Rome - London - Llandundo (Wales)

October 10, 2022 Peace and Good, I have been in Rome this past week. There were no meetings, so it was time to start a writing project (the articles I do for our Messenger magazine from Padua). This series will be on the apostles. The weather in Rome is cooling off, but is not yet rainy. Here in London (I flew here on Saturday) is a bit different. It is cooler than Rome, and today the rains have begun and will probably continue all this week. This week we will be in Llandundo, Wales. We are holding the second part of the chapter for the Great Britian/Ireland custody. We held the first part last month. Ths will be the last chapter I will attend as Assistant General. Then this coming Saturday I will head to California for a meeting of the major superiors of our federation (US, Canada, Australia and Great Britain/Ireland). I finished some reading: The Spartans by Paul Cartledge This is a well written account of the history of the Spartan people and their kingdom from its rise to its eventual decline. The author is not an apologist for this people, and honestly presents the positive and negative dimension of the unique society which they formed. The Burgundians by Charles River Editors This is a short but terribly boring account of the history of the Burgundian people (when they were a kingdom, part of the Carolingian empire, a duchy (especially during the 100 years war), etc. There are too many facts thrown out without producing a true connection. Blizzard: the Storm that Changed America by Jim Murphy This is the story of a great blizzard that hit the East coast in the 19th century. It changed the way that America looked at the weather. Previously, each individual was responsible for cleaning the sidewalks and streets in front of his house. This blizzard was so devastating that civil governments realizes that they were often the only entities capable of dealing with disasters such as horrendous weather events. Creating the Constitution: 1787 by James Lincoln Collier and Christopher Collier This is part of a series of short books on American history. They are written by a team which feels that too many useless facts are thrown out in history classes and works. They work to give the essential and show the movements which led to certain choices. This is well done. More Twisted by Jeffery Deaver This is a series of short stories by the famous detective author. Each of the stories is well fashioned and always carries a surprise toward the end. It is an enjoyable read. Paperbacks from Hell by Grady Hendrix This is a very amusing, clever account of horror novels (especially short, paperback ones) from the 60’s to the present. As with other studies of horror, the author shows how many of the images are products of what is happening in the larger world. He also speaks of those authors who take an idea and go overboard on it, exaggerating it to a pornographic level. Ivan the Terrible by Ian Grey Ian Grey is a very good history writer. I have read a number of his books. This biography is a good presentation on the person and the times of Ivan the Terrible. A first consideration is that the Russian word “terrible” is actually something closer to “awesome.” There is no question that he was cruel and vindictive, but that could also describe much of what was happening in his days all throughout Russia as it tried to establish itself amidst numerous enemies which surrounded it. Tales from the Folly by Ben Aaronovitch Aaronovitch has turned into one of my favorite authors. He has written the Peter Grant series about a young mixed race detective in London who is recruited by a special branch of the police to investigate magical crimes. He is taught by an experienced wizard-policeman, Nightingale. This book is a series of short stories involving Peter Grant and other characters. As always, it is quite enjoyable. The Skeptic’s Guide to Alternative Medicine by Steven Novella This is a teaching company course on the scientific proof concerning alternative medicine regimes such as chiropractors, healing touch, acupuncture, etc. The professor is very careful concerning what he says, always backing it up with credible scientific proof. The course is very well done and answered a number of my questions. Have a good week. Shalom fr. Jude

