An Extraordinary Opportunity in Rome Not to Be Missed

Please join us this October for a chance in a lifetime journey to the See of Peter along with our dear friend, Fr. Z, as chaplain.

This will be an extraordinary opportunity for you to see the best of Rome and the Vatican while traveling with some truly interesting and knowledgeable Catholic guides and pilgrims, of diverse backgrounds.

If you have ever wanted to see Rome, but found yourself waiting for the right time, this is your chance for a resonant experience.    

Join us on this spiritual journey to the tombs of the Blessed Apostles.

Pray at the holy sites.  See the relics.  Immerse yourself in a Catholic ethos - the mystical climate of Catholic Rome.

See the art of the saints.  It was Abraham Lincoln who once said: “The highest art is always the most religious, and the greatest artist is always a devout person.“

Fr. Z, the great polyvalent Catholic journalist and inimitable online evangelization pioneer, will celebrate daily Mass for the group in the Extraordinary Form.  

For information, registration and itinerary, see here and contact me directly: www.oc-travel.com.

The deadline for registration is August 1.  Space is limited.  Save your spot now.   

Summer in Rome on the Beach: Welcome to Santa Marinella

Cross in Car

An easy way to show your team colors. 

Display a blessed object in your auto.

Say a prayer every time you start your engine.  

Rich Liturgical Life in the Vatican

Mass with the Canons of St. Peter's Basilica.

A pity we don't have things like canons in the USA.  They add so much to the liturgical life of a diocese and cathedral.  And they guarantee the hours are chanted on schedule and in public, which is difficult and impossible to aim for, without a paid full-time and capable staff.  Lay volunteers cannot be expected to keep up with this long-term commitment.  It is a beautiful life to be a canon, in retirement, after a long and privileged service at the altar.

What It's Like Arriving at the Port of Rome at Dusk

Civitavecchia (in Lazio).  So many memories.  I once met Anita Garibaldi here.  And Cardinal Law.  On a clear day you can see Monte Argentario (Tuscany) on the horizon.  The Island of Monte Cristo is nearby, too.  Never wear the Roma soccer colors here, as the locals cheer for Lazio.  Every day of the year you can see a gorgeous sunset along the sea horizon.  Where to eat?  The locals rave bout the Pizzeria del Ghetto.  What to see?  The locals rave about the Saturday morning market.  There are also nice ancient ruins and hot springs. 

Crossing the Street in Rome

Summer Hat in Rome

Just make a visit to the Fratelli Vigano' near the Trevi Fountain. 

These straw hats are all made in Ecuador.

Excellent for summer. 

Cardinal Pacelli's Titular Church in Rome

Once yours truly went to the Passionist archives here and looked at the old photo albums of when Cardinal Pacelli took possession as well as when Cardinal Spellman took possession.  Was great to see the old pics.  Was also the titular church of Card. O'Connor of the New York See. 

Victory: Deutschland ist Weltmeister!

World Cup 2014 Victory

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mxjl_2a-gFM

Team Ratzinger Wins

Image from Facebook (I komu to przeszkadzalo?)

Viva Germania: Go Team Ratzinger!

"Prosit!"

My Grandfather in 1938

His last words to me last January: "I'm not in charge."  I always teased him about his longevity; that he would live to be 100.  His smiling answer was always the same: "Hey, I'm not in charge."  Then he would go on to talk about his volunteer work.  Bringing Holy Communion to the sick and dying at United Hospital.  May his memory be eternal.  He is worthy: ἄξιος!

World Cup Final in the Vatican

Traditional Habit in the Vatican

As the 64 Bus Door Closes

Rome Bug

Catholic India

Rome Summer

American Soldiers Enter Rome

Led by their leader, General Mark Clark with General Keies. 

At the Train Station of Centocelle on the Via Casilina, entering the city from the southeast.

The whole area is built up today.  Then it was just fields leading into Termini.   

American Solderis in St. Peter's Square

AD 1944. 

American Tanks at Roman Basilica of St. Paul's Outside the Walls

AD 1944. 

7th Anniversary of Summorum Pontificum

Many thanks to Henri and the Schola Sainte Cecile! 

Photo taken at Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Chartres.

Fraternitas Sacerdotalis Sancti Petri

http://www.fssp.org/

The Signal Hill

Pioneers in the life movement.

Support them...

https://www.thesignalhill.com/

1940 Ford

Everybody has a favorite auto.

For yours truly it is the '40 Ford Deluxe.

It's a family thing.  

Dedicated to Geno.

"Forties Forever."  

Pontifical North American College

North America's seminary in the Eternal City.

Live the Spirituality of the Mass

Padre Pio, pray for us!

Thanks, Fr. Vossi!

Order New "Health Risks of Abortion" Brochure Here

Help educate youth and others: http://www.lifecanada.org/our-members/lifecanada-store.

