Rome - Melbourne, Australia - Sydney, Australia

November 20, 2022 Peace and Good, This past Saturday I travelled to Australia for a canonical visitation. I actually arrived on Sunday, for the trip took about 22 hours. I used Qatar airlines, which I cannot praise enough (service, food, cleanliness, etc.) Yet, the trip goes on forever. I visited our friary in Springvale, which is near Melbourne. The friars have a parish there which has a very large Vietnamese population. The weather in Melbourne was terrible. It was quite cold, and very rainy. Furthermore, the rain comes suddenly. I would feel a few drops and see people running. I soon saw why, for the rain goes from sprinkle to downpour in seconds. On Thursday I flew up to Sydney, to the town of Kellyville. Here the weather is much nicer, mostly in the 70's. This parish has a large Philippino and Indian contingent. I celebrated Mass this morning in the parish. Tomorrow we hear to a retreat house for the assembly of the friars here. Then, on Friday I travel down to Melbourne again, and on Saturday night off to Rome again. Even here in Australia I have been hearing about the snow in Buffalo, especially Hamburg and Orchard Park which is where I grew up. I finished some books: Paul: A New Covenant Jew by Brant Pitre, Michael Barber and John Kinkaid This is a tremendous study of the theology of St. Paul. Pitre has proven to be one of my favorite theology authors. He studies all of the various manuscripts and Jewish writings to show that Paul is a Jew who believes that Jesus has come to establish a new covenant. This doesn’t sound like a tremendous discovery, but some scholars would propose that Paul was just making things up about Jesus and that his message and that of the historic Jesus were fundamentally different. The authors show that this is in no way true, and he traces the message of Paul to the Old Testament sources, showing how it is consistent with the rest of the New Testament. The Song of a Bird by Anthony de Mello This is a series of very short stories that are intended to make one reflect upon a mystical approach to God. My favorite was right at the start and it gives the title to the book. A master of theology tells his students that their ideas about God are all wrong. They ask him why they should even try, and he responds with a question, “Why does the bird sing?” The bird does not sing because it wants to make a statement, but rather because it has a song to share. Stoicism by Ferdinand Jives This is a short presentation on the origins and content of Stoic philosophy. Oddly, the author insists on throwing all sorts of unrelated material in this account, which makes it a bit confusing. Red November: Inside the Secret US-Soviet Submarine by W. Craig Reed The author dedicates his father who served in the submarine service. He also is a diver who works on a submarine during the Cold War to try to obtain secret information from the Soviet Union, often by diving into very dangerous places to tap their cables which carry information from one base to the next. The story is quite compelling. The Mind of Plato by AE Taylor This is a scholarly overview of the writings and teachings of the ancient Greek philosopher Plato. Taylore deals with the question as to the relationship between Socrates and Plato, and since what we know about Socrates is through Plato’s writings, he also deals with the question of how much of his account is accurate. He speaks of the other writings of Plato, especially the Republic. Young Einstein and the story of E=mc2 by Robyn Arianhod This is a short account of the late studies of Einstein, his marriage (which ultimately failed), and his struggle to find meaningful work, ending up in the Swiss patent office while he wrote papers which changed the way we think about mater and energy, time, movement, etc. A World Undone by GJ Meyer This is a masterful account of the First World War, from just before its origins to its conclusions. All throughout the account there are very useful excursi about the individuals, movements and politics of the times. Although the author presents mountains of material, he does it in a way that is not overwhelming or boring. Saint Peter by Hourly History This is a short biography of St. Peter. It draws upon Sacred Scripture and does not use extra-biblical sources, which limits its treatment of the story. It is a nice outline, but not much more. Versailles by Charles River Editors This is a short history of the great palace outside of Paris built by King Louis XIV and adjusted by his successors. After the French Revolution there was danger that it would degenerate into a ruin, but some creative curators found ways to preserve it up to this day. 11 Days in December by Stanley Weintraub This is an overview of the battle of the Bulge fought in December of 1944 as a last effort of Hitler to throw back the allied forces on the Western Front. The allies were greatly surprised by the attack and thrown back, but they quickly recovered and actually caused much more damage to the German forces than they caused to theirs, especially due to the efforts of General Patton. Have a good week. Shalom fr. Jude

