My View For Awhile: Domum

My time in the District has been great. I pretty much unplugged from the mass of email and did some recreational reading. I met friends, and enjoyed the Mass today.

If you are near DC go to the Verrocchio exhibit at the National Gallery.  It isn’t huge but it is very good, worth the effort.

There is also an exhibit of a Spanish sculptor and maker of retablos, Alonso Berruguete.   This guy’s got game.

Today I was at the chapel at the chancery of the Archdiocese for Military Services.   Who can name this saint chaplain, depicted in the painting?

Dominicans on the way to Mass.   It reminds me of an old Roman joke which I won’t tell now.

One of the symbols of the basilica.

Still some colorful leaves.  I missed all the color in Wisconsin.

Speaking of color, which drink is mine?

Time to head home.

Many thanks to the wonderful people who stopped me after Mass to chat for a bit.

UPDATE:

Someone sent this.

“On the way out!”

Meanwhile, I also got this. Ever have problems with autocorrect?

Lorenzo de Medici thought that was hilarious.

He got it too.

That’s by Moroni, by the way. Innovative composition for a portrait. Way ahead of time!

Here’s a fascinating offering by Paolo Veronese. The Martyrdom and Last Communion of St Lucy. Her martyrdom is underway. Look at how she looks at the Host. Remember what they do to her eyes? And her’s is an important feast in December.

Really interesting painting.

And a jaunt into mannerism and Raphael Sanzio. I think he is playing with earlier Italian Madonna and Child, wherein Jesus grasps was he Virgins veil or robe, which I take to be a symbol of Him taking from her our humanity.

His tomb in Rome where I was a couple weeks ago.

I think I’ve written about the Latin on his tomb elsewhere. ILLE HIC EST RAPHAEL…

But wait… they are closing the aircraft doors.

Hurry!

TIMUIT QUO SOSPITE VINCI RERUM MAGNA PARENS ET MORIENTE MORI.

This here guy is Raphael. While he was alive Mother Nature was afraid that she would be defeated (by him painting nature more beautifully than she could) and while he was dying (she was afraid) that she would die (because he wouldn’t be around to paint her so beautifully anymore)!

There’s a lot in those words, but that’s Latin, friends. That’s Latin.

The flight attendants on this flight probably don’t know Latin but they are funny. “That’s Brittany in the back. Wave Brittany. She is Delta’s Worst Attendant of the Year and we’re glad to have her with us tonight.”

UPDATE:

From the last flight. I’d have to agree. All in all.

I was just asked if I was a Jesuit. If she only knew.

About Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

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

  1. CanukFrank says:

    Terrifically eclectic today, Fr.Z, and WOW the Berruguete sure packs a punch!

  2. Anneliese says:

    Here is a link to the Mass. It was posted on YouTube. Also, my friend is the photo with the Dominicans. He said you sat opposite him during Mass. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFoj3viHXnk&app=desktop

  3. grateful says:

    “I was just asked if I was a Jesuit. If she only knew.”
    Another proof that God has a sense of humor :)

  4. Markus says:

    Interesting that the Tintinnabulum shows a quite a bit of dark wood.

  5. FrankWalshingham says:

    The chaplain is Father John B. DeValles who for his heroic service in WWI would become known as the “Angel of the Trenches.”

    [Good try! But, no. HERE is a link to a larger photo.]

  6. guatadopt says:

    If asked “are you a Jesuit?”, my response would have been “Heavens no, lady! I’m a Catholic priest.”

  7. jameeka says:

    The painting looks like Father Emil Kapaun, who is now Servant of God, on the way to canonization. He died as a POW, at age 35.

  8. Joe in Canada says:

    Hmm. Blessed Rupert Mayer?
    It’s never too late, Father.

    [Not Rupert Mayer, either!]

  9. Zephyrinus says:

    Dear Fr. Z.
    How about Fr. Willie Doyle ?
    (see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willie_Doyle)
    Any luck ?

  10. The Cobbler says:

    Everyone else is trying to guess the chaplain and I’m wondering why the old dude is pulling the hair of the young dude.

    Also that first picture looks like a statue that belongs out in the city, if only we still had cities where statues like that were fitting.

