles that an author produces during a year of an attack of the bubonic plague upon London. One sees the reactions that one would expect from a tragedy of such incredible proportions unfolding in the midst of a major city. People flee, panic, try various good and not so good solutions, hunker down, are selfish, are selfless, etc. The plague only really dies out when the city of London suffers from the great fire which burns out the disease. It is good to read when one considers things like the Swine Flu and other new diseases that might hit our world without warning.

A third work was the CD's of a book called the Thirteenth Tale. It is set in England, and concerns a famous author who is dying and the woman whom she chooses to do her biography. The title comes from the fact that the author had written a book called the Thirteenth Tale, but the book only contained twelve tales. Everyone is wondering what the thirteenth tale might be. When one first starts it, it seems like a nice and proper English novel, but there are many wicked turns in the action. It is very well written and worth reading.

My schedule for the coming months is:

08/05/10 - 08/15/10 - Our Lady of Consolation Shrine, Kerry, OH p.o.c. Br. Jeffrey Hines (Novena)

08/28/10 - 09/03/10 - St. Francis of Assisi Friary, Mishawaka, IN 46544 p.o.c. Br. Paschal (Novitiate Talks)

09/11/10 - 09/16/10 - Holy Rosary Cluster, Elma, IA 50628 p.o.c. Fr. Ray Atwood (Parish Mission)

09/18/10 - 09/23/10 - Sacred Heart, Newburgh, NY 12550 p.o.c. Sr. Mary McCarthy/Most Reverend Dominick J. Lagonegro (Parish Mission)

09/25/10 - 09/29/10 - St. John, the Apostle, Kingston, Ontario p.o.c. Fr. David Collins (Parish Mission)

10/02/10 - 10/06/10 - St. Raphael, Burlington, Ontario p.o.c. Fr. Maurice Richard (Parish Mission)

10/08/10 - 10/10/10 - Priestfield Retreat Center, Priestfield, WV p.o.c. Carolyn Protin (SFO Retreat)

10/14/10 - Dominican Retreat Center, McLean, VA 22101 p.o.c. Sr. Agnes (Evening for Married Couples)

10/15/10 - 10/17/10 - Dominican Retreat Center, McLean, VA 22101 p.o.c. Sr. Agnes (Men's Retreat)

10/22/10 - 10/26/10 - St. Julia Church, Siler City, NC 27344 p.o.c. Reverend James Fukes (Parish Mission)

11/06/10 - 11/11/10 - Sacred Heart, La Plata, MD 20646 p.o.c. Fr. Ron Potts (Parish Mission)

11/13/10 - 11/18/10 - St. Alphonsus, Wexford, PA 15090 p.o.c. Fr. Peter P. Murphy (Parish Mission)

A little bit of heaven: the Chautauqua Institute

July 25, 2010

Peace and Good,

Today is the 29th anniversary of my ordination to the priesthood. I am celebrating at the Chautauqua Institute where I am one of two Catholic Chaplains for the week. The Institute was founded in the 19th century as sort of a religious-cultural summer camp. It has evolved into a major nine week cultural-educational institute which several thousand people attend. They have major speakers and presentations along with many, many lectures and exhibits, operas, concerts, etc. throughout the season. As chaplain, I am asked to celebrate Mass daily and be available for confessions, etc, as well as give a lecture during the week. My theme will be on the psalms.

This past week I gave a retreat to our incoming novices (nine of them) at Carey, Ohio. They are a very good group of young men, very enthused, very sincere. I spoke of various Biblical figures and what they have to teach us about vocation. It might be a book in the making.

Carey, Ohio is a Shrine to our Lady of Consolation. I will be back there next week to preach a novena in preparation for the Feast of the Assumption. I was very impressed with the set up. It has much to offer in terms of facilities and devotion.

I have finished a couple of books. One was called the Bastard of Istanbul by Elif Shafak. This is a Turkish author, and the story is of the intersection of two largely female run families, one Turkish and the other Armenian. It has a couple of rough sections, but it is very well written and gave me tons of insight into the Turkish - Armenian situation (which is tense to say the least).

The second book was a biography about Thomas Edison by Frank Dyer and Thomas Martin. These were two colleagues of Edison, and the biography is fawning and at times overly technical. I was hoping for some insights into the person, but did not find them in this work. Yet, Edison was incredible, working on advancements in telegraph technology, on advancing the work of Bell on the telephone, the phonograph, the electric incandescent light, and the motion picture projector. Any one of those inventions would make a person famous, he did it all, in addition to working on various industrial projects (e.g. Portland Cement).

