A Prayer of Forgiveness

At the Infirmary Chapel, St Joseph's Abbey, Spencer, Massachusetts

I share with you this prayer I came across recently in my reading. It was actually in a book I had for a long time, but that’s the way it is sometimes - the gems we should reflect on are usually hidden somewhere in our bookshelf, until we discover them, sometimes by chance.
- You asked for my hands that you might use them for your purposes. I gave them for a moment; then withdrew them, for the work was hard.
- You asked for my mouth to speak against injustice. I gave you a whisper that I might not be accused.
- You asked for my eyes to see the pain of poverty. I closed them, for I did not want to see.
- You asked for my life that you might work through me. I gave you a small part that I might not “get involved.”
- Lord, forgive me for calculated efforts to serve you only when it is convenient for me to do so, only in those places where it is safe to do so, and only with those who make it easy to do so.
- Father, forgive me, renew me, send me out as a usable instrument, that I may take seriously the meaning of the Cross.

More photos from Rome

Polyptych on the last days of Christ

One of the best Museums in Rome is the Barberini Museum, The Barberini are a family of the Italian nobility that rose to prominence in 17th century Rome. Their influence peaked with the election of Cardinal Maffeo Barberini to the papal throne in 1623, as Pope Urban VIII. Their urban palace, the Palazzo Barberini, (completed in 1633 by Bernini), today houses Italy's Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Antica (National Gallery of Ancient Art,) also known simply as the Barberini Museum. 

Another Polyptych from the life of Christ

The photos attached here are only three of many beauty paintings, known as polyptychs. The last one is a triple panel known as tryptych. Each panel tells a story, and they served as visual aids for people to learn about the life of Christ or any other story from the Bible.

Tryptych of the Madonna

A further glimpse into Rome - part 2

The map of Malta as seen from Rome, by Ignazio Danti

Continuing my tour of Rome, today I introduce you to one of the most fascinating section of the Vatican Museum. The Gallery of Maps (Italian: Galleria delle carte geografiche) is a gallery located on the west side of the Belvedere Courtyard in the Vatican containing a series of painted topographical maps of Italy based on drawings by friar and geographer Ignazio Danti from Perugia. The galley was commissioned in 1580 by Pope Gregory XIII as part of other artistic works commissioned by the Pope to decorate the Vatican. It took Danti three years (1580–1583) to complete the 40 panels of the 120 meters long gallery. It remains the world's largest pictorial geographical study.

The capital city of Malta, Valletta, depicted in incredible detail

Among the panels is one dedicated to the island of Malta, including intricate detail of the Great Siege which took place in 1565 between the Ottamon Empire and the Maltese. Thanks to the Knights of Malta, who built strong fortifications around the island, we beat the heck out of the Turks! 

The Great Siege of Malta - 1565, as depicted by Ignazio Danti

Since the Great Siege took place only 15 years prior to the project, Danti was able to depict fascinating details of the actual battle, as you can see from these photos I took during my recent visit to the Vatican Museums.

St Maria Goretti

St Maria Goretti (1890-1902)

A young girl with little schooling became one of the most popular saints in Italy by the middle of the 20th century. Born in 1890, Maria Goretti was one day by her house and a neighbor attempted to rape her, and even though she resisted him, she was killed by 14 stab wounds. She died 24 hours after being stabbed, also giving her enough time receive Holy Communion. Her killer Alessandro Serenelli was jailed, sentenced to 30 years in prison, and was unrepentant for a while. Eventually he changed his life, even becoming a Franciscan Capuchin lay brother after being released 27 years later. 

Alessandro Serenelli towards the end of his life

One of the first things he did after his release was visit Maria’s mother and apologize to her. Maria was beatified in 1947, and on that occasion, her mother and siblings appeared with Pope Pius XII at the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica. Alessandro was even present at Maria Goretti’s canonization on June 24, 1950. Over half a million people had gathered in the Vatican piazza for her canonization. St Maria Goretti is the patron of youth, chastity and purity.

