Atlanta - San Salvador - South Bend

February 13, 2015 Peace and Good, I have been on the road the past couple of weeks. After my visit to our parishes in Atlanta, I took a flight down to El Salvador. We were having a meeting down there with the friars from Honduras and those from Costa Rica as part of a process to unite these two jurisdictions. In the past these meetings have been a bit difficult, but this time the meeting was well planned and it went off very, very well. When we arrived in San Salvador, they took us to see the place with Msgr. Romero was killed while he was celebrating Mass. He fought for the rights of the poor, and a rightist death squad killed him, shooting him while he lifted up the chalice after the consecration. The very next day the Pope declared him to be a martyr, opening up the process to have him beatified, probably within the next year. (He also declared the martyrdom of two of our Polish friars who were murdered some 25 years ago in Peru - killed by a communist rebel group called the Sendero Luminoso. We met all week in a retreat house and then last Friday I flew to Los Angeles, then Chicago and finally South Bend. It is a round about journey, but it was all on frequent flyer tickets so you have to take the route they offer. In South Bend, I went to our novitiate in Mishawaka (the next town over). There I have been presenting a workshop on the Gospels and the Psalms to our seven novices (six from the US and one from Australia) and seven sisters from a Franciscan community that lives next door. They were both great groups of young religious, and I enjoyed the experience. Tonight I fly back to Rome for two weeks of definitory, our bi-monthly meeting. I finished some books: Fever Season: the Story of a Terrifying Epidemic and the People who saved a City by Jeanette Keith This is the story of a horrible epidemic of Yellow Fever which hit Memphis in the 1870’s. Yellow Fever is caused by a virus that incubates in a mosquito, something the people of that times did not know. There was no way to cure the disease once it hit, and many, many people died quickly and painfully. The fever started in New Orleans and took hold of the city and did not let go until after the first hard frost. We hear both of the sadness and of the heroes of this battle (which is the exact image many of the people in Memphis used for their trial). Catholic priests and nuns come out looking very good (as do the Episcopalians). Many of the Baptist clergy abandoned the city with their families, raising question of what the duty of a married clergyman during a disaster like this might be. The Man on the Bench by Robert Swartwood This is a story set in a small town where young children are able to see an elderly man sitting on a bench near a pond, but no one else can see him. It turns out that he is sitting watch for the return of Lilith who takes the lives of young girls in order to renew her youth. The boys in the story are asked to lead some adults to her house (which only they can see) so that they might kill her and destroy the evil she has brought them all. The Dark Wind by Tony Hillerman This is the story of Che, a Navaho policeman, who is trying to solve several mysteries that involve a drug deal and the tension between the Navaho and the Hopi who have been traditional enemies. There is a lot of information about Navaho traditions which helps the policeman solve the various questions that surround a plane crash and a damaged wind mill. The writing is very well done and it is one of those books that makes me want to read on. I highly recommend all of Hillerman’s books. Where there’s Smoke by Jodi Picoult This is the thing that I have read by this author, even though I have seen her name many, many times. This is called a short story, but it could also be called a novella. In a short time, she establishes a very creditable character. The main character is a psychic who is real. She has two gate keepers, ghosts who help her contact the underworld. Two of her on screen interviews end in disaster, leading one of her gatekeepers to state, “Be careful what you ask for….” The story is well done, and one feels a real empathy toward this unusual character. Chasing Francis: A Pilgrim’s Tale by Ian Morgan Cron This is a very interesting book, especially for a Franciscan. It is a novel that reads like a personal memoir. It tells the story of an evangelical preacher who has built up a large church but who then has a crisis of faith/ He visits his uncle, a Franciscan who lives in Assisi, who gives him refuge and teaches him about St. Francis. From Francis he learns how to challenge that which is not right in his own religion with gentleness and compassion. He most of all finds peace in his heart by accepting that God is a mystery and not a set of equations to be solved and memorized. Some of the premises are a bit unlikely in terms of religious life, but the friars are presented very positively in the story. I quite enjoyed it, and it provided some insights to me about who were are called to be. Have a good week. Shalom fr. Jude

