25 years ago – 9/11 revisited

My heart is still hurting by painful memories of September 11, 2001, but prayer, writing and researching history have all been my consolation. That quiet relief, however, is short-lived, broken by the echoes of the fresh death and destruction in Afghanistan, Ukraine, Gaza, Sudan and Iran. I'm moved to silent reverence for the 3000 cherished lives lost, a moment of compassion for the hearts that are still broken; anger over hatred, terror, blindness, fear; and a moment of compassionate solidarity and prayer for all victims of violence and war. My heart cries out: God, when will we ever learn that war is not the answer? Enfold us in your love, transform our hearts, use our voices, let there be peace.  Pope Leo echoes these feelings every single day of his pontificate so far.

May we be blessed and never forget the tragedy that rocked our world on 9/11. May we be blessed to never forget the spirit that ceaselessly tries to unite and strengthen us as one human family and one world: grieving, healing, reconciling, praying and hoping together. The Earth herself joins our voices as her land, water, flora and fauna are poisoned. Together, we plead to be heard, to be listened to by hearts of hope, who are moved to care and restore.

May shattered hearts be healed, bodies be mended, lives be freed of fear, and new strength be found to help peace and justice become the new reality for all people.  Let us remember all those children who lost parents that day, most of whom are adults themselves today – their parents killed that day are true martyrs, the New York martyrs, for whom I always pray, particularly on this day, since 2001.

Today in the Times of Malta, I wrote an article about my memories of 25 years ago. As access to it is limited by registration, here is the text of the entire article, published as an opinion piece in the back page......it is reproduced here in small print..... 

My Memories of September 11, 2001

Exactly a year ago, on September 11, 2025, my great-niece Emilia was born, and so for the first time in 25 years, I will look back at that date with joy and celebration as we witness the Quċċija of a year-old girl trying to grab a pen, an egg, a 5 Euro or Rosary beads. But until a year ago, my memories of September 11 were always haunted by sadness, recollecting what I’ve experienced on that tragic day as 3000 innocent victims were killed by ruthless terrorists in 2001.

Back then I was a parish priest leading a parish in a suburb of New York City, precisely in St. Stanislaus Kostka church in Pleasant Valley, 65 miles north of Manhattan. On that sunny morning, I had just finished saying the 9 AM Mass, and after visiting our Nursery school children, I headed to my room before starting my communion calls as I did every Tuesday.

As I was leaving, the phone rings and it was my mother screaming frantically asking me if I was OK. Our phones calls were usually happy events, but something in her voice certainly alerted me that something was not right. Maybe something happened to my dad, or my nephews, or siblings. Little did I know that she was calling me from 4,600 miles away to see if I was still alive because of a catastrophic event that was unfolding a few miles away from my parish, and the Twin Towers would soon implode causing devastation all over New York City and repercussions world-wide. Unbelievably, I had to hear from my own mother in Malta about this tragic event, and I immediately assured my family that I was fine and pondered how my life and everyone’s life was going to change within minutes.

Following the horrendous scenes on TV, I knew right away that I was going to be very busy over the following few weeks and months, calming and counselling parishioners who came to pray and ask for moral strength. Within a week I wrote an article for the ‘Times of Malta’ entitled ‘A 5-day diary of a priest in New York,’ which was published, and even reproduced in a book published by  Book Surge entitled ‘09/11 8:48 AM – Documenting America’s greatest tragedy.’ I also instantly became RTK Radio’s live correspondent, giving weekly interviews for a 5 month period, updating the Maltese people of the status quo in New York.

But without going through the facts which we all know about, and the statistics that saw 2,997 victims, 25,000 injured and irreparable damage to the New York skyline, I highlight here just a few reflections of what I experienced. Soon after the second tower imploded, I got a call from the Klein family, Hans and Ruth who had lost their 22 year-old son Peter, possibly one of the first victims, as the first plane hit right into his office, on the 83rd floor of Tower 1. By mid-afternoon I was sitting with Hans and Ruth, trying to console them, sharing with me special memories of their family and their son. Peter was married a year earlier, and was an altar-boy and boy scout in our parish for many years.