A glimpse at Rome - part 1

Roman columns and the church of Nome di Maria

Visiting Rome between May 10 and 17, I came back with hundreds of photos which I will share with you from time to time. Today I ask you to find yourself in Piazza Venezia, close to the monument of Vittorio Emmanuele II, a monument known as the wedding cake. Close to it are two domed churches, one of which was open, known as Nome di Maria (Name of Mary.) Close to it are some ruins from 2000 years ago. 

Incredible bas relief detail of the Trajan's column - click to enlarge

Next to the church is a famous column known as Colonna di Traiano (Trajan’s Column,) which commemorates Emperor Trajan victory at the Dracian Wars. Completed in AD 113, the freestanding column is most famous for its spiral bas relief, that artistically describes the epic wars between the Romans and Dacians. It is 98 feet in height, and the shaft is made from a series of 20 colossal Carrara marble drums, each weighing about 32 tons, with a diameter of 11 feet. On December 4, 1587, the top was crowned by Pope Sixtus V with a bronze figure of St. Peter, which remains to this day.

The Church is called “Santissimo Nome di Maria al Foro Traiano” and was built between 1736 and 1751 by the French architect Antoine Derizet. It is obviously Baroque in style and has 7 small chapels, decorated with polychrome marble.

A Prayer on July 4th

A Senate prayer from 1943, written and delivered by the Rev. Frederick Brown Harris, chaplain :
Our fathers' God and ours, on the birthday of national independence we confess our dependence upon You. Without You we are lost in spite of the overwhelming might of our national arms. We thank You for those pilgrims of faith who came hither in their frail barque across mountainous seas and who stepped upon strange shores with the salutation to a new world, "In the Name of God. Amen." The Nation here established, conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal has acknowledged that Name above every name and reverenced it, has built its altars, reared its temples, and raised its steeples, emblems of a faith that points to the skies and wings its sure and certain way to God. 

Make that faith of the fathers, we pray, real to us in these tempestuous days. Save us from a freedom of speech so empty that we have nothing worth saying, from a freedom of worship so futile that we have no God to adore, from freedom from want and fear with no creative idea as to how to use our plenty or our security for the redemption of our social order and for the salvation of our own souls. Let all that is low and unworthy in us sink to the depths. Let all that is high and fine in us rise to greet the morn of a new day confident that the best is yet to be. Amen.

As an extra treat today, I share with you this video of the US Navy Drill team - admire the incredible precision   US Navy Drill Team

Saint Thomas

Caravaggio - The Doubting Thomas

One of the 12 apostles, Thomas will unfortunately always be remembered for his doubting fit, right after the Resurrection of Jesus. He would not believe unless he saw with his eyes and touched with his hands the wounds of Jesus. This story is the origin of the term 'Doubting Thomas.' After seeing Jesus alive (the Bible never states whether Thomas actually touched Christ's wounds), Thomas professed his faith in Jesus, exclaiming "My Lord and my God!"; and on this account, to his credit, he is also called Thomas the Believer. Thomas is more specifically identified as "Thomas, also called the Twin" (Didymus.)

Just as Saints Peter and Paul are said to have brought Christianity to Greece and Rome, Saint Mark brought it to Egypt, Saint John to Syria and Asia Minor, Thomas is often said to have taken it eastwards as far as India. He is popularly known as the patron saint of India. Ancient writers used the designation "India" for all countries south and east of the Roman Empire's frontiers, which could mean China, the Far East, and beyond, just about half of the world!

The expression of faith which St Thomas uttered, “My Lord and my God,” has become a very popular expression that people use during the elevation of the Body and Blood of Christ. Some people say it softly, others audibly enough. It is not part of the liturgical rubrics, but it is a powerful expression of faith in the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. I can only imagine how terrible St Thomas must have felt after realizing that it was really Jesus he was seeing again when He reappeared to the apostles gathered in the upper room. The Roman Catholic and Anglican calendars honor him on July 3, the day on which his relics are believed to have been translated to Mylapore, a place along the coast of Chennai in India to the city of Edessa and Mesopotamia. This took place in 232 AD and the transfer of his relics were organized by an Indian king.