My schedule for the next weeks is:

July 24 - 31, 2010: Chautauqua Community, Chautauqua, NY - Priest in Residence

August 5 - 15, 2010: Our Lady of Consolation Shrine, Carey, OH - Parish Novena

August 16 - 20, 2010: Maronite Seminary, Washington, D.C. - Seminarian Retreat

August 21 - 27, 2010: Ocean City, MD - vacation

August 28 - September 3, 2010: St. Francis of Assisi Friary, Mishawaka, IN - Novitiate Conference

God bless and
Shalom

fr. Jude

Wisdom has bi\uilt herself a House

July 20, 2010

Peace and Good,

I am doing well. This past week I preached a retreat to the Sisters of Christian Charity in Menden, New Jersey. Their convent is beautiful, on 106 acres of rolling hillside with many Canadian Geese and Deer wandering around the property.

I preached on the book of Wisdom: Sirach, Wisdom, Proverbs, Job, Quoheleth, Song of Songs and Psalms. They present the idea that God reveals through the everyday events of our lives. While it was incredibly hot in the New York area, the convent is nicely cooled. The siters were a joy, the oldest being 96 years old and the youngest in their 20's.

I had a nicely soundproof room where I was able to tape a large number of daily reflections for the internet. It is always difficult to find a place that is quiet enough to do that. You often don't notice until you notice the birds, airplanes, telephones, etc.

I flew back to Mishawaka on Sunday night and picked up my van and drove to Carey, Ohio. This is a Shrine church dedicated to Our Lady of Consolation. I will be back here in a couple of weeks to preach a novena before the feast of the Assumption. I am giving a retreat to the incoming novices in our community (there are nine of them). I am preaching on the vocation stories of various Biblical figures.

I finished a couple of books. The first was a biography of Margaret of Anjou, a French princess who married the English king during an especially chaotic period of their history. The book was by Jacob Abbott. I have already read one book by him, and a number of others are on the list.

The other book is The Czar's Spy by William Le Queux. The book started out good, but ended up sounding like the plot for a mystery dinner theater. It was written in 1905 and it really shows it.

My schedule for the next weeks is:

July 19 - 23, 2010: St. Francis of Assisi Friary, Mishawaka, IN - Novice Retreat

July 24 - 31, 2010: Chatauqua Community, Chatauqua, NY - Priest in Residence

August 5 - 15, 2010: Our Lady of Consolation Shrine, Carey, OH - Parish Novena

August 16 - 20, 2010: Maronite Seminary, Washington, D.C. - Seminarian Retreat

August 21 - 27, 2010: Ocean City, MD - vacation

August 28 - September 3, 2010: St. Francis of Assisi Friary, Mishawaka, IN - Novitiate Conference

God bless and

Shalom,

fr. Jude

Preaching in New Jersey

July 11, 2010

Peace and Good,

This past week I preached a retreat to the Sisters of St. Francis of Perpetual Adoration in Mishawaka, Indiana. There were also seven Carmelite sisters who joined us for the retreat. The theme was the Gospel of John, and how each of us is called to become the Beloved Disciple. There is a tremendous amount of symbolism in that Gospel, and I love unpacking it for others and applying it to our lives.

I was impressed with the devotion and simple joy of the sisters. It is wonderful that their community is getting a steady number of vocations. There is something very good happening among them.

The convent is right across the street from our novitiate. I was able to have supper a couple of times with our friars, and they always make one feel right at home. I will be back in that area next week to give a retreat to the incoming novices.

I flew yesterday to Newark, New Jersey to give a retreat to the Sisters of Christian Charity in Menden, New Jersey. I had given a retreat to another community of the same sisters in Danville, PA, either last year or the year before. The theme will be upon the books of Wisdom in the Old Testament.

I am still feeling a bit of my trip to Africa (my stomach, etc. are not quite right yet. There is such a different style of food and there are different microbes there that it usually takes me a couple of weeks to get everything back to normal. I try to offer up the discomfort for those who are suffering much more than I am.

I finished a couple of books this week. There was One Night in Boston by Allie Boniface. It is literally the story of a one day critical period in the life of a woman and the man whom she loves. It was one of the free books I obtained on my Kindle (many, many of the old books and some new ones are regularly offered for free). They do this to interest readers in the other works of the author. It was fairly good, but she tried to pack too much into that one night and at times it came across as forced.

