Castro Valley - San Pablo - Reno - Castro Valley

February 4, 2014 Peace and Good, This has been the last week of my visitation of the California Province. On Monday of last week I travelled to San Pablo where the friars have been in the parish of St. Paul for many years. This is not all that big of a parish, but it is incredibly complicated for its ethnic diversity. They have Masses in English, Spanish, Vietnamese, Hmong (a dialect of Laos), Tagolog (the original language of the Philippines) with occasional Masses in other languages. The various groups get along rather well, which is a complement to the work of the friars. When I finished there, I flew to Reno where the friars are the ministers in the Cathedral. It was a nice visit with the friars there. We are located half way between the last casino and the bus station, so there are people at the door constantly asking for assistance to get home. (There is a ministry to help people with this run by the city). Reno is hurting a lot. Its main industry is gambling, but California now has many Native American gambling halls, so the number of people travelling there is way down. Furthermore, the drought has hurt agriculture and tourism at the ski resorts in the mountains. On Saturday I flew back to Castro Valley where I will be staying until I return to the Mid-West on Friday. Yesterday I had a meeting with the definitory of this province to give them a preliminary report on the visitation. Nothing major wrong - just a lot a small reminders about things that can fall by the wayside if we are not careful. I have finished reading the following: Morning Spy, Evening Spy by Colin MacKinnon This is the story of a spy from the CIA in the period running up to 9/11. It is not a James Bond thriller, but rather a very realistic view of the man’s work (often more office work than field work), his relationships (getting a divorce, breaking up with a girlfriend many years his junior), colleagues (who tend to drink too much), the politics he has to deal with (congressional investigations which are aggressively contrary to the agency and the work it is doing, sometimes with good reason) and the agency (which has its plusses and its flaws). It is very well written, and leaves one with a sense of understanding why things happened the way they did, and of the difficulty in doing anything that would have made a difference (along with the missed opportunities all along the way). The Life of Madame Mao by Ross Terrill This is a biography of the fourth wife of Mao, who was married to him from the 1940’s until his death. She came from a very poor family and worked for some time as an actress. She married Mao while he was in hiding in northern China, but the leaders of the communists decreed that she was to stick to being his wife and not try to get involved in politics. She kept that pact for a long time, but eventually she tried to influence the arts. Her whim was read as absolute law, and she made many people who did not agree with her suffer. But that was nothing as compared to what happened once the Cultural Revolution began in China. She used that period to get even with anyone who had done anything that she judged to have been an attack on her. She sent many to prison and their death. At the end of Mao’s life, it seemed as if she and the other ultra-leftists wanted to take power, but she was quickly arrested and imprisoned as one of the Gang of Four. She was in prison for the next ten years until she committed suicide. The book is a good overview of her life and especially of her motivations for the many evil things that she did. The Dreyfus Affair by Piers Paul Read This is the story of an officer in the French Army who was accused of engaging in espionage with the Germans in the latter part of the 19th century. The evidence against him was not all that conclusive, but he was convicted. It is possible that his conviction carried a bit of anti-Jewish feeling, which certainly became stronger and stronger as the affair went on. It is also possible that his conviction was caused by Dreyfus’ difficult personality and his messy love life. He was sent to Devil’s Island off the coast of South America as his punishment. Over the next several years, those who were responsible for his conviction began to invent false evidence to prove that their conviction was just. Yet, the true spy was discovered and not tried because the army was afraid of embarrassing itself by admitting that it was wrong. Only after a long and difficult process was the truth discovered and Dreyfus was declared innocent. This whole trial also marked a battle going on in France between those who were Catholics and those who were not (socialists, Free Masons, Jews, Protestants, etc.). By 1905, they had won and they outlawed religious orders and schools in France. The book is well written and balanced. The Two Koreas: Revised by Don Oberdorfer This is a history of North and South Korea and their relationship from the end of the war in the early 50’s until the present. It covers the gradual democratization of the south with the increasingly personality cult of the dictator in the north. It deals with questions concerning the development of nuclear capability in the north, and also the incredibly difficult time negotiators had dealing with the north which marches to its own drummer. Have a good week. Shalom fr. Jude

