Fr. Z's Blog

The skies were brightening already over Rome when the sun broke the horizon at 05:58. It will set at 20:16.  The Ave Maria Bell is in the 20:30 cycle.

Welcome registrants:

Paladino
Pankrac

It is the Feast of, as the Romans say, “San Giovanni sott’olio… St. John under oil”, which makes him sound rather more like a slab of tuna than an Apostle, Evangelist and mighty saint that he is.  There’s a story behind this which I’ll post elsewhere.

After Mass today I chatted for awhile with a long-time reader and one of the daily Mass viewers when I streaming them.   Then some breakfast at a nearby shop.  The Roman cornetto.

Be advised.  The cornetto is NOT a croissant!  And there is a Roman thing: cornetti di notte, when you’ve been out and around… late.  You can also get a maritozzo or a bomba.

Or, if you are at Campo de’ Fiori in the morning you can get one of these… cabbages?  They are next to the alien radicchio from Exomoon LV-426 (I still can’t believe no one bit on that).   No, they are not spattered with paint.  This is a kind of radicchio, I think.

The Antico Forno, where Nancy Silverton’s life changed.  That’s Diana behind the counter back there.  This morning I stopped for two slices of pizza bianca, one for caprese and one probably for a sandwich of some kind.

Just a nice view from the sacristy.  A wall full of birettas should make any Catholic happy.

I used this for Mass this morning.   There’s a detail…

The pieces are pretty worn, fraying.  The edges of the burse are going.  The maniple has a pretty big hole now.  The chasuble… meh.

It hurts just to look at that.

I had a thought while divesting.  I had already spoken to the priests here about anything they might need for a potential project for us all… donations, etc.  They need a good solemn set in white.  More on that as I wait for an estimate and complete plan.   However, how about something in the interim?  How about replacing this poor, tired old soldier of a red vestment with something new from Gammarelli, perhaps with my coat-of-arms on it (so the priests who come and go and use it will remember me at Mass).  Self-serving?  Sure.  But, it would also be a nice gesture.  And its concrete.  It’s going to get used.  Drop me a note if this is something you might be interested in doing.  HERE  Put “New Vestment” in the subject line.  And we wouldn’t have to stop at red, of course.  You should see the rough shape the black are in.

My guess is that a pianeta Romana in synthetic fabric (with arms) would be about €350 and in better damask fabric about €800.

Here is an object lesson.  A while ago I posted a photo of the pastor sweeping the floor of the sacristy.   That’s how things get done.   You see something that needs attention and, rather than grumble, you do it.   You start with small things and then see what else can be done.  For example.  I remember how the sacristy was many years ago.  It was pretty sad.  Hard even to know where to start, there was so much to do everywhere.   However, again the same pastor saw a little thing that could be done, did it, and it made a huge difference.

Behold!

Cabinet locks on the cupboards.   Before, they were dark and corroded.  The pastor got out a screwdriver, took them all off, had them gilded and put them back on.  They look great!  It looks like someone cares.

Everyone took notice.  From that point, other little projects were found and people stepped up to take care of them.

For example, this old door.  It had been hanging there all rickety and awful for years.  There is an 18th writer who described churches and their appointments called Xavier Barbier de Montault,  He describes doors like this in sacristies, with the cushioning and little pompoms.   Therefore… RESTORE!   It was done.

This is how we get things done, my friends.  Brick by brick.  A little by little.  Many hands making light work, as Sam’s ol’ gaffer used to say.   That’s how I got here in Rome: many helping hands.  For my part I can have your backs spiritually and provide a bit of daily amusement, for what it’s worth.

“Therefore, RESTORE!”

Here’s some amusement….

White to move.  Rook is hanging.   Better find something fast.

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

OPPORTUNITY
10% off with code:
FATHERZ10

Please remember me when shopping online. Thanks in advance.  US HERE – UK HERE

Can this be rapid?

Sunrise, 05:59

Sunset, 20:15

Ave Maria 20:30

Feast of Pius V.

Look at this prayer and think about what he did.

O, God, Who graciously chose blessed Pius as Supreme Pontiff, to crush the enemies of Your Church and to restore divine worship, grant that we may be guarded by his help and remain so steadfast in Your service that, having overcome the snares of all enemies, we may enjoy a lasting peace.

And…

the offertory…

Offertory
P. The Lord be with you.
S. And with thy spirit.
Let us pray.
Jer 1:9-10
Behold I have given my words in thy mouth: Lo, I have set thee over the nations, and over the kingdoms, to root up, and pull down, and to waste, and to destroy, and to build, and to plant. Allelúja.

Think about that prayer and the work he did on the Roman Missal!  With Card. Sirleto.

I’m tired.  So, here’s a glimpse of breakfast.  Eggshells here are a lot stronger!

