RECENT POSTS and THANKS and NEWS (and Mass for Benefactors)

What a whirlwind.

First, help each other out by checking… daily…

YOUR URGENT PRAYER REQUESTS

Then, also daily for a few more days… just a few seconds of your time…

HELP! 2013 About Catholicism Readers’ Choice Awards

And…

• POLL: Which U.S. major secular network has the best Papal Conclave coverage so far?
• “Non habemus Papam!”, tonight, but “Habebimus flava hyperdulcia crustula spongiosa!”
• Just how tone deaf is the National Schismatic Reporter?
• Asking the Poor Souls to help with the election of the new Pope
• The rites for the Conclave begin: The entrance procession of the Cardinal Electors
• POLL: SECOND ROUND – What name WILL (not should) the next Pope choose?
• A amusing Roman moment
• URGENT PRAYER REQUEST: Fr. Z’s pleads for prayers for good weather in Rome for the conclave
• The rites for the Conclave begin: Mass for electing a Supreme Pontiff
• LENTCAzT 28 Tuesday 4th Week of Lent – Making the Sign of the Cross puts demons to flight
• Is Catholicism True?
• With EWTN today.
• LENTCAzT 27 Monday 4th Week of Lent – Are you like one of the brothers in the parable?
• QUAERITUR: Is permission needed to say the Novus Ordo in Latin?
• WDTPRS: Laetare Sunday Prayer over the people: “walking in the shadow of death”
• LENTCAzT 26 4th Sunday of Lent – we complete a journey of faith gradually
• If it’s Rome there must be some disaster looming …
• installing the chimney
• 2.8 PETABYTES!?!?!
• LENTCAzT 25 Saturday 3rd Week of Lent – Almsgiving is not mere philanthropy
• @ConclaveChimney
• Brick by brick, altar by altar! Another parish turns “ad orientem”!
• Of Cardinals and Cardinals
• Seminarians! Keep calm and carry on.

Now… thanks are due to a lot of readers who were trying to come to my rescue when my laptop computer died, according to the cosmic necessity expressed by Zuhlsdorf’s Law.

Many of you sent donations.  Thank you thank you thank you.

I am overwhelmed with email and other things while in Rome, so I may not write an individual note to you.  However, I am keeping track of all your names on a list:

CMB, DM, RB, PT, RB, JEM, HE, DG, DB, LM, MBD, BG, SK, JM, MA, CK, MD, JFL, HB, KR, RC, MG, MJC, MAB, RS, xyz, LC, TT, DN, KG, CB, MS, AM, NLM, AD, MF, GS, JF, PG, JB, RB, LS, KA, BB

In the last few days…

JB, RMcE, SDeS, SS, DD, ET, JPG, MK, RC, MC, NS, CD, ML, FH, RA, MF, GSM, CMB, AN, MP-P, BY, JB, MS, SA, BB, MK, C’OC, RD, DN, EL, JMJ, SM, SP, SV

and [UPDATES]

SD, JV, CS, CG, JL, KS, AC, JV, BC, FW

I am always moved by your kindness, especially when I had the laptop disaster.

UPDATE on that.  A reader here in Rome, FL, who is an IT guy, contacted me.. came to the blognic (that’s another story) and gave me some tools for the laptop.  I eventually managed to get the cover off the underside (one of the screws was set in wrong and was in danger of stripping and others wouldn’t move for a while).  I pulled the hard drive and reset it.  I started it.  Nothing.  I tried this a couple more times.  SUCCESS!  The laptop booted.  I rapidly transferred some data around to backups, made a LENTCAzT and a couple entires, did some pressing email and, after powering down later in the day… it wouldn’t boot, but I wasn’t getting the no drive message.  So, I went through the process of fixing errors and then going back to a restore point (thank you, O restore point!) and I got it going again.  I am a little afraid to turn it off, but… I think I have it under control again for a while.  A better solution awaits me in the USA.  MEANWHILE, I went to an electronics store I know and, thanks to your generosity, got a small notebook, … netbook?… very cheap, very small, but functional in a pinch.  Really clunky to post from, but I got the job done.  I also managed to write – and beat the deadline – two articles for the Catholic Herald in England (on is online and the other is for print). Furthermore, I now have an iPad (thank you Fr. TM!).  Thus, when I was doing the pics of the events of the first day of the conclave, I was watching the stream on the iPad and my iPhone, doing screen shots from the iPhone and then switching to the WordPress app to post them, and then fill in text with the little netbook.  I managed.  You made it possible.  And now that the laptop is working again. let’s hope that my posting from Rome will be smoother still.

The blog went down briefly.  I was told by support that the server struggles when getting over 800 requests per second.  Let’s hope it holds up!  They are watching it carefully.

Oh, and another thing.  The morning after the laptop died, I got a … stomach bug.  Something I ate.  The 24 hour kind with some nasty side-effects.  I don’t know how I did the EWTN thing.  When I went to do make-up, one fellow told me, “If it’s any consolation, Father, you look awful!”

I feel 1000% better now and will hit the ground running in the morning.

You are all great.

[UPDATE]

I will say Mass here in Rome for my benefactors on FRIDAY 15 March (instead of Thursday) I don’t know in which church I will say it yet. [I got an urgent intention.] Perhaps I will go to the Chiesa Nuova to the co-patron on Rome, St. Philip Neri.  I’ll let you know.  I’ll update the list, above, if more donations come in.

I would appreciate your prayers for good health for a few more days.  I spent a lot of time of the rain.