Bishop Cary at the Cathedral

Bishop Cary enters his Cathedral

July1st 2012 was a historic day for the Baker City Cathedral as Bishop Liam Cary took possession of the Cathedral of St Francis De Sales. The day started at 9:30 AM as he knocked on the door while I greeted him, presenting him with a crucifix to kiss, and then walked up the center aisle to bless the congregation with holy water. The Mass proceeded as usual with a nice crowd in attendance. During his homily, Bishop Cary spoke about the present issue concerning our religious liberty that has threatened Catholics and Christians everywhere over the past 6 months, and will probably be the main issue that will decide the outcome of the next election in November. Bishop Cary met many of the parishioners after Mass as well as during a reception in the parish hall. A smaller crowd attended the Spanish Mass at 12 noon.
 

He expressed to me personally how impressed he was with the Cathedral, renovated 5 years ago. He feel honored to have such a beautiful new home. Towards the end of the Mass, I thanked him for his presence as a sincere, humble and gentle friend to me, besides being my pastor, my shepherd, my father, and hope that all the parishioners will see him in the same light. I encouraged him to visit our parish as often as he wants, having a home away from home. The Bishop also visited the Mission church of St Therese in Halfway on Saturday for Mass at 2 PM and a reception hosted by the parishioners.

Bishop Liam Cary preaching for the first time in the Cathedral

Bishop Liam Cary in Baker City

Bishop Liam Cary, Bishop of the Baker Diocese

Today our new Bishop Liam Cary will take possession of the Cathedral. He visits our parish this weekend for the first time. Yesterday we drove to our mission church in Halfway where he was welcomed enthusiastically by the parishioners there, celebrating Mass and being treated to a nice reception. Today he will celebrate the 9:30 AM Mass as well as a Spanish Mass at noon. As the official pastor of the Cathedral he will knock on the doors just before the Mass starts, and as I welcome him, offering a cross to kiss, he will then proceed towards the altar blessing the people with Holy Water. A reception will also be held after Mass.

The Bishop's cathedra in the middle

The Bishop's chair or cathedra shows his presence as our new leader and shepherd. He used this chair at his consecration in Bend on May 18, but he will now use it whenever he celebrates Mass here in the Cathedral. Most bishop live at the Cathedral of their respective Diocese, but Bishop Cary lives in Bend, Oregon, where the Diocesan offices are located.

Early Christian Martyrs

Early Christian martyrs waiting their death at the Colosseo

The day after the feast of Saints Peter and Paul, the Church commemorates the many unknown, possibly in thousands of Christian martyrs who shed their blood for their faith under ruthless Emperors. What is known as the Persecution era, so many martyrs died defending their faith, either through crucifixion, being burned, being eaten by lions or other excruciating methods of torture.

Early Christians being taken away from their families

Many of them were arrested just by being seen carrying a cross in their hands. Most of them congregated underground in catacombs, for fear of being arrested and killed. Some of the known martyrs have been canonized by the church, St Agnes, St Agatha, St Cecilia, St Ignatius of Antioch, most of the early Popes, and so many others. It was only thanks to King Constantine who ended the Persecutions in 313 AD, that Christians could once again profess their faith freely and build basilicas and churches to worship in.

Saints Peter and Paul

The church honors today the two great apostles, who in spite of their background or weakness, became leaders of the early church in Rome and in Eastern Europe. Who would have thought that a simple fisherman and an unpretentious tent-maker would one day become the pillars of the church! Peter and Paul’s life story can very well be described as the ‘rags-to-riches’ journey. And yet the spiritual and historical influence and impact they left on the history of Christianity is truly amazing.

An original painting of St Peter from my brother's collection

St Peter was one of the privileged three who were close to Jesus on various occasion, along with John and James. He was the first apostle to perform a miracle, and we admire the triple affirmation of faith to erase completely the triple denial during Christ’s passion. He was chosen to be the first Pope of the Church realizing that Jesus saw something special in him - not John who remained faithful till the end, who wrote a beautiful Gospel, but Peter - the rough and tough type, the weakling who became the rock.

1960 panel of St Paul in Malta by Emvin Cremona

St Paul on the other hand made his turnaround quickly and in a determined way. From being so helpless at his conversion, to becoming a strong powerful spokesperson for Christ, traveling hundreds of miles, on foot, by boat, probably on horseback, writing prolifically his letters to communities he had previously visited. Then he was sent to Rome to be tried as a Roman citizen, only to have his ship wrecked on my homeland Malta (Acts chapters 27-28).

