Fr. Z's Blog

This morning the sun was on time to rise at 5:40. The sun was similarly punctual in setting at 20:35.

We don’t know about the Ave Maria Bell for the Curia, since they don’t ring it, but it ought to have rung at 21:00.

Today is the Feast of Our Lady, Help of Christians.

Today is also the “World Day of Prayer for the Church in China”.

Yesterday was the Feast of a wonderful saint, and important for The Parish™, St. Giovanni Battista de Rossi (+1764). He was entombed beneath the altar of one of the side chapels for a long time, until a church was built in his honor on the periphery of Rome. His body was translated there. However, the side chapel and tomb are still sacred and relics, by the fact that the saints body was there.   Right now that side of the church is in scaffolding for cleaning and restoration.   St. Philip Neri’s altar is also there, so the devotions that began today had to be at the main altar.

To bring you into the life of The Parish™ a bit, I made this little video.   I tried to incorporate some pages of the booklet so you could at least here and there follow the litany, prayers and hymn.  A triduum has begun in anticipation of the Feast of St. Philip Neri.

Here’s the hymn.  I’m sure you will sing along!

Welcome registrants:

Edgar L.
MedicusSubterraneus

A couple shots of the altar of today’s saint from last year:

Another painting but in a different church:

A reliquary with relics of saints who have been here or were involved with the Archconfraternity.

Note also St. Joseph and the House of Loreto.

I bring to your attention something I found which was uplifting: An American tale with an American pope It’ll take just a few seconds to read.

Next, Jesuits (who else) pray to … wait for it… the demon “Pachamama”.  HERE

On March 31, Jesuits in a region of Spain issued a brochure in celebration of ‘Mother Earth Day’ which featured a prayer to the pagan ‘god’ pachamama.

This is lunatic stuff, but it is dangerous lunacy, because it invokes a demon.

Next, there is a lunatic in Rome who says that the “Catholics of Rome” have to have a “conclave” to elect a legitimate Pope.  This fellow has been around for quite a while promoting for himself some seriously loony things.  If it weren’t so pathetic, it might have a funny side.  HERE (but if you have a lot to do, don’t bother).

Next, Raymond Arroyo and Robert Royal and Fr. Gerald Murray have coagulated for another video under the title of the “Prayerful” Posse (rather than “Papal”… I’m guess that there are copyright issues with EWTN).   They talk about Pope Leo XIV (pace the goofball in the post, above).  HERE.  This is worth some time.

I’m happy to report that the sun did rise over Rome at 5:41 and that it did set at 20:33. However I was in my bedroom for the first and in a restaurant for the later (where I ran into the “windy cardinal” in lay clothes with another cardinal in mufti). We were not far from the prosciutto carving rack with its severely sharp long knife, but there wasn’t time to chat.  He locked eyes for a moment and surely knew he’d been recognized, so they brushed by and slithered onto the rain dampened cobbles to vanish up the Via Pollarola.  Chickens.  Namely… the street name refers to the fact that chickens were once sold there.  My barber is also in that street, who has multiple sharp objects.  For cutting hair.

The Ave Maria Bell was to be rung at 21:00. Notice the change?

BTW… the prosciutto remark refers to the fact that the first really sweet melons are coming now and we are getting prosciutto e melone. It’s an anticipation of Heaven.   It helps to slice prosciutto very thin.

Speaking of instruments of work.

THAT knife is a clue that some water critter is about to arrive.

I met German friend, long time read and donor, tonight for supper.  We both agreed that lunch supper lunch supper lunch supper was getting to us, so we opted for elegant but low impact.

We both had the same thing.  The heavy part was the conversation.

And… at The Parish™, The Pastor™ doing what needs to be done before evening Mass.

And walking home.

For supper we had wine, but as I was eating I thought, “Wow, this would be great with BEER from Norcia!”

I’m too tired to write about chess.

Just buy some beer, please.

I begin to tear up as I realize I am in my last days…

Sunrise: 5:42

Sunset: 20:32

A… yeah yeah… 20:25

I slept a lot today. I think I finally understand this to be a relief from a kind of PTSD. Moral Injury.

Anyone else feeling that?

Before supper I visited the church around the corner (literally!) with the remains of St Pipo.

Maybe someone with a kind and warm heart will tackle this lovely epitaph.  You want to cry all over.

Supper with a highly visible and read and watched Catholic commentator:

Zucchini flowers.

The bitterest amaro on the planet:

Actually, now I think of it.. there are worse.  It was great but it was not.  It wasn’t one of those where they leave the bottle on the table.  When they do that, … well we need  whole post about that.

Lastly,….. BUY NORCIA BEER!

The just put out a new edition of the PRE-55 MISSALE ROMANUM.

This is important.