Los Angeles

July 6, 2022 Peace and Good, Well, I got through my covid experience. It took me 11 days to test negative. I really only had bay symptoms at the start (like a very bad cold). The last few days there were no symptoms, but I kept testing positive. Finally Saturday I got a negative test. I was supposed to fly to Baltimore last Sunday, but I had to cancel it because of the covid. I am lucky I did, for my flight called me to change planes in Chicago, and with all the delays and cancellations, I doubt that I would have made it. Today's flight is direct to Baltimore, so I hope things will go well. The weather here has been magnificent. Even when it climbs to the low 80's, it is with a very low humidity. I have been doing a lot of zooming in these days to get the work done that could not wait. I finished some reading: The Kitchen God’s Wife by Amy Tan This is the story of the relationship between a Chinese woman and her daughter, but it is really the story of the horrible life of the mother when she married her first husband who was cruel and brutal. That marriage occurred in the early days of the Japanese invasion of China during the Second World War. The story speaks of how women were treated as objects, expected to expect anything that their husbands or the husband’s mother dished out to them. The book is well done, if a bit painful to read. The Dragon Seekers by Christopher McGowan This deals with the first discoveries of dinosaur skeletons in Great Britain. An unsung hero of this movement was Mary Anning. She made her living digging up the skeletons long before others even realized their meaning. She is the woman behind the saying, “She sells sea shells by the sea shore.” The book especially with the question of the scientists dating of the materials and the question of evolution vs. creationism. A Storm in Flanders by Winston Groom Winston Groom is the author of Forrest Gump. He has also written a series of history books, mostly dealing with topics concerning war from the Revolutionary War up to the days of World War II. He manages to deal with the larger issues while still given accounts from the words of individual soldiers. It deals with the horrible battlefield in Flanders that led to the death of thousands and thousands of Germans and Brits. Both, at times, fought a 20th century war with 19th century tactics. Great Ideas of Classical Physics by Steven Pollack This is a series of lectures from the Teaching Company dealing with physics from the days of Isaac Newton to the beginning of the 20th century. The professor is informative and the lectures, in spite of the fact that it deals with a heavy topic, is understandable. The Rise of Athens by Anthony Everitt Everitt is a tremendous historian of the ancient world, and this book is one of his masterpieces. It goes from the founding to the city to the period when it became irrelevant except as an education center. He gives an enormous amount of detail in an entertaining manner. I thoroughly enjoyed it. The American Revolution by Robert McDonald This is a Learn25 course. It deals with the causes, major occurrences, and effects of the American Revolution. The professor who offers the course is well informed, but he does not pile on more detail than is needed. I would recommend this course. A Faint Heart by Fyodor Dostoevsky This is the story of two young men in St. Petersburg. It takes place around the middle of the 19th century. One is a scribe who is contracted to do a large job copying documents. He has just gotten engaged, but he is far behind on his project. It eventually causes him to have a nervous breakdown. The story is filled with dialog, typical of Dostoevsky’s style. China’s Long March by Jean Fritz This is the story of the long march of the communists (and specifically the group that followed Mao) from southern to northern China when war broke out between the communists and the forces of Chang Kai-Shek. It is a bit fawning, making the communists into great heroes and all but ignoring their atrocities (e.g. the starvation of millions during the Great Leap Forward). 10 Women who rule the Renaissance by Joyce Salisbury This is a series of accounts about famous women from throughout the world during the time of the Renaissance. It is an odd choice. Some of the women lived what could be called very disreputable lives (violence against others) and yet they are presented as heroes of feminism. I have to say I was a bit disappointed in the fawning approach toward these particular women. Have a good week. Shalom fr. Jude