Then I spent three hours waiting on-line to donate blood, a process that normally takes half an hour. Hundreds of Americans gave the gift of life by donating blood for the survivors. Many others turned to prayers. I did a lot of counselling, even on the phone and through e-mail with parishioners. In the evening we scheduled a Mass for the victims, and obviously the church was packed, and people stayed afterwards, to confess, to talk and receive comfort. The stories of many of the survivors and victims were constantly being relayed on TV. Since I was on Long Island for 18 years, I knew many people who worked in the business district, around Wall Street and in the World Trade Centre, and hoped and prayed that they survived. A former Youth Group member, Matthew  Gryzmalski from a former parish also died in the attack.  

Some of the parishes on Long Island and New Jersey, where most of the victims resided, had to do as many as 30 funerals over the next 3 months, the majority without a body, including over 300 police officers and firefighters, with thousands of their comrades in attendance for each funeral.

I watched on TV the heart-breaking story of Howard Lutnick, CEO of Cantor Fitzgerald who lost 658 of his employees who were on the very top floors of one of the Twin Towers, including his brother. Howard survived simply because he took his son Kyle to his first day of Kindergarten, and was heading towards work a little later than usual, when the tragedy happened. 60 of the male employees who died left pregnant wives, whose babies would never know their dads.

A few days later I visited again my friend Hans, where I spent 2 hours with him, and he was calmer, and talked more about his son. His family will be getting together in a few days, after they sent all the information and paperwork about his absence, including a toothbrush, an item requested by the Police to check for DNA in case they can identify his body (or body parts.)

Three weeks later I celebrated Peter’s funeral Mass in our church. His mother had crafted a quilt with his picture and the hobbies he liked, which we displayed at church, besides plenty of flowers. Peter’s loss brought the family closer to God and closer to each other. I shared a touching homily which comforted the whole family, as well as some representatives of the local Government who attended the funeral Mass.

Next to the World Trade Center is Holy Trinity Church, surrounded by a graveyard. While all nearby skyscrapers were also badly damaged, the cemetery was littered with rubble and debris, but the Church remained intact, with the spire still standing. Visiting Ground Zero in mid-October, there were many memorials and items which family members had left along the railing of the church, in memory of their loved ones, from teddy bears to rosary beads, from scarfs to hats and T-shirts, flowers and plenty of photos. A large tarpaulin had quotes and messages in every imaginable language. I added mine: ‘Il-Bambin jiftakar fikom u l-Maltin jitolbu għalikom.’ The Lord will remember you and the Maltese will pray for you.

Click to enlarge the quote in Maltese on the right

September 10, 2001

I will take you today to experience what life was like exactly 25 years ago in 2001. In my parish of St Stanislaus Kostka in Pleasant Valley, New York, we just went through Labor Day with a typical local parade which included children in colorful costumes, marching bands from the local High School, horses and ponies, plenty of trucks and fire-engines and some personalities who were honored for their work and contribution in our local quiet suburban town. Our parish Youth Club and Catholic Youth Organization members also took part. The day ended with some bar-b-cues as people wished each other a happy holiday, ready to start another scholastic year within a few hours on the morning of September 11. But by 8:45 AM on that sunny morning, our world would turn upside down with a horrendous terrorist attack that would take the life of 3000 people, besides causing devastation in Manhattan and the incredible and unfathomable collapse of both Twin Towers. I will write more on tomorrow’s post as I was in the midst of this cataclysmic event, even having to report to a radio station in my home country of Malta for the following 5 months about the aftermath. These photos were ones I took before this day on occasional visits to the World Trade Center.

US Open 39 years ago....