Pismo Beach - Arroyo Grande - Coalinga - San Francisco - Castro Valley (all in California)

1/27/2014 Peace and Good, I have been in California all this week visiting the friars throughout the Central Coast up to San Francisco. Each of the apostolates is very different from the others. Pismo Beach is more a retirement area near the coast, Arroyo Grande is more a farming region just a bit inland, Coalinga is very much a farming zone, San Francisco is a rough neighborhood, while Castro Valley is in the suburbs outside of San Francisco. The weather all this week has been incredible, especially considering the freeze on the east coast. The one thing that they could use, desperately, is rain. This is the rainy season, and they have not received any rain or snow. They are hoping for a good rain this coming weekend, which would be an incredible blessing. This affects the whole country because so much of our produce is grown in the central valley of this state. Two of the places I visited are poorer areas. San Francisco is basically an African-American community that is slowly becoming Hispanic, and Coalinga is a very poor farming area with a large number of migrants (the second poorest counties in the country). The friars are doing fine work. It has also been good to be in the same time zone for a while. I will be flying to Reno for a few days later in the week where the friars take care of the cathedral. Then back to Castro Valley until I head back to Chicago on the 7th. Here is some of my reading: Great Impersonation by E. Phillips Oppenheim This is the story of two men, one English and one German who studied with each other and encounter each other in East Africa shortly before World War I. They closely resemble each other, so the German hatches a plot to kill the Englishman and take his place. He fits perfectly into the personality of the Englishman and is commended by the Kaiser who is actively preparing for war. The book is written in the style of spy novels at the beginning of the 20th century (with many stereotypes of the honorable Englishman and the dishonorable German). The Lady of the Rivers by Philippa Gregory This is the story of a Princess, Joquetta, from Luxembourg who marries into the English royal family during the 15th century A.D. and her interaction with the king, Henry VI, and his wife, Marguerite. Unfortunately, Henry suffers from some form of mental illness which leaves him unresponsive for long periods of time. Marguerite and the king favor certain nobles to the detriment of others, which eventually leads to civil war. In the midst of all of this is the princess who becomes Lady Rivers. The title contains the word rivers because of a legend concerning the founding of the royal family of Luxembourg where the founding queen was a type of water goddess. This is where I have a problem with the book. It gets a bit into magic and the idea that men mess things up all the time and women are always put down simply because they are women. In spite of this, the book, like all of her books, is well written and worth reading. Ghost Train to the Eastern Star: On the Tracks of the Great Railway Bazaar by Paul Theroux This was the second book by Paul Theroux that I have read. The first was the Mosquito Coast. I have to admit that I really did not like that one all that much. This one, on the other hand, which is a bit of a travelogue, was very enjoyable. It is the account of his trip from London to Vietnam and Japan and then back to London through Russia, all of which he did by train whenever possible. He has great insights into the character of various people. He speaks of the governments of certain where the people are currently suffering persecution from a tyrant. He reflects on certain authors and their works. I could easily recommend this book. Death in Breslau: An Inspector Eberhard Mock Investigation by Marek Krajewski This is a strange detective story that takes place in the city of Breslau in Germany (I think Breslau is now in Poland) just after the take over of Hitler. A young woman from a family of nobility is murdered in what is obviously a ritual murder. The story shows the decadence of Germany during the late 20’s and early 30’s (not unlike the film and play Cabaret). It also shows the gradual growth in power and violence of the Nazi’s as they grab control of the police force. Finally, it shows the decadence and the indifference of the nobility in Germany, a pampered and totally vile group of people. The story throws together Nazi’s, medieval Satanists and the KGB and CIA. There are many, many twists and turns, but the book is not for those who are looking for a comforting story. It is anything but that. Nevertheless, it is good, and gives one a peek at a certain period and certain country just before the boom fell. Have a good week. Shalom fr. Jude