A second book was Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy. Again, this was a free book on Kindle, and it is one of the classics that I have always wanted to read. It is enormously long, about 1,000 pages. Some critics of Tolstoy say that he is like God in the fact that he creates entire universes with all of the characters and all of the action that he lays out. This book is well worth reading, but it really requires a tremendous commitment. The premise of the book is that Anna, a basically good woman, leaves her husband and child for a flashy lover. That relationship eventually fails, largely because she is looking for a happiness that will never be there. She ends up killing herself. This tragic story is contrasted with another marriage which is slow to develop, but takes on the marks of domestic happiness. It is as if Tolstoy is laying out the options of life. The false path of selfishness and excitement rarely leads to true joy, but the quiet path of being true to oneself and those around one, even if that path is sometimes rocky, leads to self-discovery and peace.

My schedule for these weeks is:

July 11 - 18, 2010: Quellen Spiritual Center, Mendham, NJ - Retreat for Sisters

July 19 - 23, 2010: St. Francis of Assisi Friary, Mishawaka, IN - Novice Retreat

July 24 - 31, 2010: Chatauqua Community, Chatauqua, NY - Priest in Residence

August 5 - 15, 2010: Our Lady of Consolation Shrine, Carey, OH - Parish Novena

August 16 - 20, 2010: Maronite Seminary, Washington, D.C. - Seminarian Retreat

August 21 - 27, 2010: Ocean City, MD - vacation

August 28 - September 3, 2010: St. Francis of Assisi Friary, Mishawaka, IN - Novitiate Conference

God bless and
Shalom

fr. Jude

I'm Back

July 5, 2010

Peace and Good,

I hope that you enjoyed our holiday weekend. All is well with me.I arrived home in the States on Thursday. The trip to Ghana was great. Last Sunday I celebrated Mass in one of the local parishes. This was the first time I have celebrated a three hour Mass. They had asked that the homily be a bit longer, so I preached a 20 minuted homily. It was then translated into the local language. Every verse in every song was sung. Then, at the offertory procession, everyone dances up to place their offerings in the collection box, and since there were two collections that Sunday, this happened twice. There was a prayerful spirit all throughout the Mass.

The retreat with the seminarians went very well. It is always great to share ideas with men from all over a region, knowing that some of what one said will continue on after one has left the scene.

I found out that I was known even in northern Ghana. I was introduced to one pastor as Fr. Jude. He said, "The Father Jude Winkler?" It turns out that the friars in Ghana have been printing my articles in their magazine for years, and many of the people have read them.

I got to stand over an 8 foot crocodile. There are two ponds in Northern Ghana with the crocodiles in a place called Paga. The guides feed them live chickens for the tourists. The odd thing about the animals is that small children are swimming in the same pond where there are more than two hundred of them, and the crocodiles never harm the children.

I found a site where locals teach people the crafts of pottery and painting in the African style. They even have a few cottages where one can stay if anyone is interested. So often when one travels to a country in Africa, one gets to see the big city and maybe a game pack. This is right in the middle of where people live normal lives farming.

I finished a few books in these weeks. The first is a History of China by Wolfram Everhard. This overview of some 4,000 years of Chinese history was good. It is an incredibly volatile history, and reading about helps one understand why the present government reacts to things the way that they do. An example is the Falun Gong movement. They cracked down on them, even though they only claim to be a spiritual movement connected with types of exercises. Yet, this is exactly what various movements have done in the past which tried to overthrow the government.

The second book was the Arrow of Gold by Joseph Conrad. Conrad is Polish, but he is buried in Canterbury. It is incredible that he wrote in English, not his mother tongue. This is the story of a young man who is infatuated with a mysterious woman (rich, from a humble background, who is supporting a group of rebels in Spain). It waw very good. This is the first of Corad that I have read.

Finally, there was Julian, Woman of our Day by Robert Llewelyn. She is a mystic from the 15th century A.D. Her famous saying is that all will be well. She emphasized the incredible Mercy of God, and how God can cause good to come from everything, even from our sins. I had avoided Julian in the past because she was the latest thing. I always shy away from something that has gotten too much positive press. Now I want to read more about her.

