Rome 24/10 – Day 20 & 21: Hammer of Freemasons

The beautiful blue Roman sky was today illuminated at 07:28.  It will darken considerably after 18:21.   The Ave Maria is now in the 18:30 cycle in the Roman Curia, if they did anything over there.

Thank you, Lord, for this day.

This day is also the Feast of St. Gaspar del Bufalo (+1837), known as the “Hammer of Freemasons”.   A great title.

I have interest in St. Gaspar as one of my Roman patrons because I exercised ministry as a seminarian and then deacon at the basilica in Rome where he helped to found devotion to and the Confraternity of the Most Precious Blood at San Nicola in Carcere.   He had a tense relationship with the state (Napoleon’s police were after him). Masons tried multiple times to assassinate him… as they do. His answer to the French commissar asking him to sign his submission to emperor should be the motto of every pope and bishop requested to yield to the world:

“I can’t, I musn’t, I don’t want to.”

That’s how a Roman priest says ‘No’ when he wants to be talkative.”

It’s better in Italian.

‘Non posso, non debbo, non voglio!’

I wonder if Pius VII’s “Non debemus, non possumus, non volumus” didn’t come from St. Gaspar.  I’ll bet it did.

These days it’s more like, “Volumus! Possumus! Debetote etiam vos!”   Anything to appease the secular realm.

St Gaspar’s tomb is in the little S. Maria in Trivio, tucked away behind where the flashy Trevi Fountain.  His bronze tomb has no barrier and the hand of the image of the saint is extended outward so that you can grasp it.  It is quite moving.

St. Gaspar had ways that really could irritate, as many saints.  For example, he could sense satanic objects and would charge into peoples homes to seize and destroy them no matter how well hidden.  When he was young, he grew up across the mighty Church of the Gesù where his father was a cook at the Altieri palace.  When Gaspar was very young he had a malady of the eyes that threatened blindness.  He was cured through the intercession of St. Francis Xavier, whose arm is in the Gesù.  As a priest of Rome he was critical of the Papal States which got him into hot water.  The Pope had confidence in him, and asked him to engage in charitable works.

St. Gaspar, Hammer of Freemasons, pray for us.

My 1st class relic of St. Gaspar.

Speaking of the Most Precious Blood, I had occasion yesterday to ask Christ to wash with His Precious Blood the guy in the street – again – outside of where I was saying Mass all of a Sunday evening.   The same really bad musician this time had – I am not making this up – a banjo, instead of a guitar.  He was decidedly not a better banjo player than a guitar player.  The suspicious side of my character suspects that this was not an accident, especially given how it went last week.  As you may recall, I had asked the holy angels to quiet him while I said Mass.  As I passed him later he said, “The demon doesn’t like you.” (Al demonio non piace!).   In any event, I started Mass and he quieted down for a while, just to start up again right at the consecration.  I paused and renewed my plea and he calmed down again and was mostly quite for the rest of Mass.   Passing him by this time I heard a mumble, but nothing I could make out.

Yesterday I was out to lunch at a wonderful place near The Parish™.  Starting with tongue and pizza bianca with a wonderful herby green schmear and homemade mayo.  This we shared around.

Grama’s meatballs. The place is known for recipes that the owners grandmother made.

I had braised mutton. I spoke to the chef about it at length. It was in a marinade the day before. Some juniper and clove and wine. About 5 hours to braise, the last hour with a bay leaf and rosemary. It melted.

The side altar of Our Lady of Sorrows with The Parish™’s fine Crucifix.

What else can I tell you?

Today I am doing laundry. Also, I just got off the phone with the goldsmith’s shop. They are working on my paten (again). Aldo says it should be ready on Thursday or Friday. I’m betting Monday. Beati qui non expectant… and all that.

In churchy news… I don’t have much good to say about the walking together about walking togetherity going on over the river. This, however, is encouraging.

His Excellency Archbishop Wolfgang Haas conferred tonsure to 20 seminarians of the FSSP in Lindau (Germany) on October 19: pic.twitter.com/w27je6uRoI

— P. D’Angona, Sacerdos Romano-Catholicus (@RomanoSace57080) October 20, 2024

Also, Fr. Z follows Fr. V.

Saint Nicholas Owen was a skilled carpenter and mason. His expertise was pivotal in constructing hiding places for priests, known as priest holes, within the homes of Catholic families. These secret chambers were crucial for hiding Catholic priests from the Protestant authorities… pic.twitter.com/YvpQKO48ti

— Father V (@father_rmv) October 20, 2024

I had a nice note from the Summit Dominicans, the “soap sisters”, who make lots of other things as well including candles. They send candles for my chapel. Sister wrote to tell me that they earmarked a couple sets of ADVENT candles for me! Very sweet of them. I always think of them and say an Ave when I light my Advent wreath.

Advent isn’t that far off. Perhaps you should think about candles?

And this, just because I love St. Joan of Arc.

In chessy news … HERE

(White to move and mate in 2)