Rome - Atlanta

January 30, 2015 Peace and Good, I spent the last week in Rome. We had our meetings with the new provincials and the new secretaries from around the world. When that was over, I spent the next few days catching up with a couple of writing projects. One of the friars had asked me to write a series of reflections for the Sunday readings for July and August for the magazine that he edits in Poland. I wrote them in English, and he will have them translated. I finished that project on Monday. Then, on Tuesday, I finished typing and editing a series of articles for one of our magazines in Great Britain. I am now free to address a couple of projects that have been on the back burner for a little too long. Yesterday, I flew out from Rome and traveled to Atlanta. I am here just to visit the friars, especially those at a parish we recently took charge of. This will also give me a chance to see the Super Bowl here before I head out to El Salvador for a meeting on Monday. I finished the following: The Point of Death: An Elizabethan Murder Mystery by Peter Tonkin This is a murder mystery set in the days of William Shakespeare. Tom, who is a master decipherer of codes, stops a brutal rape by a number of young lords during a war in Holland. Later, these lords hatch a plot of poison the rightful owners of a fortune of an inheritance. Tom is caught up in the middle of it when one of the spies trying to discern the plot is killed by his side during a performance of Romeo and Juliet. The action is clever. The dialog is good, but it can be a bit difficult to keep the characters names and titles in place. It was a good read. G.K. Chesterton by Julius West I have been reading books by Chesterton for a few years now, and I thought that I should like him because he wrote an important biography on St. Francis, but I have come to progressively dislike his writing style. He is aggressive in his attacks on others, mocking of their positions. I thought it was just me, but reading this short biography confirms what I was feeling. This author describes Chesterton as being comfortable in a mythic period that resembles the Middle Ages in his mind but which probably never existed. He enjoys debunking the liberal attitude of his era. Interestingly, he leans toward socialism, but nevertheless attacks the doctrinaire followers of that theory. The word curmudgeon seems to fit well. The Gunpowder Gardens, or a Time for Tea: Travels Through India and China in Search of Tea by Jason Goodwin The premise of this book is that it is written by a man whose two grandmothers both lived in lands where tea was produced. The author travels to those lands, specifically China and India, to learn all about tea. We hear of the history of its trade, the preparation of the tea leaves, the different qualities of tea, the societies that built up around its exploitation. The book is good. The Last Crusade: the Palestine Campaign in the First World War by Anthony Bruce This is the story of the conquest of the Holy Land by General Allenby and the Arabs guided by Lawrence of Arabia. Many military and political leaders saw this theater as a side show when compared to the main act occurring in the trenches of France. But this invasion which succeeded in 1918 drove the Turks out of the war, which had a domino effect upon the other Axis forces. It speaks of the logistical difficulties of fighting a war where there were few roads, few railroads and little water and food available. The book is well done. Red Orchestra by Anne Nelson This is the story of a group of spies in Germany during the Second World War. They wanted to end the tragedy of the Nazi regime. They used every means to show the opposition to what was going on, including printing posters and leaflets, sabotaging train schedules, and spying. They tried to send the information they collected to the allies, but they especially worked for the Soviets. The Soviets tended to mishandle their work and put their lives in danger. They were eventually discovered and most of them were put to death. The story is well told, even though it goes a bit easy on the terrors of the Soviet system as opposed to the terrors of the Nazis. Both were a disaster beyond telling. Hope you have a good week. Shalom fr. Jude