John McEnroe practicing at the outer courts

With the US Tennis Open Grand Slam tournament going on in New York this week, I’d like to go  back 39 years ago, in 1987 when I was able to visit this prestigious place with another priest Fr Paul Driscoll, who was a great fan of tennis. In fact he would take his vacation time during these 2 weeks, and he would be there from 11 AM, when the doors open until the early hours of the morning the next day, whenever the last game ends. Curiously enough Fr Paul became so familiar with the security guys that they gave him a reserved parking space. Going into the complex, he was treated like a VIP. On any given day, we would roam around and follow the outer courts as well as the big stadium. The Unisphere was also a major attraction, as you can see from 2 photos. Then at the training courts, we would watch various player up close and personal, practicing before their scheduled games. As you can see from these photo, I followed John McEnroe, who was still at the peak of his career back then in 1987. The level of tennis has increased tremendously since then, and the new stars are reaching levels of aggressive tennis like we’re never seen before. From McEnroe and Connors, from Becker to Lendl, from Sampras to Agassi, from Federer to Nadal, from Djokovic to Murray and the two present superstars, Sinner and Alcaraz. And the trio of new Americans, Shelton, Fritz and Tiafoe. (Click to enlarge these photos)

The Nativity of Mary

Today we celebrate the feast of the birthday of the Blessed Mother. She was conceived in St Anne’s womb on December 8th, the feast of the Immaculate Conception, and to follow the duration of a human pregnancy, the church celebrates her birth date today, exactly 9 months later. Many countries, including Italy and Spain as well as Malta celebrate this holy day with images and statues of the baby Mary, although the statues venerated in Malta are that of a young girl, all of which known as Maria Bambina (the little child Mary.) We always imagine Mary as an adult, but as a baby, a toddler, a little child, and as a teenager, she also had her special attributes. In Malta we also commemorate today the anniversary of two major victories at war. The first one was the victory of the Maltese and the Knights of Malta against the Turks, the Ottoman Empire in the Great Siege of 1565, and the second one was the end of Fascism and Nazism at the height of World War II, a time of terrible suffering for the Maltese people. May the Blessed Mother keep her watchful eyes on all of us, especially our young people and children, as well as many families who may be struggling at this time. 4 different parishes in Malta celebrate this feast with a solemn procession in the evening, in Xagħra Gozo, Senglea, Mellieħa and Naxxar, the parish in which I serve regularly, besides my Retirement Home. The statue seen here is from Naxxar parish, celebrating the 300th anniversary of its arrival.

Kimi Antonelli

I’d like to honor today a young car-racing driver from Italy who just turned 20 on August 25, and who presently is leading the Formula 1 standings with 267 points, a lead of 66 points ahead of three British drivers.  It’s just amazing seeing such a young man driving million dollar cars at those speeds with much more experienced drivers. What is truly remarkable is that yesterday at Monza, Italy, he started at the 19th pole position, then climbing slowly one by one, until he reached the top spot midway through the race, and ending up winning comfortably. Kimi started driving in karting competitions, steered and encouraged by his father, then moving to bigger cars and by 2025, he was promoted to drive in Formula 1, alongside superstars like Hamilton, Veerstappen, Norris and others older than him. So far he won 7 races during this year, and claimed 11 podiums, that is finishing anywhere in the top 3. Congratulations Kimi.

Meteora

Meteora is a rock formation in north-western Greece, hosting one of the most prominent complexes of Eastern Orthodox monasteries, viewed locally as second in importance only to Mount Athos. Their height is more than 20 metres. Twenty-four monasteries were established atop the giant natural pillars and hill-like rounded boulders that dominate the local area, mainly from the second half of the 14th century. As of December 2025, four of the original monasteries were occupied, in active use as monasteries that are managed by monks, and open to visitors: the monasteries of Great Meteoron (est. 1356), Varlaam, Holy Trinity, and Saint Stephen - the latter became a convent run by a community of nuns in 1961. Meteora is located between the town of Kalabaka and the village of Kastraki, near the Pineios river and Pindus Mountains. The Meteora complex was added to the UNESCAO World Heritage List in 1988 because of its outstanding architecture and beauty, combined with religious and cultural significance. What follows are some scenes from the churches with Iconostasis and other Icons, some of which are quite old, all photos taken by a recent visitor to Meteora. (Click to enlarge)

St Teresa of Calcutta

Mother Teresa (1910-1997)

