Moonrise over Bend

Two days ago, the October harvest moon sparkled over Bend and Central Oregon, and for that matter, all around the world. These are some photos I took while the moon was rising over Powell Butte. The St Mary's chapel cross provided a hauntingly beautiful and spiritual foreground for the moon, which in the first photo you can see with extreme clarity, including all the craters and intriguing topography. (feel free to click and enlarge)

The Moon is thought to have formed nearly 4.5 billion years ago, not long after earth. The Moon is the only celestial body, other than Earth on which humans have currently have set foot. The Soviet Union's Luna program was the first to reach the Moon with unmanned spacecraft in 1959; the United States' NASA Apollo program achieved the only manned missions to date, with six manned lunar landings between 1969 and 1972, with the first being Apollo11. The average distance to the Moon from earth is 384,403 km (238,857 miles).

20 books revealed

Here is the result of the brain-teaser I gave you two days ago. I was told that our school children found all 20 of the books. Stay tuned for tomorrow to see some great photos of the moon rising at Powell Butte Retreat Center, where we were for the past 3 days.

Someone showed me this story and remarked that there are twenty books of the Bible hidden here.  He challenged me to find them.  Sure enough they're all here.  Still this thing is a lulu.  Kept me looking so hard for the longest time.  Some of you will get bogged down with facts, others are hit by them like they were some kind of revelation or one may get in ajam, especially since the names are not capitalized and often leap the spaces between the words.  This makes it a real jobto find them, but it'll provide a most fascinating few minutes for you.  Yes, there are some really easy ones to spot, but don't get the big head cause truthfully you'll soon figure that it would take more federal judges and preachers numbers of hours to find them all.  I will admit that it usually takes a minister to find one of them, and this is not uncommon, for there are to be loud lamentations when it is pointed out.  One lady says that when she is confronted with puzzles like this, she brews a cup of tea to help her concentrate better, but then this gals a real pro.  Verbs, nouns, and  all that stuff are her thing.  See how well you can compete.  Relax!  If you fail to find them, there's a penalty.  You'll have to go fly a kite, sit on a banana, hum the Battle Hymn of the Republic, or hose adog (a mean one).  Be careful he does not get to bite you!

Prayerful Invocations

I know that many of you are waiting for the result of my brain-teaser I gave you yesterday, but I will give the results tomorrow, so you have an extra day to try to find the names of 20 books in that paragraph. So for today I am listing 60 prayerful invocations you can say in prayer, brief phrases that can be said as a mantra, repeated as often as you want.

Prayerful Invocations
1.    God
2.    May God be blessed (or Let us bless the Lord)
3.    O God, come to my aid
4.    My God and my all.
5.    Glory to God in the highest
6.    Teach me to do your will, because you are my God (Ps 142, 10).
7.    Do not permit me to be separated from you, my God
8.    God, have mercy on me, a sinner (Lk 18, 13).
9.    Lord, I believe in you
10.    I adore you, Lord
11.    I place my trust in you, Lord
12.    I love you, Lord
13.    All for you, Lord
14.    I thank you (or Thanks be to God)
15.    Your kingdom come
16.    Your will be done
17.    As the Lord wills
18.    Comfort me  Lord
19.    Lord graciously hear me (or hear my prayer)
20.    Save me , Lord
21.    Have mercy on me, Lord
22.    O Lord, spare me
23.    Do not abandon me, Lord
24.    Great are you, O Lord.
25.    Lord, increase our faith (Lk 17, 5).
26.    Lord, may we be of one mind in truth and of one heart in charity.
27.    Lord, save us, we are perishing (Mt 8, 25).
28.    Stay with us, O Lord (Lk 24, 29).
29.    Send, O Lord, laborers into your harvest (see Mt 9, 38).
30.    Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
31.    May the Holy Trinity be blessed.
32.    Father
33.    Father, into your hands I commend my spirit (Lk. 23, 46; see Ps 30, 6).
34.    Jesus
35.    My Lord and my God (Jn 20, 28).
36.    You are the Christ, the Son of the living God (Mt 16, 16).
37.    Christ conquers! Christ reigns! Christ commands!
38.    May Jesus Christ be praised (or some similar customary Christian greeting)
39.    Merciful Lord Jesus, grant them everlasting rest.
40.    Heart of Jesus, burning with love for us, inflame our hearts with love for you.
41.    Heart of Jesus, I place my trust in you.
42.    Heart of Jesus, all for you.
43.    Jesus, meek and humble of heart, make my heart like your Heart.
44.    Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us.
45.    We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you; because by your holy Cross you have redeemed the world.
46.    Hail, O Cross, our only hope.
47.    May the Most Blessed Sacrament be praised and adored forever.
48.    Jesus, Mary, Joseph.
49.    Jesus, Mary, Joseph, I give you my heart and my soul. Jesus, Mary, Joseph, assist me in my last agony. Jesus, Mary, Joseph, may I sleep and rest in peace with you.
50.    Hail, Mary
51.    Holy Mary, pray for us.
52.    Queen conceived without original sin, pray for us.
53.    Holy Mother of God, Mary ever Virgin, intercede for us.
54.    Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
55.    May the Virgin Mary together with her loving Child bless us.
56.    My Mother, my hope.
57.    Mother of Sorrows, pray for us.
58.    Sweet Heart of Mary, be my salvation.
59.    Grant that I may praise you, O sacred Virgin; give me strength against your enemies.

