Cauliflower

There is a sudden unusual interest in one of the vegetables which has often been neglected by many people. Cauliflower, rich in vitamins C and K, fiber and folic acid, is found out to be healthier than some other common foods. It has seen its sales across the US rocket since 2015.It is used for blood clotting, and folate, important for building red blood cells. It is also fat-free. The Mayo Clinic has gone so far as to dub the unpresuming vegetable a 'nutrition superstar' because of this nutritional profile. But its nutritiousness may not be the only thing behind its inexorable rise. Experts have credited its popularity to growing weight-loss food trends or because it is a low-carb alternative in diets. It is also an easy vegetable to grow, experts note and thrives almost anywhere making it easy to grow in many different areas. Three-quarters of the US cauliflower supply is home-grown, with more than nine in ten heads coming out of two states — California and Arizona — alone. The rest is made up of imports coming in from Mexico and Canada. Farmers say the crop is easy to grow and versatile, able to survive in a variety of conditions. But they warn that climate change — triggering droughts and shifting temperatures — could harm supplies. Either way, it appears that cauliflower is here to stay for the long term, thanks to its versatility and ever-growing popularity. It is also good to snack on, or put on salads, uncooked. 

And Happy Birthday to all those born on February  29, who miss out on their birthdays three years in a row, including the famous opera composer Gioacchino Rossini.

Passion Optical Illusions

Artists have a clever way in creating scenes so as to give a hidden meaning to what they are actually painting. These two paintings are worth reflecting on. The first one shows the face of Jesus framed by various scenes from his life. Starting from his chin and going anti-clockwise, you can see the Nativity, the angel announcing the good news to the shepherds, the calling of the apostles, praying in the desert, the multiplication of the loaves and the fish, praying in the Garden of Gethsemane, carrying the cross, being crucified, the Pieta, and the empty tomb.

The second painting shows the disciples carrying the dead body of Jesus to place it on his mother’s lap, with mournful people looking on from the sides and in the back, including Joseph of Arimathea who lent his tomb, and Nicodemus with the ladder. The crosses are seen in the back on a hill, while the dead body of Jesus is seen twisted with the dead weight. Now if you walk back at least 3 to 4 feet, you will see the face of Jesus formed by all these people, a clever optical  illusion.

Get your hands dirty

Pope Francis began his first full morning in South Sudan recently by meeting with bishops, priests and religious men and women in Juba's St. Theresa Cathedral, where he encouraged them to remain committed to ministries of service and to avoid the temptation of seeing themselves as above their flock. The Pope said further "We are not tribal chieftains, but compassionate and merciful shepherds; not overlords, but servants who stoop to wash the feet of our brothers and sisters, not a worldly agency that administers earthly goods, but the community of God's children. I encourage you to be willing to get your hands dirty for the people you serve, including speaking out against injustice and violence. We must never exercise our ministry by chasing after religious or social prestige, but rather by walking in the midst of, and alongside our people, learning to listen and to dialogue, cooperating as ministers with one another and with the laity.”

Prayer for Ukraine

I share with you today this touching prayer for Ukraine, as we commemorate the first anniversary of the Russian war on Ukraine. The devastation is horrible, and this photo above says it all as families are shattered by their loss of family members, friends, homes and everything else that they had before. Let us pray....

Prayer for Lent – part 2

Lord Jesus, you wept with Mary and Martha at the death of your friend Lazarus and then restored him to life again. We pray for all who are enduring illness or infirmity, anxiety or depression, loneliness or grief especially those who are known to us. We pray for the thousands of victims of the earthquake in Turkey and Syria, and the war in Ukraine, now a year-old senseless atrocity and cruelty towards innocent people. Help us to be faithful in prayer and constant in care for them. Jesus, the Resurrection and the Life, in your mercy, receive our prayer. Lord Jesus, you often took time out from your work of ministry to spend time with your Father in prayer and meditation. We pray for our times of study and prayer during this Lent. Help us to resist the pressures and distractions of our busy lives and give time to deepening our faith. Lord Jesus, Teacher and Guide, in your mercy, receive our prayer. Lord, when we are tempted to put our trust in material things, help us remember that we can only live by your words of life. When we are tempted to put our trust in mere rituals help us remember that love for you comes first. When we are tempted to seek power and acclaim, help us remember that you alone are worthy of honor and worship. Lord Jesus, where two or three come together in your name, you are present. Hear and answer these prayers in accordance with your will.

