Ellicott City

July 26, 2025 The Memorial of Saints Joachim and Ann Grandparents Day Peace and Good, These past couple of weeks have been the longest spread of hot, hot, hot weather that I remember in Baltimore. This week we might go up to 100. I have been doing most of my daily walks inside out house (which has a long walkway from one end of the building to the other). I have finished editing the Lectors' Workbook for next year. That is really not such a big project since I have been doing this for years, and the new books are just a revision of what we have already done. I have been able to get caught up with my daily podcasts for the scripture readings each day at Mass. I always like to be at least a couple of weeks ahead of time lest something happen and I not be able to record them for a while. This week I have been helping out at the shrine quite a bit, including a funeral this past Tuesday. The local church, St. Louis, is closed for renovation, and they have asked us to pick up some of their funerals and weeddings. I am getting ready for a workshop on the Canticle of the Creatures on August 9. This is the 800th anniversary of the poem written by St. Francis celebrating creation. The poem is the first piece of poetry written in Italian (as far as we know). Previously poetry had been written in Latin. Some people say that this move to the vernacular was the beginning of the Renaissance. I will also be working on a project due by the end of the month. I have been asked to write a script on a virtual tour of a series of large pictures on the life of St. Anthony which hangs in the main coridor of the Shrine. I have finished some reading and listening: Lectures on the Gospel of Mark by Rowan Williams I have heard that Rowan Williams was the best theologian who was the Archbishop of Canterbury since St. Anselm. These lectures were a type of Holy Week retreat on the Gospel of Mark. I can believe the theological reputation mentioned above. Williams is informative, thoughtful, and spiritual. He weighs the various possible positions, showing how they are stronger or weaker. It was a joy listening to these lectures. The Beast by Faye Kellerman This is a detective story which begins with an elderly billionaire found in his modest apartment with a Bengal Tiger running lose in the room. The team must deal with a host of suspects, and a host of complications in the story, especially when human body parts are found among the tiger’s food packages. It is a good story. Aquinas for Armchair Theologians by Timothy Renick This is part of a series on theologians and philosophers. Each presentation is one hour long to three hours. This one was on the longer side of the spectrum. The author gives a good biography and a good evaluation of the positions of Aquinas. He also has a great sense of humor, so the text does not get bogged down in theoretical positions. I especially appreciated his discussion of just war, of the principle of double effects, of natural law, etc. The Seven Sacraments by Daniel Van Slyke This is a Learn25 presentation. The author is a canon lawyer, so the presentation of the sacraments is technically perfect, but there is very little passion in the presentation. Furthermore, the professor shows an interesting fascination with the Latin liturgy. I really could not recommend this course. Why Sustainable Energy Matters by OpenLearn OpenLearn gives short presentations on various topics. This particular one is on sustainable energy. The author first of all presents the state of affairs today. Then she speaks of various green alternatives (both pro-active such as producing energy, and passive, designing structures and tasks in ways that uses less energy). The author is honest on both the advantages and difficulties and downsides of each technology. Spycraft: the Secret History of the CIA’s Spytechs by Robert Wallace, etc. This is an examination of the secret techniques of spycraft (acting as a spy, but especially the technology they would use such as cameras, communication devices, listening devices, etc.). The material comes from those who have worked on these things, so the presentation is informative and at times tascinating. Meditations on Christ’s Seven Last Words by Laurie Brink This is an examination of the seven last sayings of Jesus along with a concrete modern-day application. The material was OK, but not overly profound. I found myself listening to some of the presentations just to come to a finish of the “retreat”. Museum Masterpieces: The National Gallery by Catherine Scallen This is an overview of the various periods of paintings held by the National Gallery in London. The presenter is an art scholar who obviously loves her job and the collection found at the National Gallery. One is able to see the changes in technique from the earliest period of painting up to the beginning of the 20th century (for the collection ends there). It is well worth watching. 