From Trent with love (and prayers)...

It's dusk in the north of Italy and yours truly is smoking a cigar (dipped in cognac) and offering a prayer for you and yours.

Greetings fom Trento, high in the Alto Adige of the South Tirol. This is the old Roman city of Tridentum located on the Adige River.

After the day in Salzburg and Innsbruck it was time to cross the Alps on the way back to Rome via Bolzano - and here the summer heat hit!

Prayers for everybody. Tonight you were prayed for in Trent in its famous old Cathedral of St. Vigilius where the Holy General Council of Trent was held between 1545 - 1563.

If you have an interest in the Council then Trent is a must - so close to Rome and just a lovely little town with a great diocesan museum. At leat once in your lifetime be sure to cross the Alps, too (it's spectacular!).

Not to boast, but last year yours truly read all of the Council of Trent cover to cover and this year yours truly read all of the Vatican Council II cover to cover. Catholic youth: read the Councils!

The Holy Ghost does not get it wrong. Today in the Cathedral of Trent I prayed for the success of each and every one of the twenty-one holy, general and ecumenical Councils.

P.S. If you read Trent you'll see that this present era in which we are now living in is not the "worst" epoch in the history of the Church as some mostly ignorant Catholics of today might suggest.

First Mass of a new priest...

Across the corn fields from the Seminarium Sancti Petri ( the FSSP seminary in Bavaria) is located a lovely little country chapel where these photos were taken yesterday morning after the first Holy Mass of this neopresbyter. Hearty congrats to the new priests and their families! Pray for priests.

FSSP Seminary in Wigratzbad...

It´s a very special place on the planet earth - the European seminary of the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter.

Crop and pasture land, corn, cows, sunny Bavarian farm families and this new seminary complex constructed just ten years ago.

What a place to form priests of the third millennium!

Link here and support these men - the finest of them all: http://www.fssp.org/.

Our holy German Pope, born of the same rich Bavarian soil must be so proud to know these guys are here - point for the team!

FSSP Ordinations in Wigratzbad...

Hearty congrats to our friend, the now Fr. William!

Just yesterday, through the imposition of hands and the calling of the Holy Ghost, Fr. William was ordained priest at the FSSP European seminary in Bavaria, Germany.

If you ever get the chance be sure to attend the rite of ordination according to the Usus Antiquior of the Roman Missal. The ceremony is one of the most lovely experiences you will ever witness in your life.

It was a lovely day: great to see the Church universal. Lots of young families with kids, faithful of all ages, seminarians and clergy alike from all over the world. A little rain. A Bavarian bbq just days before, a lovely reception after. A 3.5 hour ceremony and a bishop from Kazakhstan!

The Faith lives and if you feel this might be your call, talk it over with your confessor and get a spiritual director now. Begin to attend Holy Mass daily and begin the practice of mental prayer.

Catholic culture: the precious mitre...

Treasures of Western Christendom (and great to see the precious mitre!).

This photo was taken just this afternoon after the lovely 3.5 hour rite of ordination at the FSSP European seminary in Bavaria, Germany.

Nice to see this splendor. These historic vestments are from the treasury of Altötting, the famed Bavarian shrine and place of pilgrimage near Munich.

Catholic culture: the Catholic Scout troop...

Yours truly is an Eagle Scout and is always proud to see Catholic French scouts in their devotion and public witness. This photo was taken today at the FSSP seminary in Bavaria just after this fine young Frenchman was ordianed priest forever.

Catholic Philippines: carry the torch...

Everybody has a favorite seminarian and this one is ours seen in Catholic Germany ("Don Juan" we love you)!

The new generation of priests: young guns...

It´s that time of the year - lots of priestly ordinations. Pray for the world´s new priests. This fine new priest was just today ordained for the FSSP in Bavaria (Swabia!).

Catholic Kazakhstan: arise...

Met His Excellency Athanasius Schneider, auxiliary bishop of Karganda, Kazakhstan. He´s a legend and one of the finest in the world of today. Remember his name. Here he is seen in Catholic Bavaria on his way to vespers at the FSSP European seminary.

Fiumicino: Rome´s International Airport...

A unique witness.

As they say: "It's all in the white socks, brothers!"

In the neighborhood around Santa Maria Sopra Minerva you'll see the old Dominicans in their nice white socks!

In tribute to Pius XII: our modern saint...

From the Sanctuary of Divino Amore, near Rome.

A call for a return of the old Gendarmeria Pontificia uniform...

How to visit the battle scene of Lepanto...

Fresco seen in the Vatican Museums.

Take the Eurostar from Roma Termini to Bari or Brindisi. Take a ferry to Patras. Then another to Nafpaktos (Lepanto). In the Sea of Corinth you will sail across the waters where the 1571 battle took place.

http://romeartlover.tripod.com/Lepanto.html

Cardinal Pacelli in America...

Can somebody do the research and write a book about Cardinal Pacelli's '36 trip to the United States? Now is the time. Visit the chancery archives, interview the high school kids who saw him and read the old newspaper accounts - it's not too late.

As a kid I heard about his two-day visit to St. Paul in Minnesota. He arrived on a chartered plane from Chicago on his "un-official" visit and landed at Holman Field across the river from downtown St. Paul. It was the late afternoon of Monday, October 26, 1936.

