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The Padre of the Atolls
Editor: This true story was originally published in the La Salette magazine, Our Lady’s Missionary in April, 1944. Please read the unaltered text, realizing it needs “editing” due to our present-day sensitivities. It is republished here in honor of the many La Salette Missionaries around the world who served valiantly as Chaplains in many wars for many countries and the soldiers in arms.
The scene could have been almost anywhere on the Pacific Fighting Front of World War II. It happened to be on a coral reef in the Marshalls of the Central Pacific. . .
From the beginning it must be said that the “Padre” was dead. He had died like... but wait, let’s not get ahead of the story. You see, the “Padre” was our Chaplain. He had “fathered” us across the Pacific through thick and thin. He got so that he knew every one of us as though we were his own sons. And we, like sons, loved him as a father.‘Laudato Si', Coronavirus and Pope Francis
Fans of “The Simpsons” will recall the episode in which Lisa discovers a buried skeleton people take to be the remains of an angel, and the case ends up in court. Judge Snyder declares that the trial will “settle the age-old question of science versus religion,” and he wraps things up by issuing a restraining order requiring science and religion to stay 500 yards away from each other.
Pope Francis celebrates Easter Mass in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican in 2015; photo: Catholic News Service/Paul HaringLike most comedies, the episode got laughs because it captured a truth, which is that over the centuries, science and religion often haven’t been on good speaking terms. Catholics often get defensive about such perceptions, insisting (rightly) that the Church has been a great patron of the sciences, but that doesn’t change the fact that from Galileo to the Scopes Monkey Trial, the science/religion relationship often has been tense.
Living the Easter Season—Recognizing Jesus
...On the third Sunday of Easter the Gospel is the story of the two disciples on the way to Emmaus, taken from Luke (24:13-35). Of all the Gospel writers, Luke is probably the best storyteller. Almost all the memorable Gospel stories come from Luke: the Prodigal Son, Lazarus and the Rich Man, the Good Samaritan and the disciples on the way to Emmaus.
Telling wonderful stories
As with all of Luke’s stories, we are given rich details. Two disciples (later, we learn that one is named Cleopas) are leaving Jerusalem “that very day”— Easter Sunday — and heading toward Emmaus, a town not far from Jerusalem. We are simply told the two are deeply engaged in conversation about “the things that had happened.” Clearly this is no chat. It is not a stretch to see here two people in shock.
The Pope is a Man; He Suffers Like the Rest of Us
Lucio Brunelli, journalist and specialist on the Vatican of long standing for the Italian secular news program Tg2, met Pope Francis well before Jorge Mario Bergoglio rose to the papal throne. And he continued to meet with the Argentinian pontiff once the latter was elected Pope. In his latest book, published February 21, Brunelli reveals to the public a more candid face of this successor of Peter.
“Pope Francis: As I Know Him” (Papa Francesco: Come l’ho conosciuto io, San Paolo Edizioni) is a diary of memories based on interviews, letters and phone calls. The result is an extraordinary and delicate story of friendship, a word that the author never actually uses out of deference to Francis.
Our Challenging Easter Journey
We continue in our Easter journey, walking with Jesus in these days after his Resurrection.
In our readings from the Third Sunday of Easter, we hear of the beautiful hope that we have in Jesus. St. Peter tells us in the first reading: “But God raised him up, releasing him from the throes of death, because it was impossible for him to be held by it.” God will not let us perish! This is our hope and this is our faith.
We have a companion on our journey
Supper at Emmaus by Caravaggio (1571-1610); photo National Gallery, LondonWe are still facing challenges, even after all these weeks. There are still many people dying from the coronavirus and there is still so much fear and uncertainty. We know that God’s love is stronger than death. We know this — because as we celebrate in this Easter season — God has raised Jesus Christ from the dead and given him glory. And we know that Jesus goes with us, that he hears our cries and answers our prayers. This is the promise of today’s beautiful passage from the Gospel, the Easter story of the disciples on the road to Emmaus.
Pulling weeds in a pandemic – a reflection
I wonder if professional gardeners realize how great they have it.
Here we are, insisting we’re just too busy to pull our own weeds, mow our own lawns, and tend to our own flowerbeds, so we pay someone else to do that chore for us. We also give them a gift.
Sure, they have the occupational hazards of handling and maintaining a power mower, edger, and blower, and the cost of the gas to keep them running. But they gain a therapeutic activity that too many of us pass up. It’s a huge missed opportunity. For peace of mind. For an appreciation of God’s creation.
A Prayer for Hope and Healing during this Trying Time
Spring is in the air. The earth is returning to life; but a major change has happened to us. The world has stopped and everyone has been affected. Governments have refocused and maybe even reprioritized. Wall Street has gone wild in uncertainty. Schools, churches, synagogues, temples and mosques are empty. Markets are offering empty shelves to customers. Employees are told not to come to work – stay home! Our large planet has been reduced to a village—all because of a microscopic virus called COVID-19! …
Words of Warning from Mary to her people…
In this imposed quiet and solitude, I cannot help but reflect on Our Lady’s message at La Salette. Mary warned “her people” of 1846 of the impending famine of 1852 that would take the lives of more than a million people in Ireland. She spoke of a virus that would take the lives of many children. There was also the warning about the spoiled wheat and the blight of potatoes and grapes that would destroy the vines of Europe.
Read more A Prayer for Hope and Healing during this Trying Time
Film ‘Call of the Wild’ turns survivor story into family adventure
In a world of highways, high-speed internet, and Amazon, few things seem as foreign as dogsled package deliveries and prospectors scavenging icy mountains for gold. Yet this was the world of many Americans in the 1890s, when the Klondike Gold Rush drew thousands up north to brave the bitter cold of Yukon, Canada.
Read more Film ‘Call of the Wild’ turns survivor story into family adventure
Fraternity Campaign in the Brazilian Shrine of Aparecida
On Sunday, March, 1, 2020, the First Sunday of Lent, the Archbishop of Belo Horizonte and President of the Brazilian Bishops’ Conference (CNBB), Mgr. Walmor Oliveira de Azevedo, presided over the opening Mass of the 2020 Fraternity Campaign, in the Shrine of Aparecida, which houses the image of the Patroness of Brazil. The celebration was broadcast by various TV and radio broadcasters and on the A12.com portal.
Read more Fraternity Campaign in the Brazilian Shrine of Aparecida
Bones found from 7th century saint
Bones discovered in the late 19th century are likely those of a seventh-century English saint, scientists announced. Carbon dating confirmed that human remains discovered hidden in a church wall in 1885 are from the seventh century, and are almost certainly the bones of St. Eanswythe one of the first English saints.
Dr. Andrew Richardson of the Canterbury Archaeological Trust praised the work of the “locally-based community partnership” that had the bones being carbon dated, and called the discovery “a stunning result of national importance.”
The testing of the remains was led by the Finding Eanswythe Project and the Folkestone Museum. The Finding Eanswythe Project is, according to its website, “a community-led project about a nationally important heritage.”