Baltimore - Castro Valley (CA) - San Juan Bautista, CA

June 4, 2022 Peace and Good, We finished the chapter for Our Lady of Angels Province which was held at the Maratime Center in Baltimore. Right after it ended, fr. Carlos, the Minister General, and I headed out to San Francisco, actually a town named Castro Valley just outside of Oakland. We held the chapter of St. Joseph of Cupertino Province in the Franciscan Retreat House in San Juan Bautista. This is about an hour and a half south of San Francisco. The weather was perfect - nicely warm with almost no humidity. Having returned to Castro Valley, there is a marine layer (clouds and fog which has rolled in from the sea) and they expect some rain tonight and tomorrow, which would be very, very welcome in a state so racked by drought. All four of the chapters have gone very, very well. There was a spirit of cooperation, and no factionalism. The second sessions of the chapters begin in about two weeks, starting in Los Angeles. In the meantime, I am flying back to Rome for a meeting of our General Definitory. Checking in this morning was the first time in these past two years that I could check in on line for an international flight. When I get back to Rome, I have to work on more daily reflections and a series of articles for a magazine in Kenya. I finished some reading: The Lost Books of the Old Testament by Charles River Editors This is a short treatment of those books which were written in ancient times but never made it into the Old Testament. There are the books which Protestants consider to be Apocrypha and Catholics call Pseudo-Epigrapha, e.g. 1 and 2 Maccabees, Tobit, Baruch, etc. There are the books which Protestants consider to be Pseudepigrapha and Catholics call Apocryphal, such as the Book of Jubilees and the Testimony of the Twelve Patriarchs. There are also books from Qumran and from Gnostic communities. Haile Selassie by Charles River Editors This is a short biography of the last emperor of Ethiopia. He gained power through palace machinations, fought Mussolini during World War II, became a cult figure to Rastafarians (their name based on one of his titles, the Rastafa), and was overthrown by a Marxist coup. The book gives the basic information, but never really delves into him as a person (which would probably have been difficult given his times and the lack of information in his own homeland). King John by Marc Morris This is a masterful account of the life and career of King John, the brother of King Richard the Lionhearted and the signer of the Magna Carta. He comes across very poorly, constantly abusing the people he ruled and almost constantly having to fight rebellions (many of which he caused due to his poor reign). Morris is a good story teller and his account finds the proper balance between fact and development of the figures involved. Gustavus Adolphus by Charles River Editors This is a short account of the life of the famous Swedish king who caused his kingdom to pass from being a third rate state to being a powerhouse of military and diplomatic power. He was involved in multiple wars, not always winning them but always learning from them. He was a religious man (Lutheran) who took the side of Christian non-Catholics against the Catholic Church. 1913: the Eve of War by Paul Ham This is an account of the status of the European powers in the year before the beginning of World War I. Rather than blame one side or another for the war, the author puts the blame on all of the parties for their effort to prepare for war but not to preserve peace. Only a couple of diplomats come out looking good, while the usual figures (the leaders of Germany, Austro-Hungary, Russia, etc.) all come out looking very bad, negligent in their duties to their people. Pablo Picasso by Hourly History This short biography gives an overview of the life and painting career of Picasso. He was a prodigy at an earliest age. He did much of his work in France once he left his native Spain. He was much more devoted to his painting than he was to his wife or children. One could almost say that he was a true genius, but not a very nice person. Ancient Jericho by Charles River Editors This is supposed to be an account of the city of Jericho, but the author spreads a much wider net to include some of the influences on the city by the Egyptians, the Assyrians, the Babylonians, the Greeks and the Romans. Some of the material is well presented, but not all of it. Operation Gunnerside by Charles River Editors This is the story of the SAS attempt to destroy the heavy water plant in Norway during World War II (due to its use in Atomic research). The atomic program in Germany did not really get off the ground (due to budgetary restraints and the emigration of so many talented, Jewish scientists). The plan to destroy the heavy water facilities depended much upon Norwegian saboteurs who were both brave and brilliant in their work. Have a good week. Shalom fr. Jude