60.    All you holy men and women of God, intercede for us.
61.    St. Francis of Assisi, pray for us (change to any of your favorite saint)

Use your head today

Since all the priests are with the Bishop this week for the Clergy Assembly, I cannot post any photos, but I do have a brain-teaser for you......read the following paragraph in which you can find the names of 20 books from the Bible. Trust me, they are all there, but you'll have to wait till tomorrow to get the results. I will reprint this paragraph tomorrow, with the books in red. Don't give up!

CAN YOU FIND 20 BOOKS OF THE BIBLE IN THIS PARAGRAPH?
Someone showed me this story and remarked that there are twenty books of the Bible hidden here.  He challenged me to find them.  Sure enough they're all here.  Still this thing is a lulu.  Kept me looking so hard for the longest time.  Some of you will get bogged down with facts, others are hit by them like they were some kind of revelation or one may get in a jam, especially since the names are not capitalized and often leap the spaces between the words.  This makes it a real job to find them, but it'll provide a most fascinating few minutes for you.  Yes, there are some really easy ones to spot, but don't get the big head cause truthfully you'll soon figure that it would take more federal judges and preachers numbers of hours to find them all.  I will admit that it usually takes a minister to find one of them, and this is not uncommon, for there are to be loud lamentations when it is pointed out.  One lady says that when she is confronted with puzzles like this, she brews a cup of tea to help her concentrate better, but then this gals a real pro.  Verbs, nouns, and  all that stuff are her thing.  See how well you can compete.  Relax!  If you fail to find them, there's a penalty.  You'll have to go fly a kite, sit on a banana, hum the Battle Hymn of the Republic, or hose a dog (a mean one).  Be careful he does not get to bite you!

The Maltese Cross

The Maltese 8-pointed Cross is a popular image seen in Malta on flags, items for sale and especially in subjects related to the rule of the Knights from 1530 to 1798. The 8 points of the cross represent the obligations or aspirations which the Knights had to follow in their lives, which are also based on the 8 Beatitudes mentioned in the Gospel of Saint Matthew, the opening lines of chapter 5:   
1. To live in truth                  
2. To have a strong faith
3. To repent from your sins   
4. To love justice
5. To show yourself humble   
6. To be merciful
7. To endure persecution      
8. To be sincere and whole-hearted.

Fr Benedict Groeschel, CFR

Fr Benedict Groeschel CFR (1933-2014)

A living saint, a friend, a mentor - all of these are personal attributes I give to Father Benedict Groeschel, who entered heaven just one hour before the feast of his order’s patron, Saint Francis of Assisi. I first heard Fr Benedict on a tape we listened to during dinner while doing a retreat in Spencer Abbey, probably around 1986. Then, I searched for a place where he was giving retreats so that I could attend one of them. Two years later, I was in Malvern, Pennsylvania attending one of his retreats. Somehow I was hooked to him, and in 1998 he became my Spiritual Director for the next 6 years. He also got a liking to me to, asking me to help him transcribe one of his many books, which he gave me in his handwriting on a yellow pad, while also giving me the same script spoken by him on tape. He would come behind me while typing his script, and would saying to me, “Father Julian, how can you decipher that jibberish!”

6 of the 8 capuchins who founded the Friars of the Renewal

In 2001 he visited Malta for the Youth 2000 retreat and even met my family (see photo.) It was in 2002 that I asked him to suggest for me a new Diocese with mission territory. That’s when he suggested I contact Bishop Robert Vasa, then bishop of Baker Diocese, and within a few months, in March 2003, I was a priest of the Diocese, serving in three parishes so far. I owe it to him that I am now serving as pastor in the parish of Bend dedicated to St Francis of Assisi, previously run by the Capuchin Franciscans, whom he knew well. He somehow knew that I would one day become pastor here, because he told me “We have a parish in that Diocese, in Bend, and they could use your talents there.” The rest is history.

