Sunday, June 27, 2010

Eugenio Pacelli with Eugenio Pacelli

Name your kids after popes.

I myself was named after John Paul the Great.  Name one of your kids after Gregory and another after Clement, etc.

This nice guy, Signor Pacelli, was born on March 5, 1939.  So?  His parents named him Eugenio in honor of the new Pope! 

He was born near Viterbo and now lives at the port of Rome, Civitavecchia.  Photo taken at Santa Marinella, near Rome.

Friday, June 25, 2010

What to Read While in Rome

Just glorious.

Read it in the shadow of the mighty Coliseum.


Better yet, read it before your trip to Rome and be inspired.

Rome Quotes

"Bear the burden of one another's failings; then you will be fulfilling the law of Christ."

-Galatians 6:2

Oremus ad Michaelem Archangelum, Ut Medici Abortiva Perferrentes Convertantur

Persequemini orantes!
http://www.hli.org/st_michael_prayer.html/.

Sanctus Míchael Archángelus

Prínceps gloriosíssime caeléstis milítiae, sancte Míchael Archángele, defénde nos in proelio advérsus príncipes et potestátes, advérsus mundi rectóres tenebrárum harum, contra spirituália nequítiae in caeléstibus.

Veni in auxílium hóminum, quos Deus ad imáginem similitúdinis suae fecit, et a tyránnide diáboli emit prétio magno.

Te custódem et patrónum sancta venerátur Ecclésia; tibi trádidit Dóminus ánimas redemptórum in supérna felicitáte locándas.

Deprecáre Deum pacis, ut cónterat Sátanam sub pédibus nostris, ne ultra váleat captívos tenére hómines et Ecclésiae nocére.

Offer nostras preces in conspéctu Altíssimi, ut cito antícipent nos misericórdiae Dómini, et apprehéndas dracónem, serpéntem antíquum, qui est diábolus et sátanas et ligátum mittas in abýssum, ut non sedúcat ámplius gentes.

Amen.

Rome's "Little House on Humility Street" Restored

Now the Casa Santa Maria, once the actual Pontifical North American College.

The outside has been restored and it looks great!

From the Vatican: Calla Lily

In Rome these bloom in May. 

However, this one still shines the end of June!

How to Get More Nuns?

Out of hundreds of possible ways of fostering vocations, prayer was the single one Our Lord specified:

"The harvest, He told them, is plentiful enough, but the laborers are few; you must ask the Lord to Whom the harvest belongs to send laborers out for the harvesting." 

-Luke 10:2.

Polish Photographer of the Polish Pope: Grzegorz Galazka

Mundus Imaginalis.

Instaurare Omnia In Christo (To Restore All Things in Christ)

Make this your motto.

Thursday, June 24, 2010

Return of the Tiara


Yours truly took this pic today of the new papal Lancia with tiara on papal arms.

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Tomb of Monsignor Richard J. Schuler (1920 - 2007)

He was good at being a priest.  A father to many.  He was a vessel of election during this tricky postconciliar era.  We were his sons and he loved us.  He promoted vocations.  He treated us as equals.  His mildness, joy and benevolence were felt by all.  His benign influence was felt by countless priests and future priests.  He had an open door and all were welcome at his table.  He had leniency and justice in dealing with youth.  He was eminently civil.  A true gentleman.  He loved the providence of God, the Roman rite and the Church's patrimony of sacred music.  He loved Rome and further excited me to love Her.  When he passed away I felt a major loss in my life.  He always kept his sense of humor and was fiercely loyal to the See of Peter.  He ought to be raised to the honors of the altar.

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Tomb of Very Reverend Richard T. O'Connor (1911 - 1998)

He had the brilliant mind of a rapier.  He had graduated from high school with my grandfather in 1929 and went on to study at Rome's Pontifical North American College and was ordained in Rome.  He was my first inspiration to know and love Rome.  The Lord gave me the passion through him.  He once said to my mother that he had been ordained over the tomb of St. Peter and that it had not all been a bed of roses.  In later years he was blind and was the best Confessor I have ever witnessed.  I cried my eyes out the last time I saw him.  I always wanted to be like him.  He was my hero. 