Rome - La Verna - Rome

April 11, 2022 Peace and Good, We started our definitory a week ago Saturday, and then on Sunday we headed up to La Verna for our annual retreat. La Verna is in Toscany, and it is a site on a mountain side. This is the place where St. Francis received the stigmata a couple of years before his death. The OFM friars have a beautiful shrine there, and this is the third time that I have had a retreat there. The friars have done one very good thing - they have begun to heat the rooms so that they are no longer uncomfortably cold. In the past one froze outside and inside the friary. Now it is much better. When we arrived there was still snow on the ground, but over the course of the week it melted (even if the weather remained cloudy and windy). We have two different retreat presenters, one of our friars who is the rector of the Basilica in Padua and one of the friars from La Verna who lives in the hermitage there. Saturday we returned to Rome and this afternoon we will begin our definitory again. It will go until Wednesday evening, and then we will spend the Triduum in prayer. Sunday I head back to the States where I will be travelling from one city to the next until the beginning of June. I have finished some reading: The Butchering Art by Lindsey Fitzharris This is a biography of the life and career of Joseph Lister and his crusade to establish antiseptic conditions in his operating rooms. He surprisingly faced much opposition, including in the United States. Yet, the success of his procedures in comparison to those of others became obvious over time, and by the time of his death he was recognized as a pioneer in the practice of antiseptic surgery. Roman Hispania by Charles River Editors This is a history that speaks of the lands of Spain and Portugal under the local Celtic tribes, under the Greeks and the Carthaginians, and then finally under the Romans until the land was conquered by Visigothic invaders and later by Islamic invaders. The author necessarily covers the career of Hannibal who began his invasion of Italy from Spain. Rules of Prey by John Sanford This is a novel about a serial killer in Minnesota and how a brilliant policeman is slowly able to track him down, more by accident than anything. The detective is presented as a flawed individual whose relationships with women are damaged (both due to him and to them). He is also the friend of a nun who helps him to sort out the profound dimension of what the killer was doing (as she and some others play the computer games which the detective had developed). Beginner’s Mind by Yo-Yo Ma This is a short audible book which speaks of how Yo-yo Ma learned to play the cello, and especially how he developed his talents so that his playing might be an honest communication of culture. He especially emphasized the need to work with fellow musicians in a partnership. The book is well done, showing how the background and studies of Ma became the raw material of his artistic endeavors. Revelations by Elaine Pagels This is an investigation into the content and the effect of the Book of Revelation. Pagels is an expert on Gnostic Literature, and she brings some of that knowledge into this study. She has a very strange theory concerning those whom the community opposed (positing that they were fellow Christians of the Pauline variety and not the pagans and Gnostics of that era). Yet, some of her treatment of the eventual reception of the book by the community is very well done. King, Kaiser and Tsar by Catrine Clay This is an overview of the lives and actions of King Edward VII of England, Kaiser William of Germany, and Tsar Nicholas of Russia. Only the first survived the disruptions of World War I. The three were cousins who often communicated, especially in light of their descendance from Queen Victoria. William is presented as an unbalanced autocrat who desperately needed good advisors but did not have them. The Age of Tyrants by Charles River Editors This speaks of the tyrants of ancient Greece. Today we use the word for cruel autocrats, and a few of the ancient tyrants were in fact this. But most of the tyrants were individuals who seized power to displace the autocrats who normally ruled Greek cities. They were opposed by those autocrats because they threatened their privilege. The Search for the Green River Killer by Charlton Smith and Tomas Guillen This is the account of the mass murderer known as the Green River Killer (in the state of Washington). It speaks of the attempts of the police to discover who was killing so many women and leaving their bodies in isolated fields. The killer was eventually discovered, although almost by accident. This investigation gave rise to many of the reforms in police departments and the FBI to use more scientific means of discovery. Gunpowder by Charles River Editors This is a history of the invention of gunpowder and then of instruments in which it could be used (fireworks, guns, canons, etc.). The book speaks of the spread of knowledge about this substance from China to the Arab world and then to Europe. May you have a prayerful Holy Week. Shalom fr. Jude