The little nun who changed the way we look at poor and sick people is honored today in her liturgical feast. She was born as Anjezë Gonxhe Bojaxhiu on August 27, 2010 in Skopje, Albania. She left home in 1928 to join the Sisters of Loreto, based in Ireland. She learned English and then left for India a year later, arriving in Darjeeling and taking her final vows on May 14, 1937. On 10 September 1946, Teresa experienced what she later described as "the call within the call" when she travelled by train to the Loreto Convent in Darjeeling from Calcutta for her annual retreat. "I was to leave the convent and help the poor while living among them.” Thus started the new order, the Missionaries of Charity, known by their white sari and blue trim. She would open many homes, orphanages, hospitals, and convents all around the world. For the next four decades, Mother Teresa worked tirelessly on behalf of the poor. Her love knew no bounds. Nor did her energy, as she crisscrossed the globe pleading for support and inviting others to see the face of Jesus in the poorest of the poor. She received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979. Mother Teresa died on September 5, 1997. She was always recognized as a living saint, and was beatified by Pope St John Paul on October 19, 2003 and canonized by Pope Francis on September 4, 2016. In 1979 she was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. I honor her today by sharing one of the many prayers she composed.

Dear Jesus, help us to spread your fragrance
everywhere we go.
Flood our souls with your spirit and life.
Penetrate and possess our whole being so utterly
that our lives may only be a radiance of yours.
Shine through us and be so in us
that every soul we come in contact with
may feel your presence in our soul.
Let them look up and see no longer us, but only Jesus.
Stay with us and then we shall begin to shine as you shine,
so to shine as to be light to others.
The light, O Jesus, will be all from you.
None of it will be ours.
It will be you shining on others through us.
Let us thus praise you in the way you love best
by shining on those around us.
Let us preach you without preaching,
not by words, but by our example;
by the catching force -
the sympathetic influence of what we do,
the evident fullness of the love our hearts bear to you.
Amen.

Staying connected

Pope Francis once recalled a day when he was talking to a young man, and asked him what things make him feel sad. Without thinking, he answered me: ‘When my mobile phone battery runs out or I am without an internet connection.’ And the Pope asked him: ‘And why?’ He answered me: ‘Very simple, Father. I feel cut off from the world and I don’t know what is happening around me. I feel stuck where I am. When that happens to me, I am quick to run for the charger or to find a WiFi connection so that I can feel like I am living again.’ This answer, although short, gives us a lot to chew on; it was an answer that teaches us a worthwhile lesson. It taught me that the same thing can happen to our faith. When we feel enthusiastic, we feel our faith grows stronger within us. This can happen through some retreat, a sermon, a prayer meeting, the visit of the Pope, and our faith grows and grows stronger. But after some time from the beginning of this journey, there come moments when, without us noticing, that enthusiasm, that ability and fervor to connect with Jesus begins to slow down and fade away, until we end up losing every connection that binds us to Jesus and we lose all the power and strength we have. This results in a life of sadness, without faith, and we easily start to see everything through a dark tunnel, and nothing starts to make sense. When our spiritual battery fails, like that of a mobile phone, we also end up cut off from everything and from everyone. So, let’s stay connected and in touch with our faith, with our God and His Son Jesus.

St Gregory the Great

Saint Gregory the Great (540-604)

St. Gregory, born in Rome about the year 540, was the son of Gordianus, a wealthy senator, and later Gregory renounced the world and became one of the seven deacons of Rome. After he had acquired the usual thorough education, Emperor Justin the Younger appointed him, in 574, Chief Magistrate of Rome, though he was only thirty-four years of age. After the death of his father, Gregory built six monasteries in Sicily and founded a seventh in his own house in Rome, which became the Benedictine Monastery of St. Andrew. Here, he himself assumed the monastic habit in 575, at the age of thirty-five. After the death of Pelagius, St. Gregory was chosen Pope by the unanimous consent of priests and people. Now began those labors which merited for him the title of Great. His zeal extended over the entire known world, he was in contact with all the Churches of Christendom and, in spite of his bodily sufferings, and innumerable labors, he found time to compose a great number of works.  He is known above all for his magnificent contributions to the Liturgy of the Mass and Office. The mainstream form of Western plainchant, standardized in the late 9th century, was attributed to Pope Gregory I and so took the name of Gregorian chant. Gregory wrote over 850 letters in the last 13 years of his life (590–604) that give us an accurate picture of his work. He is one of the four great Doctors of the Latin Church. He died March 12, 604. St Gregory is the patron saint of musicians, singers, students, and teachers. Malta has 2 parishes dedicated to St. Gregory, one in Sliema and the other one in Kerċem, Gozo. Let’s listen to some exceptional recording of the monks of the St Joseph’s Abbey in Solesmes, France, sing Gregorian Chant vespers.

