Ruminations of an Amateur Monastic
Blessing of the “Rucksacks” This past weekend was a crazy whirl of last minute errands and bon voyages. Although I’m not leaving until Easter Sunday, and Francine not until the 17th of April, we thought it best to avoid the rushing around the week before Easter. We topped up our equipment at the REI sale in Tacoma on Saturday. Some […]
» Read moreThe Vatican Press Office (VIS) has announced Pope Francis’ new papal coat of arms. They are identical to those he used as bishop. The image here is not official, but it’s based on the Pope’s old arms and the description given by the press office. Only the motto is missing. The shield has a bright blue background, at the centre […]
» Read morePilgrims on the Camino carry a Credencial, or pilgrim’s passport. They are issued by various Confraternities of Saint James, and you can also get one at Cathedrals and other places along the Way. The idea is that you get it stamped each day – ideally several times a day – to record where you’ve been and to prove that you’re […]
» Read moreThe photo here was taken by a pilgrim yesterday at Roncesvalles. The passes are choked with snow, and at this point people have to walk on the highway to get from Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port to Roncesvalles. And it’s taking them two days. I won’t have that kind of time, and I’m leaving in just over two weeks. Even assuming the snow is […]
» Read moreSo yesterday amid the Papal hoopla and huzzahs, my old friend Rev. Bryan Dolejsi invited me to be a guest on his radio show. Father Dolejsi is the Director of Vocations for the Archdiocese of Seattle, and his show, called “Vocation Radio” is broadcast on Sacred Heart Radio several times a week. So we munched on the pizza ordered by […]
» Read moreIn the cold light of morning, Fr. Z. has a wonderful reflection on the election of Pope Francis. This morning, the new Pope apparently flummoxed his security detail by taking a single car to Santa Maria Maggiore, my favourite church in Rome, and praying and laying flowers at an altar of Our Lady. While at the church, Pope Francis also […]
» Read moreBrothers and sisters good evening. You all know that the duty of the Conclave was to give a bishop to Rome. It seems that my brother Cardinals have gone almost to the ends of the earth to get him… but here we are. I thank you for the welcome that has come from the diocesan community of Rome. First of […]
» Read moreAnnuntio vobis gaudium magnum: Habemus Papam; Eminentissimum ac reverendissimum Dominum, Dominum Georgium Marium Sanctae Romanæ Ecclesiae Cardinalem Bergoglio, Qui sibi nomen imposuit Franciscus.
» Read moreLet us pray together for the Cardinals as they go into conclave to elect the next Successor to Saint Peter: Heavenly Father, Give us a Shepherd after your own heart – endowed with supernatural wisdom and courage, with unshakable faith and deep humility, capable of sacrificial service. May he be zealous to defend Holy Mother Church, her sacred teaching, the […]
» Read moreFrancine and I were sick most of the week with a cold that would not quit. I stayed home Wednesday and Thursday. An attempt at working from home on Friday was a spectacular failure. Needless to say, our whole training schedule this week was a shambles. And by shambles I mean this: on Wednesday I walked a block to the […]
» Read moreAt the highest point of the Camino in Spain, upon the plateau of Monte Irago, is a cross. This cross, called Cruz de Ferro (literally, “iron cross”) is a tall oak post with a small iron cross attached to the top. All around the cross is a large pile of stones. Pilgrims have been laying a stone at Cruz de […]
» Read moreBenedictus vir, qui confidit in Domino, et erit Dominus fiducia eius. Et erit quasi lignum, quod transplantatur super aquas, quod ad humorem mittit radices suas: et non timebit, cum venerit æstus. Et erit folium eius viride, et in tempore siccitatis non erit sollicitum, nec aliquando de sinet facere fructum. (Jeremiah 17:7-8) In both the Ordinary and the Extraordinary Form of […]
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