Pope Leo’s Encyclical

Pope Leo XIV's new encyclical Magnifica Humanitas, is an excellent treatise exploring centuries of Catholic social teaching, and many sections directly address the heads of governments and technology leaders crafting the future of humanity. Yet within the 42,000 word document are several practical ideas for ordinary Catholics concerned about the future of humanity in light of rapid changes related to artificial intelligence. Very briefly, these are just  practical ideas that the Pope is suggesting to us all in this encyclical, which translated means ‘Our Magnificent Humanity.’

1. "Cultivate relationships" and engage with other human beings. "I invite everyone to cherish places and times where physical presence remains crucial, such as shared meals, Christian community gatherings, time spent with the lonely and serving the poor." In short, host a dinner party to better interact with family and friends.

2. “Put down your phone !” Leo takes aim at technology's effects on human beings, particularly the pernicious effects smartphones seem to have on young people. "Having a personal mobile device at too early an age and using it without adult supervision can intensify young people's vulnerabilities, foster addiction and expose them to isolation, bullying and cyberbullying, as well as to pressures to share intimate images or sensitive information.  We have to"teach children, adolescents and young people how to recognize manipulation, defend their dignity and respect that of others in digital environments."

3. “Choose your words carefully and peacefully” Pope Leo Leo mentions peace more than 80 times in the encyclical. "We have a real opportunity to contribute to the common good each time we speak the truth, offer wise advice, support those in need of comfort, denounce injustice and give a voice to the voiceless."

4. “Become savvy about artificial intelligence — and stop sharing disinformation.” The Pope warns about the threats of AI-generated misinformation to democracy and to the very foundation of truth itself. Adults must "rediscover their vocation as artisans of education" and help "children and young people in using technology for developing responsible relationships. Technology has the power to heal, connect, educate and protect our common home," Leo writes, "but it can also divide, exclude and generate new forms of injustice."

5. “Learn Catholic Social Teaching” - Leo devotes much of his encyclical to reviewing the church's history of Catholic social teaching since the promulgation of Rerum Novarum by Pope Leo XIII in 1891, looking closely at previous encyclicals, teachings from the Second Vatican Council and especially the words of his immediate predecessor, Pope Francis. “I believe that today we must once again reflect on the common good, the universal destination of goods, subsidiarity, solidarity and social justice." 

Celebrating 250 years of history

As America celebrates its 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence and the creation of the USA, being a citizen myself I share with you just a few phrases that describe my 35 years in the USA, most of them happy memories:

Living in a Rectory.....saying Mass and preaching  in English.....learning to bike....learning to drive.....seeing snow and icicles..........baseball.....learning the flute by myself...... biking to Montauk Point from New Hyde Park NY, and back......a family of 15 children....naming number 15 Julian......teaching many classes, school and religion......crafting many banners.......vacationing in Lake Placid/Saranac Lake.....working with altar-servers, Youth Club members....celebrating many weddings, First Communions, sadly also funerals.....running the NYC Marathon 3 times.......phone-calls to heaven at Rocky Point parish......marrying my brothers and sister....my parents visiting me in NY.....2 nephews being born....shopping at Toys R Us and Kids R Us......2000 compact discs.....lots of photos......learning water-coloring by myself......learning calligraphy by myself.....

The day I became a US citizen September 2007

Becoming a US citizen Sept 2007.....experiencing Sept 11, 2001 tragedy,.....sabbatical with the Trappist Monks of Spencer MA,.....donating blood, 119 pints total.......transferring to Oregon.......a small parish with a big heart......driving 140 miles weekly to celebrate 2 Masses for 20 people.....wildlife photography......many times playing the flute to entertain.....Baker City Cathedral....renovation for the centennial 2008......short trips to Canada and Oregon coast.....plenty of converts.......learning Spanish and celebrating many Masses and weddings.......deer crossing...... cattle drives.......creating and presenting Power Point talks.....visiting many families......learning to cook by myself......coordinating parish Bulletins & newspapers......learning to blog by myself.......3 wishes when in Oregon: riding a horse, shooting a rifle, milking a cow......returning to Malta 2016....still in touch with many friends.

