Palermo - Rome - Ellicott City

August 12, 2022 Peace and Good, I truly enjoyed the trip to Palermo. We celebrated the opening of a friary for hte care of older friars. The friars also showed me the beauty of Montreale (the most magnificent presentation of medieval mosaics) and Agrigento (a series of Greek temple ruins) and a few other places. I then flew to Rome and took care of finishing off a series of articles on the prophets that I was writing for one of our magazines in Kenya. Yesterday I flew from Rome to Baltimore through London. The first part of the trip was not bad, but the part from London left around 3 1/2 hours late. This has been the pattern all throughout these past few months. I am back in Ellicott City for a series of doctors' and dentist appointments. I will be flying back to Rome on the 24th. It has been hot, hot, hot wherever I go. Italy has been having a terrible drought, as has France. I finished some books: Ripper: the Secret Life of Walter Sickert by Patricia Cornwell This is a book that outlines Cornwell’s proposal that Jack the Ripper was really an artist named Walter Sickert, an artist who studied under James Whistler. Many of the points are well made, but Cornwell becomes repetitive in attacking the forensic inability of the investigators and her tendency to go from “it could have been” to “it must have been.” Washington’s End by Jonathan Horn This is a book that covers the period of Washington’s life from the end of his second term until the time that he died. It deals with his life at Mt. Vernon, and also about his relationship with President Adams (which was not always the best, given Adams’ tendency toward jealousy). The account is rather well developed and organized. The Reislauffer by Charles River Editors This is the story of the Swiss troops that fought throughout the Middle Ages and Renaissance as mercenaries. They were incredibly successful in many of the battles they fought, especially in Italy. There is still a vestige of this group in the Swiss Guard who are the ceremonial guard of the Holy Father. James Moriarty, Consulting Criminal by Andy Weir This is a clever short novel about Moriarty, the archfiend whom Sherlock Holmes fought. Moriarty uses the same deductive techniques as Holmes, but he uses them to further his criminal efforts to become the most powerful criminal in London. Odessa by Charles River Editors This is a short study of the group that is said to be formed after World War II to permit Nazi war criminals to escape from Europe to South America and the Arab world. The author admits that it is not entirely clear that this group actually existed, but given the rather large number of Nazis who escaped, it would appear that they received help from someone. The author also emphasizes how Nazi scientists helped Arabs develop weapons and aircraft to fight against Israel. The Great Mortality by John Kelly This is an excellent treatment of the Black Death in the Middle Ages. The author treats the subject from many different angles. He speaks of the actual plague and what it was (probably a mix of Bubonic and Pneumonic plague. He deals with the literature that was written as a reaction to the event (e.g. that of Boccaccio and Chaucer). He speaks of the anti-Jewish persecution. He deals with the societal effects of the plague. Dietrich Bonhoeffer by Hourly History This is a short account of the life and career of the great theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer. He was a pastor in the Evangelical faith who became a major critic of the Hitler regime. He was eventually executed right before the end of the war. Perhaps his most famous book was the Cost of Discipleship, a treatise which describes how following Jesus is not easy. It requires all one is and has. Blood, Toil, Tears and Sweat by John Kovacs This is an account of Churchill and his speeches at the very beginning of his taking over as Prime Minister in Great Britain and the time of its greatest danger. The author, who is an expert in this period of history, gives good insights into what Churchill said and why he said it. He traces the transition of Churchill from being a little appreciated fool to a great leader. The Martian by Andy Weir I thoroughly enjoyed this particular book about an astronaut who is accidentally left on Mars and who finds ways to survive and eventually to be rescued. The science and engineering described is fascinating. In a course I listened to, the premise of the book is off track a bit (if there were a wind storm on Mars, the atmosphere is so weak that it would not tear things apart and cause a part of the apparatus to impale the astronaut. Nevertheless, the book is very good and I am looking forward to reading more of Weir’s writing. Books that Cook: Food and Fiction by Jennifer Cognard-Black This is a Great Courses series of lectures on the treatment of food and its preparation and earing in literature. The professor is good, but possibly a bit too excited by her topic. She also becomes speculative in her interpretation of various scenes in the books and even the films which she describes. Have a good week. Shalom fr. Jude