1776 by David McCullough We like to think of the spirit of ’76, a heroic and victorious time in American history. But this book by McCullough (who is a tremendous history author) shows that it was also a disastrous time when Washington and his troops were expelled from New York and lost Philadelphia, the capital of the nation, to the British. It was only the Christmas battle in Trenton in which Washington surprised a large camp of Hessian mercenaries and captured many of them that let the year end on a high note which gave the nation hope for a possible victory in their quest for freedom. Heliopolis by Charles River Editors This is the city in ancient Egypt that was dedicated to the worship of the Sun god. It had its ups and down, dependent upon who was ruling Egypt and which cult he had chosen to be the most important in his empire. Very little of the original city is left, largely having been used for building material by subsequent settlers in this area. Fort Henry by Jonathan Gianos-Steinberg This was one of the first battle of the Civil War and the first major victory for northern troops (led by General Grant but assisted by the Navy Commander Foote). This was the first moment in which Grant came to the attention of the nation. The battle itself was not all that significant, given that a good part of the fort was flooded because of the South having chosen a bad location for its layout, and also because a good part of the troops had already evacuated the fort before the battle even began. Lusitania: Triumph, Tragedy, and the End of the Edwardian Age by Greg King and Penny Wilson This is the passenger ship running from New York to Great Britain in 1915 that was sunk by a German torpedo in 1915, with a huge loss of life, including many Americans. Much of the account deals with the people on board, their lives, etc. Who was to blame? The British had actually made this ship into a part of the British navy, so it could not claim that it was a civilian ship. They were also carrying munitions aboard. The Germans gave no warning before they fired the torpedo(s). There are also the faults of the crew who did not maintain the life boats well or prepare the passengers ot use them if there were an emergency. To sum it up, they were all at fault to a certain degree. Utopia and Terror in the 20th Century by Vejas Gabriel Liulevicius This is a Great Courses (24 lectures) course on some of the utopian and often totalitarian movements during the 20th century (e.g. communism, fascism, national socialism, etc.). Liulevivius is a good scholar and presenter. He brings out the similarities and differences of the various groups and their expressions in various countries. This is a good course. Have a good week. Shalom fr. Jude

Ellicott City - Priestfield, WV - Buffalo - Ellicott City

July 12, 2025 Peace and Good, I hope that everyone is enjoying the summer. The weather here in Baltimore is hot and sticky, which is most often is at this time of year. This has been a busy few weeks. On June 9 I had a morning rpesentation ono the encyclical that Pope Francis had written on the Sacred Heart. It was the feast of the Sacred Heart, so it worked perfectly. I was very pleased with how it turned out, and it is now posted on youtube. That evening I went out to the retreat house in Charlestown, WV to preach (with another friar) to a group of secular Franciscans on a weekend retreat. The topic was how they could better minister to each other as brothers and sisters, especially as some of their number are aging and can become isolated. Then, Monday through Friday I gave a retreat to a group of Trinitarians at the retreat house in Mariottsville, MD, not too far down the streat from where I live. The topic was what we can learn from the Wisdom literature in the Old Testament. I enjoyed working with the group. There were about 20 of them. Then, this past weekend I flew up to Buffalo for a memorial Mass for my sister Marge at the chapel of our friary at St. Francis High School. That, too, went very well. I wish I had had more time to spend with the family, but I had to fly back to Baltimore that afternoon because I had a doctor's appointment the next morning. That appointment was a periodic CT scan of my lungs. From what I can tell from the report (I have not yet met with the doctors), it looks very good. I finished some reading; Jerusalem by Leslie Hoppe Leslie Hoppe is a Biblical scholar who is famous for his archaeological trips to the Holy Land. This Learn25 course gives the history of Jerusalem, its importance to Judaism, Christianity and Islam, and its importance and future. This is a good course with each topic thoroughly and clearly presented. I would recommend this course to anyone interested in the topic. Renaissance Woman by Ramie Targoff This is the story of Vittoria Colonna, a woman who lived in Italy during the time of Michaelangelo. She was married to an important member of the Colonna family, one of the leading families in Rome for centuries. Instead of remarrying when her husband died, she dedicated herself to religion and poetry. She was one of the first woman poets to have a book of her poems published in Italy. A good part of the book tries to show how she was fascinated by Lutheranism, although I did not get the feeling that what the author