Fr. Z's Blog

On the third Sunday of July Venetians celebrated the “Feast of the Redeemer” with festivities and fireworks.  They commemorate the end of the terrible plague of 1576 that killed 50,000 people.  To ask for God intervention, in 1576 the Senate built a small wooden church on Giudecca island, the “Redeemer” Church. On 20 July 1577 they celebrated the end of the plague thanking Christ for the grace received.  To cross the Giudecca Canal and reach the Redeemer Church on foot, a bridge of barges was created. For 5 centuries the tradition has carried on and a temporary bridge is made.

A friend is in Venice and sent these. I think they didn’t build the bridge this year.

In chessy news, my guy Wesley So – great today – defeated Fabiano Caruana in the lower bracket of Division 1 to advance against, I think, Magnus who lost in the upper bracket to MVL.  I don’t know what Magnus was thinking: he played on a tablet… in Rapid.  In time trouble, there’s no way anyone can scramble fast enough on a tablet.  In fact in two games when he had a bad position and moving toward time trouble, he just resigned.  I wonder if his heart was in it.   He just had a loss with the death of his mother: R.I.P.  Today at 11 EST it’s Wesley v. Magnus (I hope he sticks to his tablet) and Jan-Krzysztof Duda v. Ian Nepomniachtchi. In the upper bracket we are pulling for MVL to give “Puer” a drubbing.

Welcome registrant:

Fr. Dimwitty

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

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On this day in 1943, this iconic photograph was taken. In the morning of July 19th, American bombers targeted the working class district of San Lorenzo in Rome, killing 3,000 civilians. When the bombings stopped, Pius XII visited the area to pray with the frightened population. pic.twitter.com/BD8MDOi7HJ

— Catholic Sat (@CatholicSat) July 19, 2024

Welcome registrant:
Et Cetera

Meanwhile, from the Babylon Bee…

Demon Kinda Bummed To Be Cast Out In English Instead Of The Traditional Latin

FARGO, ND – Local demon Asmodeus has been cast out of yet another church in rural North Dakota after terrorizing the church members for several weeks. Before spreading his charred wings to fly off to the next town, he complained to local reporters that exorcisms just aren’t the same since they started doing them in English instead of Latin.

“Ey there, ya nasty spirit,” began Father Okanoke in his heavy Fargo accent. “What tha heck ya doin’ around ‘ere? This ain’t the appropriate place to be, ya know? Oh geez – better get on out to the next town, ey? I’ll cast ya out, you betcha!”

As the priest held out a crucifix and recited his own folksy version of the incantation, the evil spirit shrugged and shuffled out to the door with his head down.

“Whatever – I’ve been cast out before. Same deal as always.” said the malevolent servant of the Prince of Darkness. “But seriously – what happened to tradition? What happened to respect for the beauty of the ancient rite of exorcism spoken in traditional Latin? English just isn’t the same, you know? Would it kill people to learn a little Latin? Good grief!”

According to sources, the demon will be moving to somewhere he’ll feel more welcome, like Washington D.C.

In chessy news, in the strangely named CrunchLabs Masters on day two Fabi, my guy Wesley, Nepo Jan-Krzysztof Duda, and Dmitry Andreikin advanced to Division 1. This is a 7 day event, with a bracket format in three divisions that would take too long too explain. Suffice to say that if you lose a match, you drop to a lower bracket where you can fight your way back to the upper. This is what Hikaru now faces.

White to move and mate in 2.

NB: I’ll hold comments with solutions ’till the next day so there won’t be “spoilers” for others.

Priestly chess players, drop me a line. HERE

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

Hey Fathers!  How about a clerical Guayabera shirt for the hot summer days?

Our Price: $58.50 – Reg Price:$90.00

And there’s this:

13 seconds of your time is all I ask. I promise you won’t regret it.

Good evening. pic.twitter.com/SUgNXUKkcR

— James Hogg ? (@JamesAHogg2) July 18, 2024

How unhinged is the left?