Rome - Santa Severa - Rome

January 19, 2015 Peace and Good, I hope that you are all well. I arrived back in Rome, and then the General Definitory headed out to a retreat house near the sea at a place called Santa Savera for our annual retreat. The preacher was Fr. Marco Rubnic, a Jesuit and an artist. He runs a school for sacred art and also an institute that studies the Fathers of the Church from the first 1,000 years of Christianity. He was very, very good. There were some things he said with which I did not agree, but at least he provoked a reaction. I found that he gave me words and concepts to name some of the things I have felt and believed for a long time. It was a silent retreat, and that was actually easier for me to do than I would have thought. It meant that I could dedicate myself to the Lord totally for a week. Yesterday we had a meeting at the Capuchin Curia here in Rome. It was their definitory, ours, and that of the Friars Minor. The historic differences between us are slowly melting away, which is a real good thing. I am back in Rome for a little more than a week. The new provincials and provincial secretaries of the Order are in town for a workshop on what they are called to do over these next years. There are five men in from the States and I am hosting them, so it will be busy for the next few days. Next week I head out to Atlanta and then to El Salvador. I have finished some reading: C.S. Lewis, a Life Inspired by Christopher by Christopher Gordon This is a short and well written biography of C.S. Lewis, the apologist for Christianity from Great Britain during the middle of the 20th century. His writings include the Screwtape Letters, the Four Loves, Mere Christianity and the Great Divorce. He also authored the Narnia cycle which has become so popular again in recent days. His style, unlike that of Chesterton, is pleasant and reasonable. He is a good author who tried to be a good man and mostly succeeded. The Salmon of Doubt by Douglas Adams This is a series of essays and stories that were compiled from the writings of Adams after his sudden death. He is the author of the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Universe. He is very clever, and I found myself amused by much of what he wrote. He is a confirmed and militant atheist. His argument is that the logic used to prove the existence of God is faulty, and therefore God does not exist and anyone who believes that God exist is not only mistaken but a fool. Admittedly, some who argue the issue from the other side use equally aggressive arguments, but I find the conclusion that since he is not convinced, then everyone must be convinced of his point of view to be a bit arrogant. Nevertheless, I thoroughly enjoyed the presentation of the rest of the material. The Diabolical Conspiracy by Byran Smith A man is invited to a party by his girlfriend, and it turns out to be a Satanic coven to which he is being invited. The problem is that there are only two choices: join or die. Furthermore, to join, he must murder a man who is brought into their midst. The rest of the story tells of the choices that he must make, none of them good or redeeming. The Mad Tea-Party: The Adventures of Ellery Queen This is the last of the stories about Ellery Queen, the detective, in the collection that I have been reading, and possibly the best. Queen shows up at a friend’s mansion where they are practicing a scene from Louis Carroll’s Alice Through the Looking Glass. There is a disappearance that might be a murder. There is a mass drugging of all who are at the mansion. There are a series of packages left at the front door that leave everyone confused and frightened. The story is well developed. Onward: How Starbucks fought for its Life without Losing its Soul by Howard Schultz with Joanne Gordon This is the account of how the founder of Starbucks came out of retirement and took over the company again during the worldwide economic downturn in 2008. Even in the middle of the downturn, he was able to turn the fate of Starbucks around and make a profit without sacrificing its values (e.g. taking care of the associates, of the farmers, etc.). He spoke of how the company had been obsessed with growth and sacrificed quality. He spoke of being a cheerleader to improve the way coffee was brewed and how the customer was treated. He is a little too self-congratulatory, but he tells a good story. I hope you have a good week. Shalom fr. Jude