Prayer for Lent – part 1

Lord Jesus, you sent your disciples out in twos to take the good news of God's kingdom to all whom they met. We pray for all Christian people working together for the Gospel, especially in our own area. Help us to overcome our differences and show by our actions that you are our one Lord. Jesus, Lord of the Church, in your mercy, receive our prayer. Lord Jesus, you heard the cry of blind Bartimaeus and restored his sight. We pray for those whose lives are impaired by handicap, disability and disadvantage, especially the refugees and asylum seekers in our country. Help us to defeat selfish prejudice and bring your compassion to the vulnerable and needy. Jesus, Light of the World, in your mercy, receive our prayer. Lord Jesus, you heard the last request of the penitent thief as you hung on the Cross, and promised him a place with you in Paradise. We pray for all whose lives are in confusion and disarray, who feel unloved and unworthy and do not know where to turn. Help us to accept those whom others side-line and reject, and reassure them of your unlimited love. Jesus, friend of sinners, in your mercy, receive our prayer. (2nd part tomorrow)

Celebrating Lent

Most of us have favorite holiday seasons. For some it's Christmas, with the family get‑togethers and presents. For others it's the Fourth of July and summer, filled by a sense of national pride and beach vacations. But each year at just about this time, it strikes me that very few of us would pick Lent, a season that seems out of place for many of us. Somehow, like the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives, we cannot seem to make a good connection with Lent. It feels like this strange, weirdly anachronistic holiday that celebrates things we don't value and encourages attitudes we don't share. Rarely is there the same kind of enthusiasm or expectancy which greets Advent. No Lenten Dinners and Parties, not many Lenten hymns to sing. There are no presents at the end, and no fun and games along the way. Then we have to reflect on the themes of Lent that trouble us. Penitence. Sacrifice. Contemplation. Meditation.  But you know what? We all need Lent. Just maybe I need a time to focus, to get my mind off of my career, my social life, my next writing project, spending more time with the children – maybe I need these 40 days to help clear my head of the distractions and temptations that now dominate our lives. Maybe we need to clear my eyes of the glaze of indifference and apathy. Maybe we need to be more tolerant with those who rub us the wrong way, especially members of our own family.  Maybe we need to understand that God is in control of our lives, and be patient in not being able to do what our mind tells us. Maybe Lent comes to us to remind us of what was promised me at Baptism: "You are mine! I love you! I am with you!" Let us see Lent as a gift of the church, the season during which God prepares us to behold God's own great sacrifice for us, with the hope and prayer that, come Good Friday and Easter, we may be immersed once again into God's mercy and perceive more fully God's great love for us and all the world.

Bishop O’Connell RIP

Los Angeles Auxiliary Bishop David O’Connell, a popular priest in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles for many years known for his work ministering to immigrants, the poor, and victims of gun violence in South LA, was shot and killed Saturday. The shooting happened around 1 p.m. inside his home in Hacienda Heights, Los Angeles County. Born in County Cork, Ireland in 1953, O’Connell studied for the priesthood at All Hallows College in Dublin and was ordained to serve in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles in 1979. After ordination, he served as associate pastor in several parishes and as pastor at St. Frances X. Cabrini, Ascension, St. Eugene and St. Michael’s parishes – all in South L.A. Pope Francis named O'Connell a bishop in 2015. O'Connell worked in South Los Angeles for years and focused on gang intervention. He later sought to broker peace between residents and law enforcement following the violent 1992 uprising after a jury acquitted four white LA police officers in the beating of Rodney King, a black man. Nearly two decades later, O'Connell brought the San Gabriel Valley community together to rebuild a mission there destroyed an arson attack. In recent years he also spearheaded Catholic efforts in the region to work with immigrant children and families from Central America. Los Angeles Archbishop Gomez called Bishop O’Connell “a man of deep prayer who had a great love for Our Blessed Mother. He was a peacemaker with a heart for the poor and the immigrant, and he had a passion for building a community where the sanctity and dignity of every human life was honored and protected. He was also a good friend, and I will miss him greatly. We ask for prayers for the bishop and his family in Ireland. May Our Lady of Guadalupe wrap him in the mantle of her love, and may the angels lead him into paradise, and may he rest in peace.” Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department announced yesterday that charges would be brought against a Hispanic male, 65-year-old Carlos Medina, the husband of Bishop O’Connell’s housekeeper. It is currently unclear if the housekeeper is employed by Bishop O’Connell directly or by the archdiocese, but he had previously done work at the bishop’s residence.