Helping others....and yourself

Psychologists have been saying all along that whoever helps others, is finding that this is just as beneficial to himself. A person feels much better when he is connected to a community, even made up of close friends, groups that share hobbies, and especially if they belong to a church community. When you help someone, even when it wasn’t planned, you get feelings of gratitude and respect. This produces some chemicals in your body called endorphins, which eventually reduce stress. Another study suggests that you say an Our Father or a personal prayer when you are stressed. Physical Yoga also helps, even as much as a little stretching every morning. Another specialist claims that when you are upset or angry or nervous, you have a greater chance for your arteries to get blocked. So, try to calm down ! One study showed that those who attend church, live an average of 7 years more than those who never went to church. Yet one more study in India says that Hindu people who pray daily have 70% less chance of having heart problems. Not to mention the benefit of forgiving others, instead of harboring thought of revenge, and never let it go. So let go, and let God take control of your life.

Optimism vs Pessimism

Someone asked a professor at a University: ‘Who do you think does the most good in this world, the optimist or the pessimist? The answer was obvious as the professor smiled and answered: ‘They are both necessary and needed. The optimist invented the aeroplane when they realized that humans can somehow fly. The pessimist invented the parachute because he understood that if he can fly, he can also fall.’ So remember that in our life, everyone is important and everyone has something special to give to this world of ours. However, I prefer optimists mainly because of this, one of my favorite sayings: ‘The pessimist sees a difficulty in every opportunity, while the optimist finds an opportunity in every single difficulty he encounters.’

St Teresa of Jesus

In one of his Wednesday audiences, Pope Leo  XIV referred to St. Teresa of Jesus Jornet Ibars, and described her as the patron saint of the abandoned elderly. Through her intercession, we ask the Lord to bless all the elderly, as well as the people who take care of them and accompany them. Most Catholics are familiar with the “St. Teresa of Jesus” who is also known as St. Teresa of Ávila, a Doctor of the Church, poet, and reformer of the Carmelites alongside St. John of the Cross. So, who is this other St. Teresa? Why is she the patron saint of the elderly? St. Teresa of Jesus Jornet e Ibars was born on January 9, 1843. She entered religious life in 1868 with the Poor Clares, but had to leave after two years due to poor health. Teresa had an uncle who was a priest, and for two years she worked in schools he had founded. After his death in 1872, her life took a decisive turn when she met Fr. Pedro Llacera. He shared with her his plans to found a congregation to take care of elderly people who were in need. She felt called to join his initiative, and became the foundress and first superior of the new community: the Little Sisters of the Abandoned Elderly, founded on October 3, 1872. Teresa remained at the head of the Little Sisters until her death on August 26, 1897. By then she had already established 103 houses in Spain and the Americas. She was beatified in 1958 and canonized in 1974.

Saint Julian

The Redeemer and the Redeemed interact at the start of the procession

Today happens to be the local feast of my patron, Saint Julian, which we celebrate in my hometown. Born in Belgium in the 9th century AD, St Julian was a hunter, mostly hunting deer. One day he saw a big deer that spoke to him, and told him ‘Please do not shoot me – remember that one day you will kill your own parents.’ Fearing this terrible fate of his, Julian left home and wandered around Belgium, not informing his parents of his whereabouts. He got married to his wife Margerita and lived happily in a small town. Distraught and heartbroken, his parents started searching for him, and eventually reached the town where he was living. They found his house and his wife greeted them kindly and since they were tired, she let them sleep in her own bed. Another man, jealous of Julian and his wife, met Julian on his way back from hunting and told him that his wife was sleeping with another man. Furious and outraged, Julian went inside his house and found the two people sleeping in his bed, and without any thought, took his sword and decapitated them. A bigger surprise greeted him when he went outside and met his wife coming towards home with a big smile to tell him of the good news that his parents were home. Realizing what he had done, Julian cried and cried and was inconsolable. 