Peoria - Chicago - Ellicott City

January 31, 2022 Peace and Good, I have been in Ellicott City (Baltimore) for the past few days for some doctors' appointments. So far, so good. I have one more appointment later today, and then tomorrow I head out to Louisville to begin my visitation of Our Lady of Consolation Province. I finished the St. Bonaventure visitation this past week. I will be travelling in Indiana, Ohio, Minnesota and Texas in these next weeks. I have been lucky with the weather. I got out of Chicago just before they got 8 inches of snow, and here in Baltimore we largely escaped the worst of the weather coming up the coast. We had a couple of zoom meetings this past Friday. In the morning and early afternoon, I had a General Definitory. We do this every once in a while to take care of a backlog of cases that develops after a while. Then, in the afternoon, the federation had a zoom meeting to work on our slate of formators for our houses of formation after the coming chapters (April through July). I finished some reading: Medical Mysteries Across History by Dr. Roy Benaroch This is part of the audible original productions, and also of the Great Courses series. I have listened to a couple of courses offered by Dr. Benaroch in the past, and he gives a clear, thorough explanation of the various topics with which he is dealing. In this case, he gives the case history of certain historic figures (without fully identifying them) and tries to determine a modern diagnosis for their problems. It is well done. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling Every once in a while I like to read or listen to a book that is pure entertainment. That is the case when I devour one of the Harry Potter books. I fully enjoy J.K. Rowling’s series of books, especially when I listen to them. Franklin and Washington by William Larson This is a study and comparison of the personalities and careers of Benjamin Franklin and George Washington. It deals with how their lives intersected during the Revolutionary War. Toward the end, it deals with the painful subject of slavery, with Franklin opposing it and even presenting a petition to Congress to outlaw it, and Washington preferring not to deal with the matter (and at times defending it). The book is well written and it gives a fair overview of both men. The Psalms: Language of All Seasons of the Soul, ed. Andrew Schmutzer and David Howardi This is a series of studies produced by an evangelical/Calvinist group of scholars on the psalms. The early studies are quite well done and produce a lot of food for thought. They helped me ask questions about the psalms that had never before come into my head. Unfortunately, to fill out the book, the editors ended it with a series of homilies on the psalms which are neither all that good as homilies nor insightful in terms of academics. Overall, though, the book is worth the read. A Grown Up Guide to Dinosaurs by Ellie Sans and Clare Chadburn This is a series of six podcasts presented by Audible on dinosaurs. It is a quite scholarly presentation, but developed in a way that is quite pleasant. I learned a lot about the rise and fall of dinosaurs, mass extinctions, the development of flight, the competition between reptiles and mammals, etc. I have found that many of the podcasts being produced are well worth listening to. Crete 1941 by Antony Beevor I have read a number of Beevor’s books. He is an author dealing with war topics, such as the siege of Stalingrad. This book deals with the period before the invasion of Crete, of the invasion, and of the aftermath until the time of the liberation of the island. The book is well written, filled with individual details. It is a bit Anglophilic, telling the story from a British point of view. Yet, it is well worth reading. The Storm before the Storm by Michael Duncan This is the story of the Roman Republic and the various machinations that eventually led up to the final crisis and civil war which destroyed it. It thus deals with the period of the Gracchi, Marius and Sula. The choices made by these men (and their opponents) led up to the disaster in the times of Julius Caesar, Crassus and Pompey. The book is very well researched and written. Hitler’s Spy Chief by Richard Bassett This is the story of Admiral Canaris, the head of army intelligence service for Germany during World War II. It cannot be definitively proved, but it would appear that he was a bit of a double agent. He was an absolute patriot of Germany, and he hated what Hitler was doing to the country. He therefore allowed various German lots to fail, and leaked other information to the allies. He was eventually arrested after the plot to kill Hitler failed, and he was executed in the last days of World War II. The Roman Way by Edith Hamilton This is one of two volumes (the other being the Greek Way) which speaks of the culture and literature and way of life of the Romans. Hamilton contrasts the Roman view of the world with that of the Greeks. It is well done, very informative. Have a good week. Shalom fr. Jude