Carnival photos

Today I just share with you some photos from the Carnival being held in Malta, just before the beginning of Lent. Plenty of floats parade through the streets of the capital city in Valletta, as young revellers dance in their elaborate costumes, in competition to win the prize for the best group. The floats have various moveable parts, along with loud music. You may recognize some of the characters shown here, as they are presented in paper-mache sculptures, which are usually destroyed after the Carnival weekend is over. Some of the mechanisms are kept and another float will be built next year. 

A few families are very dedicated to present colorful floats, which are their pride and joy. The costumes are also meticulously designed, are pretty heavy, but are worn with pride, and since it's colder in February, they don't mind the extra baggage they have to carry.

Giving 5 babies away

From my journal....”Back in 2010, when I was at the Cathedral, a young woman called, informing me that her brother just died and they wanted to attend the funeral, somewhere between Nevada and California, and asked me if I can give them at least a voucher for gasoline/petrol. When she came in to the office, I talked to her and consoled her because she was still very upset.  I noticed also that she was pregnant and asked her when the baby is due and she said in May. My next question was if she had any more children, and she responded “I had 8 babies, but I gave 5 of them away for adoption!” She said she does not believe in abortion and so delivered the babies and gave them away one by one, all from the same father. However she did keep the last 3 babies and will be keeping the one she is carrying right now. I complimented her for giving birth to all of them and keeping them alive and reminded her that on Friday, January 22^nd, was the 37^th anniversary of the legalization of abortion here in the USA. I asked her if she keeps in touch with the 5 babies she gave up for adoption and answered in the affirmative, telling me also that they are placed in good homes, all in California. Some of the stories I hear are truly mind-boggling, and you may think that such stories happen only to other families in big and poor cities, not right here in Baker City. I cannot comprehend how a mother can give away 5 of her children, but at least I admire her for not aborting them.”

A few days later, I was given this note by one of the parishioners.....“Dear Father Julian, I am writing to thank you for the letters, thoughts and reflections that you read during the Holy Hour for Respect for Life. As you read the thoughts of the baby that was aborted, my heart was breaking. I wish I had heard a priest speak as you did when I was in my 20s. Now I‘m Pro-Life - too late for my 3 babies that I aborted who would have been in their 40s now. I wish every teenager could hear you speak. God bless you.”

Nicaragua trouble

Bishop of Nicaragua, Rolando Alvarez

Our prayers are encouraged for the Nicaraguan Bishop Rolando Álvarez, after just being condemned to 26 years in prison for defending his priests and his people. President Daniel Ortega accused Catholic leaders of being a “gang of murderers,” claiming that bishops in Nicaragua called on protesters to kill him during 2018 demonstrations. He also scorned Pope Francis’ call for dialogue in the country. Ortega (who considers himself a Catholic) won the elections in 2021 after disqualifying and imprisoning opposition candidates. Since then, his regime has persecuted priests and bishops standing for the defense of human rights and democratic institutions. In fact, the Catholic Church in Nicaragua has gone through more than 190 attacks and desecrations, including a fire in the Managua Cathedral, the expulsion of the missioners of Charity, the prohibition of traditional feasts and processions, and the highly irregular house arrest of Bishop Rolando Álvarez, accused of  ‘crimes against spirituality.’ The priests who were arrested with him are kept in El Chipote prison, where the regime keeps its political prisoners. Pope Francis said recently ‘I am following closely, with concern and sorrow, the situation created in Nicaragua that involves persons and institutions. I would like to express my conviction and my hope that, through an open and sincere dialogue, the basis for a respectful and peaceful co-existence might still be found.’ A Nicaraguan court sentenced Bishop Rolando Alvarez to more than 26 years in prison on Friday, a day after the cleric and critic of President Daniel Ortega declined to be expelled to the United States as part of a prisoner release.  222 priests opponents of Ortega were expelled to the USA. European Bishops have joined Latin American episcopates and Pope Francis in expressing solidarity with the Church in Nicaragua.  Alvarez, bishop of the Matagalpa diocese, was convicted of treason, undermining national integrity and spreading false news, among other charges. During Friday's court hearing it was also announced that he would be fined and stripped of his Nicaraguan citizenship. Like St. Oscar Romero, the Bishop of El Salvador who was killed in 1980 by his regime, Alvarez is sacrificing his life defending his people and his priests.