Let us remember today the dominant image these two apostles represent in our church....Peter, the rock, the foundation, and Paul, the messenger par excellence of Jesus.

Two pillars of the church

Impressive statue of St Peter outside his Basilica in Rome

Tomorrow we celebrate the feast of the apostles Peter and Paul, and in their honor I share with you today some photos I took during my recent visit to Rome. Two of the most impressive Basilicas are actually St. Peter’s at the Vatican and San Paolo fuori le mura, and I share some photos of the statues of these two pillars of the Church.

Statue of St Paul at San Paolo fuori le mura

13th century bronze statue by Arnolfo di Cambio

Another St Paul statue in San Paolo fuori le mura

For more Rome and Vatican photos check my parish website in the home page by simply clicking on this link     St Francis De Sales Cathedral Parish

"It really didn't hurt!"

This is the expression I hear from people who donate blood for the first time. And I heard it today from a few who were with me at the Nazarene church during a Blood Drive that saw me donate my 100th pint. It was just an ordinary donation for me, with the exception of a few photos for the local paper and an accompanying article, receiving a nice gift of a nylon bag that can hold anything from IPods to pens and books, and a certificate from the local Blood Drive organizers.

Drip, Drip, Drip - one drip at a time makes one pint.

My phlebotomist Sydney appeared nervous, although she seemed to have been waiting for me when I arrived. Apparently she wanted to draw the 100th pint from my arm, and stayed with me from beginning to the end. All the phlebotomists are nice people and they look forward to more donors, especially when I encourage others donors to show, as they did on Monday and Tuesday.

You get to meet many people, familiar faces and new faces from our town, and we form a brotherhood or sisterhood of donors who have one incentive in their mind, to help save a life. Knowing that the blood is used almost immediately, you feel good that someone whom you don’t know is living because you gave something special, be it a Mormon from Utah, a newborn baby from Oklahoma, a Mexican from Arizona, or even an Oregonian from Baker City.

Being presented by a certificate and a carry-all bag

Today for example, I met a local teacher who donated her first pint, Teresa Sullivan, as well as her parents who are perpetual blood donors. I was honored to give blood at the same time with Teresa, her first and my 100th. I told her that one she’ll catch up with me. Another parishioner from Halfway, Karen Endersby started giving today after having received some chemo-therapy 12 years ago. Another local woman Sylvia Bowers donated after having a break of 20 years to give birth to 4 children, including twin girls, a teenage boy and our pool lifeguard Charlotte, a Boise State student who also donated. The mother-daughter combination of Michele and Darryn McCauley also donated blood together, Michele being a High School teacher and Darryn heading for college in a few weeks.

Thank you one and all. I signed up for my 101st donation, which incidentally will be on my 60th birthday, August 27th.

100 pints

Continuing my story about my 100th blood donation taking place today, I share a few more anecdotes and interesting facts about blood donations.

A funny anecdote happened once during a Blood Drive in a New York clinic when I had another priest with me donating blood. A young man showed up also to donate and when he saw two priests sitting next to each other, he panicked. He asked the nurse what was going on….and why were two priests there. He actually started to leave and I and the nurse ran after him to convince him that everything was fine, no one had passed away and we were just there to do what he was planning to do – help save a life by donating a pint of blood.
Another surprising episode happened just after I gave my 99th pint this past April. We were starting the priests’ retreat in Bend and I scheduled an appointment there, since I could not be in Baker City where the drive was being held on the same day. Later in the afternoon, as the priests gathered for their retreat at Powell Butte, some priests saw my bandaged arm and asked me what happened. I told them simply that I had donated blood, and one of them asked me what do they give you for doing something so noble. I told him that a few cookies, a drink and a “Thank you” is all we ever get, and that’s fine with me, as giving blood can never be recompensed - it’s a genuine selfless gift we give to others. As soon as I turn around, another priest, Fr Luis Alva-Flores, the pastor at Madras, was waiting to talk to me and said to me “I have a gift for you Father Julian!” Believe it or not, that day was his birthday and we had just sang Happy Birthday to him. And with that he gave me his IPad. I was of course dumbstruck, and wondered if this was a dream or reality. Well, Fr Luis is a savvy high-tech young priest, and I was always asking questions about this new invention called the IPad whenever we met for meetings. And since he had just bought the latest version of the IPad, he thought that I deserved his first IPad, which I have been using ever since. I guess God knew who deserved a gift that day.
I take this opportunity to thank all the ladies who run the hospitality tables after donating at the Baptist or Nazarene churches in Baker City, especially for those delicious sandwiches and for the beef broth. I tell them that one of the reasons I enjoy donating blood is because of those sandwiches and the beef broth which always taste so good. Now I’m off to my second century of donations. My finals advice is - please donate blood, and save a life in the process!
 