The 1893 statue of St Julian by Carlo Darmanin

He decided there and then to dedicate his life to help the poor and the sick, and even built a hospital to care for the sick in the area where he and his wife lived, in Italy. He had to redeem himself of the sin of parricide that he had committed. He knew it wasn’t his fault, but still wanted to amend his mistake and devoted his entire life to helping the sick. One day he heard the cry of a sick man and went out in the middle of the night to save him. He cared for him in his hospital, but all of a sudden the man’s countenance turned very bright and told Julian “your sin has been forgiven.” It was Jesus talking to him through that sick man. St Julian is known as the patron saint of hunters and hospitaliers, as well as doctors and nurses and those who care for the sick.

Dolly’s prayer routine

Dolly Parton, the philanthropist and country singer shared how she has a tendency to be up and around by 3 a.m. and claims that during these early hours she gets some of her best work done. She points out that she's a very spiritual person and God takes center stage as soon as she wakes up. She claims: ‘Every single day, before I do anything, I wake up and I thank God for the night and ask him to bless the day and to bring all the wrong people out of my life, and bring all the right stuff in. And just to guide me, lead me. And I always pray that he’ll let me uplift mankind and glorify Him.’ The10-times Grammy Award winner also turns to Scripture before starting with the more practical parts of the day, which included making sure her husband of more than five decades, Carl Dean, has a cooked breakfast. However, in true Parton style, she shares how she wears her high heels while she's in the kitchen - partly so that she can reach the cupboards!

It's incredible to think how her energy levels continued so high for so many decades. She does most of her best spiritual work, some of her best writing, and some of her business work—call-ins and letters — between 3 am and 7 am.’ I get more work done during that little period of time when the world is calm, energies are down, and I just feel like a farmer. They say the early bird gets the worm. Well, they also get a lot of good ideas too.’ It's incredible to think how her energy levels continued so high for so many decades. "Well, I’m energized by just what I do. It’s like, work begets work, energy begets energy. I just really stay alive because I just live on creative and spiritual energy. I’m just recharged by the excitement of being able to still be active and to still be able to create stuff and to be still in demand."  She was principally a songwriter — her publishing catalogue contains more than 3,000 songs. She told stories in her songs, stories of faith and friendship in the face of adversity, told with a certain femininity, both delicate and determined. Dolly’s ease in sharing her faith made her especially popular with Christian audiences. Dolly says: ‘Most songwriters have a zone that they go into. I call it my spiritual zone. I feel like I am closest to God when I write. … A great line will come to me, and I’ll go, ‘Hey, thank you, Lord. I know that I didn’t think of that.’ Parton was often in the news for her philanthropic work, yet it's always refreshing to see a star, especially one so admired, share her love of God for all to see.

St Augustine and St Monica

The feast of St Augustine is placed just one day after that of his mother St Monica. Spending her entire life praying for his conversion, she certainly deserved to become a Saint herself. Augustine was born in the city of Tagaste, Algeria, in 354 AD to a Christian mother. He was educated in North Africa and resisted his mother's pleas to become Christian. Living as a pagan intellectual, he took a concubine and became a Manichean, even fathering a child out of wedlock. Later he converted to Christianity, being baptized by St Ambrose, and became a bishop of Hippo, a Latin Father and Doctor of the Church, and is one of the most important figures in the development of Western Christianity. Some of his writings are strictly autobiographical, even though very theological in thought. The Confessions, which is often called the first Western autobiography are still read around the world. As a young man before his conversion, he taught in North Africa, Carthage and Rome. It was only when he arrived in Milan that his life started to change. In the summer of 386, after having read an account of the life of Saint Anthony of the Desert which greatly inspired him, Augustine underwent a profound personal crisis and decided to convert to Catholic Christianity, abandon his career in rhetoric, quit his teaching position in Milan, give up any ideas of marriage, and devote himself entirely to serving God and the practices of priesthood, which included celibacy. Key to this conversion was the voice of an unseen child he heard while in his garden in Milan telling him in a sing-song voice to Tolle lege ("take up and read"). He grabbed the nearest text to him, which was Paul's Epistle to the Romans and opened it at random to 13:13-14, which read: "Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying; but put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires."  St. Ambrose baptized Augustine, along with his son, Adeodatus, on Easter Vigil in 387 in Milan, and soon thereafter in 388 he returned to Africa. St Monica died as she was leaving the port of Ostia on her way back to Africa, just after her son had converted. In 391 Augustine was ordained a priest and became a famous preacher, while 5 years later he was made bishop of Hippo. Augustine died on August 28, 430. 