Celebrating Freedom and Peace

Have you ever wondered what happened to the 56 men who signed the Declaration of Independence 250 years ago? Five signers were captured by the British as traitors, and tortured before they died. Twelve had their homes ransacked and burned. Two lost their sons serving in the Revolutionary Army; another had two sons captured. Nine of the 56 fought and died from wounds or hardships of the Revolutionary War. They signed and they pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor. What kind of men were they? Twenty-four were lawyers and jurists. Eleven were merchants, nine were farmers and large plantation owners; men of means, well educated, but they signed the Declaration of Independence knowing full well that the penalty would be death if they were captured. Carter Braxton of Virginia, a wealthy planter and trader, saw his ships swept from the seas by the British Navy. He sold his home and properties to pay his debts, and died in rags. Thomas McKeam was so hounded by the British that he was forced to move his family almost constantly. He served in the Congress without pay, and his family was kept in hiding.  His possessions were taken from him, and poverty was his reward. Vandals or soldiers looted the properties of Dillery, Hall, Clymer, Walton, Gwinnett, Heyward, Ruttledge, and Middleton. At the battle of Yorktown , Thomas Nelson, Jr., noted that the British General Cornwallis had taken over the Nelson home for his headquarters. . . . . . He quietly urged General George Washington to open fire. . . The home was destroyed, and Nelson died bankrupt.

Francis Lewis had his home and properties destroyed. . . The enemy jailed his wife, and she died within a few months. John Hart was driven from his wife's bedside as she was dying. . . .Their 13 children fled for their lives. His fields and his gristmill were laid to waste. For more than a year he lived in forests and caves, returning home to find his wife dead and his children vanished.. . . . So, take a few minutes while enjoying your 4th of July holiday and silently thank these patriots. And then enjoy this playlist of famous John Philip Sousa marches.

The first 10 years (2000-2010)

The restored St Francis de Sales Cathedral, Baker City, Oregon

From my journals.....The end of a year and the first decade of this third millennium brings me to look back at these historic 10 years with some highlights that dominated my life and the world...the death of my father on January 4, 2002...my leaving New York and coming to Oregon in March 2003...my Spencer experience with the Trappist monks...being assigned as Pastor of a magnificent Cathedral in Baker City, for which I led a renovation to prepare for its centennial...my digital camera provided me with opportunities to take over 20,000 photos of nature’s beauty, both in Oregon as well as in Malta in 2006 and 2008...writing my Journals every day since I arrived in Oregon (which I am reproducing in this auto-biography)....creating two great information-packed parish directories for John Day and Baker City....starting a new hobby of water coloring....continuing my flute playing and various calligraphy projects....driving long distances around the Oregon coast, into Washington, Montana and northern California...besides experiencing the pain on September 11, 2001... ...writing and commenting on a Malta radio about the aftermath besides monthly articles in Maltese....writing and editing more articles for the Bulletins, newsletters, monthly articles in Maltese for ‘Leħen is-Sewwa,’ etc...saying goodbye to my Honda CRV and hello to my new Chevy Equinox...burning music CDs and discovering plenty of new music...creating a DVD library with favorite movies...seeing my nephews become handsome teenagers...and most importantly focusing on my work as a dedicated Pastor and creating a spirit of community wherever I served, from Pleasant Valley, to John Day to Baker City and Bend.

Blessed Ignatius Falzon

Nazju Falzon teaching students and sailors

Ignatius Falzon, more commonly known as Nazju in Maltese, (pronounced Naz-you) was born on July 1, 1813. He had three brothers, two of whom became lawyers and later priests. He studied for the priesthood, received the minor orders like tonsure and acolyte, but was never ordained a priest as he felt he was not worthy to celebrate the Eucharist. He learned how to speak English and taught catechism to young children as well as sailors and soldiers, since Malta was still a British colony and many of them were present in Malta. They trusted him even with leaving personal belongings with him, as they feared not surviving during their travels and war-time confrontations. This way he would pass on these belongings to their respective families. Nazju Falzon never practiced as a lawyer, but was always available to give advice about legal matters without any payment. He also gathered many sailors and soldiers who were Anglican in a Jesuit church, close to the University of Malta. Some of them converted and even became priests. He died on his birthday, July 1, 1865, when he turned 52. His process of beatification started in 1882 and was declared Servant of God in 1889. But 100 more years had to pass for him to be proclaimed Venerable. Then he was beatified in Malta by Pope St. John Paul II in May 2001, after another miracle through his intercession was approved by the Vatican.