Mesilla Rark, New Mexico - Ellicott City, MD

July 24, 2022 Peace and Good, I finished up a very hot week in New Mexico. It reached 106 degrees some day. It was a dry heat, but when it gets that hot, it feels like an oven. The Provincial Chapter of Our Lady of Consolation Province went very well. There was very much a family environment. Their province is one of the most committed to social justice of the four in the county. They made a commitment to study and live the lessons of Pope Francis' encyclical Laudato Si (which speaks of how we use/abuse/honor the environment. They also recommitted themselves to planning for their most important site, Mount St Francis. I am now in Ellicott City for the week, but it is going to be quite busy. I have a series of doctors and dentist appointments. Then on the 30th I head back to Europe, to Palermo in Sicily. I finished some reading: Poland, 1939 by Roger Moorhouse This is a book that records the history of the Nazi and Soviet invasion of Poland in 1939. This is probably one of the most painful books that I have read, but it was well worth reading. The author speaks especially from a Polish point of view, showing how the Poles fought bravely but were outclassed by both the Nazis and the Soviets (who invaded later in the process and claimed to be liberators, which was never their intention). The Soong Sisters by Emily Hahn This is the story of three sisters who all had important roles in China. One was the widow of Sun Yat-Sen. The second was the wife of a rich industrialist. The third was the wife of Chaing Kai-Shek. While this is the theory of the book, it actually turns into a fawning biography of the third women. It is an apologia as to the goodness of Soong Mai-ling, this third woman, up to the end of World War II. I would not exactly recommend this book for a good read. Leyte 1944 by Nathan Prefer This is an extensive account of the American invasion of Leyte during World War II. It goes into great detail, so it would be the sort of book that would please only those who want to know all the story (at a larger level and the individual level). Stay Tuned by Jeffery Deaver This is a short novel about a woman who is endangered by her fiancée. This occurred many years after an incident at the same lake where this event happened. She lost a good friend to a murderer. The question becomes whether the deceased girl actually helped the protagonist escape danger. Odd Thomas by Dean Koontz This is the first of a series of books about a young man named Odd who has the gift/curse of seeing ghosts who wish him to help them on some task before they go to the other side. The whole series is incredibly well written. Odd shows a humility and a sense of service that is astounding. This volume deals with his attempt to stop a mass killing by a Satanic group. The Rise of the Rome by Gregory Aldrete This is a series of 24 lectures on the rise of Rome from its founding until the end of the Republic under Augustus. This is not the first course by Aldrete that I have heard, and he is quite good. He presents quite enough information without being overwhelming. The Egg and Other Stories by Andy Weir This is a series of nine short stories by the author who wrote the Martian. Each of the stories leads one to think one thing and then ends with a turn that one did not in any way expect. These stories made me want to read more of his writings. War Beneath the Sea by Peter Padfield This is a long and very detailed account of submarine war during the Second World War (German, Japanese, British and American). It is quite long and it probably would not be of interest to anyone who is not fascinated with this particular period of history and this particular topic. In spite of this, the book is well done. The 1906 San Francisco Earthquake by Captivating History This is a short account of the earthquake that all but destroyed the city of San Francesco and also spawned a fire which destroyed even more of it. It deals with the initial disaster, of the response of those responsible for the city (local and national), the plights of the refugees, etc. The Great Divorce by Ilyon Woo This is a story that takes place in the early days of the 19th century in New York and New England. A man who has a history of alcoholism and visiting prostitutes decides to convert and join the Shakers. He wants his wife and three children to join him. She does not want this. Although she wants a divorce, it is all but impossible for her to obtain it. Furthermore, the Shakers help the husband hide her children for her (for at this time, the husband had total rights over children during a separation or divorce). A major topic is the fight for women’s rights. Have a good week. Shalom fr. Jude

Rome

March 22, 2021 Peace and Good, I am still in Rome (for a little more than another week). The weather is slowly warming up. Spring hasn't quite arrived yet, but it is around the corner. Rome is considered to be in a red zone for covid. Most people are not allowed on the street. This will probably last at least until Easter. I finished my quarantine, and now I and the definitory are in retreat. We have a Sister from Padua preaching to us through zoom. She is very good, and she is speaking about Francis' intuitions from the two rules of 1221 and 1223 as well as the writings of St. Anthony. We finish the retreat on Wednesday, and then Friday we begin our definitory. I finished some reading: The Preying Mantis Bride by Dean Koontz This is a long (84 sessions) study of American Literature from its earliest moments to the present (the last book treated is Beloved by Toni Morrison). At times the professor is very insightful, at other times he is selling his own unusual theories on certain works. Rather than say that the whole series of lectures is good, I would have to say that it is spotty at best. Notes from the Underground by Fyodor Dostoyevsky These are the musings of a most misanthropic man, dealing with some of his many reasons for hating both himself and the rest of humanity. It is not an especially enjoyable book, but it is good to see the world through this character’s point of view. A Spy by Nature By Charles Cumming This the story of a young British man whose career is going nowhere fast. He is interviewed by the secret services, but not hired. He then begins to work for a British oil company with interests in the Caspian Sea, handing on secrets of a group of Americans who are sponsored by the CIA, in a type of sting operation. Jeffery Deaver by Audible Interviews Deaver is one of my favorite mystery authors, especially with the Lincoln Rhyme series, and this interview was actually quite informative on the development of this particular character. I enjoyed Deaver’s insights, especially in proposing a hero who is basically helpless (being a quadriplegic) and who must depend upon the agility of his assistants. In the Heart of the Fire by Dean Koontz This is the first of a six part series of novellas on a character named Nameless who travels around to right horrible wrongs which the legal system cannot handle. In this first book, he must stop a sheriff whose family basically owns the country and who is practicing murderous pedophilia. In spite of the fact that the book is relatively short, Koontz is an expert at character development, and by the end of the book one is a fan of this series. The Fall of Richard Nixon by Tom Brokow This is a relatively short account of Tom Brokow’s career during the fall of Richard Nixon. I originally thought it would center more on Nixon, but it definitely is not that. It deals much, much more with Brokow (which is not bad, but not quite what I thought it would be). Keep safe, fr. Jude

