Los Angeles - Baltimore - El Paso and New Mexico

July 18, 2022 Peace and Good, I finally tested negative for covid and was able to travel back to Baltimore for the provincial chpater of OLA province. The week I was in quarantine, I attended the St. Bonaventure Chapter in Chicago by zoom. The chapter in Baltimore was held in the Maritime Center, a former Merchant Marine Academy which is now a convention center. The spirit of the chapter was very positive. Many of the younger friars made significant contributions during the week, and a number of them were named as guardians for their friaries. The main topic was the need for a spiritual rebirth, and the friars responded to it well. Saturday I flew into El Paso and travelled to Mesilla Park, just across the border in New Mexico. It is very hot, beyond 100 today. The humidity is very low, but it is still hot. We begin the chapter this afternoon and go on to lunch on Friday. I will fly back to Baltimore on Friday for a long series of doctor and dentist appointments next week. Then at the end of the week I fly to Palermo, Sicily, for the dedication of a building for the senior friars of that province. These weeks have been very productive for writing. A friar who is charge of a magazine in Kenya asked me to do a series of articles for them, and in the past six weeks I have been able to finish 14 of them. I finished some reading: American Monsters by Adam Jortner This is a Great Courses series. It deals with the question of why certain manifestations of the abnormal surfaced at particular times of our history. The professor shows how these were heavily influences by social and political developments at particular eras. The course covers witches, ghosts, sasquatch, aliens, etc. I was not too sure when I first saw the title, but I was most pleasantly surprised as I listened to the lectures. Verdict on Vichy by Michael Curtis This is an account of the actions of the Vichy government in France during World War II. It is especially interested in the governments involvement in the persecution of Jews (sometimes following Nazi orders, sometimes establishing policies which were more severe than theirs. Yet, after the initial trials of collaborators, little was done to bring people to justice for what they had done (some even entered into subsequent French governments). Agent 6 by Tom Rob Smith I have read a couple of books by this author in the past. This volume is as good, if not better, than those. It is about a KGB plot and its effects on a family of a former agent. It goes from the early days of the 60’s to the war in Afghanistan. The story is exciting, filled with action and suspense. I could easily recommend this book to anyone who likes suspense novels. Ancient Skies by David Weston Marshall This is an account of the ancient (and some modern) names of the constellations of stars in the night sky. It gives the stories of the various mythic figures who are said to be depicted in the form that one sees. It is not a book on astrophysics as much as a light account of how people connect the heavens with their lives. Jeff Shaara’s Civil War Battlefields by Jeff Shaara Jeff Shaara is a famous popular historian. He has written on Civil War and World War II topics. This account is an overview of the major battlefields of the civil war. He tells what happened during the battles. He then speaks of what is left of those battlefields, giving suggestions on how best to tour the sights. Tobacco: A Cultural History of How an Exotic Plant Seduced Civilization by Iain Gately This is the history of the use of tobacco, from its use among Amer-Indian cultures to the modern days. It deals with the acceptance of the use of tobacco in various countries, the invention of cigars and cigarettes, the big companies and their advertising campaigns, and the anti-tobacco movement. 1967 by Tom Segev This is the story of Israel during this climatic moment in the history of Israel. The main event that year was the six day war in which Israel defeated the forces of Egypt, Jordan and Syria. This book goes much further than just dealing with that battle. It gives an account of the situation in Israel before the war (recession, discrimination against the Jews born in Arab countries, a flight of Jews leaving the country) and after the war ( a new sense of being the chosen, pride in their accomplishments, new immigration, but also an arrogance due to their victories). It also deals with the personalities that lead the country, as well as what was happening at the grass roots. This book is very well done. The Battle of the Tanks by Lloyd Clark This is the story of the great battle of Kursk in which the Germans tried to regain the initiative in the summer following the loss they had suffered at Stalingrad. They gathered an enormous tank army with which they hoped to crush the Soviet resistance. Unknown to them, the Soviets had gathered an enormous defensive army for they knew that this attack was coming. They had also built layers upon layers of mines, strong points, etc. The German attacked and attacked, and their loses were much smaller than those of the Soviets, but nevertheless they were losses they could not afford. This was the last great attack by the Nazis on this front. Have a good week. Shalom fr. Jude