With my parents, my brother Marcel and nephews Julian and Peter in Malta in 2001

Fr. Benedict J. Groeschel, beloved priest and preacher, died on October 3, 2014, the vigil of the Feast of St. Francis, after complications with an ongoing illness. He was 81. Fr. Benedict was born in 1933 in Jersey City, NJ and was very proud of his birthplace. He was a co-founder of the Community of Franciscan Friars of the Renewal (CFR), a reform community started in 1987 by eight Capuchin Friars based in New York City. A priest and psychologist, he was director of Trinity Retreat House in Larchmont, New York, and also taught Pastoral Psychology for many years at St. Joseph’s Seminary in Dunwoodie. Fr. Benedict was a popular writer, preacher, retreat master, and evangelist on Catholic television. His greatest joy was serving the poor and underprivileged. Founder of St. Francis House and Good Counsel Homes, he also served as chaplain at Children’s Village in Dobbs Ferry for 14 years.

Fr Benedict preaching during one of his many retreats

Always deeply concerned with the welfare of others, he tirelessly provided food, clothing, and assistance to people in need—people he always considered his friends. He poured himself out for others no matter what the cost — and sometimes the cost to him was very great. It was not simply his wealth of wisdom and knowledge from which many benefited. It was his profound faith and equally profound love, two gifts that he never failed to share generously.
Father Groeschel hosted and appeared on EWTN television shows for more than 25 years. He was ordained a priest in 1959 for the Detroit Capuchin province, and held a master’s degree in counseling and a doctoral degree in psychology. May he rest in peace.

With Blessed Mother Teresa

St Francis of Assisi

St Francis of Assisi (1181-1226)

Probably one of the most beloved and well-known Saints, even among non-Catholics, St Francis became affectionately known as the patron saint of animals. And in his honor, we bless our dogs, our cats, our lizards, horses, hamsters and noisy cockatiels every year. He became one of the Church's most efficient reformers and started by reforming himself. The son of a cloth-merchant, one day he stripped naked in the local piazza and gave his father everything he had, including the clothes he was wearing. Instead he put on him a simple robe and gathered around him a few other men (among them St Anthony) and thus started the Franciscan order.
The catalyst for this move came after a vision he had at the church of San Damiano, when Jesus spoke to him through the famous colorful cross and asked him to go and rebuild his church. This meant literally and figuratively, because he did fix the dilapidated church, but also founded an order which is still going very strong around the world, 800 years after its foundation.
Later in his life, St Francis received the stigmata, the wounds of Christ and also inspired St Clare to start the female counterpart of the Franciscan Order, the Poor Clares. He was also known to have created the first nativity during the Christmas midnight Mass, taking the image of the baby Jesus down to the crypt, where he had already placed a donkey and cow and a manger with straw. 

Icon of St Francis (click to enlarge)

To many of us, St Francis may seem out of touch with reality, rather than a profound philosopher. But that's exactly the kind of people the church needs even today, down-to-earth workers, with a good scale of values and who know where their priorities are. Francis lived a short life, born in 1181 and dying in 1226, but in his short life, he started a revolution of love, compassion, charitable work and encouraged everyone for a life of poverty, a lifestyle that all the Franciscans around the word still imitate.

To see  pictures of the Animal/Pet Blessing from yesterday click on the parish blog:
www.stfrancisbend.blogspot.com
 

St Francis painting

"Apotheosis of St Francis" by Michael Camilleri Cauchi

I share with you today a beautiful painting entitled  "Apotheosis of St Francis," by Michael Camilleri Cauchi, which is located above the choir loft in St Francis chapel in Rabat, Gozo, Malta. It represents the moment when St Francis of Assisi is seen entering heaven, greeted by God the Father, Jesus, Mary and various angels and saints. Click once on the image to enlarge and see in better detail this masterpiece. The artist painted many other religious and biblical paintings in several churches all around Malta and Gozo. Tomorrow I'll share a reflection on the life of our patron saint, Francis of Assisi.

Guardian Angels

The belief in Guardian Angels appears in the Old Testament, although it is not specifically articulated. The belief that angels can be guides and intercessors for men appears in the books of Job and Daniel where angels seem to be assigned to certain countries. In the Gospel Jesus says of children: "See that you do not look down on one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven." This is often understood to mean that children are protected by guardian angels.
The fathers of the Church had differing views on the Guardian Angels. Saint Ambrose, for example, believed that saints lose their guardian angels so that they might have a greater struggle and persevere. Saints Jerome and Basil of Caesarea argued that sin drove the angels away. The first Christian theologian to outline a specific scheme for guardian angels was Honorius. He said that every soul was assigned a guardian angel the moment it was put into a body. St Thomas Aquinas agreed with Honorius and specified that it was the lowest order of angels who served as guardians. Guardian angels appear in literary works throughout the medieval and renaissance periods. 
Popes have always invoked the protection of their Guardian Angels. Pope Pius XI recalled in one of his audiences that he relied on his Guardian Angel’s help when confronting the likes of Hitler and Mussolini. Pope John XXIII in a private conversation with a Canadian bishop attributed the idea of calling an ecumenical council to his Guardian Angel - it was via his Angel that God gave him the inspiration to convene Vatican Council II, which started October 11, 1962, 52 years ago.
One can also name your own Guardian Angels, as I have personally done when I called mine Stephen. Yes, Stephen has been very good to me, protecting me from danger and saving me from near accidents and who knows what else.
PRAYER: Angel of God, my guardian dear, to whom God’s love commits me here, ever this day be at my side, to light and guard, to rule and guide. Amen.