Tomb of Monsignor Clarence J. "Mike" Steiner (1918 - 1998)

This is the priest who most formed me in my youth.  He had studied at Louvain before the war.  My father had been his altar boy and then I, too, had the same honor.  My parents were with him when he passed away.  He loved to hear Confessions.  While in the 8th grade he became my weekly confessor.  He was a holy man.  After I made my Confession he would always say: "That was a very good Confession.  Remember that it was God's grace that brought you here."  I will never forget those words, or his mercy.  I wept bitterly at his funeral.

Tomb of Father John Kelley (1932 - 2002)

The priest who heard my first Confession and gave me my first Holy Communion.  He was a former Crosier.  He was a.k.a. "Machine-gun Kelley" or "Shot-gun Kelley" thanks to his quick Low Mass which meant a lot to a lot of people.

Tomb of Father Patrick D. Lannan (1941 - 1998)

A fine man.  Please pray for the repose of his soul.  He was instrumental in my formation.  I was his proud altar boy for years.  He was a big shot and wealthy and we all looked up to him.

When in Rome: Shine Your Shoes

After a shine and before a shine.

My pastor, Fr. Pat Lannan, gave me these old shoes of his in 1997.

I still wear them and this is the before and after of yesterday's shoe shine!

Please pray for the repose of his soul (1941 - 1998).

Catholic Shop

See here: http://www.latinmassliturgicals.com/Default.asp.

The American Seminarian

He has become famous in Rome.

Read here: http://www.dioceseofraleigh.org/news/view.aspx?id=832.

Rome's Pius XII Statue

Scultore Prof.
Antonio Berti Fiorentino
William Ciocchetti Esegui
A.D. MCMLXVII

Restauro 1998
Circolo S. Pietro

Monday, June 21, 2010

Rome Hunt in the Sea

You don't want to meet an infuriated beast like this.

The Emperors themselves used to eat these during the time of the ancient Empire.

With pompous eulogiums one can extol a dead octopus, but dinner is dinner and Martial would agree.

Franciscan Sisters of the Immaculate

Desire to save souls.

I am not alone, Jesus is with me.

"I will do everything within my power to save souls, and I will do it through prayer and suffering."

-St. Maria Faustina

Tiara Above New Entrance to the Musei Vaticani

A.D. 1999.

Scala Regia of the Palazzo Apostolico

Pius XI, of glorious memory, had this new granite floor put in in the twenties.

Always genius and munificence from this great Pontiff. 

Rome Quotes

"Great is the power of a priest."

-St. Maria Faustina of the Most Blessed Sacrament

Rome's Mother Teresa Statue

Placed here in 2005 this nice monument was donated by India.

15 Thousand priests with the pope to end the Year for Priests

Saturday, June 19, 2010

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

Pope Benedict XVI Blesses New Bronze Bust of Venerable Pius XII

Photo credit: Osservatore Romano.

June 2, 2010: Pope Benedict blesses new bust of Pope Pacelli made in Rome for the Rome resort town of Santa Marinella where the young Pacelli vacationed in his youth.

Monday, June 14, 2010

Finally in English: Get it Here

One great Dominican legend who taught us in Rome was Fr. Sergio Tommaso Stancati, O.P.

His passion is eschatology and he is the first guy ever to translate into English the famous Prognosticon Futuri Saeculi which was written by the bishop St. Julian of Toledo in the vii century A.D. (this volume is a must read and it even addresses questions of bioethics).  Until now it was only available in Latin, Spanish, Italian, etc. 

See here: http://www.prognosticum.info/.

Low Mass with an American Bishop in Rome






June 13, 2010

Church of Jesus and Mary on the Via del Corso.

Holy Mass hosted by Institute of Christ the King.

Rome Tomb of Claretta Petacci

A rather pagan looking tomb.

Grandma once said: "Live by the sword, die by the sword."

Santissima Trinità dei Pellegrini


How to construct a nice Baroque facade...