Of Priesthood, Vomit and Italian Cruise Ships

In the matter of the Italian cruise ship… oh how I hate this story…  I don’t want to post on this, but … o no…. >gluck< …  I am going to anyway.

“I struggled with this, but …”

I feel like a second grader who, when another kid throws up, has to look along with all the other kids and then also throws up.

The fact is, this story and the images of that ship remind me of what life is like as an American, but an Italian priest, in Italy.

Don’t get me wrong.  I love Italy and my many years in Italy shaped me in countless ways.  But…

Life in Italy

So, beautiful.  So dysfunctional.

About Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Fr. Z is the guy who runs this blog. o{]:¬)
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20 Comments

  1. Federico says:

    This Video by Bruno Bozzetto explains it all.

    Federico.

    [I had forgotten that! What a scream! Thanks.]

    Fr Z's Gold Star Award

  2. Mary Jane says:

    This story is so sad. My heart really goes out to everyone affected.

  3. Norah says:

    From Catholic Culture:

    Chaplain on doomed liner protected the Eucharist, helped other passengers
    January 18, 2012

    The Catholic chaplain on the ill-fated cruise ship Costa Concordia rushed to protect the Blessed Sacrament when the ship ran onto a reef.

    Father Rafeali Mallena consumed the Blessed Sacrament when the “abandon ship” alarm was sounded. He also stored valuable personal items for crew members in a safe in his cabin, where he believes they will still be accessible.

    Father Mallena reports that although some crew members may have fled from their responsibilities, he witnessed other displays of courage by staff members assisting passengers off the ship. The priest himself stayed to help with evacuations until crew members ordered him into a lifeboat.

  4. benedetta says:

    You didn’t have to comment on it Fr. Z but now that you have, I know, I know…

  5. Theodore says:

    My Dad, an old man-of-wars man from WW II is thoroughly outraged at both the cowardly behavior of the captain & FO and the lack of seamanship that would even result in this disaster. As a former Quarter Master he says he would have refused an order to steer that close to shore.

  6. contrarian says:

    So beautiful. So dysfunctional.

    Oh man, is that ever the truth. I love Italy with all of my heart, and I’m so saddened by this story, and I feel for those affected.

    But man, is that a giant metaphor or what…

  7. jilly4ski says:

    Please continue to pray! The American couple who are still missing are retired Catholics who attend Saint Pius X Catholic Church in MN, which is near me.

  8. Mary Jane,

    Thanks for the correct use of “affected.” At least someone in this world is not grammatically dysfunctional.

  9. And now yet another proper use of “affected.” Be still my beating heart!

  10. robtbrown says:

    I had never seen any Bozzeto films–they are pure genius.

    I think my first real insight into Italian culture came my first year in Rome. A delivery truck was double parked up Via Nazionale. Three men were involved: the driver, a policeman, and someone to make the delivery. The policeman and the driver were arguing over the parking strategy. Meanwhile, the 3rd man was carrying merchandise into the store.

    I thought: This is really smart because each man did his job.

  11. Mariana says:

    “So, beautiful. So dysfunctional.”

    = All flowers, no fruit.

    Love Italy, but am not surprised at any aspect of this tragedy.

  12. wmeyer says:

    Fr. Augustine Thompson: The effect on you of the proper use of “affected” is most impressive. I thought I might be the only person who still notices such things.

  13. Verissimo, ahimé…
    But let’s also remember it’s Fabrizio Quattrocchi’s country too.

  14. AvantiBev says:

    The best cartoon I saw on this is now my screen saver. It is by Rick McKee and has Obama standing atop the overturned vessel with a poster reading RE-ELECT CAPTAIN OBAMA.

    Considering there are many including some in the Catholic Church who would have us follow the socialist statist model of Europe to our doom —don’t abort the baby but it’s okay to load her with debt and insolvency for funding your “entitlements” — I thought that cartoon very apt.

    Speaking of Americans feeling “entitled”, it really fried my sweet Italian culo to hear whining Americans saying “no one was speaking English to us”. It takes 12 weeks to get a passport to say nothing of booking flights, hotels, tours. All that time spent online surrounded by your computer, your I-pad, your I-pod, your car CD player. DUH! If you can afford Italia, you can afford a basic set of CD’s or DVD’s. Less time watching anti-Italian denigration such as JERSEY SHORE and reruns of THE SOPRANOS and more time flexing what neurons are left with la piu bella lingua del mondo. Now I have to go make a phone call to my doctors office and press “1” for English in my own country, or what’s left of it.

  15. Mary Jane says:

    @ Fr. Augustine – thank you! :)

  16. irishgirl says:

    wmeyer-I notice such things, too!
    Drives me nuts when people use bad grammar and /or syntax.
    AvantiBev-what you said! You go, girl!

  17. wmeyer says:

    irishgirl: the ones that drive me nuts are:
    – plurals made with apostrophes
    – miniscule (!)
    – comprised of (!!)

  18. The grammar rabbit hole is now closed.

  19. Laura R. says:

    The Italians have not had a very good time of it in recent months — first the Amanda Knox situation in Perugia, and now this.

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