St Therese of Lisieux

Therese Martin as a young girl

Generations of Catholics have admired this young saint, called her the "Little Flower", and found in her short life more inspiration for their own lives than in volumes by theologians.
Yet Therese died when she was 24, after having lived as cloistered Carmelite for less than ten years. She never went on missions, never founded a religious order, never performed great works. The only book of hers, published after her death, was a brief edited version of her journal called "Story of a Soul." But within 28 years of her death, the public demand was so great that she was canonized.
Therese was born in France in 1873, the pampered daughter of a mother who had wanted to be a saint and a father who had wanted to be monk. The two had gotten married but determined they would be celibate until a priest told them that was not how God wanted a marriage to work! They must have followed his advice very well because they had nine children. The five children who lived were all daughters.
Tragedy and loss came quickly to Therese when her mother died of breast cancer when she was four and a half years old. Her sixteen year old sister Pauline became her second mother -- which made the second loss even worse when Pauline entered the Carmelite convent five years later. Therese’s parents were eventually beatified in October 2008.

St Therese as a Carmelite nun in Lisieux

When her other sisters, Marie and Leonie, left to join religious orders (the Carmelites and Poor Clares, respectively), Therese was left alone with her last sister Celine and her father. She wanted to enter the Carmelite convent to join Pauline and Marie but how could she convince others that she could handle the rigors of Carmelite life. When the superior of the Carmelite convent refused to take Therese because she was so young, the formerly shy little girl went to the bishop. When the bishop also said no, she decided to go over his head.
Her father and sister took her on a pilgrimage to Rome to try to get her mind off this crazy idea. Therese loved it. It was the one time when being little worked to her advantage! Because she was young and small she could run everywhere, touch relics and tombs without being yelled at. Finally they went for an audience with the Pope. They had been forbidden to speak to him but that didn't stop Therese. As soon as she got near him, she begged that he let her enter the Carmelite convent. She had to be carried out by two of the guards!
But the Vicar General who had seen her courage was impressed and soon Therese was admitted to the Carmelite convent that her sisters Pauline and Marie had already joined.
Her romantic ideas of convent life and suffering soon met up with reality in a way she had never expected. Her father suffered a series of strokes that left him affected not only physically but mentally. As a cloistered nun she couldn't even visit her father before he died.
She knew as a Carmelite nun she would never be able to perform great deeds. Therese took every chance to sacrifice, no matter how small it would seem. She smiled at the sisters she didn't like. She ate everything she was given without complaining -- often given the worst leftovers.

An unusual photo of Therese's exhumation  in March 1923, before her canonization

When Pauline was elected prioress, she asked Therese for the ultimate sacrifice. Because of politics in the convent, many of the sisters feared that the family Martin would take over the convent. Therefore Pauline asked Therese to remain a novice, in order to allay the fears of the others that the three sisters would push everyone else around. This meant she would never be a fully professed nun. Upon their father’s death, now Celine also entered the convent. Four of the sisters were now together again. In this small convent they now made up one-fifth of the population. Despite this and the fact that Therese was a permanent novice they put her in charge of the other novices.
Then in 1896, she coughed up blood. She kept working without telling anyone until she became so sick a year later everyone knew it. She died on September 30, 1897 at the age of 24 years old. After she died, Pauline put together Therese's and sent 2000 copies to other convents. Within two years, the Martin family had to move because her notoriety was so great and by 1925 she had been canonized.

Getting older

Remember, old folks are worth a fortune, with silver in their hair, gold in their teeth, stones in their kidneys, lead in their feet, and gas in their stomachs. I have become a little older now and a few changes have come into my life. Frankly I have become quite a frivolous old gal. I am seeing five gentlemen every day. 
As soon as I wake up, WILL POWER helps me get out of bed. Then I go down the hall and see JOHN. Next CHARLIE HORSE comes along and takes a lot of my time and attention. When he leaves ARTHUR RITIS shows up and stays the rest of the day. He doesn’t like to stay in one place very long, so he takes me from joint to joint.
After such a busy day, I’m really tired and glad to relax with BEN GAY. What a life !
The preacher came to visit me the other day. He said at my age, I should be thinking about the “hereafter.”
I told him, “Oh I do, all the time. No matter where I am – in the parlor, upstairs, in the kitchen or down in the basement – I keep asking myself, ”NOW WHAT AM I HERE AFTER?”