A canine confession

Among the families I visited on Thanksgiving back in 2010 was the McCauleys who are always happy to see me with plenty of relatives visiting them. They always like to sit around me and hear stories from the days in New York and Malta, but the most funny incident happened with their dogs today. Actually there must have been 4 or 5 dogs in the house, all well-behaved, until two of them got into a vicious fight over something. It could have been food or one of them bumped into the other. These were two small dogs, both puppies, a Shit-Zu and a boxer. It only lasted 4 to 6 seconds, but they were at it in a most terrifying way, not knowing if they were going to kill each other or survive. It was so sudden and caught everyone by surprise. When their owners separated them, the black boxer came near me and in the cutest way, he put his paws on my thigh, with his sad sorrowful eyes. Al McCauley was next to me and he could not resist laughing hysterically as he said “Oh my goodness, he wants to go to confession!” Since he was all black with a little white under his neck, he could very well have been dressed as a priest. And so to continue the scene, I started talking to him as I caressed him on his head....”Are you sorry?.... Why did you do it?....Are you gonna fight again?......OK I forgive you.....” At each phrase he looked at me with pity and extreme remorse as if he was a penitent in the confessional! Just before I finished I told him “And now for your penance, stay away from meat for the next three months!” When I finished, he got down and went in the corner by himself, as everyone joined in the laughing. It was one of those scenes that makes you love animals, especially dogs who can be so loving and tender and can almost speak to you. This was the case with this boxer - he mimicked a confession and if he could talk, he was really telling me that he’s sorry, his eyes showed remorse, guilt and pain, all of which were forgiven by this once-in-a-lifetime dog-confession.

The Branding

Every year the young calves are branded, that is marked on their side with an iron-hot branding iron, to distinguish them from other calves, belonging to another rancher. I’ve seen quite a few of these brandings done by the cowboys with a lot of help, and support from their neighbors. Livestock branding is a technique for marking livestock so as to identify the owner. Originally, livestock branding only referred to hot branding large stock with a branding iron, though the term now includes alternative techniques. Other forms of livestock identification include freeze branding, inner lip or ear tattoos, earmarking or ear tagging. 

The cowboys have a way of using a lasso to catch the calves in their hind legs. One thing that impressed me when passing by a branding, is the moaning of the calves, as if they’re crying, since they are taken away from their mothers until they are finally branded, and then given back to mama. These photos were taken in a branding I came across south of Burns in Eastern Oregon, during one of my trips.

Donna Summer

Back in 2010, for one of our clergy retreats, we invited a priest from the order of Father Benedict Groeschel CFR. This was Fr Glen Sudano, who was one of the original 8 who drifted away from the Capuchin order to start their own order back in the1980s, now still flourishing beautifully with many vocations. Since I was in New York for 22 years, and knew many of the monks Capuchin Friars of the Renewal (CFR), I was given the honor to introduce Father Glen. In his introduction, he told us that he grew up in Brooklyn, and joined the Capuchins in 1978, being ordained in 1984. But the biggest surprise came to me when he told us that he had two brothers, Barry and Bruce, and the latter is married to an African-American. Then he told us, ever so nonchalantly, “and by the way you may know his wife – her name is Donna Summer!” Yes, the Disco queen of the 70s and 80s – and they’ve been married 30 years! He was probably more surprised to see that most of the African priests knew who Donna Summer was, as did everyone else present - we all remember the disco years, as most of us were either studying in the Seminary or enjoying teenage life and disco-dances. 

