It is a delight to have good friends in Rome. Many thanks to Barbara and Steven.
Personal Reflections: August 2006 Archives
RC is moving the Blogs to a new server so that we can update the templates from time to time. He is also upgrading us to a new version of Moveable Type. There should be a day soon when the blog will be down because of the move. When this happens, just wait a day or so before trying to visit. Thanks for your patience, and thanks to RC for all the technical work.
Well, vacation is coming to an end. Tomorrow I am back for the feast and for the anniversary of the Foundation of the CPPS (August 15, 1815).
I also have a new cell phone number. The old one will not work, so email me if you want the new one. People who leave brooms outside my door will get the new number when the LA team loses a game or two in a row.
It is going to be a busy week. School starts next week.
Today is the last full day here in the East as tomorrow I head home to do laundry, re-pack and head to Austin. At least for two nights I get to rescue my puppy from those Dodger fans who have been dressing her in Blue. Today’s first trip was down to Rhode Island and a visit to Holy Ghost Church in Tiverton. 
This was another meeting of fellow bloggers. Brian gave me a quick tour of the Church with a view of the recent history of the parish and shared with me some of the favorite pieces on the organ. Then we went out for a sandwich before I began the trek north again. It is always a great joy to meet people with similar ideas about music and ministry. It sounds to me that his parish has gone through a similar transition in music ministry as has my own. 
Then I stopped by the Motherhouse of the Daughters of St. Paul. Their bookstore in Redwood City is a favorite of mine and these sisters have helped a great deal in bringing Catholic Books to St. Edward parishioners. They had asked me to review some inventory on Pastoral Ministry for them and so I stopped by to pick up my homework. They most graciously gave me a pretty comprehensive tour of their publishing and recording enterprise. I was able to see a proof copy of the new translation of John Paul II’s Theology of the Body. One of the editors very animatedly gave us a tour of the book and some of the new things this book will have. 
Even though I am on day four of this antibiotic regimen I am still hacking away. I am scheduled to head off to a sing-it-yourself Faure Requiem, but my voice is trying to convince me to stay indoors.
[UPDATE: Brian has his post here.]
In the morning we started at a little Melkite Church in Lawrence, MA. The priest was very welcoming and hospitable. He said next time he wanted me to concelebrate, though I am not sure how prayerful it would be as a concelebrant in a Rite with which I am not familiar. As it was, today, it felt like worship just to watch and participate interiorly. One providential thing for me was the Icon on the wall just next to us. It has a great deal of Precious Blood significance, and so after the liturgy I just had to photograph it.
In the afternoon we strolled around the sights of Boston. We headed into the North end and found ourselves in the midst of the Festival of Saint Agrippina. The Saint is one of these early century Roman Martyrs and her festival in Boston has been held for over 80 years. It was quite the sight, the parade with the Statue and the stopping at various spots and patrons showering her with garlands of dollar bills. She was carried by a large group of men in white who joined in songs and rhythmic chants as they bounced her rhythmically up the street. The Band was delightful, but it was a bit amusing to see her bounding up the street to the tune of “Deep In The Heart of Texas.” The event reminded me a great deal of the time several years ago on arriving in Siena, Italy we joined in a medieval parade celebrating that city’s saint. 
We had a nice little lunch in an Italian eatery, and then headed up to Cambridge and Harvard. From there we headed over to Boston College and to St. John Seminary before heading home.
Tomorrow I may take a drive down to Rhode Island for the day, but be back in time for one of the local sing-it-yourself events.
RC has the pictures and the report of how we ended our day yesterday with Vespers in Petersham. We spent most of the day driving, and the first goal was to get to St. Joseph Abbey in Spencer, MA. We arrived about the end of Sext, and spent some time in their chapel. Next we visited their shop where the monks make vestments. Holy Rood Guild is where I have purchasing all of my vestments. Actually it was a dangerous visit because I did not get out of there without spending about $1000. I ordered two altar server albs which will provide us additional albs in the sizes we need. I ordered a dalmatic and stole that will arrive at the parish in time for Advent. The Deacons are slowly getting used to me requiring them to be in Dalmatic for Liturgy.
The monks have a gift shop near the gate. We made the mistake of stopping there. They have a whole section of CDs, chant and otherwise, and it seems that nothing was more expensive than $10. I am currently listening to a 2CD set of Early Music that was only $9.98. I got out of there for a little over $100. There went my extra vacation cash.
Today I am taking it easy. I decided this cough was just a bit too consistant and getting worse. So I have been to a doctor, and have some new meds now. I am getting a lot of reading done today, and uploaded a few new chapters to the Life and Times page. Tonight will be the restful life of a chanting hermit, along with chopping garlic and boiling pasta.
Tomorrow it seems will be a visit to Cambridge, Harvard. Liturgy will be in the Melkite Rite. RC has been a gracious host and a pleasure to be around.
You meet the most interesting people on these vacations. It seems that there were a few visiting bloggers from out of town, and the Boston Bloggers hosted an Italian dinner in one of the more popular eateries. It seems that RC has beaten me to the punch reporting on the event before I got back to my place. He also posts a picture I took of him yesterday on the New Hampshire seacoast.
Left to right we have Eric Johnson and RC from Catholic Light. Then Mark Sullivan of Irish Elk; Eric Ewanco of Christifideles, and yours truly of Rifugio San Gaspare.
All in all, it was a fine evening, good food, great conversation. Not bad for a priest, a writer, and a bunch of IT guys.
As RC notes in a comment in a previous post, we had a great day visiting the seacoast towns of New Hampshire. I dipped my feet into the Atlantic for the first time, visited a beautiful turn of the century garden, sampled some chowder at a popular fishery, and made the acquaintance of a local Poor Clare Monastery. We even ventured into Maine briefly so now I can add that to States I have been to. I am several chapters into Neuhaus' book and am making progress on the Life and Times of St. Gaspar. Conversations varied from life in nthe IT sector to life in Community. RC introduced me to Open Office as you can see from the post below. This may speed up the rate at which new documents are posted to the St. Gaspar Letters site.
So far very restful and peaceful. Tonight, dinner with fellow bloggers. Reports and pictures to follow.