The Archangels

St. Michael, St. Raphael, St. Gabriel

Today is the feast of the Archangels, Michael, Gabriel and Raphael. Michael - the angel of judgment - is known as the champion in the fight against Satan and the other devils as well as the guardian of the faithful especially at the time of death. Frequently he is portrayed crushing the devil’s head with a lance.
Gabriel - the angel of mercy - is the messenger from God in St Luke’s gospel who foretold the birth of John the Baptist, “Be not afraid, Zechariah, because your prayer has been heard. Your wife, Elizabeth, will bear you a son, and you shall name him John.” Six months later it was Gabriel who appeared to Mary at the Annunciation saying, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus.” Raphael  -  whose name means “God has healed” was sent by God to heal Tobias of his blindness and to deliver Sara from the devil in the book of Tobit.
We tend to underestimate the presence of Angels in our lives. However they are gaining popularity as we see many angel pins on people’s jackets, posters and paintings of various angels are showing up at card stores. And of course at Christmas, there are the angels on ornaments and hanging on nativity scenes. We sing about the angels in several of the Christmas hymns. Angels were also present at Jesus’ tomb when the women went to anoint his body and found the tomb empty. But we are reluctant to accept their actual existence. This is certainly a departure from our childhood when we prayed to our Guardian Angel at least daily. As children we believed that there was truly one angel whose job was to look after us, who would always hover around us ready to protect us from all evil and to communicate our desires and needs to God. The feast of the Guardian Angels in fact is in 3 days, October 2.

Hazelnuts

Many people don’t know that 99% of all hazelnuts in the USA are harvested in our great state of Oregon. The hazelnut industry has been ramping up to meet growing demand, particularly for hazelnut spreads like Nutella, and for exports to China, where hazelnuts are popular during the Chinese New Year celebration. World-wide, Oregon harvest only 7% of the world’s product, but this year, that may increase significantly, because the biggest world’s producer of hazelnuts, Turkey recorded a terrible frost that damaged a large portion of their crops. 

Young hazelnuts on a tree

Turkey produces 70% of the world’s supply, and they are now looking to Oregon for help. Last year, Oregon produced $121 million worth of filiberts or hazelnuts. Over the last 7 years, the acreage devoted to growing hazelnuts in Oregon has grown by 50 percent.

Saint Vincent de Paul

St Vincent de Paul (1581-1660)

St. Vincent was born of poor parents in the village of Pouy in Gascony, France, in 1581. He attended school under the Franciscan Fathers and he impressed so many people that a gentleman chose him as guardian to his children, and he was thus able to continue his studies without being a burden to his parents. In 1596, he went to the University of Toulouse for theological studies, and there he was ordained priest in 1600.
In 1605, on a voyage by sea from Marseilles to Narbonne, he fell into the hands of African pirates and was carried as a slave to Tunis. His captivity lasted about two years, until Divine Providence enabled him to escape. After a brief visit to Rome he returned to France, where he became chaplain to the family of Emmanuel de Gondy, a Count and General of the galleys of France. It was the Countess de Gondy who persuaded her husband to support a group of able and zealous missionaries under the leadership of St Vincent, who would work among poor tenant farmers.

Helping the poor with St. Louise De Marillac

In 1617, De Paul founded the "Ladies of Charity” from a group of women within his parish. He organized these wealthy women of Paris to collect funds for missionary projects, found hospitals, and gather relief funds for the victims of war. In this he had the help of St. Louise De Marillac, and they eventually became known as the Daughters of Charity. After working for some time in Paris among imprisoned galley-slaves, St Vincent returned to be the leader of what is now known as the Vincentians. These priests, with vows of poverty, chastity, obedience and stability, were to devote themselves entirely to the people in smaller towns and villages. At the same time, he began to preach missions.
It would be impossible to enumerate all the works of St Vincent, but charity was his predominant virtue. It extended to all classes of persons, from forsaken childhood to old age. In the midst of the most distracting occupations his soul was always intimately united with God. Though honored by the great ones of the world, he remained deeply rooted in humility. The Apostle of Charity, the immortal Vincent de Paul, died at Paris, September 27, 1660 at the age of eighty. He was canonized in 1737 and he is the patron of charitable societies.
The Society of St Vincent de Paul, a charitable organization dedicated to the service of the poor, was established by French university students in 1833, led by the Blessed Fredric Ozanam. The Society is today present in 132 countries. De Paul University in Chicago takes its name from Vincent de Paul and St. John's University in Queens, New York was founded in 1870 by the Vincentians, as was Niagara University in 1856.

The Value of a Hug

If carrots can hug each other, why can't we?

It’s wondrous what a hug can do.
A hug can cheer you when you’re blue.
A hug can say “I Love you so,”
Or again “I really hate to see you go.”

A hug is “Welcome back again!”
And “Great to see you! Where’ve you been?”
A hug can soothe a small child’s pain,
And bring a rainbow after rain.