I want to thank these generous people who have accepted to donate a pint of blood to commemorate my 100th donation: Paul Haytas, Darryn McCauley, Michelle McCauley, Dave Davis, Tammy Skidmore, Tom Fisk, Mary Stearns, Mike Voboril, Micah Wilson, Karen Endersby, Charlotte Bowers, Sylvia Bowers. Some of them are new donors, others are returning donors, not to mention the many other regulars who donate regularly.

Some interesting statistics:
- Only 37 percent of the U.S. population is eligible to donate blood – less than 10 percent do annually.
- 4.5 million Americans will a need blood transfusion each year.
- 43,000 pints: amount of donated blood used each day in the U.S. and Canada.
- Blood drives hosted by companies, schools, places of worship and civic organizations supply roughly half of all blood donations across the U.S.
- The number of blood donations collected in the U.S. in a year: 17 million
- If you began donating blood at age 17 and donated every 56 days until you reached 76, you would have donated 48 gallons of blood, potentially helping save more than 1,000 lives!
- The number of blood donors in the U.S. in a year: 9.5 million.
- The human body has 70,00 miles of blood vessels.
- There are 8 pints of blood in the human body.
- 90% of our blood is water.
- One-third of our body weight is water.

Tomorrow is a big day!

A page in my diary of the first 37 blood donations I gave

June 26, 2012 will always be a special day for me, as tomorrow I will be donating my 100th pint of blood in the local Blood Drive being held at the Nazarene church, in Baker City. It all started on July 15th 1984. I had gained enough weight after being in the USA for 3 years that I could finally donate blood. When I was in Malta, I was always underweight, at 120 lbs, a skinny priest who started to beef himself up when he came to the USA in 1981.
Our own parish at Holy Spirit in New Hyde Park was organizing a bi-annual blood drive, and there I gave my first pint of blood. I felt a little dizzy at first, and not knowing what to expect, they told me it was pretty normal. I spent the rest of the day in Rectory feeling very well, drinking lots of water, and being treated to a steak dinner in the evening with all the other priests. That was the only time I felt pampered or treated extra-nice, because the rest of the story is pretty simple – going to give blood became as ordinary as going to the local library.

Blood donations from 1994 till present

And here I am on June 26, 2012, almost 28 years later in Baker City, OREGON donating my 100th point, something which I always felt good doing, while encouraging others to donate blood regularly. For this centennial donation, I have encouraged 10 other people to start donating with me, most of them young people in the parish who have never donated before, or who have donated a few times years ago and stopped. I wanted to commemorate this milestone by having at least 10 new donors, realizing that trying to get 100 new donors is a Herculean undertaking. But at least we have 10 new donors who will hopefully continue to give on a regular basis, as I did when I started.
Over the years, a few of my parishes were responsible of organizing the Blood Drives, while here in Oregon, other churches have that privilege. But back between 1991 and 1996, while I was stationed in Rocky Point, again on Long Island, NY, I went over and beyond campaigning for blood donors. Besides making pulpit announcements after the weekend Masses, I had created a database with all the people who had donated in the past, and made sure to call them a day or two earlier, so that they too can donate a pint of their precious blood. For a few years we always got anywhere between 120 and 130 donors on a regular basis, within 6 hours, that is between 2 PM and 8 PM. By 1994 the numbers were still rising and in January 1995 I was able to get 157 donors to donate – a record for a Blood Drive within a Church sponsored drive. I know that was an incredible number of donors, but people collaborated with me, knowing how much at heart I had this humanitarian project. They all chipped in, helping us break the record. I wonder if anyone ever broke it since then. (To be continued - make sure to click on the diary pages to enlarge)