75,000 Rosaries

Dominican sisters crafting rosaries

To celebrate the beatification of Bishop Fulton Sheen on September 24, several convents and monasteries of sisters are planning to make and distribute 75,000 rosary beads to the people attending a morning program at The Dome at America’s Center in St. Louis, Missouri.  That prayerful moment will take us back to 1951, when Sheen introduced this distinctive, multi-colored, eye-catching rosary to remind the faithful to pray to Our Lady, Queen of Apostles, for the success of the Church’s missionary efforts around the world. He was the one who suggested the World Mission Rosary 75 years ago, and it is expected that 75,000 people will come to St. Louis and Peoria, Illinois, to celebrate Sheen’s beatification. The  colors which Bishop Sheen had suggested are green, blue, white, red and yellow, and each color has a specific connection to the continents, thereby making it a mission rosary bead. 

Rosaries in batches of 25 ready to be distributed

The beads of the first decade or mystery are all green, for specific forests and grasslands, because when we pray the first, we remember the missions in Africa. The second bead is blue for Oceania and all the Pacific Islands. The third mystery’s beads are white because the Pope is in white and the Pope is in Europe. We pray for the continued and deeper evangelization in Europe, especially today in an age in which so many are growing up seduced by secularism. The fourth set of beads are red for America — North, Central, and South — that has given back to God so many martyrs as missionaries came to try to evangelize the Indigenous and often preached by their blood. The fifth decade is yellow for Asia, representing the morning sun in the East. All the beads that are not taken during this historic event, will be sent to the missions.

St Peter and St Paul

The two pillars of the church are honored today on their liturgical feast day. Even though they became known as the most popular apostles, their beginning was not as pleasant. Peter was the rough and tough type fisherman who had to be fine-tuned and polished by Jesus and eventually became the first Pope. However there were some conflicting moments in his life, especially during Jesus’ passion when Peter three times denied even knowing Jesus. Some friend eh! However Jesus forgave him, after the triple affirmation of faith, and changing his name from Simon to Peter, the Rock, on which the church was to be built, eventually becoming also the first Pope of the Catholic church. His leadership must have worked, because from the 12 apostles, we are now up to 1.2 billion Catholics. St Paul on the other hand was even more aggressive as he used to persecute Christians, only to be converted on his way to Damascus when Jesus appeared to him, and his complete turnaround started. He eventually travelled all over Eastern Europe, through Greece, modern day Turkey and even venturing on the sea being shipwrecked on my homeland of Malta where he baptized all the inhabitants. He also wrote letters to the many communities he visited, beautiful theological reflections which we read every Sunday in our 2nd reading at Mass. Both Peter and Paul were martyred, Peter being crucified upside down, and Paul being beheaded in Rome. The two great basilicas in Rome are also a tribute to their presence in our church, St. Peter’s, the Vatican and St Paul’s outside the walls.

Mother Teresa and the Eucharist

Once they asked St Teresa of Calcutta ‘how do you find the strength to work with the abandoned people, the sick, the elderly, the homeless and those hungry for a little food?’ She answered by saying ‘I start the day by praying silently and with my fellow sisters, then attending the Mass, where I receive the Eucharist hidden in the presence of a tiny bit of bread, then I go into the streets where I can find the same Jesus hidden in the people I serve and care for.’

Leo’s Peace

Pope Leo XIV speaking to the Cardinals in Paul VI hall.