Pismo Beach - Hermosa Beach - Pismo Beach - Arroyo Grande

January 20, 2014 Peace and Good, I have begun my visitation of the California province this week. I had a meeting with the provincial definitory to get an overall perspective of the province at this moment. The next day I drove down to the Los Angeles area, to Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish in Hermosa Beach (not far from Manhattan Beach and Redondo Beach). I drove back to Pismo Beach and visited the friars there in St. Paul Parish and its affiliate houses. Today I visited our friary in Arroyo Grande which is not all that far from Pismo Beach. There are around 45 friars in the province in the States (plus another 13 in Vietnam). The province is relatively young in comparison with our other provinces in the States. For a number of years they were not getting vocations, but they have had better fortune in these past couple of years. The weather has been incredible these days. After 0 degree weather in Chicago, it was around 80 degrees here. The house where they put me up here in Pismo Beach has a beautiful view of the beach. Tomorrow I travel to Coalingua for the funeral of one of their elderly friars and for a visitation with the two friars stationed there. They on to San Francisco where we have three friaries. Here are the latest books I finished: The Telephone Poles by G.K. Chesterton This is an interesting short story about two men who are walking and compare the beauty of a line of telephone poles to that of a stand of pine trees. The pines are wild and disorganized, while the telephone poles are organized and uniform. It is the question of natural beauty vs. the beauty of civilization. Unbound: A Practical Guide to Deliverance from Evil Spirits by Neal Lozano This is a book on how to seek and assist in the spiritual deliverance of people who are troubled by demons. It is not a spooky book that sees demons residing everywhere. In fact, the author goes out of his way to de-emphasize speaking of demons. He nevertheless speaks of how we can be oppressed by things which hold us in bondage and how the Lord wants us to be free. He gives a number of case examples to help understand the points he is trying to make. He respects psychology and other social sciences. He finds a good blend of body and soul throughout his presentation. I found the book fascinating and consoling. There is certainly a loving message contained therein. I would recommend it for people who have tried everything to be free of temptations and weaknesses and who feel trapped. The Nightmare by C.K Chesterton This is only a short reflection on how we might let our imagination run wild a bit, but we have to try to keep things in their place. Beasts and ugly things are not to be worshipped or placed in the place of God and the angels. Even heavenly things might appear to be beastlike. Think only of the seven eyed and horned lamb of the Book of Revelation, but they are to be understood and kept in their symbolic place as opposed to seeing them running around our world. It was almost as if he said that nightmares and frightening stories are fine as long as they are understood to be that and not made into something more (as many of our recent zombie and vampire films have done). My Aunt, Jane Austen: A Personal Biography of Jane Austen This is one of a series of short biographies on famous authors that I am reading. I was quite interested in Jane Austen because her books have made a tremendous hit lately, and as of yet I have not read any of her works. I thought this biography might be a good intro to her work and her person. The problem is that this particular biography is short on detail. It is a loving recount of the life of a person who led a rather unspectacular life, and who became much more famous after she had died than while she was still alive. It is interesting to note, however, the whole reaction of the literary set to the idea of a woman author, and especially a woman fiction writer. Most serious authors did not believe that women could produce anything other than sweet poetry. Jane Austen proved them very wrong. From what I gleaned from this short biography, she proved them wrong by giving good portraits of rather normal people interacting. I do want to put one or two of her books on my must read list. I hope you have a good week. Shalom fr. Jude