Louisville, KY - Albuquerque, NM - Angola, IN - Carey, OH - Louisville, KY

March 23, 2022 Peace and Good, I have been travelling in these days to finish off the visitation to Our Lady of Consolation Province in the Midwest. One of the trips in these days was to visit fr. Charles McCarthy who works at Laguna Pueblo, a native American reservation, in New Mexico. He takes care of a number of small churches in the immediate area. I was very impressed with his ability to know the local culture without becoming obsessed with knowing everything. At times, knowing what the boundaries are and respecting them is a very important part of dealing with others. We, fr. Wayne and myself, visited the National Shrine of Our Lady of Consolation in Carey, Ohio. It is a parish church with a statue of Our Lady of Consolation which draws people from all around, especially during the summer. I will be heading off to Baltimore this coming Saturday for a re-dedication of Carrollton Manor, a house built by Charles Carroll of Carrollton as a wedding present for his niece. Carroll was the only Catholic signer of the Declaration of Independence, and his cousin was the first bishop in the country. The building has been refurbished to bring it back to some of its original beauty, and it will serve as a museum, meeting hall, etc. I have finished some reading: The First World War by Peter Simkins, Geoffrey Jukes and Michael Hickey This is an account of the war from the beginning to the end. It is written by British authors, so it is heavily bent in their favor. It does a good job on the Western front, a little less so on the Eastern front, but a disastrous job on the war around the world (e.g. the Pacific, Africa). The British Bulldog and the French Poodle in Africa by Charles River Editors In spite of the title of this short book, it is a quite good account of the grab for colonies in Africa, especially during the 19th century. Both colonial powers were looking for a continuous line of colonies from one side of Africa to the other (the British from north to south, the French from east to west). Obviously, only one of them would win. The final breaking point was the encounter between the French and British in an out of the way place named Fashoda. The account also deals with the invasion of Egypt by Napoleon. Raphael: Painter in Rome by Stephanie Storey This is an entertaining historical fiction account of the artist Raphael (along with his rival Michelangelo). The author is playful in the presentation of dialog and of the artists quirks (as well as those who surrounded the papal court). When I first started the book, I was worried that it might be too colloquial, but it is the type of book that deals with important issues without allowing itself to be bogged down with facts and details). The author has written other books about the era which I now intend to read. The Eternal City by Ferdinand Addis This is a very fine book that covers the city of Rome from ancient times up to the present day. It deals with some topics of which I had heard but had never received much information about. The tone of the book is respectful, even when dealing with issues such of the papacy during the very bad years in the Middle Ages and even the Renaissance. I would recommend this book. American Ulysses: A Life of Ulysses S. Grant by Ronald C. White This is a well written, comprehensive biography of General/President Grant. It deals with his successes and his failures. It shows Grant to be a humble, simple man with his flaws like anyone else. He was often underestimated by those around him, which was a big mistake. The author does not cover up the disastrous corruption during his presidential administration, nor his bankruptcy in the following years. I especially enjoyed the author’s treatment of the period in which Grant wrote his memoirs (which were then published by Mark Twain). The Great American Rascal: The Turbulent Life of Aaron Burr by Noel Gerson This is a biography of a man who was both a hero and a villain. He was incredibly ambitious, but not always cognizant of the folly of his outlandish plans (e.g. to conquer Mexico and make it his own personal empire). He was the Vice-President under Jefferson, but even that he handled so poorly that there was a permanent enmity between the two men. He was the model for the short story, “The Man Without a Country,” for after he was tried for treason, he fled to England (followed by Sweden, then Germany, then France, then back to England). He borrowed money wherever he went, rarely paying it back. He was certainly a man who moved to his own drummer, a drummer who was often out of beat of the rest of society. Edgar Allen Poe: Master of Horror by Mark Canada This is a production of the Teaching Company in collaboration with Audible Books. It is the product of a professor of literature who has studied Edgar Allen Poe extensively. I found a couple of his theories strange, but overall the course gives a good insight into this strange man and author. His greatest fame for his poetry, mystery novels and even detective novels came after his death. He is seen to have been a terribly tortured man who man self-destructive choices (and not only with his use of drink and drugs). The Hubble Space Telescope by Charles River Editors This is one of the productions of Charles River Editors who produce short but thorough presentations on particular topics. In this case, the book is about the Hubble Space Telescope. Besides the history of the telescope itself, there is a mind-numbing catalog of its discoveries and of various astronomical theories. I really can’t say that I would recommend this book except to someone who is desperately interested in the topic. Have a good week. Shalom fr. Jude