Rome

January 4, 2021 Peace and Good, I have been at home this past week, feeling a bit under the weather. I had an infection, which is well on its way to being over right now. Fortunately I carry Cipro with me, and that is the indicated antiobotic for this type of infection. (When you travel as much as I do and to the places I do, it is good to be prepared.) I had forgotten how strong Cipro is and what it can do to the microbiotica of the intestine, so I had to start eating yogurt to help replace the bacteria that I had done in through the use of Cipro. All is now well. Rome was quiet. New Year's Eve is always explosive, with fireworks being shot all over the place. It is not safe to be on the streets, for some people will throw anything they want outside of the windows (especially in Naples). When I worked in Ostia Lido years ago, there would be a carpet of broken glass on the street on New Year's morning from the broken bottles hurled out of the windows. The weather is cool with a lot of rain. This is very good for the farmers, because they really depend on the winter rain for the success of their crops. There have been shutdowns of a few days duration around the Christmas and New Year's holidays. That is now over. I am here until the 11th, and then I fly out to California for an official visitation. I will be in our friary in Castro Valley. I suspect that a lot of the visitation will be done on zoom, given travel limitations out there. I have finished some reading: The Gullah by Charles River Editors This is an account of the black population on the Sea Isles off the coast of South Carolina and Georgia. They developed this own language based in a form of Pigeon English and the local languages of Africa which the slaves had used before they were brought to the States. After the Civil War, they were allowed to develop their own culture, which lasted until the isles became a popular resort area. The Burning Wire by Jeffery Deaver This is a Lincoln Rhymes story in which the famous criminologist is chasing two evil figures: one called the watchmaker who is being chased in Mexico City, and the other is a worker for the electric power company and who is killing people with electric arcs as a means of getting revenge for the leukemia from which he is suffering. The story has the usual twists and turns, the usual list of characters who are all a bit flawed. It is a very good example of Deaver’s works. The Studebaker Brothers by Charles River Editors This is a biography of the Studebaker brothers who began their business by manufacturing wagons during and after the Civil War, and who eventually developed a business of making electric and internal combustion powered automobiles. The book speaks of their rise and the eventual downfall of their business. This Republic of Suffering by Drew Gilpin Faust This is an unusual account of how the dead were treated during the Civil War. At the beginning of the war, little preparation had been made either for the dead or even for the dying. Eventually, a system to deal with the deceased was developed. This included methods of embalming the deceased, of shipping their bodies to their homes for burial in family cemetery plots, for dealing with those who could not be identified, the development of spiritualism in the effort to contact the deceased, etc. The author speaks of how the deceased of the southern forces were treated in the north and vice versa. The book is an interesting study on this one dimension of the suffering of people. The Roma by Charles River Editors This is a history of the Roma people, the Gypsies. They were originally from India and were often welcomed into new territories by the people and rulers. Their welcome then ran out and they were chased to the next region. The book speaks of their customs, their communal organization, their taboo, etc. The Saint and the Sultan by Paul Moses This is a very good book which speaks about St. Francis and his trip to Damietta, Egypt to encounter the Sultan of Egypt during one the crusades. While the Christian forces were trying to kill the Muslims, Francis did all he could to convert the Sultan (not as a form of victory over him, but rather to offer him something so precious to him). The author studies the writings of Francis which speak of opposing evil and difficulties with love and patience. He also speaks of latter accounts of the story and how those accounts were affected by political and religious circumstances when the accounts were written. I highly recommend this book. Have a safe week. Shalom fr. Jude