Birth of John the Baptist

Esteban Murillo - Jesus and John the Baptist

There are three paintings that depict a young St John the Baptist which are favorites of mine for different reasons. They are all by the Spanish painter Esteban Bartolome’ Murillo and they show John the Baptist as a little boy, John always being accompanied by a little lamb, symbolizing his famous words “Behold the Lamb of God,” the phrase he used to welcome Jesus when he came to the Jordan River to be baptized by him. The other two paintings are of John by himself, one of them with a pondering look, while the other shows him in a remorseful or apologetic mood, again both of them with the lamb next to him. Today the Catholic Church celebrates his birth, and that is why we use the color white in our vestments. John is regarded as the last prophet of the Old Testament, while some refer to him as the first martyr of the New Testament, and we do have a commemoration of his martyrdom on August 29, but it’s his mysterious birth that is celebrated today, since Elizabeth his mother was advanced in age.

Esteban Murillo - John the Baptist as a child

When a baby is born here in the USA, the announcement is made in the papers, Godparents chosen, the baptism is held and a party usually follows. In John’s time, his birth was announced in a very unusual way. Similar to what the Native Indians did when sending a message, his father Zechariah made a bon-fire and lit it in the evening, so that his relatives and friends would know that Elizabeth gave birth to her baby. This is actually a tradition that is still held in many countries, among them Malta. Many towns and villages collect wood, sticks and logs for a few weeks and pile them up, and on the evening of June 23, they light this bon-fire, in commemoration of the birth of John. Some towns and villages compete as to who can make the biggest bon-fire. With the fire restrictions here in the USA, this custom will never be given the go ahead, but it is a meaningful tradition nonetheless.

Esteban Murillo - John in a remorseful mood

John the Baptist as a prophet had a tough role to play - to point out the sins which were keeping the people from truly knowing, loving and serving God. He prepared the way of the Lord by calling people to lives of repentance. This is the message we receive on the 2nd Sunday of Advent when we focus again on John the Baptist as we see him preparing the way of the Lord, setting the stage for Jesus’ arrival - doing all the rough work and then disappear, getting hardly any credit. But that was his role and never complained about it. In the Gospel of John the Evangelist (Jn 3:30,) we read that John the Baptist said about Jesus: “He must increase, while I must decrease.” This is very indicative of what will happen after Jesus’ baptism. Jesus became well known, while John disappeared in the background. Yet while the popularity of Jesus increased, John faded away, and we see him again being arrested and then being beheaded by Herod. Yet there is another interesting twist to the phrase “He must increase and I must decrease.” John’s birthday falls close to the summer solstice, one of the longest days of the year, and from now on, the days will start decreasing, leading to one of the shortest days of the year, which is Christmas, the birthday of Jesus, close to the winter’s solstice, and from then on, the days will start getting longer. “I must decrease, while He must increase.”

It’s a notion worth adapting to in our daily lives - we must decrease our yearnings, our dreams, our wishes, while we should let Him increase in us, increasing our potential to love, increase our prayer life, our devotion to duty, our commitment to our faith. This is the message the church wants us to remember this weekend. We can obviously decrease the clutter from our lives and increase the goodness that is certainly already in your heart.

The Cocoon and the Butterfly

A healthy monarch butterfly

A man found a cocoon of a butterfly.  One day a small opening appeared, he sat and watched  the butterfly for several hours as it struggled to force its  body through that little hole. Then it seemed to stop making  any progress. It appeared as if it had gotten as far as it  could and it could go no farther. Then the man decided to help the butterfly, so he took a pair of scissors and snipped  off the remaining bit of the cocoon.  The butterfly then emerged easily.   But it had a swollen body and small, shriveled wings. The  man continued to watch the butterfly because he expected  that, at any moment, the wings would enlarge and expand  to be able to support the body, which would contract in time.  Neither happened! In fact, the butterfly spent the rest of its  life crawling around with a swollen body and shriveled wings.   It never was able to fly.   

