Merry Christmas!

 

Dear Family and Friends,

Merry Christmas! What a wonderful, joyful day when we celebrate the birth of Our Savior! King of Kings! Prince of Peace! Truly Emmanuel, "God with us!"

You all were in my prayers in the midnight Mass and the two Masses this morning. Truly it is a blessed night! I had the joy of a beautiful Christmas Eve dinner with my parents, my sister and brother-in-law and their children, and my aunt and uncle and niece. Then, after Compline and a nap, I headed to our chapel to pray the office of Matins for Christmas--a beautiful office with nine readings. Then followed a candle-lit Holy Hour waiting for midnight, and then a candle-lit Midnight Mass. We moved the creche to the chapel for the occasion, and I processed in with the Child Jesus as we sang O Come All Ye Faithful, and then continued on from there...

Among many Christmas blessings, God gave me a white Christmas! Yesterday afternoon it began to snow as you can see here:

During the night, over a foot of snow fell, such that I awoke to see everything blanketed in white, and the snow continues to fall now. So I will leave you with some pictures below of the snowfall and of the living room.

Merry Christmas! You all will be in my prayers during my Christmas novena of Masses.

In Cordibus Iesu et Mariae,

Fr. Pillari

Almost Christmas...

 

Snowy Bird-Feeder outside the back window

Dear Friends and Family,

Christmas is almost here! We had a beautiful snowfall the other day which, as you can see, coated all the tree branches in white. Really beautiful. Birds continue to come to the bird feeder, including some cardinals. It is fun to watch them at work. Squirrels are also quite creative in trying to get the bird seed but, as far as I can tell, have been largely unsuccessful. 

This past week involved a trip to see one of my brothers and his family. Since they are living in South Bend Indiana, almost next to the University of Notre Dame, I was able to make a Holy Hour at my alma mater, including dome time spent praying in this side chapel of the Basilica.

The photo is not very good, but there are a great many relics. It is a side chapel with particular memories for me of the times I prayed there as an undergraduate, trying to discern God's will for my life.

The Basilica has beautiful artwork. Here is a glimpse of one part of the ceiling:

It brought back many good memories to pray there and at the Grotto. Hopefully, I will have the occasion to return there on this trip and to pray the rosary at the Grotto.

But the highlight of the trip was the opportunity to visit with my brother and sister-in-law and their children and to bless their home. And then this evening I was able to visit with two other nephews and a niece. And now.... Christmas is just a few days away!

You all will be in my prayers this week and throughout the Christmas Octave, when I will be leading the daily online rosary before the exposed Blessed Sacrament. 

May Our Lady prepare your hearts to greet the newborn King.

In Cordibus Iesu et Mariae,

Fr. Pillari

Now Licensed to Teach Theology

 

Dear Friends and Family,

Blessed Gaudete Sunday! I pray that Our Lord will grant you an extra dose of joy this Sunday and that Our Heavenly Mother will help you enter more fully into this divine joy.

The above photo was taken yesterday, on the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe. I went running around a beautiful golf course and in the middle of the run... a full rainbow appeared! Though you can only see part of the rainbow in the photo, it was a complete rainbow, touching the ground on both sides, and with a vibrant spectrum of colors. In addition, there was a second rainbow, which you can faintly see off to the left. It was quite beautiful, and seemed a sign that God was smiling down on us on the Feast of Our Lady, especially since my parents informed me that such a rainbow was extremely rare here.

And I have other good news to share: this past Thursday I successfully defended, via Skype, my licentiate thesis for L'Instut Saint Thomas d'Aquin in Toulouse France. The two-hour defense was the conclusion of two years of theology study with the Dominicans of Toulouse and resulted in them granting a licentiate in theology from the pontifical university in Toulouse, which means that I am now licensed to teach theology in seminaries. Thank you to all who have been praying for me, and who have made donations, to make this possible.

The two-hours spent defending my 100-page thesis were rather intense. Their faculty is known for being tough during examinations, but in the end, they were pleased with the work and awarded the degree. The examination consists of a jury of three Dominicans cross-examining you on the topic of your paper. At the end, I breathed a sigh of relief. This means not only that I will now be capable of teaching classes in theology or canon law in seminaries, should the need arise, but also is a necessary step for doctoral studies.

In a short while I will have the special joy, on this Gaudete Sunday, of welcoming two of my little nephews, and a niece, for some time of Eucharistic Adoration here in the little chapel we have created in my parents' home. I'm very much looking forward to that and then to dinner with them.

During these difficult times, you all are in my daily prayers. Thank you again for yours, and for all that you have done to help me reach this key milestone in my studies.

In Cordibus Iesu et Mariae,

Fr. Pillari

In Cleveland Ohio with my Family

Dear Friends and Family,

God blessed my travels across the ocean, and even gave an abundant snowfall, to my great delight, upon my arrival! Above is the view from the back porch of my parents' home. A really beautiful view that I have been taking advantage of while praying some parts of the Divine Office.