Donna and Bruce in the middle flanked by Giorgio Moroder and his wife.

Donna married Bruce Sudano in 1980 and they had 3 daughters. She died after 32 years of marriage on May 17, 2012, aged 63, at her home in Naples, Florida, from lung cancer. Being a non-smoker, Summer theorized that her cancer had been caused by inhaling toxic fumes from dust from the September 11 attacks in New York City. She was in her apartment near Ground Zero when the attacks occurred. It’s always a surprise to find out how people are related to each other, as listened to Fr Glen preach to us, as the brother-in-law of Donna Summer! 

Couple Saints

Sts Zelie and Luis Martin, canonized at the Vatican in 2015.

On this Valentine’s Day I’d like to honor some couples who were canonized or beatified as we honor also World Marriage Day today. October 18, 2015 was a happy day for all couples as the first married couple was canonzied, Sts. Louis and Zélie Martin, the parents of St. Thérèse of Lisieux, the Little Flower. Seven years earlier, on Oct. 19, 2008, Benedict XVI had beatified them — together. The Martins went daily to Mass, regularly to confession, regularly to Communion, and carried out corporal and spiritual works of mercy and charity, especially helping needy families and the sick. After Zélie died, Louis cared for their daughters. The couple had another four other children who died at a very young age. A few years earlier, Oct. 21, 2001, to be exact, the first married couple to be beatified together were Blessed Luigi and Maria Beltrame Quattrocchi of Italy. At the beatification, St. John Paul II said in his homily: “Drawing on the word of God and the witness of the saints, the blessed couple lived an ordinary life in an extraordinary way. Among the joys and anxieties of a normal family, they knew how to live an extraordinarily rich spiritual life.” Two of their sons became priests and concelebrated their beatification Mass with John Paul II, who affirmed that “daily Communion was at the center, to which was added filial devotion to the Virgin Mary, invoked by praying the Rosary every night.” Married couples becoming saints is not a new phenomenon. In the New Testament, there are Joseph and Mary, Elizabeth and Zechariah, Joachim and Anne, and Aquila and Priscilla. Converts to Christianity, they appear in four New Testament books and were closely connected to St. Paul, who visited them and ended up staying with them since they, like himself, were tentmakers. Paul mentions this holy couple in several epistles. Writing in Romans (16:3-5), he said, “Greet Priscilla and Aquila, who work with me in Christ Jesus, and who risked their necks for my life, to whom not only I give thanks, but also all the churches of the Gentiles have reason to be grateful to them.” May we have many more holy couples who are beatified and canonized, those who lived a holy life and in our minds and hearts are already saints, including my own parents, John and Mary. Happy Valentines Day to everyone.

Deer crossing

With the traffic congestion we experience here in Malta, I always remember my driving days in New York, and especially in Eastern Oregon. There I had to drive around 110 miles every weekend to celebrate an extra Mass for 30 parishioners. With my camera in my passenger seat, I was always on the lookout for deer, elk, wild turkeys, chipmunks, bald eagles and all kinds of wildlife. The problem of traffic was non-existent, but what I lacked from bumper-to-bumper traffic, I encountered in deer crossing the roads, unexpectedly. This was especially dangerous in the mating season, between October and November when the male deer (buck) are chasing the female, and they don’t care if there’s a car or a truck coming by – if they see the female deer (doe) they’re going after her no matter what. Drivers are always on the alert when this happens, and as I keep an eye of the mating scenario, I am ready with my camera, slowing down and shooting the encounter. This one particular deer crossed the road just before I reached the little hamlet of  Richland, a few miles before I arrived at my mission church in Halfway. He was oblivious of the green Honda CR-V with the priest in it, but was concerned about the rendezvous he was looking for, with Mrs. Doe.