Between May 13 and October 13, 1917, the Blessed Mother appeared 6 times to Lucia, Jacinta and Francisco at Fatima. Every time she insisted with them to pray the Rosary, do penance and sacrifice for peace in the world and for the conversion of sinners. In his message for the World Day of Peace, January 1, 2026, Pope Leo reminded the people about her messages and he further insisted, and he further emphasised ‘To evil and war in our world, we have to scream ‘ENOUGH!’ and to peace we have to whisper ‘FOREVER !!!’ Presently the Pope is meeting with all the Cardinals in the Vatican, and his message to them is to discern how they can bring the Gospel to a world scarred by war and division. He told them further 'The ministry that the Lord has entrusted to me cannot be carried out alone. It requires your experience, your pastoral wisdom, and your knowledge of the churches and the people entrusted to you. I need your strong, explicit and public support. I need to feel myself supported by you as brothers.'

Praying for Venezuela

Venezuela was struck by back-to-back powerful earthquakes on Wednesday evening, which led to buildings collapsing in the capital, Caracas. The U.S. Geological Survey reported the first earthquake had a 7.2 magnitude, with its epicenter located west of Morón, a community along the country’s Carribean coast, about 104 miles (168 kilometers) west of Caracas. Its depth was 8 miles (13 kilometers). The USGS reported an even larger 7.5-magnitude earthquake striking just a minute later. This second quake had a depth of 10 kilometers, and its epicenter was 10 miles (16 kilometers) southwest of Morón. Original estimates show that at least 235 people have been killed and 4,300 injured and many more are feared dead. Thousands of people have been reported missing with many still buried under the rubble. Some of the heaviest damage and casualties were in La Guaira, a coastal region north of the capital, Caracas. Let us pray for the victims, their families, survivors, the injured and those who lost homes, and those helping in the difficult recovery and rebuilding process.

Why ‘Little Flower’?

When St. Thérèse of Lisieux was a child, one holy card captivated her so deeply that she later credited it with inspiring the title by which the world now knows her: “Little Flower.” The card, titled La Petit Fleur du Divin Prisonnier (“The Little Flower of the Divine Prisoner”), depicts Christ crowned with thorns behind prison bars, reaching toward a small flower blooming outside the cell. Intended as a meditation of Christ’s presence in the Blessed Sacrament, the image remained fixed in the mind of St. Therese for years. “ Most people couldn’t afford books back then, and that’s why the holy cards were made.” In Chapter Four of Story of a Soul, Thérèse reflected on the impact sacred images had on her as a child after one of her sisters introduced her to devotional pictures and holy cards: ”So far I have not said anything about my love for pictures and books, and yet I owe some of the happiest and strongest impressions which have encouraged me in the practice of virtue to the beautiful pictures Pauline used to show me. Everything was forgotten while looking at them.”Of La Petit Fleur du Divin Prisonnier, Thérèse later recalled that the image “suggested so many thoughts that I would remain gazing at it in a kind of ecstasy.” Eventually, she came to identify herself as that flower. “I offered myself to Our Lord to be His Little Flower,” she wrote. “I longed to console Him, to draw as near as possible to the Tabernacle, to be looked on, cared for, and gathered by Him.” 

St John the Baptist

Certainly one of the most underrated saints in heaven is St John the Baptist. He was the same age as Jesus, born of St Elizabeth, and most probably grew up with Jesus as his buddy and best friend. Many of the paintings in fact depict them together as little boys, little toddlers being admired by Mary and Elizabeth, with Joseph and Joachim in the background. This particular painting by Tintoretto shows the birth of John. Both children grew up close to each other as most paintings testify. What we seem to underestimate in John is his respect he had towards Jesus. He spent plenty of time in prayer, preparing for the coming into action of Jesus. In fact his motto was precisely “Prepare the way of the Lord,” a phrase we hear predominantly during the Advent Season. We see him in the desert converting people and encouraging them to turn to his Master, baptizing him in the process, while he disappeared into oblivion. Unfortunately he never got any credit, but was arrested and beheaded by Herod. Today we celebrate his birth, a festivity and solemnity, while his martyrdom is celebrated on August 29th. In the Gospel of John the Evangelist (Jn 3:30,) we read that John the Baptist said about Jesus: “He must increase, while I must decrease.” This is very indicative of what will happen after Jesus’ baptism. Jesus became well known, while John disappeared into the background. Yet while the popularity of Jesus increased, John faded away, and we see him again being arrested and then being beheaded by Herod. Yet there is another interesting twist to the phrase “He must increase and I must decrease.” John’s birthday falls close to the summer solstice, one of the longest days of the year, and from now on, the days will start decreasing, leading to one of the shortest days of the year, which is Christmas, the birthday of Jesus, close to the winter’s solstice, and from then on, the days will start getting longer. It’s a notion worth adapting to in our daily lives - we must decrease our yearnings, our dreams, our wishes, while we should let Him increase in us, increasing our potential to love, increase our prayer life, our devotion to duty, our commitment to our faith.