The journey from Rome to Cleveland was the most stress-free international travel I have ever made. At the airports, there were very few people, such that you walked right up to the security desk with no wait, had plenty of quiet and personal space in the airports, etc. As for the international flight from Rome to New York, take a look at my section of the plane here below:

It was almost like having a private flight! I must say that I think Delta is correct when they assert that flying with them right now is about as dangerous as going to the grocery store. Though in fact going to the grocery store might be more dangerous...

It is a real blessing and joy to have some weeks at home, and to know that I will be home for Christmas for the first time in 24 years. We have created a small chapel in a room in the house, where I offer the Holy Sacrifice each day and where we have begun to have Eucharistic Adoration. I am most grateful for the opportunity to be with my parents in these difficult times when parents are often separated from children and family members. And as a bonus... I should have the blessing of baptizing a new nephew!

You all are in my daily prayers here, especially in the rosary and in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. May God grant you a blessed Second Sunday of Advent.

In Cordibus Iesu et Mariae,

Fr. Pillari

Healthy again Post-COVID

Dear Friends and Family,

Blessed First Sunday of Advent! I don't have any photos to post today since I've been in quarantine in my room for the past 2 weeks, but I do have some good news: I'm once again healthy and allowed to stop outside and breath the fresh air!

I had symptoms in many ways identical to a strong flu virus, except that for about 4 days I lost my sense of taste and smell, which has never happened to me before, and I felt more drained than usual, at one point sleeping for almost 36 hours straight. But as of a few days ago, the illness seemed to leave me, Deo Gratias et Mariae.

Perhaps due to the many demands on the health care system in Rome at the moment, it took quite a while for the nurses to come by the monastery to test all of us (per government regulations) for COVID. The test was done Friday morning, and Friday evening they said all of the test results came back negative, except that no one called myself and one other cleric to give us our test results. We're expecting someone will call us tomorrow morning to say that our results were negative, because if they had been positive (anyone's results in the monastery) they were supposed to inform the superior that everyone had to be in quarantine for another 21 days. So we can't imagine the results not being negative since no one has called.

Thanks be to God that we have dodged the bullet of another 21 days in quarantine. Which leads me to my next piece of news. Due to some government regulations and a decision by a local authority here, I am now required to head back to the US in order to renew my study visa for the coming year. While the decision does not seem logical, it is a blessing in disguise because it will permit me to spend some weeks with my parents and family, whom I have not been able to see for 18 months. Really looking forward to the time with my family. Due to the requirements of the apostolate or of religious life, and the fact I have had assignments the past 24 years far from Ohio, I have not been home for Christmas in 24 years. So, really looking forward to a white Christmas in Ohio!

And, I'll have the wonderful blessing while there of baptizing a new nephew: little John Patrick. God willing I will be writing you next Sunday from Ohio.

Until then, may you have a blessed beginning of Advent! And for those who join me for the daily rosary, I was just informed that there was a technical difficulty with today's rosary but that it should be live in a few minutes. Thank you for your patience.

In Cordibus Iesu et Mariae,

Fr. Pillari 

Diving into Doctoral Research

 

Empty street in the heart of Rome, during what would normally be a busy day.

The street "Fori Imperiali" in the very heart of ancient Rome, empty...

Looking out over the Roman Forum, about 5 minutes ago.

Dear Friends and Family,

Greetings from a very quiet Rome! This week was full of blessings, including the joy of serving again this morning as subdeacon for a solemn high Mass at Santissima Trinita. But to pick just one item to share with you:

Statue of Our Lord in the heart of the Gregorian University, where I am studying canon law. Though the text below Him may be hard to read, it says, in Latin, "Go and teach all nations, I am with you."

This statue in the heart of the Gregorian is a reminder of the great missionary spirit of St. Ignatius of Loyola, who desired so ardently the conversion and salvation of souls. This week I spent extended time in the Gregorian's library, diving into some initial research for the doctorate. It is a big ocean of research into which I have just placed the tip of my pinky finger. Rather daunting I must say! But also interesting.

This week my reading was quite slow, reading recent scholarly articles and often stopping to go very slowly over certain paragraphs and to look up the different laws the referred to. But at the end of those hours I had the reward of beginning to understand the arguments of why such-and-such a law does not seem very clear, what may be its drawbacks, etc. The next six months will be much of the same, with the aim of having by June a fleshed out doctoral topic and basic proposal to present for approval. We shall see... but regardless it is a joy to begin understanding some of the complexities and why such things have significant "real-world consequences" for people's lives today. An ambiguous law, and its subsequent ambiguous application, can be a disaster that can lead to real injustices.

You all are much in my prayers, particularly those in the UK, for whom all public Masses are currently illegal, something that hasn't occurred since penal times (well, since last spring), and those in the US dealing with all that surrounds the vote counting for the election.

May Our Lady be your good mother and guide, and draw you ever closer to Our Lord.

In Cordibus Iesu et Mariae,

Fr. Pillari

Subdeacon at Santissima Trinita

 

Morning view out the window that I walk by each morning coming out of my room--window overlooks the Roman Forum. The view still strikes me every time.