One more year

Many people look forward to retiring at 60, 62 or 65. Others just keep going, doing whatever they’ve done all their life, and hoping that their health will help them in whatever they dream of doing in the future. So many people started hobbies and even careers when they were over 60. Socrates gave the world his wisest philosophy at 70. Cato began studying Greek at 80, while Petrarch started his study of Latin at 75. Michelangelo was designing structures while he was still 90, and painted the Sistine Chapel ceiling when he was 91. Johann Strauss was still composing after his 80th birthday, and Haydn wrote his oratorio ‘Creation’ after he was 67. Giuseppe Verdi wrote ‘Othello’ at the age of 74, then ‘Falstaff’ at 80 and ‘Four Sacred Pieces’ at 85. Titian produced ‘The Last Supper’ at 80 and the classic ‘Battle of Lepanto’ at 86! How about those writers....Milton wrote ‘Paradise Lost’ at 57 and ‘Paradise Regained’ at 63. Victor Hugo wrote ‘Les Miserables’ at 62 and George Bernard Shaw wrote his best plays after the age of 80. And Webster wrote his monumental dictionary at 70.

And as I turn 74 today, I am still going strong with my photography, watercolors, flute playing, cooking, writing regularly in local papers, posting on my blog daily, preparing and presenting PowerPoint talks, saying Mass daily and 5 Masses on weekends, and caring spiritually for a large Retirement Home. Please keep me in your prayers, as I assure you, you are all in mine.

Dolly Parton

Dolly Parton, who rose from humble beginnings to the greatest heights of American music and became one of the country’s most philanthropic, unifying and beloved stars, died Tuesday in Nashville. She was 80 after facing a brief battle with cancer. Born on January 19, 1946 in a one-room cabin in Tennessee, Parton grew up the fourth of 12 children. Music was always a part of the family, especially via her mother, whose father was a preacher who played piano and guitar. The star had been open about various health issues in the last two years, and especially after her husband Carl Dean died in March 2025. In a career that spanned over half a century, Parton captured the American experience, penning more than 3,000 songs. Those included “Coat of Many Colors,” a quiet ode to her mother, who stitched together garments in the family’s rural Tennessee home. She wrote and performed songs of love and heartbreak, like “Jolene” and “I Will Always Love You.” “9 to 5,” the title track from the movie of the same name, in which Parton also starred, which became an anthem for American women and workers. Parton went on to release 49 albums and win 11 Grammys, and became one of the most successful country crossover artists of all time. Later in life, she funnelled her massive success into philanthropy, founding a library program that has gifted more than 300 million books to children around the world. An uncle gave Parton her first guitar as a child. She learned to play when she was just 7 years old and started writing her own songs. In 1999, Parton was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame and received the Recording Academy’s lifetime achievement award in 2011.

Back in 1990 I remember watching the GMDove Awards on American TV, and Dolly Parton appeared on stage and sang this exceptional song about the passion, death and Resurrection of Jesus. Originally written by Don Francisco, ‘He’s Alive’ has a dramatic crescendo as you listen to the words clearly sung by Dolly, reaching a climactic moment joined by a choir that emphasizes the majesty of the moment. Please find 5 minutes in silence and listen to this unique religious song. (Please ignore the written lyrics that appear - they are all wrong and very confusing - just look at Dolly as she sings.) It gives me goose bumps every time I hear it. I hope it moves you too. Rest in peace Dolly !