What the man in his kindness and haste did not understand was that the restricting cocoon and the struggle required for the butterfly to get through the tiny opening were God's way of forcing fluid from the body of the butterfly into its wings so that it would be ready for flight once it achieved its freedom from  the cocoon.  Sometimes struggles are exactly what we need in our life.  If God allowed us to go through our life without any obstacles, it  would cripple us. We would not be as strong as what we could  have been.  And we could never fly.

St Thomas More - St John Fisher

Saint Thomas More

These two British martyrs are among the most beloved in the English Catholic Church. St Thomas More was born at London in 1478. After a thorough grounding in religion and the classics, he entered Oxford to study law. Upon leaving the university he embarked on a legal career which took him to Parliament. In 1505, he married his beloved Jane Colt who bore him four children, and when she died at a young age, he married a widow, Alice Middleton, to be a mother for his young children. A great reformer, Thomas More numbered Bishops and scholars among his friends, and by 1516 wrote his world-famous book "Utopia". He attracted the attention of Henry VIII who appointed him to a succession of high posts, and finally made him Lord Chancellor in 1529. However, he resigned in 1532, at the height of his career, when Henry persisted in holding his own opinions regarding marriage and the supremacy of the Pope, while strongly opposing Henry's thirst for a divorce. This is when the Church of England broke away from the Catholic religion. The rest of Thomas’ life was spent in writing mostly in defense of the Church. In 1534, with his close friend, St John Fisher, he refused to render allegiance to the King as the Head of the Church of England and was confined to the Tower. Fifteen months later, he was tried and convicted of treason. On the scaffold, he told the crowd of spectators that he was dying as "the King's good servant- but God's first." He was beheaded on July 6, 1535. His life is depicted in the classic movie “A Man for all Seasons,” with Paul Scofield acting in an Oscar-winning performance.
 

St Thomas More and St John Fisher before their martyrdom

St. John Fisher was born at Yorkshire in 1459, and educated at Cambridge. In 1504, he became Bishop of Rochester and Chancellor of Cambridge, in which capacity he also tutored Prince Henry who was to become Henry VIII. St John was dedicated to the welfare of his diocese and his university. From 1527, he actively opposed the King's divorce proceedings against Catherine, his wife in the sight of God. Unlike the other Bishops, St John refused to take the oath of succession, and he was imprisoned in the tower in April 1534. The next year he was made a Cardinal by Pope Paul III and Henry retaliated by having him beheaded within a month. A half hour before his execution, John Fisher opened his New Testament for the last time and his eyes fell on the following words from St. John's Gospel: "Eternal life is this: to know You, the only true God, and Him Whom You have sent, Jesus Christ. I have given You glory on earth by finishing the work You gave me to do. Do You now, Father, give me glory at Your side". Closing the book, he observed: "There is enough learning in that to last me the rest of my life." They were both canonized on May 19th, 1935, with Thomas More becoming the patron of lawyers and politicians.

St Aloysius Gonzaga

St Aloysius Gonzaga as a young page

One of the patrons of youth, St Aloysius Gonzaga was an Italian Jesuit saint of the 16th century. Quite a few Jesuit colleges are named after him, including Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington and St Aloysius College, in Malta. Aloysius is the Latin form of his given name, Luigi, in English known as Louis. The Gonzaga name is well known in Italy. Aloysius Gonzaga was born at Castiglione near Mantua, Italy, in 1568 to a celebrated family of wealth and prestige. As the first born son of his father, Ferrante, and his mother, Marta, he was in line to inherit his father's title of Marquis. He grew up amid the violence and brutality of the Renaissance Italy and witnessed the murder of two of his brothers. In 1576, Aloysius' parents sent him to attend the court of the Grand Duke of Tuscany, Francesco de Medici, in Florence. Later, accompanied by his parents, he traveled to Spain to join the court of Philip II in Madrid.