A hug - there’s just no doubt about it,
We scarcely can survive without it!
A hug delights and warms and charms,
It must be why God gave us arms.

Hugs are great for father and mothers,
Sweet for sisters, swell for brothers.
And chances are your favorite aunts,
Love them more than potted plants.

Kittens crave them, puppies love them;
Heads of State are not above them.
A hug can break the language barrier,
And make travel so much merrier.

No need to fret about your store of them;
The more you give, the more there’s more of them.
So stretch those arms without delay,
A give someone a hug today!

More from Bouguereau

Adolphe  Bouguereau - The Virgin with Angels

So many of my visitors seemed to have enjoyed the paintings of Adolph Bouguereau, and so, here are three other paintings from his vast collection of intimate depictions of children, mothers, sisters and a special emphasis on the Blessed Mother.

Adolphe  Bouguereau - The Bunch of Grapes

Adolphe  Bouguereau - Mother and children

Adolphe  Bouguereau - Innocence

Meeting Bouguereau

Adolphe Bouguereau "The Virgin with Angels"

Over the next few weeks, I will be introducing you to three of my favorite painters or artists. The first one is William-Adolphe Bouguereau (November 30, 1825 - August 19, 1905) who was a French academic painter. Bouguereau was a staunch traditionalist whose realistic genre paintings and mythological themes were modern interpretations of classical subjects with a heavy emphasis on the female human body.

Adolphe Bouguereau "The Holy Family"

Although he created an idealized world, his almost photo-realistic style was popular with rich art patrons. He was very famous in his time but today his subject matter and technique receive relatively little attention compared to the popularity of the Impressionists. Bouguereau employed traditional methods of working up a painting, including detailed pencil studies and oil sketches, and his careful method resulted in a pleasing and accurate rendering of the human form. His painting of skin, hands, and feet was particularly admired. Prominent among his subjects are pleasantly depicted nude cherubs, angels and children. Near the end of his life he described his love of his art, "Each day I go to my studio full of joy; in the evening when obliged to stop because of darkness I can scarcely wait for the next morning to come back." He left us 826 paintings.

Adolphe Bouguereau "The Motherland"

Saint Pio of Pietralcina

Padre Pio, the stigmatist monk (1887-1968)

Pope John Paul II canonized Padre Pio of Pietralcina on June 16, 2002. It was the 45th canonization ceremony in Pope John Paul's pontificate. More than 300,000 people braved blistering heat as they filled St. Peter's Square and nearby streets. They heard the Holy Father praise the new saint for his prayer and charity. Many people have turned to the Italian Capuchin Franciscan to intercede with God on their behalf; among them was the future Pope John Paul II. In 1962, when he was still an archbishop in Poland, he wrote to Padre Pio and asked him to pray for a Polish woman with throat cancer. Within two weeks, she had been cured of her life-threatening disease.
Born Francesco Forgione in 1887, Padre Pio grew up in a family of farmers in southern Italy. Twice (1898-1903 and 1910-17) his father worked in Jamaica, New York, to provide the family income. At the age of 15, Francesco joined the Capuchins and took the name of Pio. He was ordained in 1910 and was drafted during World War I. After he was discovered to have tuberculosis, he was discharged. In 1917 he was assigned to the friary in San Giovanni Rotondo. On September 20, 1918, as he was making his thanksgiving after Mass, Padre Pio had a vision of Jesus. When the vision ended, he had the stigmata in his hands, feet and side.
Life became more complicated after that. Medical doctors, Church authorities and curiosity seekers came to see Padre Pio. In 1924 and again in 1931, the authenticity of the stigmata was questioned; Padre Pio was not permitted to celebrate Mass publicly or to hear confessions. He did not complain of these decisions, which were soon reversed. However, he wrote no letters after 1924. His only other writing, a pamphlet on the agony of Jesus, was done before 1924.

St Pio with children towards the end of his life

Padre Pio rarely left the friary after he received the stigmata, but busloads of people soon began coming to see him. Each morning after a 5 a.m. Mass in a crowded church, he heard confessions until noon. He took a mid-morning break to bless the sick and all who came to see him. Every afternoon he also heard confessions. In time his confessional ministry would take 10 hours a day; penitents had to take a number so that the situation could be handled. Many of them have said that Padre Pio knew details of their lives that they had never mentioned. Padre Pio saw Jesus in all the sick and suffering. A fine hospital was built on nearby Mount Gargano in the 1940s, known as "House for the Alleviation of Suffering" and has 350 beds. A number of people have reported cures they believe were received through the intercession of Padre Pio. He died on September 23, 1968, was beatified in 1999 and made a saint in 2002.