My schedule for the coming weeks is:

July 4 - 10, 2010: St. Francis Convent, Mishawaka, IN - Retreat for Sisters

July 11 - 18, 2010: Quellen Spiritual Center, Mendham, NJ - Retreat for Sisters

July 19 - 23, 2010: St. Francis of Assisi Friary, Mishawaka, IN - Novice Retreat

July 24 - 31, 2010: Chatauqua Community, Chatauqua, NY - Priest in Residence

August 5 - 15, 2010: Our Lady of Consolation Shrine, Carey, OH - Parish Novena

August 16 - 20, 2010: Maronite Seminary, Washington, D.C. - Seminarian Retreat

August 21 - 27, 2010: Ocean City, MD - vacation

August 28 - September 3, 2010: St. Francis of Assisi Friary, Mishawaka, IN - Novitiate Conferences


God bless and
Shalom

fr. Jude

Writing from Africa

June 24, 2010

Peace and Good,

I am writing this blog in an internet site in Tamale, Ghana, West Africa. I am here to give a retreat to a group of seminarians (about 50 of them) in the major seminary studying for several dioceses in Northern Ghana and also Burkino Faso, to the north of Ghana.

It is aways a privilege for me to be able to share my insights with priests and seminarians. When I do it in foreign countries, I sometimes worry that they will not understand what I am trying to say because of our different cultures. That does not seem to be happening here. The young men are enthused about their faith and most generous in their service.

I have always loved the people of Ghana. I find them to be the most gentle and courteous people I have ever met. Whether that lasts when the US plays Ghana this Saturday night in the World Cup we'll have to see.

It is hot, hot, hot! I am taking all the precautions against heat stroke and malaria which is endemic in this area. Keep me in your prayers.

I have finished a couple of books in this time. The first is entitled At Agincourt by G.A. Henty. He wrote a series of stories around the turn of the century. They are based in historic situations. I was surprised how good a read it was. Agincourt was a great victory of the English over the French in the 15th century (the days of Henry V). Most of the story is an adventure story that leads up to the battle.

The second book is Through Russia by Maksim Gorky. Gorky was a Russian author who wrote at the end of the 19h century into the 20th century. In his latter days, he became a stooge of the Soviet government. This was written much earlier, and it presents a number of scenes from Russian life at the beginning of the 20th century. It is incredibly good. You feel like you're entering their lives and struggles. This is the first thing I have ever read by Gorky, but I will certainly read more.

My schedule for the next months is:

June 19 - 30, 2010: St. Victor's Major Seminary, Tamale, Ghana - seminarian retreat

July 4 - 10, 2010: St. Francis Convent, Mishawaka, IN - Retreat for Sisters

July 11 - 18, 2010: Quellen Spiritual Center, Mendham, NJ - Retreat for Sisters

July 19 - 23, 2010: St. Francis of Assisi Friary, Mishawaka, IN - Novice Retreat

July 24 - 31, 2010: Chatauqua Community, Chatauqua, NY - Priest in Residence

August 5 - 15, 2010: Our Lady of Consolation Shrine, Carey, OH - Parish Novena

August 16 - 20, 2010: Maronite Seminary, Washington, D.C. - Seminarian Retreat

August 21 - 27, 2010: Ocean City, MD - vacation

August 28 - September 3, 2010: St. Francis of Assisi Friary, Mishawaka, IN - Novitiate Conferences

Take care and
Shalom

fr. Jude

Provincial Chapter

June 17, 2010

Peace and Good,

I arrived back in the States safe and sound. The trip was non eventful, but as always, long.

When I got back, I rested for a couple of days at my home friary in Ellicott City. It was very, very good to be home, even if only for a couple of days. I always suffer from horrible jet lag, and this was no exception. Today I am only now feeling OK. Saturday and Sunday my mind was so foggy that I just couldn't think. That was a little bit of a problem, because this week Tuesday at our Provincial Chapter, I had been asked to preach at a Votive Mass in honor of St. Anthony, the patron saint of our province. I decided that the Holy Spirit had to guide me in this. By Monday evening, I was back enough that I was able to put my ideas together. Then on Tuesday afternoon I gave the homily in front of the friars (around 200 of them). It is always toughest to preach before ones own. It went quite well, and the friars were appreciative. It was one of those moments when one feels the Holy Spirit working overtime.

This was also very good to remind me of what the Spirit has called me to do. At times I wonder why I was not asked to be one of the men leading the province, but I realize that this is just my own ego at work. God has other uses for me. I have to surrender to that call and respond with as much generosity as I can.