194 year-old tortoise

Meet Jonathan - he is slow and steady — and winning the race against time. A 194-year-old tortoise was just honored with Guinness World Records’ prestigious ICON award. Born around 1832, Jonathan, the world’s oldest living land animal, was given the title in the record book's latest edition. The Seychelles giant tortoise, who lives in Saint Helena, a remote island in the South Atlantic Ocean, is also the oldest turtle ever recorded. The local legend has lived at the Plantation House, the official residence of the Governor of Saint Helena, since arriving there in 1882 at the age of 50. The remarkable reptile was sent there from his native Seychelles, an archipelago in the Indian Ocean, as a gift for the incoming governor, and has since been there for 31 governors’ terms. For generations, he has been regarded as a local icon, deeply embedded in the island’s identity and collective memory. This global acknowledgement reflects what the community has long known, that Jonathan is not only remarkable in age, but truly special to St. Helena and its people. In 2022, Jonathan’s birthday was listed as Dec. 4, 1832. Although he’s lost his senses of sight and smell, the elderly creature is healthy — so much so that his DNA is being analyzed for its secrets to longevity.

St Thomas More and St John Fisher

St. Thomas More (1478-1535) and St. John Fisher (1459-1535)

These two British martyrs are among the most beloved in the English Catholic Church. St Thomas More was born at London in 1478. After a thorough grounding in religion and the classics, he entered Oxford to study law. Upon leaving the university he embarked on a legal career which took him to Parliament. In 1505, he married his beloved Jane Colt who bore him four children, and when she died at a young age, he married a widow, Alice Middleton, to be a mother for his young children. A great reformer, Thomas More numbered Bishops and scholars among his friends and by 1516 wrote his world-famous book "Utopia". He attracted the attention of Henry VIII who appointed him to a succession of high posts, and finally made him Lord Chancellor in 1529. However, he resigned in 1532, at the height of his career, when Henry persisted in holding his own opinions regarding marriage and the supremacy of the Pope, while strongly opposing Henry's thirst for a divorce. This is when the Church of England broke away from the Catholic religion. The rest of Thomas’ life was spent in writing mostly in defense of the Church. In 1534, with his close friend, St John Fisher, he refused to render allegiance to the King as the Head of the Church of England and was confined to the Tower. Fifteen months later, he was tried and convicted of treason. On the scaffold, he told the crowd of spectators that he was dying as "the King's good servant- but God's first." He was beheaded on July 6, 1535. His life is depicted in the classic movie “A Man for all Seasons,” with Paul Scofield acting in an Oscar-winning performance.

St. John Fisher was born at Yorkshire in 1459, and educated at Cambridge. In 1504, he became Bishop of Rochester and Chancellor of Cambridge, in which capacity he also tutored Prince Henry who was to become Henry VIII. St John was dedicated to the welfare of his diocese and his university. From 1527, he actively opposed the King's divorce proceedings against Catherine, his wife in the sight of God. Unlike the other Bishops, St John refused to take the oath of succession, and he was imprisoned in the tower in April 1534. The next year he was made a Cardinal by Pope Paul III and Henry retaliated by having him beheaded within a month. A half hour before his execution, John Fisher opened his New Testament for the last time and his eyes fell on the following words from St. John's Gospel: "Eternal life is this: to know You, the only true God, and Him Whom You have sent, Jesus Christ. I have given You glory on earth by finishing the work You gave me to do. Do You now, Father, give me glory at Your side". Closing the book, he observed: "There is enough learning in that to last me the rest of my life." They were both canonized on May 19th, 1935, with Thomas More becoming the patron of lawyers and politicians.

I Believe.....

I believe that true friendship can continue to grow even when two people are separated from each other. The same goes with Love.

