First Mass in the village today. As with all the strange carnival of the Novus Ordo world, it had its ups and its downs.

For various reasons, this was

the Sunday for attending the local parish, ad experimentum. I’m happy to report that the parish in San Martino in Campo is quite a flourishing one, as Italian rural parishes go. People seem to go because they want to, which is good (better than Norcia where you get the impression that no male over the age of six darkens the door of a church if he isn’t being carried in by six of his friends and relations.) They’ve got a good group of Adorers every Thursday in a little chapel that has been rather nicely renovated for the purpose. And the church of San Martino itself is quite lovely. And it really is a good feeling to join the local community for the main Mass. Just going to church, like a normal person, in a normal way, in a normal parish has a lot to be said for it.

Read the rest here.

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