St Aloysius as a Jesuit novice

In Spain, Aloysius decided he wanted to join the newly founded religious order, the Society of Jesus. His father resisted his decision and there followed a struggle of wills that continued after his return to Castiglione in 1584. But Aloysius eventually prevailed. Renouncing his right to the title of Marquis and to the vast wealth he was destined to inherit, he entered the Society of Jesus in Rome on November 25, 1585. During his early studies in Rome, he would regularly go out into the streets of the city to care for victims of the plague. He himself contracted the disease as a result of his efforts for the suffering and died on June 21, 1591, at the age of twenty-three, six years short of his ordination as a Jesuit priest.

Even before his time as a Jesuit, Aloysius was known for his love of prayer and fasting. He received his First Communion from St. Charles Borromeo. As a Jesuit at the Roman College, he continued to devote his time to prayer and practices of austerity. His spiritual director was Robert Bellarmine who later was canonized and declared a doctor of the church. When Robert was dying, he asked to be buried next to the grave of Aloysius. Today, they rest next to each other in the church of St. Ignatius Loyola in Rome. Pope Benedict XIII canonized Aloysius in 1726, and three years later declared him to be the patron of youth in the Catholic Church, an honor later confirmed by Pope Pius XI in 1926.  Gonzaga University in Spokane is the only Jesuit university in the world named after St. Aloysius.

Strength and Courage

Jesus gives us the strength helps us to be courageous.

It takes strength to be certain - It takes courage to have doubts.
It takes strength to fit in - It takes courage to stand out.
It takes strength to share a friend's pain - It takes courage to feel your own pain.
It takes strength to hide your own pain - It takes courage to show it and deal with it.
It takes strength to stand guard - It takes courage to let down your guard.
It takes strength to conquer - It takes courage to surrender.
It takes strength to endure abuses - It takes courage to stop them.
It takes strength to stand alone - It takes courage to lean on a friend.
It takes strength to love - It takes courage to be loved.
It takes strength to survive - It takes courage to live.

35th Anniversary

June 19, 1977 - the day of our Ordination at St John's Cathedral, Valletta

I look back today to that historic day on Sunday June 19, 1977 when along with 13 other classmates, I was ordained a priest by Archbishop Joseph Mercieca at St John’s Cathedral in Valletta, Malta. After 7 happy years living at the Seminary with all my classmates and about another 50 seminarians, we were now all assigned to different parishes, myself ending up in my hometown parish of St Julian’s. where I spent 4 years before leaving for the USA in September 1981.

Just a few days before Ordination in June 1977

I enjoyed living at the Seminary, in a community with other seminarians, a few older than us and others younger, all in different stages of the journey to the altar. While attending the University of Malta, we also did manual work in the summer months, mainly to get acquainted with the life of workers. Personally I worked at a shipyard and a car assembly plant, but most of my time was spent helping my parish priest in various summer activities and other liturgical functions.

Our Seminary years, this being Christmas 1971, our first year

With 5 of my classmates in 2010 at a reunion in Malta

Most of my classmates stayed in Malta working in parishes, and other than one other who went to Australia for a few years, and a three others taking post–graduate courses in Canon Law, Sacred Art and Communications, all stayed close to each other, meeting periodically and celebrating Mass every year on our anniversary. I joined them on the 10th and 25th anniversary but was not able to join them on most of the anniversaries because I’m always involved in parish work, especially over the last 10 years, being by myself.

With my parents, June 19, 1977

One of my classmates early this morning wrote this about our service to the church. Between all of us, we have given 3,890,000 hours of service, in 26 different parishes in Malta, 6 different nations outside Malta, on 4 continents, and within 7 institutions of the Church and the University.

To end I share this beautiful poem by Henri Lacordaire, a French Dominican priest, which I have recited every year on my anniversary Mass:
To live in the midst of the world, without desiring its pleasures.
To be a member of each family, yet belonging to none.
To share all sufferings, to heal all wounds.
To penetrate all secrets, without being curious.
To go from men to God and offer Him their prayers.
To return from God to men, to bring pardon, hope and peace.
To have a heart of gold for charity, and a heart of bronze for chastity
To teach, to listen, to forgive. To lead, to console, to bless always.
This is your life, o priest of Christ.