Rome - Assisi - Los Angeles

June 21, 2022 Peace and Good, I spent two weeks in Rome for a series of meetings. The first week we had our usual General Definitory. We work very well together, and the discussions are almost always very helpful. The second week was a meeting with the presidents of the various local federations of friars throughout the world. There are seven of them, and the presidents came to share their viewpoint of where the Order should be going in these years. A lot of time is spent informing them of the whole situation (in the definitory, we sometimes forget that we hear these things every month, but they do not). But it was also very good to get a fresh perspective on what the friars are thinking and doing. On Saturday we made a short pilgrimage to Assisi, and then returned that evening. On Sunday morning, I flew out to Los Angeles to be present at the second part of the provincial chapter for the St. Joseph of Cupertino Province. We are meeting in these days at a retreat house just outside of Los Angeles. Flying out of Rome was chaotic. I have never seen the airport so crowded, and the back up for security so long. Fortunately, since I am a frequent flyer, I was able to go through the fast track line. London was just as crowded. They say that a lot of flights have been cancelled in these days. I finished some reading: Ghost Train to the Eastern Star by Paul Theroux Theroux is famous for his travel books. This one has him travelling from London throughout Asia and back again. His word pictures are entertaining, and they give insight into various cultures and historic events (e.g. the Central Asian republics and their oppressive governments, Cambodia and the massacre under Pol Pot, Japan and its ultra modern society. This particular trip is 30 years after his original voyage into Asia which gave rise to his first travel book. Viruses, Plagues, and History by Michael Oldstone This is an extensive study of the mechanism of viruses causing infection and of ways to combat them. It speaks of the main infections over the ages, e.g. Smallpox, Polio, Measles, Ebola, Sars, HIV. It also speaks of the strange mechanism that causes Mad Cow Disease, prions. The book is good, but it could have used a good editor for a number of phrases and arguments are repeated ad verbum throughout the book. The Mysterious Case of Agatha Christie by Maureen Corrigan This is a Teaching Company course on the life and writings of Agatha Christie. Corrigan is one of her great fanes, but she is also honest into some of Christie’s idiosyncrasies. This is a light listen, but it does give insight into why Christie wrote the way she did and into some of her main characters, i.e. Miss Marple, Hercoul Poirot, Tuppence, etc. The Greek Way by Edith Hamilton A while ago I had read the Roman Way by the same author. This book is just as good, describing the Greek culture and society and way of thinking. She distinguishes it from Roman culture as well as Medieval and Modern culture. She speaks of the simplicity of expression, the care put into their buildings and their surroundings, the tension between the idea of society as a while and the individual (the latter, she claims, is more an invention of a Christian way of thinking). Her writing is masterful, and the book very, very informative. The Taiping Rebellion by Hourly History This was a rebellion in China during the 19th century. It was led by a man who said that he was the brother of Jesus, and it had some Christian elements to its philosophy (but in a very garbled manner). This was a time when the Qing Dynasty was reeling from its wars with the Western Powers, especially the two Opium Wars with Great Britain. The Taiping were remarkably effective for a while before the Qings were able to find the right general to lead their forces. Queen Zenobia of Palmyra by Charles River Editors This was a queen of the trade city of Palmyra who shortly established an empire between Rome and the Parthians. She ruled in the name of her son, but she was the one really in power. She capitalized on the weakness of the Roman Empire at that moment due to succession difficulties among its emperors. Once the situation stabilized, Rome was able to reconquer what she had taken. The Battle of Kursk by Charles River Editors This was a tank battle fought in the Soviet Union. It represented the last time in World War II that the Germans could take the offensive against the Soviets. The losses on both sides were incredible, but the Soviets fought so tenaciously that they bled the Germans white. This short book gives a good amount of information without being too academic. Dante by R.W.B. Lewis I listened to this book about the life and writings of Dante Alighieri. The portion that presents his life is more complete than that of his works, but this book serves as a good introduction to both. The Werewolf of Bamberg by Oliver Potsch This is a rather long book which deals with the family of an executioner in Germany in the period just after the 30 years war. This volume deals with the possible appearance of a werewolf, and the danger that this will lead to a witch hunt such as occurred in the town of Bamberg some years before. The family must try to save those who are endangered by this occurrence with a mix of detective work, medical research, and pure bravery. It is very well written, but quite long so reading it is a bit of a commitment. Have a good week. Shalom fr. Jude