FSSP in URBE

Follow the dome, across the Ponte Sisto. 

If you live in Trastevere, it's a quick walk.  

Canadian College in Rome

Pro-Abortion Politicians Who Receive the Sacraments

This pro-life monument stands at the Church of Stephen (North Vancouver, Canada) where on March 4, 1971, the Prime Minister of Canada married 22-year-old Margaret Sinclair, 30 years his junior.  She converted to Catholicism for the marriage.  Within six years they were separated and were finally divorced in 1984.  It was Trudeau and Turner, two Catholics, who brought legal abortion into Canada with their now infamous omnibus bill, the Criminal Law Amendment Act, Bill C-150.  It introduced major changes to the Criminal Code of Canada and was the biggest reform of criminal and penal law ever attempted at one time in Canada.   

Saul Alinsky's Disciples - Preview

Unbroken - Louis Zamperini - CBS Sunday Morning - 5-27-12

Pastors: Travel Italy with Us

http://oc-travel.com/

Rome Happy Birthday Wishes

Many years to Fr. Ludwig Pichler, SJ who turns 99 years old today!

He can still sing and has a great memory.  Now living at the Jesuit HQ near the Vatican.

He was the finest choir director in Rome for many decades.  I can still see him conducting, at the Russicum, moving in the shadows and following every movement of the exhilarating Byzantine chant of the Church. 

I once asked him where he was born and he quipped: "The Austro-Hungarian Empire."

 Меогая Літа! AMDG!

Louis Zamperini - A True American Hero

Louis Zamperini RIP: AD 1917 - 2014

Aka "The Greatest American." 

Read his story here: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2014/07/03/wwii-hero-olympian-zamperini-dies-at-7/.

Be inspired. 

One word: hero. 

Born During the Reign of Pope Leo XIII

Longevity is a topic which fascinates many.

She just turned 116.  Born during the 1800s. 

The Creator be praised.  Jesus Christ, Lord of history.   

See here: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2014/07/04/at-116-arkansas-woman-named-oldest-american/?intcmp=latestnews.

Pro-Life Memes

There are lots online.  Yours truly made this one. 

Catholic China

Fr. Peter Chiang on his ordination day in May of 1954.  This year marks 60 years a priest of God.  He entered the seminary in 1939.  A saint.  Hearty congrats, Father!

See here for his inspiring story:  http://www.bccatholic.ca/the-news/3994-priest-celebrates-60-years-of-challenging-vocation.

Catholic Culture: Country Parish

A great joy to worship in little countryside parishes.

So peaceful and special to pray here.   

This is Sts. Joachim and Ann, located in Aldergrove, Canada.

This creed was written on a small funeral card found in the back of church:

A Farmer's Creed

I believe a man's greatest possession is his dignity and that no call bestows this more abundantly than farming.
I belive hard work and honest sweat are the building blocks of a person's character.
I believe that farming, despite its hardships and disappointments, is the most honest and honorable way a man can spend his days on earth.
I believe farming nurtures the close family ties that make life rich in ways money can't buy.
I believe my children are learning values that will last a lifetime and can be learned in no other way.
I believe farming provides education for life and that no other occupation teaches so much about birth, grown and maturity in such a variety of ways.
I believe many of the best things in life are indeed free; the splendor of a sunrise, the rapture of wide open spaces, the exhilarating sight of your land greening each spring.
I believe that true happiness comes from watching your crops ripen in the field, your children grow tall in the sun, your whole family feel the pride that springs from their shared experience.
I believe that by my toil I am giving more to the world than I am taking from it, an honor that does not come to all men.
I believe my life will be measured ultimately by what I have done for my fellowman and by this standard I fear no judgment.  I believe when a man grows old and sums up his days he should be able to stand tall and feel pride in the life he's lived.
I believe in farming because it makes all this possible. 

Evangelization Imges from Facebook

From ADOREMUS IN AETERNUM. 

Love and Cherish Life

Ten weeks from conception. 

You were once like this, not so long ago.

Your fate rested in the hands of others.

The miracle of life.  Personhood status must be safeguarded.

Large Families

A beautiful thing.

The marriage vow. 

When you are wed, the priest asks you: "Will you accept children lovingly from God and bring them up according to the law of Christ and His Church?  (Bride and Groom respond, "I will."). 

The world tells us pregnancy is a disease.  We know better.  Children are arrows in the quiver, as the the Psalmist David instructs us. 

Festoon

The festal garland of ancient Rome. 

Nice to see these old Roman elements. 

They maintain their charm, thousands of years later. 

National Pro-Life Conference in Canada

October 23-25, 2014 in Vancouver. 

For info: https://www.thesignalhill.com/.

Pray for the Popes

Healer, Miracle Worker, King of Kings, Father of All

Cloverdale, Canada.