  11. Kerry says:

    Francis P. Duffy?

  12. Kerry says:

    Or maybe Chaplain Fr. Patrick Dore?

  13. PostCatholic says:

    I hope, given your interest in astronomy, you also got to poke about the special exhibit on “Lunar Photographs.” The NGA isn’t the series of caverns that the Met is, but it is quite big enough to spend all weekend and still not see enough.

    [I always enjoy the National Gallery.]

  14. PostCatholic says:

    I’ll take a guess at Vincent Capodanno. My wife used to work for AMS and they were constantly promoting his Cause.

    [Not the great Vince Capdanno. That was Vietnam. This is clearly WWI.]

  15. pkenny says:

    As much as I would love the image to be the great Fr Willie Doyle, it can’t be as there is a halo, and Fr Willie has not yet been beatified.

    Could it be Blessed Michael Sopocko, the spiritual director of St Faustina, who was also a WW1 chaplain??

  16. pkenny says:

    Another option is Blessed Daniel Brottier, while he was younger and before he had a huge grey beard. But I don’t know if he had the beard as a chaplain or not…

  17. Maximilian75 says:

    @pkenny I’m not sure why a Pole would be featured in the National Basilica…

  18. Muv says:

    I am putting in a bid for Fr. Joseph Verbis Lafleur.

    [Not he. Anyone else? Yes, this is a hard one.]

  19. pkenny says:

    @maximilian75 – the image isn’t in the National Basilica, it’s in the chancery of the military archdiocese. The chaplain has at least been beatified as he has a halo, and as far as I know there is no beatified American WW1 chaplain. So it has to be a non-American…

  20. Semper Gumby says:

    Hmm…I may be wrong, but the military chaplain’s stole and uniform blouse may be Commonwealth rather than American.

    Not quite a “saint chaplain” in the sense one would expect to see at the Archdiocese of the Military Services in Washington DC, but why not: The military chaplain may be Geoffrey Studdert Kennedy, also known as “Woodbine Willie” for providing Woodbine cigarettes along with spiritual care to the wounded and dying. Anglican, he has a feast day in the Church of England and the Episcopalian Church. He wrote poetry, lectured about the effectiveness of the bayonet (but see one of his poems), and was awarded the Military Cross for heroism. I think a movie was later made about him.

    Poetry:
    https://www.fministry.com/2012/08/woodbine-willys-poems-gritty.html?m=1

    A BBC article:

    https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-25349294

    Even though he was an asthmatic he was a very heavy smoker and he used to go along the troop trains at Rouen, where he was based at the time, giving out the bible, but also packets of Woodbines to all the soldiers to send them off…

    There’s a story about two men walking down a trench and they came across a post with a board on it saying The Vicarage.

    “One of them said to his mate ‘Look – the bloody vicarage’ and Studdert Kennedy poked his head out and said ‘And here’s the bloody vicar’.

  21. Kerry says:

    Hmm…Ch. 1Lt. Colman O’Flahtery?

  22. So far, no one has it.

    Are you ready to give up?

    Shall I tell the name?

  23. Semper Gumby says:

    Kerry: Fr. Duffy, as you probably know, served in the Irish regiment “The Fighting 69th” with Col. “Wild Bill” Donovan, who later founded the WW II OSS. The two were good friends. The poet Joyce Kilmer was KIA while serving with the Fighting 69th.

    There is a movie featuring Fr. Duffy and Col. Donovan, “The Fighting 69th.” (The James Cagney character is fictional for dramatic effect, but much of the movie is based on actual events.)

    There are several books about Fr. Duffy, one was written by Fr. Duffy.

  24. Amerikaner says:

    Is it Blessed Daniel Brottier?

  25. Semper Gumby says:

    Fr. Z: “Never give up, never surrender.”

  26. Semper Gumby says:

    A few comments from the Peanut Gallery:

    “A clean-shaven St. Padre Pio is bi-locating.”

    “A battlefield visitation by St. Sebastian or St. Martin of Tours.”

    “Before his Marine Corps career, which has achieved canonical status amongst Leathernecks, Chesty Puller was a chaplain.”