I believe that I need time to really become the person I want to be.

I believe that I should never leave another person angry or upset – it may be the last time we’ll ever meet.

I believe that heroes are not those who are successful, but those who do what needs to be done, irrespective of the price they have to pay.

I believe that the people whom you think will  bring you down, often may be the same people who will bring you up.

I believe that I have every right to be angry, but I should never offend and hurt others, simply because I am upset.

I believe that maturity is not calculated by your age, but it is determined by how much can you grow and learn by what you’ve experienced throughout your life.

I believe that it’s not enough that others forgive you, but you must learn to forgive yourself too.

I believe that when two people argue, it doesn’t mean that they don’t love each other.

I believe that two people can look at the same thing and see it from a different perspective.

I believe that in spite of the many certificates framed and hanging on your office’s wall, or the many medals displayed on your chest, this is not enough to describe the beauty of the true person you truly are.

Now towards 50 !

After concelebrating an anniversary Mass at Balzan parish church yesterday, we now embark on another year which will be our 50th year as priests, serving in various parishes, some of us retired or semi-retired, yet always busy in various roles. This is another photo which we try to take every year at the end of our anniversary Mass. The previous 2 days we had a retreat among us as we always do, and we also planned our meetings for the upcoming year, since we meet regularly every month. Most of us are now in our mid-70s, but in spite of our advancing age, we still try to be an effective presence in our diocese. 

49th Anniversary

The Class of 1977 after a recent concelebrated Mass

I look back today to that historic day on Sunday June 19, 1977 when along with 13 other classmates, I was ordained a priest by Archbishop Joseph Mercieca at St John’s Cathedral in Valletta, Malta. After 7 happy years living at the Seminary with all my classmates and about another 60 seminarians, we were all assigned to different parishes, myself ending up in my hometown parish of St Julian’s, where I spent 4 years before leaving for the USA in September 1981. I enjoyed living at the Seminary, in a community with other seminarians, a few older than us and others younger, all in different stages of our journey to the altar. While attending the University of Malta, we also did manual work in the summer months, mainly to get acquainted with the life of workers. Personally I worked at a shipyard and a car assembly plant, but most of my time was spent helping my parish priest in various summer activities and other liturgical functions. Most of my classmates stayed in Malta working in parishes, and other than one other who went to Australia for a few years, and a three others taking post–graduate courses in Canon Law, Sacred Art and Communications, all stayed close to each other, meeting periodically and celebrating Mass every year on our anniversary. I joined them on the 10th and 25th anniversary but was not able to join them on most of the anniversaries because I was always involved in my parish work, especially over 35 years in New York and Oregon. Back in Malta in 2016, I continued my ministry with the elderly in a Retirement Home and helping in the parish of Naxxar, besides doing many other things, writing in a Catholic newspaper, blogging, painting watercolors, playing the flute and creating and presenting several PowerPoint talks which are always appreciated. Now we look forward to next year’s Golden Jubilee, as we continue to give of our time, our service and dedicated ministry.

With my family after my ordination on June 19, 1977

To end I share this beautiful poem by Henri Lacordaire, a French Dominican priest, which I have recited every year on my anniversary Mass:
To live in the midst of the world, without desiring its pleasures.
To be a member of each family, yet belonging to none.
To share all sufferings, to heal all wounds.
To penetrate all secrets, without being curious.
To go from men to God and offer Him their prayers.
To return from God to men, to bring pardon, hope and peace.
To have a heart of gold for charity, and a heart of bronze for chastity
To teach, to listen, to forgive. To lead, to console, to bless always.
This is your life, o priest of Christ.    

Jean Baptiste Lully

Jean Baptiste Lully was a Baroque French composer who changed the format of the orchestra when he introduced several instruments which were not used before. Until his time (he died in 1687) only violins were used, and Lully introduced flutes, oboes, bassoons, trumpets and timpani. His death was unfortunate and it happened at the podium from where he directed his orchestras. However, instead of the baton which is used today by all conductors, Lully used a long stick to beat time on the floor. One day he missed the floor and speared his own foot instead. Gangrene set in and he died 2 months later after refusing to have his foot amputated. Lully was the personal composer of King Louis XIV, and dominated the musical scene in France for two decades, His music is very majestic and regal with flourishes of trumpets and timpani.

