ROME 25/4– Day 19: Low Sunday – with a grand digression

Today the sun rose at 06:10 and it will set at 20:07 and the Ave Maria Bell is still in the 20:25 and it is Low Sunday and the Station is San Pancrazio and the Feast day of of St. Simeon, 2nd bishop of Jerusalem.

St. Simeon succeed James, cousin of Jesus, and some think he was Simon the Zealot.  St. James was murdered no later than 70 AD.   Simeon son of Clopas (also called Alphaeus, the father of Matthew and husband of Mary of Clopas).  When he was martyred in the time of Trajan, he would have been about 100 years old.

People ask me sometime which of the Sts. John do I say is my patron or onomastico. I claim them all. Why not? However, I do give special attention to the Feast of St. John Beheaded, given how I have been treated by authorities. Anyway, if Cathedral of Rome can be named St. John for BOTH the Baptist and the Evangelist, I can claim more than one too.

Please remember me when shopping online and use my affiliate links.  US HERE – UK HERE  WHY?  This helps to pay for health insurance, utilities, groceries, etc..  At no extra cost, you provide help for which I am grateful.

Would you like to hear the Regina Caeli after today’s Solemn Mass at The Parish™?

Today is another day when we properly observe good things.

27 April is International Morse Day.

I don’t mean the “morse” which is the large buckle that closed a papal cope, and I don’t mean the great British TV series and its spin offs, though they are worthy, but rather the groundbreaking code that Samuel Morse developed for long distance communication. In 1836 they developed the electric telegraph. Before that messages were delivered overland or by lights and flags in relays. On this day, I firmly resolve to step up my use of Morse for CW.

I’d like to get back into ham radio stuff, though lately my motivation flagged and also my eastern coast mentor who helped with Zed Net disappeared on us.

Finally, it is also international Prime Rib day. Therefore….

I could get some prime rib tomorrow at my butcher. They are closed today. Not sure where in the area there is a good prime rib. I know where to get a ribeye, however.

Talk about a biting problem to solve!  (PS: That was code aka pun)

To celebrate this day, listen to the poignant theme for Inspector Morse, one of the best TV series themes ever and a whale of a good show.  Implanted in the song is the Morse code for the name Morse.

A spin off from Inspector Morse is Inspector Lewis.

Samuel Morse spent time in Rome.  In the Via dei Prefetti there is a plaque where he lived.

THIS HOUSE WAS LIVED IN
FROM 20 FEBRUARY MDCCCXXX
TO 5 JANUARY MDCCCXXXI
BY SAMUEL FINLEY BREESE MORSE
INVENTOR OF THE WRITING ELECTROMAGNETIC TELEGRAPH

With the partial return of some decorum for the exequies of Francis, a beautiful cope though worn by a … a … yutz… I track back to morse.   This is clap for a cope, especially papal and elaborate.   Near to where I write at this moment is the church where the Confraternity of BUTCHERS, speaking of prime rib, is found at the P.za della Quercia (because there is an oak tree there).  That confraternity, as others did in Rome, had the ability to pardon someone on death row.  They pardoned Benvenuto Cellini. Cellini had, among other things, had made a magnificent morse for Clement VII, which was his toe-hold into higher society.  You can see it HERE

Note the “biting” lions.