Fr. Z's Blog

UPDATE: When I updated this post from the airplane with the cat photo (below), I think the cat ate the chess puzzle.  Darn cats.

BLACK to move.  MATE in FOUR.   Use force!

In Rome I might have seen the sun rise at 06:51 and I could have, were I there, experienced the colors of its setting at 16:57.   Instead, where I am in Brooklyn the sun will set at 16:42, but I will be long gone by then.

The Ave Maria Bell, you ask?  Still at 17:30.

Today in the Novus Ordo calendar it is the Feast of Pope St. Leo I, “the Great” (+461), whose theology and latinity were stellar.   Leo had synods with bishops, by the way, during which he told them what was what.

It is the Feast of Andrea Avellino (+1608) with a commemoration of St. Trypho, who church was subsumed into Sant’Agostino which is why Trypho’s name remains with Sant’Agostino in the list of the Roman Stations for Lent.

Just to make sure that those who think I am avoiding writing about Card. Müller (whom I haven’t yet read, the latest stuff), here’s what my priest friend and I had to eat yesterday, probably the thing foremost on the minds of most of the readership… along with the solution to yesterday’s chess problem.  ‘Cause… you know… it’s called “Fr. Z’s Blog” for a reason.

Firstly, wait… let’s fill in a blank… yesterday we went out into deepest darkest Long Island to see a brand new cemetery chapel build by the Diocese of Rockville Centre.   I must say, they did a grand job of it.   The fact that they built a new church instead of closing one or selling one is already good.   This lovely little church was just consecrated last Sunday!  You could still smell chrism.

Not flashy or innovative, but very well done.

Three cloths, very good.

Alas, they have a picnic table, but the main altar is consecrated for use.

A good job.

UPDATE

Zipped through the process at the airport. I met a rather hairy passenger at security.

The expression – sort of how I feel at this stage of a trip.

In Rome the sun rose without me at 06:50 and it will set at 16:58.  The Ave Maria Bell is to be at 17:30 but it won’t be rung.

It is the Anniversary of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica, some sources say the 1700th.

If anyone out there is name Theodore, it is your name day (martyr, soldier +306)

Where I am the sun will set at 16:43.

Welcome new registrants:

chibago
Joyce

Yesterdays flight was one of the most uncomfortable I’ve ever experienced because of the seat.

Comfort+.

HA!

There was virtually no resistance in the cushion, so it was mainly a metal bar.  10 hours.  I used blankets and a pillow.  That helped, but… whew.  It was awful.  Also, the “entertainment system” kept freezing up and rebooting.  Pull my ball cap down over my eyes and snooze till it comes back.

Entry to these USA was pretty easy.   Luggage came quickly.  No traffic outside so my ride was right there.

For supper we went to a place called….

And we had…

Not Chicago style beef sandwiches, for sure, but really good.  Fantastic onion rings, too.

Which drink is mine?

Moving… hard to get a clean shot.

Meanwhile, back in Rome, a smaller catafalque has replaced the large.

Meanwhile, white to move.

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

Your use of my Amazon affiliate link is a major part of my income. It helps to pay for insurance, groceries, everything. Please remember me when shopping online. Thanks in advance.  US HERE – UK HERE

3:16 isn’t just in John.

Right now, I’m still working through the fascinating…

No Apologies: Why Civilization Depends on the Strength of Men

US HERE – UK HERE

For example:

No apologies, then, for the masculine institutions of the past. Instead, we should question our refusing to grant to men and boys the opportunity or even the legal permission to form groups that are natural to them and that have proved to be so marvelously productive. I am not going to prescribe for every man and woman what groups they may or may not join. But what if something of that masculine conflict, that dynamic enmity, that sharpening of opponent against opponent and friend against friend, that bold affirmation of equality within hierarchy, and that readiness of equals to form and to submit to hierarchies is dissipated in the company of girls and women, so that the groups no longer accomplish all that they might? What if the sign on the tree house, No Girls Allowed, is not meant so much to keep girls away but to protect the male friendships from having to compete with eros—to attract the boys to male teams and to keep them in, ultimately for the good of the women that those same girls will become?