  27. PostCatholic says:

    Francis Gleeson?

  28. Semper Gumby says:

    St. John XXIII served as a chaplain in the Italian Army during WW I.

    [THE WINNER! Well done. Yes, that is Chaplain Angelo Roncalli, the future John XXIII. In those years, however, he had a bushy mustache which was omitted in this painting.]

    Fr. Z's Gold Star Award

  29. hwriggles4 says:

    Is it Blessed Wladyslaw Miegon? He would have been 25 in 1917, but I don’t know his ordination date. The uniform does look World War I, and quite frankly i am a little more familiar with Navy chaplains than Army. Blessed Fr. Miegon served in the Polish military, and was killed in 1942 in a concentration camp. St. John Paul II declared him Blessed in 1999.

    (Fr. Z, I confess “bing” helped me with this).

  30. maryh says:

    Vilmos Apor? Hungarian. Although he is mostly known for his actions in WWII, he was a priest and spent some time on the battlefield during WWI.

  31. maryh says:

    Well, that was too late. His field experience was on the front with Italy, though.

  32. Kerry says:

    Semper, thank you for the compliment. I enjoy your points of view.

    Father Zed, more quizzes like these please, yes.

  33. Semper Gumby says:

    Thanks Fr. Z. Great post and comments.

    Thanks to FrankWalshingham, whose comment produced a link by our genial and mischievous host to a larger photo of the painting (star on collar plus the inverted V on the sleeve for an Italian uniform, and the helmets were not quite the “doughboy” helmets.)

    If I could, a Well done to pkenny, maryh and others for thinking of other nationalities.

    And a thanks to…Massimo “Beans” Faggioli. A couple years ago he mocked John XXIII for being named patron saint of the Italian Army (I don’t recall Faggioli’s words, but the articles on this kerfuffle mentioned John XXIII’s military service). Well done to the Professor for his assistance in cracking this caper.

  34. Semper Gumby says:

    Kerry: Erin go Bragh.

  35. Mario Bird says:

    Gumby, you rogue. You always win these contests.

    For the record, I would like to note that the pic of the moustachioed, capped, and star-festooned Saint bears strong resemblance to a certain video game plumber. Especially the Bob Hoskins version.

  36. Semper Gumby says:

    Mario Bird: Good one. Though this is probably the first, as my attempts at answering church bell audio and unidentifiable liturgical items land in the combox like a sack of soy lattes.

    Though, I was out of the gate before you six months ago with: “that parrot ain’t no stool pigeon.”

    https://wdtprs.com/2019/05/two-object-lessons-in-how-to-avoid-some-serious-sins/

    Nice Latin touch there.

  37. FrHorning says:

    Just 2 weeks ago on a bus ride from Mexico City to Cholula, a gentleman asked me if I was a Jesuit. I told him no, that I was Diocesan. He happened to be riding in the seat next to me. He then poured out his whole life and we celebrated the Sacrament of confession. It was a blessing.

  38. jaykay says:

    Semper G: well done! The soldiers’ gear had me thinking US Army, with the leggings and Brodie-style helmets, as British Army chaplains wore khaki, not blue, and that uniform is definitely not British-style.

    “A clean-shaven St. Padre Pio is bilocating” Hah!
    In fact, St. Pio was drafted briefly into the Army, and there is a picture of him in uniform, holding a rifle. And clean-shaven! His health totally broke down (as it was doing at that period anyway), and he was discharged fairly swiftly.

  39. Semper Gumby says:

    jaykay: Thanks. Interesting article and photo of St. Padre Pio in the Italian Army.

    May I suggest Mark Helprin’s novel “A Soldier of the Great War.”

    One day in August 1964 outside Rome a grumpy bus driver refused to stop his bus to pick up a young man. One of the passengers, an elderly professor of aesthetics and WW I veteran named Alessandro Giuliani who was travelling to see his granddaughter, disagreed with the bus driver’s decision. The bus driver then threw the professor off. The professor and the young man, standing by the road, decided to walk. It was a long walk, so they began talking and eventually the professor told a story.

    “Beauty is one way God comforts his broken children.”

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