Castro Valley, CA - Ellicott City, MD - Chicago, IL

December 8, 2021 Happy Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception I am continuing my trip with the Minister General, fr. Carlos Trovarelli, in the United States. He would like to visit each province a bit to get a sense of what is going on in each place before we celebrate our provincial chapters this coming April and May. From Castro Valley (Oakland) we travelled to El Paso, then Baltimore, and we are now in Chicago. Each place we go we meet with the Ministers Provincial and with the friars who can come to a gathering to meet him. It has gone very well. There has only been one travel glitch, a mechanical problem, but that only lasted an hour. Travel back to Europe has become challenging due to the changing rules on covid tests. In El Paso, fr. Carlos got to meet with the local bishop and also with two of the leadership team of the local tribe, the Tigua, who worship at our parish there. In Baltimore, we attended Mass at St. Casimir's Church and at the end there was a quick Christmas pagent. The very small children played the angels, the shepherds, and even the animals (donkey, sheep and cows). I was surprised that the lady leading the event used by Christmas book for the test of the pagent. I even read one of the last pages of the book to close the event. It was great. The Minister General is heading back on the evening of the 10th, and I will leave on the evening of the 12th. I will be staying in Chicago to attend the funeral of my nieces's husband. Please keep him, Reid, in your prayers. Also, please pray for Chrissy and her three children. I finished some reading: Five Days in London: May, 1940 by John Lukacs This is an account of the discussions and decisions made in London by the new Prime Minister, Churchill, and his cabinet. Belgium was surrendering, France was on the precipice, and the allied forces had begun to evacuate Dunkirk. This book runs from May 24 to 28. It deals with suggestions that negotiations be opened with Hitler or Mussolini, that the British recognize that they could not win, etc. The account is well done and well documented. The Byzantine Empire and the Plague by Charles River Editors The emperor Justinian had just reconquered many of the lands in Italy and Africa that had been lost to barbarian invasions. At that point, plague hit and devastated his empire and his army. Ironically, the barbarians were not as affected due to the looser societal bonds. The Church in Rome had to step forward and take control of events in the surrounding areas, all but ignoring the exarch of the Byzantines who lived in Ravenna (for he could provide no assistance). This short account gives a good overview of the tremendous impact this pestilence had upon society, government and religion. Emperors of Rome by Ron Carver This is part of a series of overviews on Roman topics provided by this author. The series is oddly disjointed, with no real time line. The writing style is so conversational that it is at times embarrassing. Overall, though, the individual sections are worth reading. The Zimmerman Telegram by Barbara Tuchman This is a book that I had read a long time ago, and rereading it was a joy. Barbara Tuchman is an accomplished history author. This volume deals with a telegram that the German foreign minister sent to Mexico and Japan during World War I to gain their assistance in the war (even if it meant going to war against the United States). He promised Mexico the lost areas of the southwestern US, e.g. New Mexico, Arizona, California, etc. The British were able to decode the message and shared it with President Wilson who desperately did not want to go to war. This and the unfettered submarine warfare eventually convinced Wilson to ask for war in April of 1917. Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee by Dee Brown This is an account of the relations between native Americans and the government and army of the US and Mexico. It is definitely from a native American perspective. In that sense, it is one sided, but since the story is most often told from the perspective of the manifest destiny to take over the continent, this is a good balancing account. It is troubling and leaves one depressed, as it was intended to do. War at the End of the World by James P. Duffy General McArthur is not my favorite person because I find him arrogant and pompous, but this account of his campaigns in New Guinea during World War II gives a different picture of him and his work. It deals with the attempt first not to allow the Japanese to conquer the entire island (lest they then take Australia or at least cut off it supply lines from the US) and then to roll back the Japanese tide on the northern part of the island. It is well written. The Basques by Captivating History The Basques are an ancient people who live in the northeast of Spain and southwestern France. They have their own language and culture. This short book is an account of who they are and their interaction with the various invaders who entered their territory and often sought to assimilate them, often with violence. It goes from their earliest origins to the present when the Basque territories in Spain have the status of autonomous regions. May the rest of you Advent be blessed. fr. Jude

Castro Valley, CA

February 6, 2021 Peace and Good, I have been in Castro Valley this past week finishing up my visitation. I have met the friars in person, on skype, on zoom, by phone, by iternet email, etc. In spite of the limitations of the method, I feel that I have gotten a good picture of where the province is at this moment. There are two major decisions coming in these years. The first is to raise the delegation in Vietnam up to the status of a custody. The second has to do with the unification of the provinces of friars in the United States. I spoke with the provincial and his definitory this past week, and the meeting went well. I have to write up the preliminary report in the next few days, and then submit it to them for their comment. I will also present it to the General Definitory at the end of the month. When everyone is OK with it, then it will be sent out to the friars of the province. The weather has been excellent here. We had a bit of badly needed rain (which became blizzards as the front moved east). But it is mostly sunny and in the 60's and even the 70's. I was supposed to head back to Rome this past Thursday, but the Ghanian Embassy took a long time to give me a visa to Ghana and to return my passport, so I am now leaving this Tuesday. Later today I head out to get another covid test. I have finished some reading: The Other America by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. This is a short speech which speaks about how the poor people in our country are not lazy or evil, but rather have to struggle against unconquerable obstacles. It is good to hear a different approach to many of the social problems about which we speak so easily. Roman Emperors by Ron Carver This is a medium size treatment of some of the major emperors of the Roman Empire. It is a bit odd in its organization (not being historic nor thematic). The material is basically accurate, but it is very superficial. British Covert Operations in World War I by Charles River Editors This is a short account of some of the secret diplomacy during World War I, including many of the agreements which led to so many difficulties during the rest of the 20th century (e.g. in the Middle East). It does not really go into the question of spy craft which I would have expected. Pompeii: Daily Life in an Ancient Roman City by Professor Steven Tuck This was a 24 lecture presentation on the city of Pompei (and life in a Roman city at the beginning of the first century AD. It deals with the foundation of the city, the economy practiced there, the buildings and what they tell us about life there, etc. Only the beginning and end really deal with its destruction by the explosion of Vesuvius. The rest deals with individual studies of topics about the life of the city, and especially of the normal people living there. The Third Reich in Power by Richard Evans This is the middle of a three book series on the Third Reich. Evans gives an incredibly thorough and good presentation of the many, many different social, political, economic, religious, etc. considerations of what happened between 1933 and 1939. I marvel at how well researched and written Evans’ books are. An Introduction to Infectious Diseases by Dr. Barry Fox This was a free gift from the Teaching Company due to the present Pandemic. It was a series of 24 lessons, and it was of the quality of the other Teaching Company courses. The most interesting lecture was that which dealt with possible future pandemics. The presenter was not all that far from what happened, although he sided with the idea of another version of influenza and not the coronavirus. The Origins of World War II by Keith Eubank This is one of the books which I purchased through Chirp books. The topic was well presented, but the reader did a terrible job of the pronunciation of names. All in all, it was worth the listen, but… Christian Eschatology by Charles River Editors This is a Charles River production, so it was a very quick study of a very complicated topic. Nevertheless, it gives a good outline of the topic. I was quite impressed. The author seems to be more affiliated with the evangelical approach to the question, but they have also written the most in the past century, especially the Pentecostals. Keep safe. fr. Jude

