Daily Rome (video) 1275 – a trip to the tailor

Posted on 22 March 2025 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Instead of a static photo today, here’s a video about Gammarelli in Rome (ecclesiatical tailor).

You will recall several vestment projects here on the blog, which caused a great deal of joy and continue to enrich sacred worship.

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And there’s this…

In chessy news…

Chess.com (I have an affiliate tag… sign up now and I’ll get credit… posted a jocular post inviting suggestions for renaming the bishop. (I immediately thought of a few which I can’t write here.) The joke provoked a hurricane of comments. Some got creatively funny. Other’s took it seriously. Some took it seriously and had a spittle-flecked nutty. BTW… the piece is called a bishop in English but that is not it’s equivalent in other languages. In Italian, for example, it’s an alfiere or “standard bearer”, in French it’s a fou “fool” (ehem), in German it’s a laufer “runner” and in some tongues it’s the word for an elephant. At chess.com suggestions for a change included “truck driver” and “Bob”.

Tomorrow will see the end of the American Cup in St. Louis. The winners of the lower brackets is set to take on the winner of the upper.

Here’s a cool thing that I don’t really want and don’t at all need but would be cool to have anyway.

Black to move and mate in 3.

NB: I’ll hold comments with solutions ’till the next day so there won’t be “spoilers” for others.

Meanwhile, …

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LENTCAzT 2025 – 18: Saturday of the 2nd Week of Lent – Brothers

Posted on 22 March 2025 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

The Roman Station is at Santi Marcellino e Pietro.  Fr. Parsch comments on how the antiphons of the office, based on the Gospel’s parable of the Prodigal Son, lines up with our lives.  Fr. Troadec remarks on God’s tremendous mercy.

HERE

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A quick reminder…

Posted on 21 March 2025 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

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Daily Rome Shot 1274 – processions and more

Posted on 21 March 2025 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Not Rome, but Norcia. A procession with a relic of St. Benedict… of Norcia, his birthplace.

One day in May, years ago by now, I was hanging around outside the Paul VI audience hall (Vatican) during a plenary of the Italian Bishops Conference waiting for my bishop to emerge, chatting with fellow journalists (I was in the press corps) and the bishops’ drivers and secretaries a couple of bishops who had simply fled the hall in desperate boredom. I had just been to a Eucharistic procession the day before for Corpus Christi held by the Teutonic College that went through the Vatican gardens, Swiss Guards carrying the canopy, … stunning. Deep in his chest one old bishop rumbled “Meno chiacchiere – più processioni. … Less jabbering – more processions.” Exactly. Let’s do REAL “Walking together” instead of all this eternal process B as in B, S as in S.

As you look at this, you will see on the right of the “cover image” of the tweet, a painting by Caravaggio of a boy pealing a piece of fruit.

I know this painting well. It used to hand in the apartment of a good friend, a distinguished art historian and great expert on Caravaggio and Velasquez. He had obtained this painting in a sale and authenticated it. He apartment was filled with great masters, many Velasquez, El Greco, Poussin, Reni, Bernini, a HUGE Artemesia, etc. I learned so much from him. When he died his widow took charge of the collection. She, clearly, has lent this to the exhibition in question. It will be a pleasure to see it. I should look her up when I am in Rome (soon). I haven’t seen her for several years. She had had a battle with cancer and various other adventures.

I have to share this…

Hard puzzle.  White to move.  There’s a mate coming up if you can find it.

NB: I’ll hold comments with solutions ’till the next day so there won’t be “spoilers” for others.

In St. Louis, Hikaru Nakamura defeated Fabiano Caruana in blitz tiebreaks to win the Champions Final of The American Cup 2025.  Alice Lee an endgame Tatev Abrahamyan. She waits for her Grand Final opponent to be determined.   In the Elimination Bracket, Levon Aronian eliminated Sam Sevian, and Irina Krush defeated Nazi Paikidze.  Today we have only the Elimination Finals: Caruana v. Aronian and Krush v. Abrahamyan.

Posted in B as in B. S as in S., SESSIUNCULA |
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LENTCAzT 2025 – 17: Friday of the 2nd Week of Lent – Envy

Posted on 21 March 2025 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

The Roman Station is San Vitale once associated with the Order of Widows.  We have the insights of Fr. Troadec, who points to the similarities between Joseph son of Jacob of the Old Testament and Christ.   There is a good reflection her about how dangerous jealousy is, the sin of envy.

HERE

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Sterile faith v. living faith

Posted on 20 March 2025 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

From the pen of Bl. Ildefonso Schuster, the great liturgist and Cardinal Archbishop of Milan.