A prayer by Padre Pio

Stay with me Lord, for it is necessary to have You present so that I do not forget You. You know how easily I abandon You.
Stay with me Lord, because I am weak and I need Your strength that I may not fall so often.
Stay with me Lord, for You are my life and without You I am without fervor.
Stay with me Lord, for you are my light and without You I am in darkness.
Stay with me Lord, to show me Your will.
Stay with me Lord, so that I hear Your voice and follow You.
Stay with me Lord, for I desire to love You very much and always be in Your company.
Stay with me Lord, if you wish me to be faithful to You.
Stay with me Lord, as poor as my soul is, I want it to be a place of consolation for You, a nest of Love.

We can fix the world

When TV was in its infancy, a technician was working on a transmitter on top of the Empire State Building. When he had finished and descended the over-100 floor skyscraper, he found a journalist waiting for him,  and quickly asked him ‘aren’t you afraid working in those heights?’ The technician answered him just as quickly ‘Absolutely! It surely is dangerous work, but how many people you know that can claim that they changed the skyline of New York City ?’ In the same way, God gives us daily the opportunities to change not the skyline of a large city, but of the entire world. Because we can make the world more humane, more blessed and much more at peace. God actually created a beautiful world, but man and woman ruined much of its beauty. So God is waiting for you and me to improve the quality of our world, to make it better, to make it more peaceful and harmonious.

The nuns and the lambs

A nun feeds a lamb from a bottle, just like a baby

For months, two newborn lambs become part of the daily rhythm of life inside a Benedictine monastery in Rome. The sisters of St. Cecilia feed the lambs, care for them and gently shepherd them through an ancient ritual whose final destination reaches all the way to the Pope.  In a tradition dating back hundreds of years, the lambs' shorn wool is used for a vestment known as a pallium, a woolen band worn over the shoulders. It is bestowed on the Pope at his inauguration Mass, and on metropolitan Archbishops during a sacred annual ritual: the June 29 solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul. The tender relationship between the sisters and lambs has been featured in a new Italian documentary, "Agnus Dei" ("Lamb of God"), which offers a rare glimpse into a cloistered world where this centuries-old tradition endures. What follows throughout the film's 73 minutes is a quietly commanding, hypnotically mesmerizing and visually arresting film that follows the animals from birth to their formal blessing and then subsequent time with the Benedictine nuns of the monastery of St. Cecilia in Trastevere, Rome.  The lambs ae presented to the Pope on the feast of St Agnes, January 21when he blesses them at the Vatican. Then they continue to grow as their wool becomes thicker. The lambs represent purity and innocence, sacrifice and redemption, while the love found in the Benedictine community, the tenderness shown by the sisters to the vulnerable lambs is truly special, as the lambs become a part of their community, until they are sheared for the wool to be used to be made into the palliums. The climactic moment happens when one sees the vestments worn by Pope Leo XIV and a group of metropolitan Archbishops.

A nuns sews the new pallia for the Archbishops

The project was filmed as we hear reports of Pope Francis' declining health, and then, finally, the Pope’s death on April 21, 2025, the day after Easter. Though sadness is apparent, and as the nuns' activities were paused for only a few hours, life in the monastery quietly resumed, unchanged and unchanging, as it has always been through the centuries. The nuns are used to moving on. They do what they do no matter who is the Pope, noting they must deliver the pallia on time, this time to Pope Leo XIV. The film ends memorably: The sisters watch the Sts. Peter and Paul service on television — with a new pontiff presiding and the sisters' careful craftsmanship on full display. They react both with pride and with characteristic modesty. This was the fruit of their labor, after caring for the lambs for several months, as if they had babies in their monastery. The pallia are crafted by other nuns whose expertise is sewing, weaving and stitching.