Rachel Maddow having a normal one. Calls Lord of the Rings a right wing dog whistle. (Based)

Refers to Gandalf’s Ring of Power “Narya” and says, it’s “Aryan” but you just move the “N.”

Hard hitting mental breakdown goblin activity here. pic.twitter.com/stP0wA4NVN

— The Middle-earth Mixer (@MiddleearthMixr) July 18, 2024

Nice people! Great service!

It’s hard to come up with words about that.

The Biel Chess Festival continues today in Switzerland with various tournaments.  Meanwhile, the strangely named CrunchLabs Masters is on. It’s is the third leg of the 2024 Champions Chess Tour. Magnus MVL and “Puer” are in Division 1. Levon, Hikaru, Fabi and Nepo are also in.  Of course I am glad to see that my guy Wesley So is in Division 1 because of his qualification from the chess.com Classic.  Format is 10+2.  Alas, on the live stream we are subjected to the cranium-etching voice of Tania Sachdev.  Someone needs to give her some sort of filter for her mic to cut down on the upper end.  Good commentary (when not just repeating what the person before said).  Also commenting is Daniel Naroditsky.

Black to move and mate in 4.

1. Nd3+ Kd1 2. Nxf2+ Kc1 3. Nd3+ Kb1 4. Qf1#
NB: I’ll hold comments with solutions ’till the next day so there won’t be “spoilers” for others.

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

I received a copy of a new book from Sophia Press.

One Lord, One Faith, One Church: An Inconvenient Truth by Jesse Romero and Paul Zucarelli

US HERE – UK HERE

The title trolls Al Gore!

The Introduction states that this book is written for people who have little if any, or even faulty, instruction in the faith. That’s a large target audience! They seek to show that the God initiated the Roman Catholic Church. The Church really is of divine origin… sorry!

I was struck that one of the first questions raised is “Who is Jesus?”

I am reminded of how my old pastor Msgr. Schuler, in view of the hideous St. Paul Seminary of the day and the feckless fruitless vocations efforts of the Archdiocese, made a speech to the local Serra club explaining that at the seminary and chancery they couldn’t answer three basic questions: “Who is Jesus? Who is the Church? Who is the priest?” They couldn’t easily get past the first one. So, how were they to foster vocations to the priesthood?

But I digress. That’s just to show how fundamental the question is.

Other questions are “Why is the Church in Rome?” and “Who is Peter?”

The rest of the book takes a mostly historical journey, well worth reviewing. Review… this is a good point. Even if you know this stuff already, it constitutes a good, dense, review.

This would be a good book for you friends or relatives (or YOU) who have fallen away from the Church into some Protestant sect.

There is nothing in it about the Novus and/or Vetus Ordo. There is very little about liturgy at all, expect for one significant phrase: “To understand the enormity of the Catholic Mass, one must understand that the heavenly liturgy and the earthly liturgy are one and the same.”

You wouldn’t know that from attended most suburban churches, although was you encounter would still affirm the Four Last Things, only differently.

UPDATE:

Many thanks to people who have already sent donations for my stay in Rome in October and into November. I haven’t started the main effort yet, but these thoughtful readers have already chipped in via “wavy flag” and Zelle. Thank you.

VF, JL, MR, DVDH, DC, LG, MMcM, MH, SB, PG, HL, MM, SAS

Welcome registrants:

jen from Rochester

Many thanks to monthly donor TDS who moved from PayPal to Zelle on the same day of the month, 16th.  Also, thanks to NCS who inquired about moving from PayPal to Wise (international).    Zelle is good.  Wise is super for donations from outside these USA.  PS: I think today is the leanest day of the month.

White to move an mate in 3.

NB: I’ll hold comments with solutions ’till the next day so there won’t be “spoilers” for others.

Interested in learning?  Try THIS

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

It’s PRIME DAY. I saw lots of big discounts across a wide spectrum (also on items in my wishlist). I noticed that you all bought all the stock of the Sheen book, and they are restocking. Also, the book on the St. Benedict medal has done well.