Oleander in Hiroshima

When the atom bomb was dropped on Hiroshima in August of 1945, all forms of life was completely destroyed, besides of course many innocent people. The scientific community were pretty sure that for the next 70 years, nothing will be able to grow, because of the radiation that spread in Japan, even followed by the Nagasaki bomb. However, the following spring, oleander sprouted mysteriously from the ground. Nobody ever expected this miracle. That is why the oleander is considered in Japan as a symbol of power of renewal and regeneration which is found in the mystery of creation. Incidentally oleander grows wild in Malta, without absolutely any care, and they produce pink and white flowers which bloom abundantly and prolifically. There is a feeling among the Maltese people that they also attract cockroaches, but they produce beautiful flowers like the ones I took photos of, seen here above.

St Bartholomew

Statue of St Bartholomew at the Lateran Basilica

All that is known of St Bartholomew with certainty is that he is mentioned in the Gospels and Acts as one of the twelve apostles. His name means "son of Tolomai" (or Ptolemy) and scholars believe he is the same as Nathanael mentioned in John’s Gospel, who says he is from Cana and that Jesus called him an "Israelite...incapable of deceit, a person in whom there is no guile." He was a close friend of St Philip, because they are always mentioned together. After the Ascension, Bartholomew went on a missionary tour to India. Other traditions record him as serving in Ethiopia, Mesopotamia, Persia and Egypt. Along with St Jude, Bartholomew is reputed to have brought Christianity to Armenia in the st century. However, it is in Greater Armenia that Bartholomew saw his end where he was flayed or skinned and beheaded by King Astyages. The famous Last Judgment painting by Michelangelo shows St Bartholomew holding the knife of his martyrdom and his flayed skin. The face of the skin is recognizable as Michelangelo's, as if the artist wanted to show how much he suffered under Pope Julius, who wanted the Last Judgment finished sooner.

St Bartholomew with his flayed skin

Of the many miracles performed by St. Bartholomew before and after his death, two very popular ones are known by the townsfolk of the small island of Lipari, off the coast of Italy. When St. Bartholomew's body was found off the shore, the Bishop ordered many men to take the body to the Cathedral. When this failed due to its extreme weight, the Bishop then sent out the children. The children easily brought the body ashore. The people of the island of Lipari celebrate his feast day annually. The tradition of the people was to take the solid silver and gold statue from inside the Cathedral of St. Bartholomew and carry it through the town. On one occasion, when taking the statue down the hill towards the town during a procession, it suddenly got very heavy and had to be set down. They managed to lift it but had to put it down a few more times. Within seconds, walls further downhill collapsed. If the statue had been able to be lifted, all of the townspeople would have been killed. During World War II, the Italian Fascist regime looked for ways to finance their activities. The order was given to take the silver statue of the Saint and melt it down. The statue was weighed, and it was found to be only several ounces. It was returned to its place in the Cathedral of Lipari. In reality, the statue is made from many pounds of silver and it is considered a miracle that it was not melted down. 

3 Good Prayers

Statue of Mary by Emvin Cremona a Ibrag parish

St Josemaria Escriva, the founder of Opus Dei, was asked once if he could suggest a prayer to be said in difficult times. He offered this prayer: ‘My Lod and my God, into your hands I abandon the past and the present and the future, what is small and what is great, what amounts to a little and what amounts to a lot, things temporal and things eternal. Give me the courage to continue to follow in your footsteps.’

The Memorare to Mary: Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to thy protection, implored thy help, or sought thy intercession, was left unaided. Inspired by this confidence I fly unto thee, O Virgin of virgins, my Mother. To thee do I come, before thee I stand, sinful and sorrowful. O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in thy mercy hear and answer me. Amen.

The Memorare to St Joseph: Remember, O most chaste spouse of the Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who implored your help and sought your intercession were left unassisted. Full of confidence in your power I fly unto you and beg your protection. Despise not, o Guardian of the Redeemer my humble supplication, but in your bounty, hear and answer me. Amen.