San Juan Bautista, CA - Rome

June 13, 2022 The Feast of St. Anthony of Padua Peace and Good, Our provincial chapter in California went very well. I flew back to Rome the Saturday after the chapter, flying from San Francisco to London and then on to Rome. The was the easiest transit that I have had in the past couple of years. There are no more forms to fill out, no more covid tests to take. Even passport control was remarkably easy. I hope it continues like this. This past week we held our definitory. There was quite a bit to do since we had not met since before Easter. As always, we dealt with topics from all over the world. One of the new items on the agenda is the fact that the Holy Father has given us a decree that allows us to elect Religious Brothers as major superiors (provincials, custodes and vicars). California did this, so we approved the election and sent it on to the Decastery of Religious for their final approval. It is very hot these days, and Rome is packed with tourists. After the past few years with very disappointing tourist seasons, this has to be a tremendous relief to those who own stores and restaurants here in Rome. This week we have a meeting with the Presidents of the various federations of the Order (there are seven). Then on Sunday I will be flying to Los Angeles for the second part of their provincial chapter. I finished some reading: Genesis by James McKeown This is one of the best commentaries on Genesis that I have ever read. The author is from an Evangelical background, but while not being fundamentalistic, he respects and addresses the concerns raised by them. He has a good way of linking what is being written in Genesis with what was occurring in Israel at the time that the book was written, probably around the time of the exile. He links the various allusions within the book and outside of it. He deals with the larger spirituality of the book. I thoroughly enjoyed it and learned a lot. The First Frontier: the Forgotten History of Struggle, Savagery, and Endurance in Early America by Scott Wiedensaul This is an account of the meeting of native Americans and colonial settlers in the era that ran from the first entrance of those colonists up to the time of the American Revolution. It is thorough, and speaks of the many wars and treaties made between the two groups. One of the things that is significant is that each of the groups really did not consider the other to be fully human, and they treated them that way. It gives a lot of information, but the writing style of the author is not all that good. The information is not engaging. Medieval Art: From Beginning to the end by T. Silva This is a very short overview of the art of the post-Roman era, the Carolingian era and the early Renaissance. It is very incomplete and sketchy at best, but it does give a little good information Lies Sleeping by Ben Aaronovitch Aaronovitch is one of my favorite authors. This series of books called the Rivers of London is based on the career of a young half black detective who has been singled out to be part of a squad that deals with violations of magic. In this volume, there is a plot to kill one of the ancient spirits of London to gain the power from that entity (but possibly also to create a totalitarian state ruled by the miscreant who is formulating the plot. The books in this series are fun, a bit cheeky. A Thief of Time by Tony Hillerman This is a novel about murders and possible kidnappings of those who are seeking ancient pottery in the Navaho reservation. There are two tribal policemen who are trying to solve a number of strange occurrences. The author seeks to bring the reader into the Navaho mindset, which I believe he does very well. I would recommend any of Hillerman’s books. The Red Prince: The Life of John of Gaunt, the Duke of Lancaster by Helen Carr This is the story of the founder of the house of Lancaster which was represented by a red rose and which would be one of two houses involved in the War of the Roses. Carr is a good historian, giving tons of information in a very pleasant presentation. I could easily recommend this book for someone interested in the pre-Tudor period of history in England. Easter Island by Charles River Editors This is a short outline of the island known as Easter Island but also by its original name, Rapa Nui. It is a lone island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. The most famous thing on the island is the statues that have been set up by the various groups of natives called Maoi. The island is also famous for the ecological disaster that occurred when the population grew without resources to supply for their needs, something that is noted in Jared Diamond’s books. Caravaggio by Delphi Art Classics This particular volume of the Delphi Art series gives an overview of Caravaggio’s most important works with some critical notes. It also gives a short biography. However, it is a bit scarce on information. Have a good week. Shalom fr. Jude

Dublin - Wexford - Dublin - Barton - London - Rome

May 26, 2013 Peace and Good, Yes, I visited all of those places in just one week. I have been on planes or trains most of that time. We had out meeting for friars in Ireland in Wexford which is on the south coast. We take care of a shrine church which is situated between two huge diocescan parishes. The people love the friars for confessions and spiritual direction. The next day I had off and I did some writing but I also visited Dublin. It is not a big city, but there is more than enough to see. The only problem was that the weather was not all that good. It was cold and rainy most of the time. A group of us then flew to Manchester and two of us stayed at Barton for the night (just outside of Manchester). This used to be the novitiate, and it is being used for prining a magazine that the friars distribute free of charge. They receive enough donations to pay for the magazine and then some. Friday evening I took the Virgin Train to London (the same company that owns Virgin Atlantic). When I booked the ticket, it cost 74 pounds for a 2nd class ticket and 51 pounds for a first class ticket. I kept looking at the screen to make sure I was reading it right. Sure enough, that is what it was. There was hardly anyone in the first class car, so that must be why they put it on sale. It was a beautiful ride into London, a little over two hours long. Everyone in England was very shocked at the brutal murder of the soldier on the street. It must be similar to what the Bostonians felt after the bombs during the Marathon. I do not know why the networks insisted repeating the murderers rant over and over again. This is exactly what he wanted, the publicity. Then Saturday I flew back to Rome. The weather is much, much better here. Tomorrow we start our meetings which will go all week long here in Rome, and then we move up to Assisi for another week of meetings. I finished a few books: The Book of Genesis by Professor Gary Rendsburg The is one of the teaching company’s courses. Rendsburg is a Rabbi, and it is always interesting for me to hear how books of the Old Testament are interpreted by Jewish scholars. It just a whole different perspective. He deals with the text as it is found (and does not speak of various sources which went into the composition of the book). Some of his literary insights are brilliant. I am not sure about some of his historic suppositions (e.g. the date of Abraham the patriarch, the date of Joseph going down to Egypt). He is thoroughly familiar with the Hebrew text, so he can notice various allusions and alliterations that we miss in our English translations. Overall, this was a very good course. The Retreat by Michael Jones This is a historical account of the retreat of the Nazi forces who were investing Moscow at the beginning of December, 1941. They thought that they had thoroughly defeated the forces of the Soviet Union, but Stalin and Marshall Zuchov had been secreting a number of fresh divisions (newly formed and those brought from Siberia) to launch an offensive against the Germans when they were most fully extended. The offensive was incredibly successful, pushing the German back many, many miles with horrendous casualties and incredible losses of material. It could have almost ended the war if the Soviets had not themselves overreached allowing the Germans the time that they needed to launch a counteroffensive. Complicating this all was the Russian winter for which the Germans were woefully unprepared (although they had been fully warned long in advance). Their machines wouldn’t work, their canons and machine guns would not fire, the men suffered from frostbite, etc. This book also outlines the almost bestial attitudes of the Germans and the Russians toward each other and even toward civilians and prisoners. The book is well written, but it is a painful subject. Absolute Friends by John Le Carre Like most of Le Carre’s books, this is quite well done. It tells the story of two men, one the son of a cashiered army officer and the other the son of a German pastor who come to know each other in Berlin during the Cold War era. In the early years, they both work on peaceful anarchist projects to fight the imperialist powers, but especially the US. Later, Ted (the Brit) and Sasha (the German) join forces to spy against the government of East Germany. The books carries them along into the post cold war period when they become involved in a strange, potentially dangerous plot. The personalities of the two men characters are well developed, and even though they are both deeply flawed, one can’t help liking them. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Hope you have a good week. Shalom fr. Jude