Buffalo - Ellicott City

January 8, 2015 Peace and Good, I have been taking off for a couple of weeks. I was not able to find time for a vacation this past summer because of all of the provincial chapters and other assignments that I had, so this has been a good time to slow down a bit. The first week I spent in Buffalo with family. In spite of the time of year, the weather was not all that bad (especially for Buffalo). It is good to just have nothing to do for a while. This week, from the 2nd, I have been at our provincialate in Ellicott City, just taking it easy and visiting some friends. One of the things that I do during my off times is read while I am copying some of the books on CD to my computer. I listen to books as I take my daily walks. It gives me a good time out every day. I also listen to them when I am flying. I start out reading, but then, when my eyes get too tired, I will listen. I usually do not sleep on planes, so the night rides can seem long if I don't occupy myself with something useful. Also, I have found that I just cannot work (e.g. writing) when I am on a plane, so I just go with the flow. I received some sample copies of the latest children's book that I have written. This one is on Pope Francis. I will be flying back to Rome this evening. Next week we have our retreat, and then a week of meetings with the new provincials from throughout the Order. I finished some books: The Execution of Noa P. Singleton by Elizabeth Silver This is the story of the execution of a young woman who has killed another young woman. The author slowly reveals the background for the killing. None of the characters in the story are totally innocent, and a few are much more culpable than Noa who is to be executed. This is not a call for the end of the death penalty or for its justification. Yet, it is very well written and makes one ask some of the more important questions about life. The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho This is the tale of a young shepherd who leaves everything with which he is familiar to follow the dream of his life. In the process, he discovers the Spirit of the World as well as the very holiness of God. This is not a long book, but it is a very pleasant tale of the need to discern the signs of follow the path that leads to the fulfillment which God intended for each individual person. He seeks a treasure which he finds in a most unexpected place. Freedom’s Forge: How American Business Produced Victory in World War II by Arthur Herman This is a fascinating book about how the country geared up its industrial complex just before and at the beginning of World War II. The country had hardly anything at hand, especially because much of its industrial capacity had been mothballed during the Great Depression. Yet, as Roosevelt saw the war coming, he called upon industrial leaders to head the process of rearming America and its allies as well. America went from producing hardly any warplanes to almost 50,000 per year. It made Liberty boats so fast that it halved and halved again the time needed to produce the boats (including a publicity stunt in which one boat was manufactured in less than five days). Our productivity overwhelmed that of the axis powers combined. Robert Louis Stevenson by G.K. Chesterton This is one of those short biographies in a collection of biographies of famous authors. The problem with this one is that it is done by Chesterton. He seems so fascinated with his own witty rhetoric that one does not come to know Stevenson all that well. What I did gather from this study is that Stevenson suffered from ill health all his life, and his adventure stories were a way of escaping from his painful adult reality into a youthful, playful alternate world. Chesterton speaks of how his characterizations are lacking at times, as if Stevenson has used a few brushes of the paintbrush instead of filling out the character. Yet, he speaks of how his over popularity at one time and his then current lack of respect were both exaggerations. He respects Stevenson without canonizing him. The Seven Black Cats: The Adventures of Ellery Queen Typical of all of the Ellery Queen stories, this one is filled with mysteries. Two elderly women disappear, one of whom was paralyzed in bed. Furthermore, over the course of seven weeks, she has purchased seven black cats even though she despised cats. There seems to be a question of money hidden in their apartment. Ellery is able to solve the mystery, but the twists and turns are quite well done. I hope you have a good week. Shalom fr. Jude