Decisions

200 people applied for a job that required responsibility and commitment. They all sat down for a test, and were asked a simple question:

Imagine yourself driving through a rain storm and you pass a bus-stop where you see three people waiting. They are:

1. an old woman who seemed pretty fragile, almost dying,

2. an old friend who once saved your life,

3. and a pretty girl (or a handsome man) who could be your life’s partner.

Now since you have a small car, there is only room for one person to ride with you. The question is: whom would you give a ride to in your car? Think well before answering.

This was a moral and ethical dilemma that these 200 applicants had to answer in a responsible way. You can give a ride to the old woman and possibly save her life. You can also give a ride to your friend to pay back the generous deed he did when he saved your life. But if you choose any of these two, you would have missed the opportunity to meet a beautiful girl, or handsome man who could become your life’s partner. All choices would have been good.

The winner was a young man who didn’t think twice what to write. This was his winning response: “I would get out of my car, give the keys to my friend who once saved my life, and ask him to take the old woman to a nearby hospital before she dies. Then I would wait at the bus-stop for the bus with the girl of my dreams, get to know her and hopefully marry her.”

Our Lady of Lourdes

During the aux flambeaux procession at Lourdes

In August 2019, as well as back in 2002 I was able to visit Lourdes with a group of Maltese pilgrims. I celebrated Mass for them every day and visited many landmarks, both in Lourdes itself and in the outskirts. But the thing that impressed me the most is the holiness and sacredness of the entire place. Yes, there were, of course, hotels and restaurants, but every shop and souvenir stand sold only religious articles and absolutely nothing else. And once you enter the territory of Lourdes, you feel like you really entered a sanctuary, and you have the feeling that you were in a church, even with thousands of other pilgrims around. It was a very special time for me and one really felt the presence of the Blessed Mother with you wherever you went. Of course, we participated in the aux flambeaux procession in the evening in the 4 days we were there. I came back with over a thousand photos, one of which is seen here. Today we commemorate the first apparition of Our Lady at Lourdes to the young girl Bernadette Soubirous in 1858. It took the church a few years to declare the apparitions as truly authentic, and since then over 70 miracles have taken place to people visiting Lourdes, the tiny place nestled between Spain and France at the base of the Pyrenees Mountains. Since then it has become one of the most visited places on earth. Devotion to Our Lady of Lourdes is everywhere, even among Protestants and non-Christians. In fact in Lourdes you'll encounter people from all parts of the globe, people of different ethnic and racial background, all of them praying in humility.

Our Father Saint Paul

The statue of St. Paul by Melchiore Gafa

Today Malta celebrates the national feast day of St Paul, our father in faith. We commemorate the shipwreck of St Paul on the island in the year 60 AD. The event is graphically described in the Acts of the Apostles chapters 27 and 28. It was a tragic event which proved to be providential to the Maltese population at that time. After Paul was converted on his way to Damascus, his life changed completely and he became an itinerant preacher, healer and motivator. He ended up converting the whole Maltese population after they received him and the 276 sailors with him who were shipwrecked off the broken vessel. The Maltese were ruled by various rulers over the past 2 millennia, the Romans, the Arabs, the Normans, the Spanish, the Knights of Malta, the French and the British until we gained Independence in 1964. But Malta remained Christian throughout history. Today we celebrate this religious national feast, and even though the weather is pretty bad, the annual procession with the statue of St Paul will be held tomorrow instead of today February 10.

Praying for Turkey and Syria

The magnitude of the utter destruction caused by a series of earthquakes is truly mind-boggling. From a 7.8 and 7.6 Richter scale earthquakes, followed by over 100 aftershocks, the scene is truly overwhelming. There are so far over 13,000 victims in Turkey and over 3,000 in Syria, and most of them were probably were caught unprepared as they were all asleep at 4:17 AM. Those numbers are constantly rising. The quakes were Turkey’s worst seismic event in decades, rocking an area around the city of Gaziantep that is home to millions of Turkish citizens, displaced Syrians and refugees. In Syria, the earthquake shook a region of the country that houses millions of people displaced by the country’s civil war, including many living in makeshift camps. Turkey’s state-run Anadolu Agency reported that 6,444 buildings had collapsed. Let us pray for the victims, the injured, their families, those risking their lives in the search-and-rescue attempts, and those helping in hospitals and everywhere where the need is. Give them Lord the courage and perseverance to accept all the help that is coming from all over the world, and may this horrific tragedy inspire those still at war to stop any hostilities and work for peace, unity and collaboration.