A kind, caring gesture

An eyewitness account from New York City, on a cold day in December: A little boy about 10 years old was standing before a shoe store on the roadway, barefooted, peering through the window, and shivering with cold. A lady approached the boy and said, "My little fellow, why are you looking so earnestly in that window?" "I was asking God to give  me a pair of shoes," was the boy's reply. The lady took him by the hand  and went into the store and asked the clerk to get half a dozen pairs of socks  for the boy. She then asked if he could give her a basin of water and a  towel.
He quickly brought them to her. She took the little fellow to the  back part of the store and, removing her gloves, knelt down, washed his little feet, and dried them with a towel. By this time the clerk had returned with the socks. Placing a pair upon the boy's feet, she purchased him a pair of shoes. She tied up the remaining pairs of socks and gave them to him.
She patted him on the head and said, "No doubt, my little fellow, you feel more comfortable now?" As she turned to go, the astonished lad caught her  by the hand, and looking up in her face, with tears his eyes, answered the question with these words: "Are you God's Wife?"

Malta - 50 years Independent

PM George Borg Olivier as Malta is declared Independent Sept 21,1964

Malta was ruled over the past 2 millennia by the Romans, the Arabs, the Normans, the Spanish, the Knights of St John, the French and the British. Following a Maltese constitutional referendum in 1964, approved by 54.5% of voters, on September 21st 1964, Malta became an independent state as a Constitutional Monarchy, with Queen Elizabeth II as its Head of State. 

Stamps issued in 1964 to celebrate Independence from England

So September 21st every year is celebrated as Independence Day or Jum l-Indipendenza in Maltese, this year being the 50th anniversary. One can say that both Labor Leader Dom Mintoff, as well as Nationalist Leader and Prime Minister George Borg Olivier contributed towards the attainment of Independence.

Prince William at the celebrations yesterday in Malta with PM

On December 1st 1964, Malta was admitted to the United Nations. In 1965 Malta joined the Council of Europe, and in 1970, Malta signed an Association Treaty with the European Community. Malta was declared a republic on December 13th, 1974 and in 2004, Malta finally became the 25th nation to join the European Union.

Fireworks during the 50th anniversary celebrations

Focus on Malta

A tourist complex called Portomaso, which includes a yacht marina

Since tomorrow is the 50th anniversary of Malta becoming Independent, I want to share some photos today of flood-lit scenes from Malta, photos which I took recently during my visit there. Malta's night life is just as exciting as it is during the day. Just as New York is called the 'city that never sleeps', we can easily say that Malta has become the 'island that never sleeps.' 

St Julian's Bay with restaurants galore

On a few occasions, I was up early at 5 AM to take photos of a sunrise, and people are still walking around from the night before, mostly coming from night clubs and other places of entertainment. Stay tuned for tomorrow's entry on what happened 50 years ago.

Domed churches dominate every Malta skyline

Another restaurant known as Barracuda at Balluta Bay

Saint Januarius

St Januarius, patron of Naples, Italy

St. Januarius (Gennaro) is a patron saint of and former bishop of Naples in the 4th century. Januarius and his friends were initially sentenced to be eaten by the lions, tigers, and bears at the Naples amphitheater. Although the beasts had been starved for several days before the day of the planned transformation of the Christians into animal crackers, the beasts refused to attack Januarius and his colleagues. The spectators at the amphitheater were frightened by the indifference of the starving animals to the Christians and rumors began to circulate that the Christians had magical powers and were possibly protected by their god. The governor of Campania ordered their immediate beheading and Januarius' body was later returned to the Cathedral in Naples.
Over a century later, it was purported that a vial of St. Januarius' blood surfaced and was preserved and permanently fixed in the metal reliquary in the Cathedral of Naples. Thousands of people assemble to witness this event in the Cathedral of Naples, three times a year: on September 19 (Saint Januarius day, to commemorate his martyrdom), on December 16 (to celebrate his patronage of both Naples and of the archdiocese), and on the Saturday before the first Sunday of May (to commemorate the reunification of his relics).

Naples Cardinal shows the liquefied blood of St Januarius

Sometimes the "blood" liquefies immediately, other times it takes hours.  When the priest brings the vial to the altar that holds the saint's blood, the people, who gather by the thousands, pray that the blood becomes liquid once again. If the miracle takes place, the officiant proclaims, "Il miracolo é fatto!" ("The miracle has happened.") and waves a white handkerchief. Then the hymn 'Te Deum' is sung and the reliquary is taken to the altar rail so the faithful can kiss the vial.  There have been a few instances when the substance in the vial had not liquefied and the faithful believes that it is a sign of impending peril. Five times when liquefaction has failed there have been major disasters, the latest being an earthquake in southern Italy that killed 3,000 people in 1980.