Dublin - Rome

December 25, 2014 Merry Christmas I returned to Rome after a visit with two Indian friars working in Ireland. I have to admit that Dublin was rainy and windy. I saw the sun for about 15 second one day. This past week I have been back in Rome. There were no meetings. Praise be God! I was able to catch up on some of my writing. I manages to finish four articles for the Messenger magazine printed in Padua and another three for the Crusader magazine printed in Great Britain. This puts me a few months ahead of time. I will be travelling to Great Britain later this afternoon and spend the night there, and then fly on to Toronto tomorrow. My brother and sister-in-law will pick me up and I’ll spend a week with family and friends in Buffalo. Then on the 2nd I’ll fly down to Baltimore and spend a week with the friars. This will finish off my vacation time for this past year. It was a busy summer with all of the provincial chapters and I was not able to take any time off then. I finished some books: To Catch a King by Jack Higgins This is the author who has written a series of spy novels about World War II and the IRA. His writing style is very good. This one is about the attempt to kidnap or convince to defect of the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, the resigned king of England while he is staying in Lisbon. The Nazi’s hope that they can use him as an alternative monarch when they conquer Great Britain after the fall of France. There are a couple of Americans who help to foil the plot along with a very honest leader of the Portuguese police. The most intriguing figure is one of the Abwar officers, General Schellenburg, who is real life was described as a decent person (something one sees in this plot). It is a very good book. France under Louis XIV and the Regency by James Perkins This is the story of the rule of King Louis XIV of France, the Sun King, and of the period that followed his reign which was governed by the Duke of Orleans until Louis’ grandson reached the age to take over himself. The early part of Louis’ reign and that of the Duke were marked by rampant sexual immorality. That changed toward the end of Louis’ reign due to the influence of his second wife. There are stories of the various wars that Louis fought, often for purposes that did not measure up to the loss of life and treasure. There was the story of the Mississippi plot, a type of pyramid scheme, which brought on an economic disaster in the kingdom. The book is well written, but long and often too detailed. The Publisher by Alan Brinkley This is the story of Harry Luce, the founder of the Time Life empire. He initiated Time, Life, Fortune and Sports Illustrated. He was the son of missionaries in China, which explained his continual concern for his beloved country (and his rampant anti-communism). He proved to be a difficult, lonely man, but he accomplished so much in his lifetime. His second wife was Clare Booth Luce, the ambassador to Italy in the 50’s. Both he and she preached a moral life style while both slept around with numerous lovers. The story is worth telling, but you end up not especially liking Luce. The Glass-Domed Clock: The Adventures of Ellery Queen As always, Ellery Queen, the detective, is able to sort out the murder of a man who seems to have left clues as to the identity of his murderer. The man, after he was struck, grasped a glass domed clock and a particular semi-precious gem (seeming to identify the murderer by his job – a stock brocker for the clock looked like a stock ticker and by his birthdate – the stone he was grasping was a birthstone). The Mad Sculptor: the Maniac, the Model, and the Murder that Shook the Nation by Harold Schechter In the 1920’s, crime stories were the fad. There were many magazines that printed the accounts of grizzly murders. The tabloids used as much print in those days for crime as they do today for celebrities. This is the story of a sculptor who was mentally unbalanced and who killed the mother and sister of a woman for whom he had an infatuation as well as a male border who lived in their apartment. The details of the story are gruesome, which made the story all that more appealing to the public. Have a good week and also Happy New Year. Shalom Fr. Jude

Rome - Dublin

December 16, 2014 Peace and Good, These past two weeks have been a marathon set of meetings in Rome. They all went very well, but by the end of the second week this past Saturday, all of our minds were definitely fried. We don't have any of these big meetings again until mid January, so at least we get a bit of a break. During the meetings, we had a very nice experience. The Minister General of the OFM Franciscans (the ones who wear brown habits) came over to give us a talk on Social Justice and to share some of his experiences. We broke apart as an order 500 years ago, and slowly, slowly we are starting to reconcile. Rome has gotten cold and rainy. This is typical of winter in Rome. This morning when I left for Dublin, there was even a bit of a thunder storm. We don't get much snow - only a bit every few years. I am in Dublin for the next couple of days visiting with two friars from India who are working here. Their provincial chapter will take place this Spring, and we assistants try to visit all of the friars from the various jurisdictions before their chapters to see how things are going. I will meet with them tomorrow. Dublin is cold and rainy, no big surprise. I finished some books: Double Cross: the True Story of the D-Day Spies by Ben Macintyre This is the story of the group of spies whom British Intelligence ran during World War II as double spies. Some were agents sent by Germany who had been caught and put to work for the British. The majority, however, were agents who either were recruited by the British or who offered their services. They include a Russian exile, a Serbian playboy, a Spanish chicken framer, a Peruvian socialite, etc. They fed the Germans false information, especially in the run up to D Day. The British seem to have arrested and stopped all of the actual agents that the Germans sent into Great Britain. One, agent Garbo, actually developed a whole string of false agents (totally fictional) who fed moutains of misinformation to the Nazis. The book and the action described in incredible, but true. Dakota: A Spiritual Geography by Kathleen Harris This book speaks about Western Dakota, an area that is quickly loosing population and which is an expanse of emptiness and beauty. Harris, who is a poet who had previously lived in New York, settles there with her husband on the farm of her grandmother. There she encounters a space which shapes the mentality of those who live there. She speaks of their difficulty in seeing the crisis as it is, often blaming outsiders for problems beyond their ability to resolve. She also speaks of her fruitful relationship with various Benedictine communities in which she find great wisdom and peace. This is a truly beautiful and insightful book. “The Two Headed Dog”: The Adventures of Ellery Queen The title of this story comes from a motel at which the hero, Ellery Queen, stays during a vacation trip. While there, he is told what seems to be a ghost story of how one of the cottages is haunted. He is also told about a jewel thief who stayed in that particular cottage but who escaped a police raid some months before. He is able to sort out what is really happening through a process of clever deduction. For Emmy by Mary SanGiovanni This is the story of two young girls and their father. He owns a book shop, and the younger girl mysteriously disappears one day and is not found again for months. She just as suddenly reappears again in the shop, but sadly changed. She seems to have seen things during her lost period, terrible things. Eventually they sort out that she had been swallowed up by a pocket or a window upon an alternate reality which was cruel and murderous. They book deals with the question of being able to trust in the fundamental goodness of the world, and how that becomes impossible when one has experienced the dark, terrifying alternate realities that lie in the shadows. The Impossible State: North Korea, Past and Future by Victor Cha This is the story of the dictatorial regime in North Korea which has run the country since the end of World War II. There is incredible inhumanity there, while the elite live in luxury and billions of dollars is wasted on a nuclear bomb development program. The book speaks of the ineffective negotiations that have taken place over the years, and of the attempts to change things through aid given by South Korea, Japan and the US. The only hope, according to the book, is an overthrow of the family that has continued to run this country into the ground for so long. I hope you have a good week. Shalom fr. Jude