describes as Protestant ideas really were than. Mary, Mother of Jesus by Bertrand Buby This is a Learn25 course with 24 lectures on the role of the Blessed Virgin Mary in our faith and our lives. Buby is a Marianist. His presentations are not all that good. Much of the time is taken up with quoting citations or prayers. His examples from his own life are not all that inspiring. His conclusions are not always firmly based (more devotional than analytically demonstrated). Convict Colony by David Hill This is the story of the foundation of the convict colony of the British Empire in Australia. Given that the laws of Great Britain were draconian and their prisons were willed and the American colonies where they had often deported prisoners had been lost, the British had to find another land to serve as a holding cell for their prisoners. They sent them far away to Australia, often without the means for survival. The early history of the Australian colony is filled with violence (often coming from the hands of those in charge), fraud and exploitation, etc. It was only gradually that the British government came to understand more fully what was happening and stepped in to provide a better government for them. Under the Banner of Heaven by Jon Krakauer This is the story of some murders committed by a small group of fundamentalist Mormons (this offshoot represents only about ½ of one percent of the Mormon body). The author compares and contrasts this movement to the founding of the religion and their migration to the Salt Lake City area. That foundation story, too, is quite violent and it is a period about which Mormons don’t often speak and at times dissemble about. At the end of the book, the author wrestles with the question of what causes certain people to become fanatical to the point of being willing to kill others. Artemesia Gentilesci by Delphi Art Classics This is one of the Delphi books which speak of individual artists and which show all of their extant works. Artemesia Genetilesci is unusual for this artist was a woman in a time when almost all other artists were men. The description of her life, her works, her artistic style, etc. are very well done. Rollo of Normandy by Chronicle Press This is the first book that I have received from Chronicle Press, which gives their books for free the first day they are listed on kindle. This one did not over impress me. About one third of the book is devoted to a futile attempt to identify Rollo (an ancestor of William the Conqueror in the literature of the Vikings. Basically, Rollo made a deal with the king of France to take over Normandy and surrounding territories in return for the promise to stop raiding the rest of France (an, in fact, help to stop other Vikings from doing this as well.). The 1928 Lake Okeechobee Hurricane by Charles River Editors This is the story of a horrendous hurricane that hit southern/central Florida from the ocean side. The greatest damage was done in the environs of Lake Okeechobee where there were many farms. The lake had a series of dykes and levees, but they were all destroyed by the horrendous surge in the level of the lake. Most of those who were killed in the disaster were the poor farm workers, mostly people of color. Ancient Palmyra by Charles River Editors We do not hear much about Palmyra today, but it was a major trading city in the Mid-East during and after the time of Jesus. One of its most famous monarchs was Zenobia, who acting as regent for her son, threatened the power of Rome throughout this part of the world. Palmyra was brought low after this rebellion, and it never recovered its status in the ancient, medieval or modern world. Unsung Heroes of World War II by Lynne Olson I have read a couple of books written by this professor, and so it was a joy to see her give a series of presentations on the Great Courses series on people about whom we might not have heard much, but who played a significant role in the course of World War II (in Europe). This includes people in the underground, politicians, kings and queens, etc. This was a very good, very informative course. Act of Oblivion by Robert Harris I think I have read everything that Harris has written, including his trilogy on Cicero and his book on Dreyfus. This book deals with the period after the death of Oliver Cromwell and the restoration of the Stuart dynasty to the throne of Great Britain. Parliament passed an act that all of the signers of the decree of condemnation to death of King Charles I were to be punished. This book deals with one man from this new regime who searches for two of the signers in the colonies of the new world. I thoroughly enjoyed the book, as I do with all of his books. Lewis and Clark by Ralph Andrist This is a short account of the Lewis and Clark expedition. Only enough information to fill out the gaps is given of the lives of these two explorers. That which is recounted, though, is quite good and gives a good sense of the heroic nature of their mission to explore the newly acquired Louisiana territory all the way to the Pacific Ocean. Have a good restful week. Shalom fr. Jude