Rome - Chicago - Pismo Beach

January 14, 2014 Peace and Good, Well, this has been another travel week. I started last week in Rome. On January 7th, we had a meeting of the new provincials from all over the world. They asked me to do a spiritual introduction on the Franciscan concept of authority. I used St. Peter as an example, especially in terms of his willingness to serve even with his brokenness. I am so impressed by the fact that he was the major source for information in the Gospel of Mark (for Mark was one of his disciples), and yet the portrait of Peter in the Gospel is not all that impressive. Peter was not afraid to admit that he had made mistakes so that the early Christians would know that you don't have to be perfect to be a disciple. That was on Tuesday. On Wednesday, I flew to Chicago for a couple more meetings. They are getting ready for their chapter, and there is quite a bit of work to do with various things in their province. I will be going back in February. Then on this past Sunday I flew out to Pismo Beach which is in California. It is mid way between San Francisco and Los Angeles. The friars have a house that was donated to them by two sisters, and they put me up there. The sun room has an incredible view of the beach. I had been in Pismo Beach for a couple of months a number of years back on a Sabbatical. It is good to be back. This morning I have a meeting with the California provincial and his definitory, and then I head down to Los Angeles to start my visitation. The weather changes these weeks have been incredible. Montreal and Chicago were around 0, while Rome was around 50, and Pismo Beach gets up into the 60's. I finished some books: Boss Tweed: The Corrupt Poll who conceived the Soul of Modern New York by Kenneth D. Ackerman I had often heard about Tammany Hall and how it controlled the politics of New York City. Its most famous leader was Boss Tweed who reigned from the 1860’s to the 1880’s. He controlled all the contracts made in the city and took a cut of everything. He controlled elections in the city. He lived a spectacular life, but he also shared his riches with others, including with the poor. He was brought down by the efforts of a cartoonist who worked for Harper’s Weekly and by the investigation of the New York Times. Eventually, Governor Tilden joined in the campaign. (Tilden lost a very disputed election in 1876 to Rutherford B. Hayes.) Tweed eventually died in prison, all but pennyless. The book is well written and gives a decent portrayal of this scoundrel. The Surrender of a Cockney by G.K. Chesterton This is a short story about a Londoner, a Cockney, who chooses to live in the country not because he actually likes it. Rather, he goes there so he can long all the more for his beloved city. He sees the city as the climax of all that is good. He cannot understand those city folk who think that the country life is ideal. This Kind of War: The Classic Korean War History by T.R. Fehrenbach This is a thorough history of the Korean War. It gives information both about the political issues but also the human dimension of the soldiers fighting on the allied side. It freely admits the mistakes that the US made in letting its army degenerate after World War II, and also in letting a spirit of easy service enter the mentality of the soldiers which left them unable to affront many of the hardships they faced in fighting the North Koreans and the Chinese. It dealt at some length with the controversy surrounding the dismissal of General Douglas MacArthur by President Truman. A thousand Days in Tuscany by Marlena de Blasi This is the story of a elderly couple, a American woman who write on cooking and an Italian, Venitian banker who decide to sell everything and move to a small farm house in Tuscany. They meet the people from the village and begin to fit in. They have a warm relationship with an old, crotchety local and his woman friend. There are details of the relationship of the couple, of what they do, and especially of what they eat. It is an enjoyable book, filled with insight into life. Have a good week. Shalom fr. Jude

