Ellicott City - Palermo

August 2, 2022 Peace and Good, I flew to Sicily this past Sunday for the dedication of a friary for the elderly friars in this province. It is very, very hot here in Palermo. Yesterday, the provincial, fr. Gaspare, took us to a few of the major sites for tourism. The first was the cave site where the patron saint of the city, St. Rosalia, stayed during her career as a hermit. Then, we went to the Cathedral of Montreal. The image of Christ the Pantocrator is famous for it was used in Fellini's scene in Brother Sun, Sister Moon. It is the building with the most extensive use of mosaic in the world. It was truly magnificent. Finally, we visited our church of St. Francis. I did not know that the friars has such a beautiful church here in Palermo. It was great. This evening we have the dedication of the friary. Then tomorrow one of the friars is taking me to the Valley of the Temples in Agrigento (on the southern coast of Sicily). It is one of the best collections of Greek temples in the world (for quite a bit of Sicily was settled by the Greeks in the 6th and 5th centuries BC. On the 5th, I will be flying back to Rome. I finished some reading and listening: Vindolanda by Adrian Goldsworthy I have read a number of Goldsworth’s history books on the Roman empire, and he is excellent. I thought that this book was going to be another history, but it turned out to be a novel about a group of Roman soldiers (from various backgrounds) fighting engagements in northern England during the early 2nd century AD. It was good to read this and know that the details were probably most accurate given the learning of the author. History’s Great Plagues by Christopher Fee This series of lectures through Learn25 was not quite what I expected. I thought it would be a history of the world’s greatest plagues, and it turned out to be a review of what literature said about those plagues. In a sense, this was even better. It explained certain reactions to the disasters and how they changed society. I have acquired a number of short courses by Christopher Fee, and I look forward to listerning to them. The Burning of the White House by Jane Hampton Cook During the War of 1812, the British landed troops and burned the capital city of Washington DC (at least the public buildings such as the White House and the Congress). This book portrays the British involved as well as the politicians on the American side such as President Madison and Representative King. It also gives an endearing portrait of Dolly Madison and her role in supporting her husband, the president. The Great Train Robbery by Michael Crichton This is the story of a train robbery in England during the Crimean War (and, in fact, it was the payroll of the soldiers fighting that war that was robbed from a train). The organizer of the robbery was a genius who take of every possibility, including what to do in the case that they were caught. The book is well written and quite interesting. The Tractate Middoth by M.R. James This is a short novella about an obscure book written in what seems to be Hebrew that has drawn the interest of various people, and which contains a secret about money that would never have been expected. Caesar: Life of a Colossus by Adrian Goldsworthy This is a masterful presentation on the history of Julius Caesar and his influence upon Rome and the world of his time. Goldsworthy is a good historian, and an excellent author. He sorts out fable from actual history, an especially important task given that many of the sources were written to push a particular agenda. I could easily recommend any of his books to anyone interested in the topic. Sherlock Holmes: Beyond the Elementary by James Krasner This is a short course by the Great Courses on the person of Arthur Conan Doyle, the author of the Sherlock Holmes stories, but especially on Holmes himself. The professor speaks of the personality of the character, who is at times almost appears to be a person on the authistic spectrum. He speaks of his relationship with Dr. Watson. The course is quite well done, and it was one of the free presentations from Audible. El Greco by Delphi Masters of Art This is a biography of El Greco, the Greek artist who ended up in Italy first and then especially in Spain. The author explains his artistic influences and how he used or rejected them. The book gives a catalog of most of the works attributed to El Greco. Have a good week. Shalom fr. Jude

Rome

December 27, 2021 Peace and Good, It has been quiet here in Rome the past several days. The covid omega variant is spreading quickly, so many people are staying at home. Masks are now required even outdoors. Our definitory meeting ended on the 23rd. It went very long, but we got a lot done, and we don't meet again here in Rome until the beginning of March. These next two months I will be in the States (the Midwest) doing two canonical visitations (if the pandemic allows). I will fly to Chicago on the 29th of December. Tomorrow I have to go and try to get a PCR test (Great Britain, through which I am passing, requires the PCR within 48 hours of taking off, the US requires at least a rapid test within 24 hours). Then tomorrow I will have to fill out some of the forms for flying. The weather here has been rainy these past few days, but not all that cold. Tomorrow is supposed to be nice, so I will walk to the clinic (c. 45 minutes) instead of getting a ride. On Wednesday I have to head to the airport at 4 AM (with two other friars who have an earlier flight, I leave at 8:05 AM). I am glad that the winter solstice is passed. I always have problems with light deprevation in December and early January. I should check out one of those light therapies for people with seasonly affect light disorder. I finished some reading: Pyrrhus of Epirus by Charles River Editors There is a phrase concerning victory which has left the victor badly damaged. It is called Pyrrhic victory. It is named after the general Epirus, from what today is Albania named Pyrrhus. This book is a biography of that general. He fought in Greece, the Romans and enemies in Sicily. After one of his victories over the Romans, he was congratulated by one of his generals. His response was that if he had very many more victories like that one, that he would be in real trouble. 10 Big Questions of the American Civil War by Caroline Janney This is a Teaching Company course marketed by Audible (for free) on some vexing questions concerning the Civil War (e.g. was it total war, was it fought over slavery, etc.). The professor is clear and gives a reasonable response to these questions. Her presentation was well done. Micro by Michael Crichton This is the story of a company in Hawaii which can shrink people to a very small level. The problem is that the head of the company has lost his perspective and possibly his mind. He kills a number of people who oppose him in any way, including sending a group of shrunken students out into the wild where they face a dangerous attempt to return to their normal size. Fratelli Tutti by Pope Francis I read this encyclical slowly to be a daily mediation. It is imbued with what we would call Franciscan values. I found the message a bit repetitive at times, but I believe that its message is essential in our times in which people so divided over so many issues. V2 by Robert Harris Harris is one of my favorite authors. He wrote a three volume series of historic fiction on the Roman Cicero. This book is about the V2 rocket attack on London, told both from a German and an English point of view. As with all his books, it is well done and pleasurable reading. He manages to tell a historic story with real people whose lives were changed by the events that occurred in their times. Nicholas II: The Fall of the Romanovs by B. R. Egginton This is a relatively short biography of Nicholas, the last czar of Russia, giving details of the history of his times and his family. The story is well told, without trying to find heroes or villains. Sue Perkins Earpedia Animals/Plants These are two of the podcasts that I have received from Audible. She tells the story of some unusual animals (such as the platypus, of the weasel, etc.)in the first series, and then unusual plants in the second. She has a tremendous light approach with a good sense of humor. It is just an enjoyable listen. Atlas of a Lost World by Craig Childs This is the account of the author’s trips to various desolate, out of the way sites in which he uncovers evidence of early human habitation (or at least experiences things which those inhabitants would have experienced. These trips include the regions of northern Alaska and the Aleutian Islands to the swamps of the southern US. Happy New Year fr. Jude