Ellicott City - Rome

November 26, 2020 Happy Thanksgiving I finished my doctoring and dentisting in the second week of my stay at Ellicott City. Unfortunately, the crown that was to be attached was not ready yet, so I will have to return for that at a later date. They put my temporary crown in with a permanent glue. The trip back to Rome was uneventful, but strange. My flight on British Air had been transferred from BWI to Dulles airport, so I had to take a shuttle out there. The BA flight from London to Rome was cancelled, so I had to fly AlItalia to get in. Dulles was all but empty. Heathrow in London had quite a few folk, but not as many as normal. Getting into Rome was no real problem, as long as I agreed to quarantine for two weeks (which we do in our friary anyway). I got back Sunday evening, and I am still feeling fine. I do take my temperature twice as day as recommended. The friars bring my meals to my door. I am spending the time editing the Lectors' Handbook that I do each year (for 2021-2022). The weather here is cool, but nice. I am able to take daily walks on the terrazza outside of my room, so I do not feel totally isolated. The whole house is under quarantine for before I returned, one of the friars came down with covid. He is doing better, but it was touchy for he is a brittle diabetic. At this point, I will be in Rome for some time. I do not yet know when my next trip will be. We have a definitory the week before Christmas. I finished some reading: The Tanks of the World Wars by Charles River Editors This is a study of the birth and development of tanks and tank warfare in the First World War, the interwar period, and especially during the Second World War. Baron Johann de Kalb by Charles River Editors This is a biography of one of the Europeans who travelled to the US during the revolutionary war to help the patriots. Unfortunately, de Kalb was not at first welcomed, and even when he was, he was exceedingly unlucky in terms of those with whom he served. He died in a poorly run battle in the Carolinas when Gates, the commanding general, first bungled the attack and then ran away from the battle in a cowardly way. Xerses I by Charles River Editors This is a short biography of the Persian emperor who invaded Greece and encountered the Spartans at Thermopylae and then whose navy was defeated at Salamis. Although he face defeat in the West, he was highly successful in holding and extending the borders of his empire in the East. Paradise Lost by John Milton I had always heard of this epic poem, and it was time to read it. The poem is very, very long, and the style is that of the 17th century when it was written. There are thousands of references to Greek myths and other esoteric topics as Milton describes the creation of humanity and its fall into sin. The poem was well worth reading, but I will listen to a Teaching Company course on Milton before I go into the next of his poems, Paradise Regained. The Battle of Nicopolis This is a tragic battle between the western forces and the Muslims in Bulgaria. The Western forces were divided and led by a group of young, arrogant nobles who would not listen to the advice of others who had already fought against the Muslims in previous battles. The result was a resounding defeat of the crusaders and mutual recriminations among the combatants as to who was at fault. The 13th Juror by John Lescroat The 13th juror is the judge who can either accept to set aside a death penalty verdict at a murder trial. This is the story of a woman accused of killing her husband and child. She had every reason to kill her husband considering she came from a family where there was terrible spousal abuse, and she was suffering from it herself. Yet, she firmly refuses to plead guilty and seek mercy because she was abused. The action is well presented, and this is a novel worth reading. The Intimate Lives of the Founding Fathers by Thomas Fleming Fleming presents an inside look at the family lives and even some of the scandals of the founding fathers of the country. It is not a tell all book to denigrate the founding fathers, but rather looks at them with a realistic caution to show that while they were not perfect, they often tried their best. Washington comes across looking fairly good, while Benjamin Franklin falls quite short of what he could have been both as a husband and a father.