Think, think. Roman Catholics have abundant experience of what happened when girls were permitted to serve at the altar. The boys disappeared. Why? No doubt for a variety of coinciding reasons, most of which the boys themselves would have been hard put to describe. The camaraderie was spoiled. The older boys, instead of being rather like the first mate or the master-at-arms aboard a ship, instructing the smaller boys in what to do and how to do it, would now stick out and look absurd. The priests themselves lost interest in what had been the church’s most obvious source of vocations to the priesthood. What the servers were expected to do was less and less, till finally in many a parish they are little more than cute decorations in pajamas. Nobody, not even the women who pressed for altar girls, thinks of them as essential, or as soldiers of Christ in training. It is not just that boys find it repugnant to be decorative, to be observed as being pretty. It is that the whole deal ceases to be inspiring or interesting. Thus do boys largely accept the sexual indifference that their elders preach to them, but they behave as anyone with any knowledge of the creature would have predicted. They may indeed say that there should be women priests. They will say so as they stay home on Sunday, playing video games.

Esolen, Anthony. No Apologies: Why Civilization Depends on the Strength of Men (p. 88). Regnery Gateway. Kindle Edition.

I was up to see the Roman sunrise at 06:49 but I won’t be around to see the sunset at 16:59.  The Ave Maria bell is in the 17:30 cycle still

It is the Feast of the Four Holy Crowned Martyrs.

There will be a total lunar eclipse.  10:58 UTC.

It is the 312th day of the year.

Your use of my Amazon affiliate link is a major part of my income. It helps to pay for insurance, groceries, everything. Please remember me when shopping online. Thanks in advance.  US HERE – UK HERE

Meanwhile, BLACK to move and mate in FOUR

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

I thought I might rearrange the order since I’m now working on my phone.

Time to get rid of all that I can from my fridge.

I picked up a little fresh mozzarella for caprese.

This was lunch.   Pane di Lariano.

I had a little bit of eggplant alla parmigiana and some lasagne left, so they were warmed up together.

Last night, after getting everything packed and the place cleaned I met a friend for a final adult beverage at the Campo.

Which drink is mine?

Instead… out my door this morning.

A last glimpse of the Chiesa Nuova where wonderful St. Philip Neri is.

A last glimpse of the Ponte Sisto.  See how dark St. Peter’s dome is?

From my door in a taxi at 0730.   At the airport there was total chaos in the section in Terminal 3 for direct flights to the USA.   Then I found beyond the regular lines, the “Priority” line and zipped in.  From there, passport control opened a new section just as I got there, so – zip again – security pfffft – in the lounge with breakfast in front of me 0830!

You never know about airports.

Tip for those traveling and then LEAVING Rome.  For flight to the USA, have your cab drop you at door 4 of Terminal 3.   Right now (because of construction) that’s the closest to get you into the dedicated check in area.

BTW… I thank one of you who donate by WISE today, because I used my Wise card for the taxi.   Worked like a charm.  Thanks for the ride!

This was the first trip during which I used my Wise card for ATM withdrawal and purchases.  Far lower fees and very favorable exchange compared to using my US cards.   I was using my Wise euro account.  Use the card in the UK and it will take the money from your GBP account.  In the USA from your USD account.  Very handy.   I will use it more in the future, I think, though the monthly limit is a bit limiting.

More along the way.

The sun rose at 06:47 and it will set at 16:59. The Ave Maria is still in the 17:3o cycle.

Welcome registrants:

Mary B.
Joyce

It is my last full day in Rome.   It is a sad day.

It is gray and weeping rain.

I hope it will clear up a little tonight for a couple of last errands and a stroll.   I don’t do rain very well, I’m afraid.

Use FATHERZ10 at checkout

I’ve said good bye to all the shop and stand keeper and have most everything tidied up.   I want to leave the place cleaner than I found it, so that will take some work.  For example, I though to soak glassware and flatware in aceto d’alcool, to get all the hard water buildup off them.   This is something that wasn’t done before I got here.  I’ll treat also the things I have not used.

I may start a last bit of laundry to leave all the dishtowels and linens clean for whom ever must clean up.

Your use of my Amazon affiliate link is a major part of my income. It helps to pay for insurance, groceries, everything. Please remember me when shopping online. Thanks in advance.  US HERE – UK HERE

Apartment: again, it is sad day.

Meanwhile,…. BLACK to move and mate in THREE.

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

Beer and wine for Thanksgiving.

It’s November.  The end of the liturgical year is coming.  It is a good time to access what’s going with life.