The Church, as though she feared that the very splendour of her liturgy might lead simple folk into thinking that Christianity consisted merely in holding functions and receiving the sacraments, insists continually in her Lenten formulas that we should, by our good works, give reality to what is so sublimely expressed in the liturgy. Without this personal and intimate realization, brought about by constant effort, the liturgy would become a kind of magic formula. This fact clearly explains the words of the Gospel that many who during this life hold a high place among the followers of Christ, who even prophesy and work wonders in his name, will after death be rejected and condemned by our Lord himself. Nescio vos — “I know you not — depart from me all ye that work iniquity.” It is not ritual forms nor a sterile faith, but the good deeds inspired by a living faith, that will gain for us everlasting salvation.

This is not to say that our ritual forms, our sacred liturgical worship is inconsequential.  In fact, our sacred worship, which fulfills the requirement of the virtue of Religion, is our sustenance and strength which powers our daily works, both of vocational duty and of mercy.  They each enliven the other.

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LENTCAzT 2025 – 16: Thursday 2nd Week of Lent – Satan changes tactics

Posted on 20 March 2025 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

The Roman Station is Santa Maria in Trastevere.

We hear from a sermon of St. Gregory The Great (+604).  He put together many of the Mass formularies and traditional practices we use today.  He reminds his listeners that they had had very bad times.  Now that things were better, the Enemy had to change his approach to ruining souls.    At the end, the beginning of an appropriate orchestral piece.

HERE

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Ite ad Ioseph… Go to Joseph! – UPDATED

Posted on 19 March 2025 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Try to wrap your head around the paradox in the vocation of St. Joseph.

Firstly, he was a relatively poor craftsman, a tekton, which in Greek is “builder” which can include “carpenter”.

However, consider the implications of the genealogy at the beginning of the Gospel of Matthew. Joseph was also the true heir to the Davidic throne, being descended from David’s son Solomon.  Mary was descended from David’s son Nathan.

We don’t have in Scripture a single word spoken by him.  However, we know that it was his role to name Our Lord, so for sure He at the very least spoke the word “Jesus”.

Hidden vocation and hidden thought.

The fine scripture scholar Brandt Pitre has a recording of talks he did on St. Joseph which I highly recommend: HERE.

Also, you will love Fr. Calloway’s book on Joseph.

Consecration to St. Joseph: The Wonders of Our Spiritual Father by Fr. Donald Calloway

US HERE – UK HERE

St. Joseph is a mighty intercessor.  I’ve been blessed several times by his help in times of real need and stress.  I have zero doubt that he was the one who intervened, so concretely that it’s amusing.

The Great Roman sent a couple of photos from the celebrations for St. Joseph.

There are Bignè di San Giuseppe “Frittelaro” and fritelle.  As the Romans tell it, to help support the Holy Family St. Joseph supplemented his income by selling fried pastries.

And there is a tradition of trying to climb a greased pole with has goodies at the top.

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Daily Rome Shot 1273 – Amazing

Posted on 19 March 2025 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

The relics of the Holy Veil of Mary and the Holy Cloak of Joseph brought by St Jerome returning from Jerusalem. Normally these kept at St Anastasia al Palatino they are currently available to the veneration of the faithful at San Giuseppe al Trionfale till March 19th. These relics are seldom seen in public.

Photo from The Great Roman™.

Yesterday’s splashdown of SpaceX Crew-9 Dragon was spectacular. It was much enhanced by the participation of dolphins.

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THIS TWEET LINKS TO A FASCINATING VIDEO about the people who control church music in these USA.  It is informative and DISGUSTING.  HERE

 

In chessy news… HERE

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19 March – Feast of ST. JOSEPH! – Terror of demons, Hope of the sick, Patron of the dying, Protector of Holy Church!

Posted on 19 March 2025 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Glorious St. Joseph.

Hope of the sick,
Patron of the dying,
Terror of demons,
Protector of Holy Church, 

In Rome today you eat Bigne di San Giuseppe.

Back in 2009 I made a PODCAzT – FIFTEEN YEARS AGO?!? – about the hymn sung in the Liturgy of Hours in honor of St. Joseph.

082 09-03-19 St. Joseph: a hymn dissected & sermon of Bernardine of Siena

That post eventually was augmented with photos sent by The Great Roman™ of a terrific procession in honor of St. Joseph in the streets of Rome.  HERE  Happier times.

The hymn I mentioned is is Te, Ioseph celebrent and it is in the Liber Hymnarius for 1st and 2nd Vespers for the Feast of St. Joseph.

Also of note, Fr. Hunwicke has comments about his hymn at his fine blog, HERE.

Also we listened to an indulgenced prayer written by Pope Leo XIII, Ad Te Ioseph.

Finally, we hear St. Bernardine of Siena (+1444) preach on our Patron of the Universal Church who is Patron of the dying.

Buy a Liber Hymnarius!  US HERE UK HERE

 

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