Pope Leo invests an Archbishop with a pallium

Thank you Felipe

Bishops wave at Pope Leo as he takes off in the King's jet

Pope Leo XIV finished his seven-day trip to Spain in extremely atypical fashion: riding to Rome in the Spanish king's jet.  The last-minute twist, caused by an engine failure on the Iberia Airlines plane scheduled to take the pope back to Rome June 12, marked an unexpected ending to an otherwise carefully choreographed papal trip. Following the pomp and circumstance of Leo's farewell ceremony in Tenerife — the Spanish island where he arrived that morning to meet with migrants and celebrate Mass with some 35,000 people — the pope and his entourage boarded the plane and appeared ready for takeoff as King Felipe VI looked on from the tarmac. But after 28 minutes of waiting, the king surprised journalists onboard by walking across the tarmac and climbing the plane's stairs unannounced. Felipe and the Pope then disembarked together and returned to the airport terminal. The Iberia pilot announced that strong headwinds had caused an engine failure. After the plane changed position and again attempted to start the engine, staff announced that everyone onboard would need to disembark. Leo, meanwhile, escorted by the king, crossed the tarmac to a Falcon jet with "Kingdom of Spain" printed along the side in Spanish. The jet, originally intended to take Felipe back to Madrid, instead carried the pope and members of his entourage to Rome. Felipe had traveled to Tenerife that afternoon to see the Pope off. Spanish media reported that another Iberia Airlines plane was being sent from Madrid to take the king back home. Thank you King Felipe for coming to the rescue, and making sure that Pope Leo arrives safely at the Vatican.

The Heart of Mary

Following the feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, today we celebrate the feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Similar to yesterday's feast, it was St John Eudes who promoted this devotion first in 1648 in the town of Autun, France, and later on in all the French dioceses. In 1799, Pope Pius VI granted the Bishop of Palermo the permission to celebrate the feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary in his diocese. When the revelation of the 'Miraculous Medal" to St Catherine Laboure took place in 1830, the impetus for this devotion was even more obvious. In the back of this famous medal, two hearts are seen under a cross with the letter M superimposed. The heart of Jesus is surrounded by a crown of thorns, and that of Mary pierced by a sword. The image of Mary in sacred art is one of the most popular, and in this post I include one photo of a Maltese painting I discovered recently in Malta, showing the Blessed Mother with a Maltese cross as a broach on her breast. Let us not forget also St Anthony whose feast happens to be also today.

Heart full of Love

The feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus gained much popularity after the visions that St Margaret Mary Alacoque had from Jesus around the year 1675. The church initially had doubts about the authenticity of the visions, but approved them almost 100 years later. The feast was first celebrated in France only but was extended to the universal church in 1856 by Pope Pius IX. The Sacred Heart is often depicted in Christian art as a flaming heart shining with divine light, pierced by a lance, surrounded by a crown of thorns, surmounted by a cross, and bleeding.
The image represented here above shows a different perspective as envisioned by Maltese artist Anton Inglott, who died at a very young age. It shows Jesus’ heart aglow with love for all his people, including all of us. If we can only comprehend the sacrifices He made for us, and in spite of our weaknesses and shortcomings, He loves us unconditionally, even when we tend to take Him for granted. May our love for Him be just as powerful and intimate. May we appreciate His endless support and care towards our well-being, represented also in the way the church, priests, sisters and other people show their affection towards everything that is Roman Catholic.

Gaudi’s Barcelona

Yesterday Barcelona belonged to Antoni Gaudi as his image shined and sparkled over the dark sky after the devout and historic Mass celebrated by Pope Leo XIV inside the Sagrada Familia. Concelebrating with a few Cardinals, several bishops and many priests, as well attended by a King and a Queen, a Prime Minister and his wife, and thousands of Catholic faithful, the pope reminded the people to keep strong in their faith, and continue to be kind, welcoming and peace-makers. At the end of the Mass, everyone walked out in front of the basilica and looked upwards as the cross was blessed, young voices heralded the attendees with their angelic voices, and the façade lit up, inside and outside, as the image of Antoni Gaudi appeared in the sky, created by drones, then looking sideways towards his masterpiece, as if to say ‘it is finally finished !!!’. Would he had ever imagined what the scene would look like exactly 100 years from his death back on June 10, 1926 ? Venerable Antoni Gaudi now waits for his beatification and eventual canonization – because only a saint could create something so massive, so beautiful, so touching, so modern, yet so conducive to prayer.