Jesus in my heart

A four year old was at the pediatrician for a check up. As the doctor looked down her ears with an otoscope, he asked, "Do you think I'll find Big Bird in here?" The little girl stayed silent. Next, the doctor took a tongue depressor and looked down her throat. He asked, "Do you think I'll find the Cookie Monster down there?" Again, the little girl was silent.
Then the doctor put a stethoscope to her chest. As he listened to her heart beat, he asked, "Do you think I'll hear Barney in there?" "Oh, no!" the little girl replied. "Jesus is in my heart. Barney's on my underpants."

Saint Robert Bellarmine

St Robert Bellarmine (1542-1621)

Born at Montepulciano, Italy, October 4, 1542, St. Robert Bellarmine was the third of ten children. His mother, Cinzia Cervini, a niece of Pope Marcellus II, was dedicated to almsgiving, prayer, meditation, fasting, and mortification of the body.
Robert entered the newly formed Society of Jesus in 1560 and after his ordination went on to teach at Louvain (1570-1576) where he became famous for his Latin sermons. In 1576, he was appointed to the chair of controversial theology at the Roman College, becoming Rector in 1592; he went on to become Provincial of Naples in 1594 and Cardinal in 1598. This outstanding scholar and devoted servant of God defended the Apostolic See against the anti-clericals in Venice and against the political tenets of James I of England. 
He composed an exhaustive apologetic work against the prevailing heretics of his day. In the field of church-state relations, he was also very effective in a time of major upheaval all over Europe. Remember that these were the days of the Protestant Reformation, with various leaders starting their own religion, King Henry VIII and the Anglican/Episcopalian religion, Luther with Lutheranism, Calvin and Zwingli in central Europe, and others. And like other well-know priest saints of this era, Robert was able to defend the church with the likes of St Vincent de Paul, St Ignatius of Loyola, St Francis Xavier, St Julian Peter Eymard, St Francis De Sales, St John Baptist Vianney, St Charles Borromeo and many others.

Robert Bellarmine was the spiritual father of St. Aloysius Gonzaga, a Jesuit novice, and also helped St. Francis de Sales obtain formal approval of the Visitation Order, the female order founded by St Jane Frances de Chantal. He has left us a host of important writings, including works of devotion and instruction, as well as controversy. He died in 1621 and was canonized by Pope Pius XI in 1930; the following year he was declared a Doctor of the Church. His remains, in a cardinal's red robes, are displayed behind glass under a side altar in the Church of Saint Ignatius, the chapel of the Roman College, next to the body of his student, St. Aloysius Gonzaga, as he himself had wished.

337

A Cabernet Sauvignon wine bottle, 337

As everyone knows, I do not drink. Actually I do drink, on the job. And recently with 4 Masses on Sundays, I’m always afraid of being pulled over and given a breathalyser test, and then trying to convince a policeman that it is my duty to drink on the job, during Mass,

although that is actually the Blood of Christ.

My father in his winter uniform with the number 337

Having said that, during a recent visit to the local Safeway Food Store I noticed a bottle of wine with an intriguing label, 337. I have always been fascinated by that number, because it was my father’s police number, which he used on his uniform. I have used the number in some combination on my passwords and of course I think of my father every time this number stands out, like when gasoline is $3.37, or seeing a house number, or even seeing that Lafayette, Louisiana has 337 as an area code.

My father in his summer uniform in 1971, just before he retired

So I dedicate this entry to my dad, and sharing with you a photo of the bottle of wine, which I will keep for as long as I can, and think of my father every time I look at it, which is very frequently, because it is right here in front of me.

Our Lady of Sorrows

"The Seven Sorrows of Mary" by Adriaen Isenbrant

The liturgical feast of Our Lady of Sorrows is celebrated a day after the feast of the Cross, and even though we are far from the Lenten season, the church asks us to reflect on the 7 sorrows that Mary experienced, as beautifully depicted in this image by Adriaen Isenbrant from the 16th century, a panel visible in Bruges, Belgium. The 7 sorrows that Mary had to face were these, as described in each of the panels surrounding the image of the Sorrowful Mother:
1. Jesus’ circumcision.
2. The escape into Egypt.
3. Jesus lost and found in the temple.
4. Seeing Jesus carrying the cross and meeting him on the way to Calvary.
5. The crucifixion of Jesus.
6. The Pieta, as the dead body of Jesus is laid on her lap.
7. The burial of Jesus.

An old image of the Sorrowful Mother from Marsaxlokk church, Malta

The beautiful hymn Stabat Mater Dolorosa is sung frequently during Lent, especially during the Stations of the Cross. The first three words mean Stood the mournful Mother weeping,” and the poem was written by Jacopone de Todi in the 13th century, and was set to music by various composers including  Palestrina, Pergolesi, Scarlatti, Vivaldi, Haydn, Rossini, and Dvorák. Here are the first 2 verses:

At the Cross her station keeping,
stood the mournful Mother weeping,
close to her Son to the last.

Through her heart, His sorrow sharing,
all His bitter anguish bearing,
now at length the sword has passed.