Laurel and Hardy

One of my all time favorite comic actors are Laurel and Hardy. They have a way to change your mood if you’re having a bad day. Granted that since then, I fell in love also with anything by Mr. Bean, John Cleese’s ‘Fawlty Towers,’ ‘Mind your language,’ ‘The Vicar of Dibley,’ and ‘Allo Allo.’ But the silent short films by 'the fat one and the thin one,' as we always called them here in Malta, are truly immortal. And how they have survived a hundred years without any dialogue, without any sex or vulgar language, is truly amazing. Enjoy this classic from 1929 of how a tit-for-tat went on, and on, and on, and on. 

And if you like a compilation of some of their hilarious moments, check this collection of classics.

A winter spectacular

One of the things I miss from my years in the USA is seeing snow falling and creating a scintillating scene with winter beauty. I’ve taken hundreds of photos of wintry scenes. I was especially in love with icicles in my first years, but on a few occasions I also witnessed the miracle of nature as hoarfrost covered every branch, twig and tree in crystallized ice. Enjoy these few photos from January 15, 2009 when for two full days the entire Baker County in Eastern Oregon was encased in ice. 

This happens when white ice crystals are deposited on the ground or loosely attached trees and branches, besides exposed objects, such as wires or leaves. They form on cold, clear nights when conditions are such that heat radiates into outer space faster than it can be replaced from nearby warm objects or brought in by the wind. Under suitable circumstances, objects cool to below the frost point of the surrounding air, well below the freezing point of water.  Thus this frost, also known as hoarfrost makes trees and bushes look like white hair. And everywhere for two full days, was a spectacular winter wonderland.

Edwin Galea, watercolorist RIP

The death was announced of a famous Maltese watercolorist, who resided at our Retirement Home in Hilltop Gardens. Edwin Galea came to our home a few months ago with his wife, and has been attending my Masses in my chapel. Unfortunately, I was planning to visit him and get some tips about my own watercolors, but he passed away suddenly. Born in Valletta, Malta in 1934, Edwin Galea is a marine artist working exclusively in watercolors. His love for the sea and naval history has taken him to most maritime museums in Europe and in the United States for research work. His style is represented and readily identifiable by the power of his treatment. Edwin Galea, son of artist Chev. Joseph Galea who was tutored by Chev. Caruana Dingli and who served as an official War Artist during World War II, received his artistic formation from his father. He inherited from his father a natural love of the sea and an uncanny gift to reproduce its moods and the ships that sail on it. His paintings are full of energy in varying moods whether on the high seas or a windswept Maltese landscape. He has exhibited in Malta, London, Italy, Australia, Brussels, Athens, New York and Washington DC.

Edwin Galea at his home-studio

Edwin Galea is the only Maltese artist listed both as an official US Navy Combat Artist and a US Coastguard Artist. In 1984, the US Navy awarded him its highest civilian honour, the Meritorious Public Service Citation for his paintings in the collection of the US Naval Academy, the US Navy Memorial Museum, the US Navy and Marine Combat Art Museum and the Pentagon in Washington DC. My condolences to his wife and his family.

He excelled in maritime scenes, and Navy ships, old and new.

Learning from the Geese

I learnt once that geese mate for life, something which we humans can learn from. I share with you two photos I took that show families of geese together, with the parents protecting and watching over their goslins with intimate attention and love. Even when they fly in their famous V-formation, they do that to support those ahead of them, and when the leader gets tired, he goes to the back while another goose replaces him. Geese honk from behind to encourage those up front to keep up their speed. Finally, and this is important, when a goose gets sick, or is wounded by gunshots and falls out of formation, two other geese fall out with that goose and follow it down to lend help and protection. They stay with the fallen goose until it is able to fly, or until it dies. Yes, we can learn so much from our animals.