Montreal - Rome

December 9 2014 Peace and Good, I finished my visitation to the friars in Montreal and flew to Rome. Since I have gotten back, we have been meeting in our definitory. This is a long one, two weeks long. The reason for this is we have an annual report from the various secretaries under our care: e.g. the Secular Franciscans, the Constitution Commission, the Militia of Mary Immaculate, etc. I also gave my reports from my various visits since the last definitory. Each of us gives a report so that all of the definitory know what is going on in the Order throughout the world. This takes a lot of time, but it is a very healthy way of working. It means that none of us is making a decision all by himself. We work as a team. The weather is not too bad, although the fall and winter rains have begun. This is typical for this time of year. It only snows every few years. There were tons of tourists in Rome this weekend. I think this was because it was a three day weekend. We have been celebrating the novena for the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. We are the official Roman center for this celebration. A different cardinal comes each evening for the Mass and a special homily. I will be here for another week and then I head out to Dublin for a few days. Dublin is not all that large of a city, but I really like it. These are the books and stories that I have finished these weeks: The Teakwood Case: The Adventures of Ellery Queen This is the story of the murder of two brothers. The first is murdered by accident because he resembled the first. Ellery Queen has to figure out why he was murdered, and then why his brother, whom he considered to be the prime suspect in the crime, is also murdered. A teakwood cigarette case seems to be at the bottom of it all. The Fallen Angel by Daniel Silva This is one of several books that I have read by Daniel Silva. They speak about Gabriel Allon, a Mosad agent who has connections with the Vatican. It is basically a spy novel in which Allon fights against the evil forces of Iran. His treatment of Jewish and Catholic topics is quite favorable, but his treatment of Islam is quite negative. Yet, he writes a good book which is filled with suspence. The protagonists don’t always have an easy time figuring out the plot being played out. They are layers and layers of what is going on, which makes one want to read it as fast as possible because it is so well written. The Invisible Lover: The Adventures of Ellery Queen This is the story of a man who is murdered, and the accused is a man who is incredibly honest and upright. Ellery has to find out how the bullet that seems to have killed the man could have come from a gun that only this man controlled. It is a clever story. The Run by Stuart Woods I listened to the abridged version of this book. It is about the run for the presidency of a Senator and also about the plot by a group of militia men to kill him. They characters are nicely rounded out if a bit predictable. I enjoyed the presentation, almost wishing I could have listened to the unabridged version instead. Have a good week. Shalom fr. Jude