As I have done in the past, in November (though not for a couple of years), I like to assess some of the fruits this blog has produced.

This is where you come in.   This is important to me.

May I ask you, please, to write to me and to describe briefly how this blog has affected your life of Faith?

I occasionally get notes from people to say that, because of something they read here;

• they took steps to get their marriage straightened out;
• they returned to confession after many years, or came back to the Church;
• priests have said that the blog helped them decide about seminary or helped them to stick it out;
• other priests have written that they determined to learn the TLM because of their reading here;
• people have written that they’ve learned a great deal about the Church and about our Catholic Faith;
• others now participate at Mass in a different way because of reading about the content of the Latin prayers;
• people say they have stayed in the Church even in the face of reactions to COVID and other crazy things they see and hear;
• some people like the podcasts and seasonal audio offerings, such as those during Advent and Lent.

Perhaps there are other things.

Maybe what happened was recent.  Maybe it was a while ago.  I’d like to know.

Other than the occasional note a person writes out of kindness, it is hard to know what’s up.

Will you please write to let me know how this blog has been of help?

I’ll be especially pleased to hear from long-time readers and also those of you who do not comment often in the combox.

Let me know if any of it could be quoted (anonymized of course!) in a blog post. Posting some of these “testimonials” could encourage others to take similar steps that you might have taken.

I’ll use the rest of this calendar month, until the end of November, for this project.

If you would like to write something, please go to this page and use the form:

HERE

Email verification is required, just so you know. Once when I tested the form I got a message to try again.  I did and it worked.   You can help me not to miss your message by putting

Feedback for Fr. Z’s Blog

in the Subject line.

When the sun rose over Rome on my penultimate full day it was 06:46.

It will set at 17:01

The Ave Maria bell ought to ring at 17:30.

Welcome registrant:

KnoLuvServ

Tomorrow, big day for me.  I will be grateful for prayers today, tonight.

It is a dies non today, so the sacristan had already set out the black vestments for a Requiem Mass.  We are still in that window of time wherein you can gain a plenary indulgence each day.   Take advantage of these spiritual treasures.

I was glad to be able to use my new cassock for the first time today.  It had to be blessed, of course.   This is the text:

The text of the blessing indicates that the cassock is itself a spiritual treasure.  No wonder the cassock has been so hated by regimes such as those in England in the anti-Catholic terror reign of Elizabeth, in Mexico at the time of the Cristeros, in Spain in the civil war.  The cassock arouses strong passions.   Here in Rome my experience has run from violence, usually by those who really need to take their meds or who are maybe being messed around by demons, to instant happy recognition with cordial requests for blessings, prayers, just a greeting.  Oh yes… lots of beggars.   Lots.  You can’t imagine how many.  More and more, it seems.

Speaking of spiritual treasures and my mention of holy relics yesterday, I found a great quote:

“Those who say that the relics of the Saints are not worthy of veneration, that it is useless for the faithful to honor them, that it is vain to visit the memorials or monuments of the Saints in order to obtain their aid, are absolutely to be condemned”

– Council of Trent

So there.

I suppose some think that that pronouncement, being pre-Conciliar, is therefore in need of reinterpretation.  New version:  “Relics?  What’r relics?”

But not yet.

A somewhat Romantic view this morning.

Pray for us, Mother of Sorrows.  We have recourse to thee, especially now.

Meanwhile, white to move. Mate in TWO.

Fun.

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

Your use of my Amazon affiliate link is a major part of my income. It helps to pay for insurance, groceries, everything. Please remember me when shopping online. Thanks in advance.  US HERE – UK HERE

In chessy news, Vidit Gujrathi won in FIDE Grand Swiss on the Isle of Man.  He now qualifies with Hikaru Nakamura (2nd) to be in the 2024 Candidates Tournament in Toronto.
In the Women’s event, Vaishali Rameshbabu won and therefore scored her own Women’s Candidates spot. Her brother Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa had already qualified for the men’s Candidates in the 2023 FIDE World Cup. So, for the first time a brother and sister duo will contend in the Open and Women’s Candidates.  I know you were dying to know the outcome.

Kitchen and food stuff.

Not much of interest, really.  I’ve been emptying the fridge and cupboard, just getting a couple fresh things.  Taking care of left overs.  I won’t be leaving much behind, for sure.  I had some lovely vegetable soup from a batch I made a few days ago, a couple pieces of toast with a schmear of soft bel paese.  Less is sometimes more and simple is just right.

