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Thank you, thank you, thank you Cardinal Pell! If it weren't for him, the secretary of the Synod (Cardinal Baldisseri) would have gotten his way in not having the reflections on the controversial Relatio by the various sub-groups published. A quick perusal of the reports shows why the Secretary...

I'll be returning to Assisi for a day on my way up to Mantova for my summer assignment. If there are any prayer requests you'd like me to leave at the tombs of Francis and Clare, I'll be sure to porta via.

Since exams are finally done, I find myself in philosophical musings. Oh, Winnie-the-Pooh; the lovable friend of my childhood. Pooh-bear has run into a major ''bother'' lately. The newest Pooh Bear episodes seem to have switched out Christopher Robin with some girl. Unfortunately, from the...

I've got a new formal debate going on the Filioque. Please pray for us. Here is the link, if you want to follow along: http://www.christianforums.com/t7826594/#post65822843

I am tired of the unfavorable comparisons of Benedict to Francis which are still going on, and my frustration can be summed up in this: there are very few people in the world who actually care about the Pope. When I was taking sociology courses, I remember reading an article on the reporting of...

I'd like to propose a classic debate: the inclusion of the Filioque clause in the Nicaea-Constantinopolitan Creed. I'd be willing to debate either the historical validity of it, the theological validity, or both (preferably both). Since the theology of the Creed can get very complex, I'd suggest...

A lot of important things happened this week in the Eternal City in preparation for Holy Week, and the upcoming canonizations of Bl. John Paul II and John XXIII. Here are a few important and not-so-much stories I've run across: First of all, the Pope grabbed headlines on an address given in...

When I was at the Holy Father's penance service yesterday, I saw something I hadn't seen before, and now I think it's the most profound part of the Basilica. Walk with me: Entering the Basilica through the Doors of the Seven Sacraments, you find in front of you the stone on which Charlemagne...

On Tuesday, I will be heading to Subiaco - the city where St. Benedict established his first monastery. Does anyone have a prayer-request I can porto to the monks there?

The Pope announced again that 2015 will be the Year for Consecrated Life. He spoke about each consecrated religious being "a gift from God," and related it to the consecration of Christ in the temple. Translation will come once I have the transcript. And, as usual, it rained.

The Holy Father appear very tired last Sunday; his voice was very quiet and he didn't have his usual energy. There was an unusually small crowd, and very few Romans; mostly the people present were foreign pilgrims. There was near me, though, a pleasant and boisterously peppy Italian youth group...

Here's my translation: Dear brothers and sisters, greetings! This second Sunday of Advent falls on the feast of the Immaculate Conception of Mary, and so our gaze is attracted to the beauty of the Mother of Jesus, our Mother. With great joy, the Church contemplates [this passage]: "full of...

Sorry, I'm slow this week. There's some really good stuff this week, and the Holy Father gets into the concept of sacred Time, which is one of my favority theological concepts. I only have energy to do a small part today, and I'll post more tomorrow. Dear brothers and sisters, good day...

In a recent thread, I said I'd try to provide my observations and a translation of the weekly Angelus address. Please remember that I cannot in any way replace official translations. I'll start with an initial outline, and try to get a translation later. The Holy Father's breath was somewhat...

The College hosted the Military Oversees Assembly of the Knights of Columbus today, and we had a great time. We had military officers, soldiers, and their families throughout the day, had all the K of C ceremonies, and finished up with dinner in the city. I finally got my Fourth Degree, so you...

One of the darkest moments in my life as a catechist came from this movie being shown to my catechism class at the recommendation of the diocese's resource center for catechesis. The acting is bad, the writing is worse, and the history is a joke, but it gives me a good laugh every time I view...

I'm going to say something that's been bothering me for a while now. In this city there are many beggars, most of them gypsies or some other semi-nomadic ethnic-group. I know that many of them are organized into ''families'' with a patriarch at the top who offers protection and living...

I spent the weekend in the lovely town of Norcia (Nursia), which is the birthplace of Benedict and Scholastica. While there, I stayed with the benedictine monks in a monastery which was re-established by three Americans (one of them, the current abbot, a professor of liturgy) around the year...

Buon giorno, tutti. I'm spending this month in Assisi taking an intensive course in Italian (one week down, three to go). Tomorrow, I'm visiting the crypt of St. Francis to pray for my own intentions; does anyone else have any intentions I can present at the tomb of Francis?

I have something rather surprising to announce. I am not known for brevity, and this post will not be an exception; but in short, I will be less active on this forum. The reason for this is that I will be changing my icon. After quite a lot of prayer and a couple of inexplicable events, as...