The motorcade brought him up the hill to the archepiscopal manse (torn down in the sixties) where he had dinner and spent the night (the bed still exists in the cathedral rectory across the street).

He was the Papal Secretary of State and the highest ranking Vatican dignitary to visit the continent. With him was the Papal Duchess Mrs. Nicholas Brady of N.Y. and among others, Frank Spellman.

Tuesday morning Low Mass was celebrated at 8 a.m. by the Cardinal at the main altar of the Cathedral with two priest servers. The Cardinal preached from the pulpit and the Catholic high school kids filled the church.

Somebody please tell this story before it's too late!

Rome "traditionalist" youth make all-night pilgrimage...

Walking all night the pilgrims arrived after dawn for Holy Mass at the shrine of the Divino Amore.

Rome "traditionalist" youth make all-night pilgrimage...

Sunday, June 21: at midnight Rome's traditionalist youth set out on their first all-night pilgrimage from Rome's historic center to the famed Divino Amore shrine located just outside the city. The event was sponsored by JUVENTUTEM (see here: http://www.juventutem.org/) and was a celebration of the fruits of 2007's Summorum Pontificum.

The youth began at St. Mary Major and hiked about 25 km to the shrine. The route chosen was the most scenic - down the ancient Via Appia Antica and then through the winding cropland of the Roman countryside. The youth were guided by a GPS unit and a few breaks were taken to eat and rest in the grass.

All agreed that to walk the ancient cobblestones in the dark while praying the Holy Rosary and singing songs and a litany - all in Latin - was a source of great joy and consolation. The stars shone above in the dark night and the Lord sent a gentle summer breeze. It was the same night of the annual Rome night marathon and the smell of the pines of Rome was in the air.

At dawn the Roman countryside lit up, and then it rained. The youth could even see perched on the horizon the papal summer villa at Castel Gandolfo. Then the group took an old gravel and dirt shepherd trail which led to the shrine and Holy Mass was celebrated in the Extraordinary Form of the Roman rite in one of the shrine chapels. It was a very special event.

Participants came from Italy, Norway, Mexico and the United States with chaplains from Brazil and Italy.

St. Peter's Square (Swiss Band 2009)

Just a taste courtesy of a Swiss police band...

Pius XII, pray for us...

Of blessed, holy and happy memory.

Rome's Via Appia...

Lots of Romans have their wedding receptions down the Via Appia. So if you're ever there on a Saturday afternoon, you might see some really nice old autos roar by!

Catholic Africa: witness to the nations...

What the cowl looks like...

Cowls seen in the Vatican City...

Best of the Vatican Museums: my favorites...

Under the reign of Leo XIII these magnificent images were created in honor of the Angelic Doctor, St. Thomas Aquinas. Take a close look at the symbolism...

From the Vatican: Feast of the Immaculate Heart...

The Faith is not dead, but alive and growing. These photos were taken yesterday morning in the Vatican City State. Be inspired. And bring such processions to your pocket of the world - this is how it's done. Pastors depend upon lay help for big events such as this. Plan early. Involve the right people. Banners and flags add color and team spirit.

From the Vatican: Feast of the Immaculate Heart...

A lovely procession with lots of faithful and young families! Vocations and conversions of all sorts are helped along by public acts of witness such as these. This is Catholic culture, friends!

Spouse of Christ: our finest...

Thank you, sisters!

Greek Orthodox sisters in the Vatican...

Now and then one sees Greek Orthodox priests and sisters making a visit to the Vatican. They each are quick to anger when they notice their photo is being taken. This is in part evident Jansenism and hygene is sometimes a challenge for them, too. Some might think it a mark of holiness to be seen in filthy clothes and to be crabby, but that is not how He was/is. Change is good, friends!

From the Vatican: the Redemptorist habit...

These guys inspire vocations.

Pontifical Urban College “de Propaganda Fide”...

Always nice to see the national colleges looking sharp with team spirit at every papal event in Rome. That is, everybody except the Americans - the NAC brass says to leave it on the football field.

Sadly, the NAC leadership - the seminarians complain - is still stuck in the "ogni cosa diventa politica" footprint and so American seminarians in Rome are still not allowed to be caught in public wearing the college habit (or they will be threatened during evaluations with a "formation issue.") Sad, but hilarious, too. At least the seminarians who have to live under this wierdness can still laugh at the incongruity of such a seventies policy (coming from the brass who are the ruling class elite).

Catholic Scotland: you men carry the torch!

Pontifical Scots College in Rome is awesome and the guys in their proud habit look sharp and bring honor to their people and nation. Nice to chat with you guys!

In gratitude: Ranjith the Great (aka il Grande)...

Every Rome seminarian has a favorite prelate in residence in Urbe and for the youthful seminarians of today, it's Archbishop M. Ranjith. And he's the nicest guy you'll ever meet. Walks to work every morning under the colonnade. Always smiles. Always polite and says hello to everybody and is always super nice - a true gentleman. And, he speaks the gospel truth and for this we are grateful to him! In short, he's our favorite in Rome and everybody is really going to miss him. Excellency, we wish You well in Your new episcopal See - auguri da tutti noi, grazie e ci sentiamo alla prossima in Urbe!