Montreal - Rome

January 6, 2014 The Solemnity of the Epiphany Hope you are all well. Here in Rome we celebrate the Epiphany on January 6th and not on the Sunday which falls around that date. There are more national holidays in this country than anywhere else I have ever been. Christmas and New Year's fell on Wednesdays, so there was some massive bridge building. If a holiday falls on a Tuesday or a Thursday, Italians normally don't go to work on the intervening day, or what they call "they build a bridge." Well, with the two holidays this year on Wednesday, they tended to build bridges in both directions. The Vatican offices have been more or less closes for the past two weeks. Montreal was very nice, but very cold. The temperature hovered around 0 most of the week that I was there. It was like living in little Poland for those days because our friars there serve the Polish immigrants. Lots of ham and sausage, etc. I have been in Rome since the 3rd. I have a meeting tomorrow at which I will make a scriptural presentation for the new provincials of the Order. I am going to be speaking about the role of St. Peter in the New Testament and what that has to teach us about our role of authority in the community. Most of the men already get it, but some need to be reminded now and then that it is a role of service and not of power. That is a temptation that it is easy to fall into. Wednesday I head back to Chicago for a couple of meetings. Then on the 12th, off to California to begin a province visitation. That will keep me in that area for most of a month. We heard recently that one of our friars is being ordained a bishop in Costa Rica on March 1st. I will be going to that along with the General and another Assistant. fr. Enrique has worked in many different positions of responsibility for the Order for a long, long time. I finished some books: Lone Star Rising, Lyndon Johnson and His Times, 1908-1960 by Robert Dallek This is a biography of Johnson from his birth until the time that he assumed the office of Vice-President under John Kennedy. He was a powerful man and a brilliant, if not always honest, politician. He used the system to make himself rich and to acquire huge donations from Texas oilmen and construction firms, especially Brown and Root. Yet, he proved to be one of the most successful majority leaders in the Senate during the presidency of Eisenhower. Instead of opposing everything as some politicians do today, he tried to find constructive ways of building upon the president’s agenda, often supporting more than members of the president’s own Republican Party. He fought for the poor while he helped the rich with tax subsidies, etc. He is a very complex man. The book is well written and not judgmental. Alarms and Discursions by G.K. Chesterton This is an essay that disguises itself as a tale. It is basically Chesterton’s critique of the modern world and its values. He speaks of how previous eras were based upon something, whereas the modern world has many different ideas and symbols, none of which amount to very much. It gives a good sense of where he stands: firmly in the line of tradition. “A” is for Alibi (The Kinsey Millhone Alphabet Mysteries) by Sue Grafton This is the first of a whole series of detective books about a character named Kinsey Millhone. She is a rough, tough investigator. The story is well written and believable. It is about a woman who hires Kinsey to investigate the murder of her husband, a murder for which she has already served a jail term. It is interesting to see how the author lets the story unfold slowly and sometimes even chaotically. She gives enough clues to be able to follow the narrative, without giving away the end of the story too early. I bought a whole series of these novels on sale from Kindle, and now I am glad I did so. Ghandhi and Churchill: The Epic Rivalry that Destroyed an Empire and Forged Our Age by Arthur Herman This is a biography of two of the most influential men of the 20th century, and certainly men of heroic proportion for their respective countries. Winston Churchill was the Prime Minister who saved Great Britain during World War II. He suffered from the prejudices of his era and his class. He never, ever wanted to consider the possibility that India would not be part of the British Empire. Ghandi, a contemporary, was the spiritual leader of his nation who led his people to independence. Both men were flawed. I read about things that Ghandi said and did which showed how short he fell of his own idealism. Yet, both were critical for their nations and their time. Have a good week. Shalom fr. Jude

