One of the last voices crying in the wilderness. I’ve just been having a very interesting read of an encyclical of Leo XIII that even most traditionalists have never heard of. “Longinqua Oceani” was addressed to the American Catholic Church in 1895. It proposed something that to modern ears would sound outrageous… even traditionalist ears: that separation of Church and state is a Bad Thing. While most Catholics – particularly American Catholics – would vehemently oppose such a wild and dangerous idea, most Traditionalist Catholics would have at least heard of it as something popes used to say, even if they dismiss it as a possibly imprudent “prudential judgment,” something best hushed up for the sake of our non-believing brethren.

A lot of people are looking for a safe place to hide. But that’s not what St. Benedict did. And it’s not what the Norcia monks are doing. Maybe it’s time to take the adventure we’re sent… ~ Leaving Norcia, this time by my own choice. Well, that’s done. I move to the new place in Perugia in two weeks. It wasn’t the worst move I’ve ever done. I’ll never forget the time I rented a house in New Westminster with two friends and we had to bring stuff to one location from four different parts of Vancouver.

Taken when I first moved to Norcia. This is the little side chapel in the crypt church, that tradition holds is the site of the room Sts. Benedict and Scolastica were born in, and it was the little spot I and my friend Maria were received as oblates of the monastery.

Still pretty poorly, but I’ve got that feeling you get when you know you’ve turned the corner and are on the mend. Like when you wake up after having a really furious bout of flu, and you suddenly realize the worst is over. You’re not well, but you know you’re not going to be ill forever. So, I figure I’ve got just enough energy for some lazy clicking and pasting.

…for the paucity of posts in the last few weeks. Thanks to everyone who keeps coming back, and especially to those who have donated a little to the Keep-Hilary-Alive funds. Things have been quite difficult, and it’s not over yet. I’ve found a place in the vicinity of Perugia, but the search has drained my physical resources to the point where I can no longer distinguish between being exhausted and being ill.

I used to be annoyed by the lack of good saints on March 15th. Just between St. Patrick and St. Joseph. But the anniversary of the assassination of Julius Caesar is kind of growing on me.

Well, that’s settled. I’ve been charging around, all over Umbria for three weeks – Norcia, Narni, Terni, Citta di Castello – and it’s finally come down to Perugia, and a small place in the country. It’s not fancy. It’s not posh or suburban. But it will do. Read more. ~

Pope Francis lets us know that even during his Lenten retreat, he’s still thinking of us… … and still hates our guts. _“When Jesus feels that certainty of Peter, it makes me think of so many fundamentalist Catholics,” Francis said. Peter, Francis said, “denied Jesus, had a massive crisis, and was made pope!”_ I don’t remember where I saw it, but I recall a couple of days ago seeing someone warn that just because he’s on retreat doesn’t mean he hasn’t got a whole file of his daily insults, heresies and blasphemies all spooled up and ready to launch.

Sorry about the sparse posts lately. I’ve actually been writing things for other people, but mostly I’ve just been preoccupied with personal things. The house in Norcia can’t be moved back into, despite previous premature phone calls to Germany. It’s all very complicated and difficult, but that’s the bottom line. I met with my friendly realtor and he said Norcia is “un disastro totale,” worse by far than any quakes we’ve had in living memory.

No music. No saccharine, sighing female voices emoting into your face. Just the Rosary, with the appropriate scripture bits, spoken plainly. ~ Of your kindness, please spare a prayer for the swift resolution to my home situation. Things have become more complicated and difficult. ~