Rome

December 21, 2020 Peace and Good, I got through the ten days of meetings for our General Definitory. It is a good group of men. We talk through things until we reach a consensus. No one is afraid to give his opinion, and no one tries to shut the other down. But ten days is a long, long time to meet from morning to night. The weather is cool, with rain every few days. Rome is not in a total shut down, but it does have its limitations. The 24th to the 26th and again the days around New Year's Day will be shut downs. I just heard about the quarantine for flight to and from Great Britain. Fortunately, on the 11th of January, my trip is via Germany. We will have to see what happens with that. I have finished my series of six articles for our magazine in Kenya. I was going to do them on the Blessed Virgin Mary, but then the Holy Father declared this to be the year of St. Joseph, so it was back to the drawing board. I can use the BVM idea next year. These days I will be doing a bit of work on a couple of articles I have been asked to write. I should finish them by tomorrow evening. This evening I am going to do a zoom meeting with some ladies in the States on Bible Study (three Mondays in a row). I am glad to be able to share some of my insights in this manner. I have finished some reading: Museum Masterpieces: Metropolitan Museum of Art by Richard Brettell This is a video series that speaks about the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Most of the Teaching Company courses that I have participated in up to this point were audio, but this course needed to be video as well (for one had to see the paintings, statutes, and other art objects). The presenter is filled with vitality without being too much. I enjoyed this course, and will continue to view more of their video courses. Paradise Regained by John Milton Recently I read Paradise Lost, the first time that I had read it. This was a companion poem. I was surprised that it went up only to the temptations of Jesus in the desert. I am now listening to a Teaching Company Course on Milton so that I might understand more of what the two poems are all about. Hue 1968 by Mark Bowden Bowden is an excellent war author. This book deals with the critical battle between the troops of the US and the Republic of Vietnam and those of the Vietcong and the North Vietnamese. This battle took place during the Tet offensive in 1968, and although the communist forces were defeated and expelled from the city, their attack and their early victories caused discouragement among the Americans. It was at this time that Walter Cronkite visited Vietnam and made the editorial statement that he thought that the US should get involved in negotiations because we were not winning the war (no matter what propaganda the military was issuing). Medical Pediatrics by Roy Benaroch This is a teach company account of how a doctor treats his pediatric patients. Benaroch is an excellent presenter of this topic. He deals with the patients with great knowledge and experience, but also with great compassion, always treating his patients with tremendous respect. The La Brea Tar Pits by Charles River Editors This is a short account of the history of the La Brea Tar Pits in Los Angeles. The earliest use for the tar that came out of the pit was to provide construction material (especially for waterproofing various structures). It was only later that fossils were found in the pits of animals that had fallen in the pits and had become trapped there. Some of the animals were prehistoric and now extinct in America. In the Hurricane’s Eye by Nathanael Philbrick Philbrick is a very good author of American history. This book is on the battle of Yorktown. It deals especially with Washington and his struggle to hold his army and that of his ally together. He was frustrated by the fact that the French had promised to help him, but they had their own plans. Their greatest interest was how they might defeat the British in the Caribbean where the real profit lie. Philbrick gives a very good picture of the various parties and their motivations. The Battle of Gaugamela by Charles River Editors The is the account of the battle in which Alexander the Great definitively defeated the emperor of Persia. He was outnumbered, and the emperor of Persia had planned his battle well, but it was no good. The short book also speaks of the aftermath of the battle. Merry Christmas fr. Jude