Basted, with pane di Lariano.

Tonight, just across the way, the English College had Vespers in honor of the Coronation tomorrow.  I was invited.

It was hard to miss the beginning time… just under my window as it was….

Inside isn’t bigger than the outside but it is nicer.

At the end, as was proper…

Maybe more on this. Tomorrow, Swiss Guards are being sworn in. I’m invited.

Can you do without a… no, you can’t.

Finally, remember the Dominican sisters.  They need you.

I need you too.

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.

I’ll be back with more, but I am wiped out.

PLEASE use the sharing buttons! Thanks!

In your charity would you please take a moment look at the requests and to pray for the people about whom you read?

Continued from THESE.

Let’s remember all who are ill, who will die soon, who have lost their jobs, and who are afraid.

I get many requests by email asking for prayers. Some are heart-achingly grave and urgent.

As long as my blog reaches so many readers in so many places, let’s give each other a hand. We should support each other in works of mercy.

If you have some prayer requests, feel free to post them below.

You have to be registered here to be able to post.

I ask prayer for my mother who fell some time ago and is still in a lot of pain.  She’s recovering, but it is slow.

I ask a prayer for a project which is important to me.  Please talk to St. Joseph, St. Philip, and Ven. Mary Ward for this.

Today the Ave Maria Bell ring time has moved into a new stage of its cycles, now scheduled – and ignored – at 2-:30.

The Roman sunrise was 06:01. The Roman sunset will be at 20:14.

Welcome new registrant:

deaconchuck

It is the traditional Feast of St. Monnica (the more Punic spelling, or regular Monica), mother of St. Augustine of Hippo. She died in Ostia where she took ill on the way back to N. Africa with her family and friends. As she lay dying in Ostia, Monnica told Augustine (conf. 9):

“Lay this body anywhere, let not the care for it trouble you at all. This only I ask, that you will remember me at the Lord’s altar, wherever you be.”

Could I ask the same of you when you hear about me?

She was buried there in Ostia. Her body was later moved to the Church of St. Augustine in Rome across the street from where I lived for many years.

There’s a great deal to say about this remarkable women.

Did you know that Monnica was the first woman to have an active role in an ancient philosophical dialogue? Indeed, Augustine includes her pivotal remarks in the dialogues before his baptism, because she was the baptized person there!

I’ll remind you of a newish book on Augustine:

REVIEW: The book on Augustine which Pope Benedict would have wanted to write.

Also, if you want a really interesting, different, book on the Doctor of Grace, check out Serge Lancel‘s volume.

It is also the Feast of the Martyrs of England and Wales.  I think there are some 280+ beatified and canonized martyrs from those horrible years of Protestant hatred and ferocious persecution.

Right now, as I write, I am looking beyond my monitor to the bell tower of the Venerable English College, where many of the priest martyrs studied before returning to England and glory.

That might not be a cheerful bit of new, more sobering than cheerful.  This is always cheery.  I posted the dear rondini the other day and I’m posting them again because I like them.  They always lift my spirits, and they need lifting.

Last night I saw a documentary of sorts about USS Gerald R. Ford which is finally out and about.  A buddy of mine was chaplain on her during the shakedown.   When they were talking about things the crew did for entertainment….

It reminds me something another military friend passed on some years ago, a soda can cozy with “Navy Chess: Anytime – Anywhere – Anyone” on it.   I tried in vain to find the organizers, though – if memory serves – there was an old brochure for recruiting new team members for tournaments.  Anyway, I tweaked the design a little and made a one-off mug for myself in my Cafepress store.  I turned that shop “on” for public view … temporarily.

Interested in learning? This guy helped my game.  Try THIS.

Here’s another thing that make me happy.

Thank you flower donors!  You brighten my days.

These make me happy, too.

Radicchio

a) from Earth and

b) from the recently, perhaps not quite successfully terraformed, Exomoon LV-426.

NEWS:

The wonderful Benedictine nuns of Gower Abbey, who have the great music albums, have a book for girls about the religious life they live.

The story is about a postulant being introduced to all the aspects of life of the nuns at the Abbey. It is very sweet. I am reminded of one of my favorite books Little Saint Placid.

Brides of Christ.

US HERE – UK HERE (not yet)

The text is in poetry, good for reading aloud to a little girl, I should think.

Use FATHERZ10 at checkout

Last night for supper I had some chicken and fries and sauteed peppers.

The “bed” for the spatchcocked galletto, sure to make some good juice for the fries and peppers.

Okay, a few of them got a little doner than others. I got distracted.

I stuffed some celery that needed using around the galletto. It all worked.  Cramped space.

And the result.

I have some leftovers, too.

Here’s a puzzle.

Black to move.  May the force be with you.

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