Ellicott City - Coronado (CA) - Ellicott City

March 23, 2025 Peace and Good, I just returned from preaching a parish mission in Coronado, California, last night. I was very pleased with how it turned out. The parishioners and the staff are great. I preached especially on our becoming parish and working together. This parish is working on a synodality pattern in light of Pope Francis' push to involve more in the decision making of the Church. Coronado is a beautiful island off of San Diego. It has a couple of navy bases, and the neighborhoods have the feel of a 1950's family TV show. Everybody seems friendly and helpful. The parish is very well run, and tons of people are involved in its various programs. This week I get back to work at the shrine, but I am also doing research on Carlo Acutis. He is an Italian young man (15 years old when he died of leukemia) who will be canonized on Divine Mercy Sunday. I have been asked to write a children's book on him. He is to be the first millenial saint. I am also going to go out to St. Mary's College in Emmittsburg to speak with the archdiocesan director of the Deliverance ministry. I think it would be very good to have someone at the Shrine who is a bit more informed about this topic. Next weekend I will be giving a retreat in Priestfield, WV to a group of women in the Catholic Daughters. It will be about hope, especially in these confusing times. I have finished some reading and listening: African History: A Very Short Introduction by John Parker and Richard Rathbone This is a difficult topic for how does one define African history – in fact, what does it mean to be African (compare the Arab and Berber tribesmen in the north of the continent with those with Bantu heritage further south)? There is a rarity of written sources, even for fairly well-developed cultures. Furthermore, much of what has been written in the past century is the history of European colonization of the African continent. The author presents recent African scholars who are trying to overcome these difficulties to produce what could now be called a true African history. Understanding Ulysses S. Grant: Portrait of a Warrior by Elizabeth Samet This is a short Great Courses presentation of the life and career of General Grant. He is presented as a good man who at times had difficulty negotiating the challenges of life. All but a failure before the Civil War, he quickly became the most important general of the northern cause. A good man as a president, he was nevertheless surrounded by not so honest people who traded on their titles for money and privilege. He was burned by financial scandals and was all but bankrupt when Mark Twain came in and saved him by publishing and marketing his memoirs. Swiping Hearts by Jeffrey Deaver This is a clever short story about a man who has violent tendencies against women but who sublimates them by breaking their hearts by enticing them to meet him over a dating site and then telling them that it was all a joke. It is a Lincoln Rhymes story in which he helps one of those women to put an end to this man’s games (which technically, were not illegal in any way(. The English Civil Wars by Blair Worden This is an overview of the overthrow and execution of King Charles I in England and of the reign of Cromell, as well as the accession of a Stuart King after the death of Cromwell. It deals with some of the social movements of the time, as well as the religious ferment (especially between the Anglican Church and the more Calvinist movements such as the Puritans). Advent and Christmas by John Baldovin This is a Learn25 course on the seasons of Advent and Christmas. There is a bit of good theology in the course, but all too much of it is the reading of prayers from the liturgy and the lyrics of Advent and Christmas songs. I would not recommend this as a good preparation for these liturgical seasons. Handsome Devil by Jeff Maysh This is a short presentation of the real life figure during the 30’s who proved to be an incredible fraudster, once accepting a bribe to sell the Eifel Tower for scrape metal. He was from Germany, but most of his scams were in the United States. He ended his career in Alcatraz after many escapes from tight situations and imprisonment. The Analects of Confucius by Robert Andre LaFleur This is a Great Courses presentation on the teachings of Confucius. I had always heard about his teachings but had never really invested in reading them or studying them. From what I learned, they are a presentation of disorganized sayings which need to be understood in a larger context. I can’t say that I share the enthusiasm of the presenter toward this topic, but this was only a first attempt to enter into this world. Freedom from Fear by David Kennedy This is a longish book on FDR and his work to alleviate the depression, and then to lead America during the Second World War. I liked the fact that the author was not committed either to praise or attack his work, but rather to provide as balanced an evaluation as he could. At times he all but forgets FDR in telling to the story of outside events. It was a good book. Understanding Greek and Roman Technology by Stephen Ressler This is a Great Courses presentation by a professor at West Point on the contributions of Greek and Roman culture to the technology used in ancient times and some of which are still used today. This includes considerations in building houses and temples, aqueducts and water and sewage systems, instruments for warfare, etc. I don’t have a mechanical mind, but Ressler explains things very clearly and gives excellent examples to show how the concept is made real. A Retreat with Teilhard de Chardin by Donald Goergen This is a Learn25 retreat course on the teachings of Teilhard de Chardin. It centers on the concept of the Cosmic Christ and how everything is in evolution toward that which God created the universe to be. I found the presentations a bit flaky, but there were gems here and there which made it worthwhile listening to the whole course. God’s Troubadour by Sophie Jewett This is a simple account (really intended for children) of the life of St. Francis of Assisi. It is part of the librivox project (out of print books read by volunteers). It is not that I learned anything new, but it is good to hear the old story every once in a while. The Practice of the Presence of God by Brother Lawrence I have heard much of this work over the years. It is a simple account of a brother who tries to put God at the head of everything he does and thinks and says. He is not scrupulous in his approach, but rather filled with joy and hope that God will supply what he cannot on his own. The Oregon Trail by Charles River Editors This is a short account of the migration from the East and the Midwest to the largely unsettled land of Oregon. It speaks of the trails taken, the organization of the wagon trains used, the equipment employed, etc. One of the most obvious things is how ill-prepared most of those who travelled west were, and how it frequently led to disaster. Have a good week. Shalom fr. Jude