The sun rose over Rome at 06:45 and it set some time ago at 17:02

The Ave Maria is still in the 17:30 cycle.

It is the Feast of Holy Relics and the 23rd Sunday after Pentecost.

I have two full days left here.

Welcome new registrant:

Gregory M.

I renew my request for prayers for a friend, Giancarlo, for a miracle through the intercession of B. Luigi Maria Monti.

I ask prayers for myself.

I spotted something a bit unusual for this neighborhood: a few of the green parrots who are mostly in the Vatican Gardens, big parks.

Hard to see in the photos, but they are there.  It was their noise that attracted my attention.

Anyway… flying things.  A couple of the Italian formation fighters went by the other day in preparation for their bigger holiday fly over.

Also, there’s this.

Today I flew back and forth between my digs and the parish.  The last time because I got a phone call that the TAILOR was in the sacristy waiting for me.

He didn’t tell me ahead.  No one told me anything.  I had no idea.   So back I went, along with my damaged cassock, hoping that he would take it.

The surprise was that HE BROUGHT MY NEW CASSOCK.   I thought I would have to wait until March.  What a surprise.

It fits perfectly, is great fabric, and it has that new cassock smell.

Therefore, I will soon offer a Mass for my cassock contributors.  Thank you.

A couple sights from today.

Note in this inscription (some can take a stab at it), there is an abbreviation for TWO “Pontifices Maximi”.  Note how it is done.

This is of course a reference to another post.

I wonder what it is like to be the SUMMUS SCRINIARIUS.

I’ll bet someone can do this.  Then I have another one, even more interesting.

People are getting interested in The World’s Best Sacristan™.  Here’s what I means when I say he is a stickler for details.

Today he came up to the vestment case next to me and tisked and rearranged the chalice veil.

“What?”, quoth I, using on the standard hand gesture.

It seems that the pattern of the moiré was running the wrong direction.

Because the cross on the veil (it is really more Roman in the old sense not to have one at all) is directly in the center of the veil, it would be easy simply to drape it and scamper.   No no.  Things must be done properly.  The “stain” of the moiré must run the other way.

These, my friends are the important things that we ought to be worrying about.  Almost all the other stuff is really settled, isn’t it.  The Church’s teachings on morals are clear, for example.  Ordination of women.. married priests… hash it out again and again and again… cui bono?  But the direction of moiré.   THAT’s worth getting into.

White to move.  Work it out. Good one. Really think about this.

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

Buy some beer and work on chess problems… with a little savory sausage… cheese, a nice chair, some quiet. …. Yup.  And THANKGIVING is coming.   Norcia beer.

Please remember me when shopping online. Thanks in advance. US HERE – UK HERE  These links take you to a generic “catholic” search in Amazon, but, once in and browsing or searching, Amazon remembers that you used my link and I get the credit.

Finally, here is an audio recording of the end of Mass.  You can hear what the church sounds like in the sanctuary for some of the prayers, the organ and the congregation singing the Salve Regina.

In the traditional Roman calendar,  the Vetus Ordo, today is the Feast of Holy Relics.

No, we are not celebrating your superannuated pastor.

Someone will, I hope, correct me if I am wrong, but I don’t believe there is a corresponding Mass in the Novus Ordo Missale.

I am mindful today and grateful for the apostolate of my good friend Fr. Carlos Martins, whose Treasures of the Church has brought countless thousands of people into contact with holy relics, resulting in conversions and healings.   At present he is taking a major relic of St. Jude the Apostle to different parishes in the United States, a real labor of love.

Just the other day here in Rome, at the parish I attended a solemn and festive exposition of the relics of which they have possession.   Each one was brought out and explained.

I learned that this is something that all the parishes used to do in Rome once upon a time.  No one does it anymore.  I think it is unique in Rome other than in Lent when in St. Peter’s many relics are exposed and the Veil of Veronica is displayed.

Here again is the video I made for the exposition at Santissima Trinità.

The organ you hear is over 400 years old. It was found in bad condition tucked away in a corner and efforts were made to restore it. It is a “portative” organ, and it could have been carried in processions with someone pulling straps on the side to blow the bellows within. There are only five like it in the world. Hearing this gives you a sense what what the Roman churches sounded like hundreds of years ago.