London - Baltimore - Los Angeles

July 8, 2013 Peace and Good, I have been in California this week for a meeting of the friars of St. Joseph Cupertino Province. They have their provincial chapter in about a year, and this was a preliminary meeting to start surfacing topics that should be examined throughout this year and at the coming chapter. My arrival was a bit difficult. Last Saturday in Canterbury I noticed that it seemed as if my travel agent had made a reservation for my trip from Baltimore to Los Angeles, but he had never bought a ticket. There was no way to communicate with him over the weekend, so I e mailed him in Rome hoping that he would see the e mail first thing Monday morning and get back to me immediately. With the difference in time which is six hours, I was sure I would hear from him by 4 in the morning on Monday. Sure enough, he had forgotten. So I immediately checked out Southwest and was able to get a ticket which actually was a shorter flight (since it was a direct). It was important for me to be at the meetings this week. The provincial of the province has been ill for a while, and my presence signified our concern for the province. Also, whenever I am at one of these meetings, I am able to answer questions about what is going on in the order all throughout the world. It helps the friars not become too provincial minded. I celebrated one of the weekend masses and mass this morning in the parish where I am staying. It is great to be able to be with the people on occasions like this because so much of what I do is with the friars exclusively. Tomorrow I head out for Chicago for a couple of short meetings and a couple of celebrations at which I must be present. I booked in a couple of extra days here in Los Angeles and in Chicago to unwind a bit. I got to visit my brother and sister in law and niece on Saturday in Fullerton, about an hour from where I am staying. I finished some books: White Eagle, Red Star by Norman Davies This is one of a series of books that Norman Davies has written about Poland. This volume deals with the period right after World War I when Poland regained its independence. Shortly after that, a war broke out between Poland and the Soviet Union. It began over ownership of some of the borderlands between the two countries. Those areas had a very mixed population, and at one time in history they had belonged to Poland (before the partitions under Catherine the Great). Poland attacked first, and when the Soviets counterattacked, they pushed the Polish forces back all the way to the outskirts of Warsaw. There was a battle there called the “miracle on the Vistula” in which the Poles were completely triumphant, both for themselves and Western Europe (for the Soviets might very well have pushed on into Germany and beyond if they had defeated Poland). The book is good, but not an especially easy read. It is more technical history than a novel. Odd Hours: An Odd Thomas Novel by Dean Koontz Odd Thomas is an interesting character invented by Dean Koontz. He can see ghosts and help them to go to the other side. He has a type of psychic magnetism in which, if he thinks of someone, is eventually drawn to that person. He is an innocent in a difficult and sometimes evil world. In fact, his adventures are part of the battle between good and evil. In this story, Odd comes to a seaside California town where there is a plot of import nuclear weapons which will be used for terrorist events in several US cities. He foils the plot with the help of Annamaria, a young pregnant woman who has psychic powers as well. There is a goodness to this character. His goal in life is to do what is expected of him so that he might spend eternity in heaven with his beloved Stormy who died in a shooting in a mall. I never read one of these volumes with feeling moved by the whole set up. I strongly recommend this series to anyone who is interested. The Queen’s Fool by Philippa Gregory Gregory has written a series of books that are placed in the Tudor era of England. This one is about a young Jewish girl who fled Spain with her father when her mother was burned at the stake during the Inquisition. They are printers, and they pretend to be Christians. The girl, Hanna, has the gift of seeing the future, although not often. She is placed as a holy fool in the court of the King (Edward VI) and the queen (Queen Mary) while she is also a confidant of Princess Elizabeth. The portrayal of the royal characters is quite good. She is honest both about their strengths and flaws. The portrait of Hanna is interesting as she learns about love and forgiveness. I enjoyed the book. Have a good week. Shalom fr. Jude