Rome - Montreal

December 30, 2013 Peace and Good, I flew back to Rome on the 23rd and celebrated Christmas Day and Boxing Day in Rome. One of the big ways to celebrate Christmas is to have a game of Tombola in the evening (Italian Bingo). I usually don't win anything, but this time I walked away with one of the big prizes. (It was a boom box, and I was able to give it away to one of the brothers who did not have one in his room - if I don't give away things like this, I will be packed down with way too many things). The 27th I flew out to Montreal. The trip was uneventful. It is quite cold up here, but Montreal escaped the terrible ice storm that hit Toronto. There is quite a bit of snow on the ground, so I am doing my daily walk (40 minutes each day) downstairs in the Church hall. What I like most about the walk is listening to books on tape as I am going around the room over and over. I have a meeting with the friars from the Polish custody of Canada this afternoon. There are around 15 of them, and they serve in four parishes up here. There are some changes coming in where they are serving, and my role is to support the Custos in his decisions (which are for the future of this jurisdiction). Most of us don't like change all that much, and the friars sometimes resist it when they have become comfortable where they are. Yet, if we don't move a bit up here, then there is not much of a future for the presence of the friars in Montreal. I managed to survive another case of food poisoning. It hits me every year or so, and is usually from sometime I eat along the way. I probably ate something bad at the airport or on the plane. Thankfully, I always carry a supply of Cipro, a powerful antibiotic, and two or three pills usually does the trick. It is just one of the prices of travelling as extensively as I do. I finished some books: Armadeggon: The Battle for Germany 1944-1945 by Max Hastings Hastings is a rather famous author about the history of war, especially the Second World War. This book deals with the closing months of the war. It covers the war on the Western as well as the Eastern front (many books all but ignore the Eastern Front). It deals with the larger movements and also with the stories of individuals (generals, soldiers, civilians, politicians, etc.). It does not sugar coat the violence, especially of the Soviet troops once they reached German territory. It freely admits that Stalin killed as many of his own and other citizens as Hitler did (if not more). It speaks of the inability of many Germans to realize that they had done anything wrong in the war, even though the evidence of the atrocities was overwhelming. But it also mentions the moral ambiguity of the air war in which tens of thousands of civilians in Germany and occupied territory were killed with no clear military advantage. It is a good, honest history of this period. The Vanished Man: A Lincoln Rhyme Novel by Jeffrey Deever The premise of the Lincoln Rhyme novels is that he is a brilliant investigator who has been paralyzed in an accident. Yet, he assembles a brilliant team around himself and solves what are considered to be unsolvable crimes. This is especially true in this volume where the murderer is an illusionist (magician) who can dress to look like almost anyone. He misleads the investigators over and over again. There are more twists and turns in the action than one would ever expect. Yet, the book is written in a way that it is almost always clear what is going on (at least to the reader). It is quite entertaining. Munich, 1938: Appeasement and World War II by David Faber This is a very disturbing book because it points out the duplicity and the gullibility of the politicians who sought peace during the crisis that led to the dismemberment of Czechoslovakia right before the beginning of World War II. Hitler lied and twisted the truth and played to ego flaws in his opponents. Chamberland, the Prime Minister of Great Britain, dealt with him as if he were a man of honor, which he certainly was not. The Czechs were left out of much of the discussion, being told that they had to give in or be destroyed by the Germans without any help from the outside. At times you just want to stop and shout, “Wake up and see what is going on.” If the allies had intervened at this point, there is every possibility that the army in Germany would have overthrown Hitler. After this diplomatic victory, he was untouchable. Longitude: The True Story of a Long Genius Who Solved the Greatest Scientific Problem of His Time by Dava Sobel It is relatively easy for mariners to determine how far north or south they are by observing the sun and the stars and determining how high they are in the sky. It is much more difficult to determine longitude, how far east or west they are. There were two main techniques used throughout history. The first was astronomical – doing a series of technical observations to determine where the moon was in relation to various stars. This technique was very complicated and could take hours to determine. The other was chronological – simply see at what time certain events occur. The difficulty of the second technique is that medieval and late medieval clocks were very delicate and could lose or gain time in the turbulent seas or when humidity changed or temperature changed. There was a clockmaker (who had no technical training) named Harrison who discovered the first clock that could be taken to sea and still work almost perfectly for months on end. The Parliament in England had established a prize of 20,000 pounds for the person who devised a way to measure longitude at sea. Unfortunately, one of the key members of the committee to determine the success of an effort was a proponent of the astronomic method, and he conspired to withhold the prize from Harrison. Yet, in the long run it was the clock (and watch) method that was used until the time of radio and later satellite navigation. Happy New Year. Shalom fr. Jude