A Historic Moment

Pope Francis, the archbishop of Canterbury and the moderator of the Church of Scotland arrived in South Sudan on Feb. 3 in an historic ecumenical visit, offering a joint and impassioned appeal for peace after a decade of raging civil war in the world's youngest country. "No more of this!" Francis begged during an arrival ceremony at the presidential palace. "No more bloodshed, no more conflicts, no more violence and mutual recriminations about who is responsible for it, no more leaving your people athirst for peace. No more destruction: it is time to build!"  As the church leaders began their three-day visit, Francis offered a blunt charge to the warring political leaders, long paralyzed by seemingly intractable tribal and ethnic conflict, urging them to abandon violence and become peacemakers. “History itself will remember you if you work for the benefit of this people that you have been called to serve. Future generations will either venerate your names or cancel their memory, based on what you do now. The sons and daughters of South Sudan need fathers, not overlords. They need steady steps towards development, not constant collapses. Without laying down weapons, the fertile, promising land of South Sudan will become a cemetery.” The Pope is seen here after his arrival in South Sudan being greeted by the Anglican Archbishop Justin Welby, the moderator of the  Church of Scotland Iain Greenshields, and Prime Minister of South Sudan Kiir, in his famous cowboy hat. We pray that this historic moment of reconciliation will be repeated in Israel, in Peru, in other conflicting nations, and especially between Ukraine and Russia.

Pope Francis in South Sudan

Who can forget the sight of Francis dropping to his knees to kiss the feet of South Sudan’s top political leaders? The Pope made this unexpected gesture to the shock of everyone in the room at a retreat convened at Santa Marta on April 11, 2019. Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, leader of the Church of England recalled: “Tears were running down every face there, including the BBC cameraman.” Francis nearly prostrated himself before these secular leaders to express his profound request that they unite and overcome political differences to focus on the good of the nation. After the brutal civil wars of 1955-1972 and 1983-2005, a referendum in January 2011 paved the way for South Sudan’s political independence. Unfortunately, the euphoria of that momentous achievement would be short-lived when power struggles between President Kiir and Vice President Machar over unresolved issues of oil revenues, ethnic representation, and citizenship laws precipitated unprecedented political instability that plagued its citizens since December 2013. Their rivalry mutated into ethnic-based violence that spread destruction across the perilously poor country between 2013 and 2018.

These posters were done for the Papal visit in 2022, postponed for now.

As a result of the renewed bonds formed in Rome and multilateral incentives, Kiir and Machar formed a unity government in February 2020. Kiir, a churchgoing Catholic, was very moved by Pope Francis’ challenge in Rome, and he said: “May the whole-hearted search for peace resolve disputes, may love conquer hatred, and may revenge be disarmed by forgiveness.” So, this is not a papal visit, but an ecumenical pilgrimage. In South Sudan, Pope Francis will be joined by the Anglican leader Welby, as well as the Church of Scotland’s international ambassador, Presbyterian Rev. Iain Greenshields. Bringing together Catholic, Episcopalian and Presbyterian leaders meant aggregating the only organizations representing the beleaguered South Sudanese people — some 6.7 million of the 11 million population is Christian. A little more than 600,000 (around 6%) is Muslim. A major reason why he is traveling to the impoverished, war-torn African country on Friday is because he assured President Salva Kiir that if Kiir and his political rivals forged a unity government committed to peace — which they did in January 2020 — then the Holy Father, together with leaders from the Church of England and Church of Scotland, would strive to come in person, to encourage the world’s newest nation.

Organizing the ecumenical pilgrimage is a way of recognizing extraordinary work being done in the country. For example, facing a vast range of needs, Catholic men and women religious from some 30 congregations invented a new way to serve: Known as ‘Solidarity With South Sudan’, the ministry collaborates across religious orders and concentrates its most intensive programs on training teachers, health care workers and midwives. About 700 teachers, trained at a two-year teacher-training college in Yambo, while 290 students graduated from the Catholic Health Training Institute, mainly nurses and midwives. The civil war killed more than 400,000 people and displaced another more than 4.5 million. In this country, 88% of women cannot read or write; 82% of the population lives in poverty; and only 10% have access to basic sanitation. Thank you Pope Francis for bringing healing to this new nation.