It has been wonderful to spend a week with the friars of our two provinces (the two eastern provinces which we have now agrees to unite in a few years time). During the chapter, we also decided to take spiritual responsibility for the friars in England and Ireland. They have gone through a several bad years, and their numbers are way down. Our new provincial was in charge of their jurisdiction for the past few years, and our Minister General (the big boss in Rome) asked our province to join with them so that we could help them get back on their feet. We voted overwhelmingly to do that.

I have finished a couple of books. One was a CD book called Echo Park by Michael Connelly. It was a detective novel, and it was quite a good story.

The second was a book called More Blood, More Sweat, and Another Cup of Tea by Tom Reynolds. It was the blogs of a London emergency vehicle worker. It was insightful, funny, tragic, etc. This is certainly a book I would recommend.

Please keep me in your prayers as I travel to Ghana this Saturday to give a retreat to some seminarians. I really don't know if I will have access to the internet there, so if you don't hear from me before June 30th, it doesn't mean that anything is wrong.

My coming schedule is:

June 19 - 30, 2010: St. Victor's Major Seminary, Tamale, Ghana - seminarian retreat

July 4 - 10, 2010: St. Francis Convent, Mishawaka, IN - Retreat for Sisters

July 11 - 18, 2010: Quellen Spiritual Center, Mendham, NJ - Retreat for Sisters

July 19 - 23, 2010: St. Francis of Assisi Friary, Mishawaka, IN - Novice Retreat

July 24 - 31, 2010: Chatauqua Community, Chatauqua, NY - Priest in Residence

August 5 - 15, 2010: Our Lady of Consolation Shrine, Carey, OH - Parish Novena

August 16 - 20, 2010: Maronite Seminary, Washington, D.C. - Seminarian Retreat

August 21 - 27, 2010: Ocean City, MD - vacation

August 28 - September 3, 2010: St. Francis of Assisi Friary, Mishawaka, IN - Novitiate Conferences

God bless and
Shalom

fr. Jude

Finishing up in England

June 9, 2010

Peace and Good,

Well, just a couple more days in England, and then it is back to the States. I will only be there for a week, though, because then I fly out to Ghana, West Africa, to give a retreat to a group of seminarians.

These weeks in England have been great for writings projects. I finished 24 articles for the Messenger of St. Anthony in Padua, Italy. I have been writing for that magazine since 1982, an article a month. This puts me two years in advance.

I have also finished a children's book on St. Joseph. This coming year is the 100th anniversary of Catholic Book Publishing Company, and St. Joseph is their patron saint. This book will be the 100th book in the children's series that Fr. Lovasik started and I have carried through.

My courses are almost completed. I have one more class this afternoon, and then I have to correct a couple of papers before I leave.

I have finished a couple of books. The first is Infidels: A history of the Conflict between Christians and Islam. I'm trying to read more about Islam so that I might understand what is going on a little better. The first part of the book of Spain and the expulsion of the Moors and the Jews was excellent. The rest of the book was a bit of a disappointment. It was almost as if the author had tacked together a few articles and called it a book.

The other book was a Confessors Handbook by Kurt Stasiak, OSB. It is always good to read a spiritual reading book like that, especially when so much of my ministry involves confession.

My coming schedule is as follows:

until June 11: Canterbury, England - teaching

June 13 - 18, 2010: Provinicial Chapter, Buffalo, NY

June 19 - 30, 2010: St. Victor's Major Seminary, Tamale, Ghana - seminarian retreat

July 4 - 10, 2010: St. Francis Convent, Mishawaka, IN - Retreat for Sisters

July 11 - 18, 2010: Quellen Spiritual Center, Mendham, NJ - Retreat for Sisters

July 19 - 23, 2010: St. Francis of Assisi Friary, Mishawaka, IN - Novice Retreat

July 24 - 31, 2010: Chatauqua Community, Chatauqua, NY - Priest in Residence

August 5 - 15, 2010: Our Lady of Consolation Shrine, Carey, OH - Parish Novena

August 16 - 20, 2010: Maronite Seminary, Washington, D.C. - Seminarian Retreat

August 21 - 27, 2010: Ocean City, MD - vacation

August 28 - September 3, 2010: St. Francis of Assisi Friary, Mishawaka, IN - Novitiate Conferences

God bless and
Shalom

fr. Jude