Rome - London - Chicago

December 22, 2013 Peace and Good, This has been a jet lag week. I finished off my meetings in Rome a week ago Friday. They went quite well, and I think we got a lot accomplished. Sunday, a week ago (the 15th), I took a flight out to London where I spent the next few days. The weather in London was pretty much what you would expect at this time of year. It is overcast with rain every once in a while. I met with the Custos, fr. Peter Damian, who is doing a great job. He has a lot of decisions to make in the next few months, but he has a calm, thoughtful spirit about him which will help him a lot in his responsibilities. Wednesday I flew from there to Chicago. Thursday I had a couple of meetings in Rockford, a two hour drive from Chicago. I asked one of the friars to drive me there. Normally, two hours is nothing for me, but working on jet lag, it just seemed too much of a risk. The meetings went very, very well, and we got a lot accomplished. Friday I preached a day of recollection for the students of this province. We looked at two scripture passages, one from the Old Testament and one from the New Testament, and applied them to the season and their lives. I was pleased with how it turned out. In between conferences, there were some more meetings. Saturday I drove up to Milwaukee to complete the series of meetings. There was a lot of wear and tear in all these meetings, but we did get some good things done. Today, Sunday, I fly back to Rome. This morning is the first day when I feel the jet lag loosing its tendrils, and it is time to return to the European time zones. I will be in Rome until the 27th when I fly back to Montreal for another short series of meetings. I finished some books: 1434: The Year a Magnificent Chinese Fleet sailed to Italy and Ignited the Renaissance by Gavin Menzies This is the second book by Menzies that I have read. The premise of both is the same: that much of our scientific knowledge in the Western World actually came from the east when the emperor sent large fleets on exploratory journeys throughout the world. He has an enormous amount of documentation, but listening to this book, I was struck over and over again by his tendency to attribute every single scientific discovery to the east. If there was a genius in the West such as Copernicus or Leonardo da Vinci or Guttenberg, it was because they stole their discoveries from the east. He speaks about an enormous fleet that brought this knowledge to the Western world, but there just is not enough outside data to convince one of the fleet’s existence. That is not to say that what he says is wrong, just that it seems overdone. This is not a book that one would want to read for relaxation because it has a large number of technical terms, but it is informative. The Italians before Italy: Conflict and Competition in the Mediterranean by Kenneth Bartlett This is a Teaching Company course about the various city states in Italy which gave rise to varied cultures all throughout the peninsula. It especially deals with the machinations of the great lords of these states during the late Middle Ages and the period of the Renaissance. Bartlett speaks about the usual great cities such as Rome, Florence, Venice, Milan and Naples. He also speaks of Urbino, Pisa, Ferrara, Genoa etc, smaller cities that nevertheless played a significant role either in the politics of Italy or the art and literature of Italy or both. He also deals with the tension between supporters of the Holy Roman Emperor and those of the Pope, as well as the invasions of the Spanish and French royal families. The lectures are well done, and they do give insight why it is so difficult to speak of a unified Italy. To give just one example, the people of Genoa and Pisa still dislike each other so much that when someone dies, they say that at least it is better than having a Pisan at the door. The series of 24 lectures is well done. Undue Influence: a Paul Madrini Novel by Steve Martini This is the story of a lawyer who is called upon to defend his sister-in-law who is accused of killing her ex-husband’s new wife. There had been very bad faith between the ex-wife and the new wife due to questions concerning the custody of the two children from the first marriage. There is intrigue, political scandal, affairs, etc. Both the investigation part and the trial part of the book are well written. There is also a good sense of humor throughout. It was quite enjoyable. Vespers by Ed McBain This is another of the stories from Ed McBain which revolves around a fictional police station. Each of his novels usually involves two main crimes. That is true of this volume as well. The center of the book, though, is the murder of a priest. As the detectives dig more and more, there are elements including drugs which a young punk has hidden in the Church, a grumpy man who fights with the priest, a possible affair the priest is having, a church dedicated to Satan just down the street, etc. The second crime involves a woman who loves a detective, but she has had a bad past which included prostitution, murder and theft. Both stories are well developed. I always find McBain’s books easy to read and enjoyable. Hope you have a Merry Christmas. Shalom fr. Jude