In the main corridor, the Superior has set up a kneeler and a shrine to the infant Mary.

Here you see a better view of the child Mary.

Dear Family and Friends,

The above gives you a little glimpse of the devotion in the monastery. The new superior here has been busy installing relics, images, and shrines. Above, located in the central corridor of the cloister, is the shrine to the child Mary. She is, as a child, the patroness of the Olivetan order, to which this monastery belongs. I find it to be a beautiful devotion, which encourages humility, trust, and abandonment to God's plans. It is a joy to be living in a monastery where this devotion holds pride of place.

Today I served as subdeacon for the solemn high Mass at Santissima Trinita in the heart of Rome. It was a real joy to once again sing Gregorian Chant during a Sunday Mass--and the acoustics of the church are amazing! It was a particular blessing to assist the pastor of the church as he offered the Holy Sacrifice because you could sense his prayerfulness, devotion, and recollection. It was also a joy to see the altar boys gearing up for the liturgy, bantering with each other, etc. The Holy Mass is such a good training ground for young men.

You all are in my daily prayers during this month dedicated to the Holy Souls. I have always found November to be a month of particular blessings and graces, perhaps due to the intercession of the Holy Souls for us, as we pray more for them during this time.

During this coming week, may Our Lady watch over and guide each of your families closer to Her Son.

In Cordibus Iesu et Mariae,

Fr. Pillari

A Quiet Rome

 

The Pantheon, usually crowded, deserted.

Still one of my favorite views. Looking out the window a few steps from my room.

Dear Friends and Family,

Greetings from a very quiet Rome! As I type this, it is 8PM Wednesday evening, and I am still very much praying for the final results of the US election. May God's will be done...

My apologies for not posting the past two Sundays. I had planned to but two things happened:

1) On Sunday Oct. 25th I was invited to spend the day with a Monsignor who works in the Vatican, and a fellow cleric studying, visiting a contemplative monastery of nuns. The Monsignor kindly picked us up at 8AM and began the two-hour drive to their monastery. It was a great two hours discussing with him--a knowledgable canon lawyer who has worked in the Vatican for almost 20 years. He offered to let me celebrate the Mass for the cloistered nuns while he himself celebrated a private Mass. It was a joy to offer the Holy Sacrifice for them in their ancient monastery.

After some prayer of thanksgiving, we were able to speak at some length with the mother superior--who was full of joy and vigor!--and then were offered lunch by the nuns (who of course did not eat with us). Thus followed still further conversation with the good Monsignor and fellow cleric. The mother superior then again granted us extended time for discussion with her, until a little after 4PM I think. And then I was blessed with another two hours of discussion with the Monsignor in the car on the way back! So a very full day, but one that left me rather drained and in need of prayer at the end.

2) Last Sunday I headed back to Florence for an appointment Monday morning as part of Italy's complicated visa process. It was a joy to see the children who helped host me last semester, and to pray once again in their chapel.

Today we learned that all classes are switching to online because of the new Italian government ordinance, at least for the next 4 weeks. So it is rather strange being in Rome but doing all classes online. 

For those of you in the US, I am very much praying for the country in this time of election. For those in the UK, I am praying for the terrible situation that public Masses will be banned for the next four weeks. May God grant speedily access once again to the most essential nourishment for body and soul: the Holy Eucharist.

You are in my daily prayers here.

In Cordibus Iesu et Mariae,

Fr. Pillari

Our Lady of the Rosary Family Catechism Launches

 

Dear Friends and Family,

I had a beautiful weekend here in Rome. The three children whom I helped prepare for Confirmation this September made a "post-Confirmation pilgrimage" to Rome to ask for the intercession of the saints, that they might become better soldiers for Christ.

Yesterday we were able to visit the rooms where St. Philip Neri lived and prayed, with an excellent tour guide, as well as the church he built--Chiesa Nuova. The afternoon was then spent visiting the Colosseum, and then the chapel on the site where St. Sebastian was martyred, spending time in Adoration.

This morning, after Mass at the tomb of Santa Francesca Romana, we visited the Mamertine Prison, an ancient prison in the heart of ancient Rome, right next to the Roman Senate building. More importantly, Sts. Peter and Paul were prisoners there. It was a real grace to pray at the site where these heroic martyrs prayed and suffered.

As most of you are likely aware, Our Lady of the Rosary Family Catechism launched this week at olrfamilycatechism.com . It is a real joy to be able to offer families throughout the world, for free, access to the teachings of Our Lady at Fatima and to a whole program for teaching their children the Baltimore Catechism. May it bear fruit!

Meanwhile, some other filming was going on here in Rome:

One of the main streets in Rome was blocked off for... the filming of Mission Impossible 7. If you look carefully in the center of the picture you will see them filming some sort of crash scene, with the large microphone visible against the white background.

You all are in my prayers here in Rome. I hope that this catechism program will be of use for you and your children. Much work and love was put into creating it, and will still be put into the post-production phase. So please keep in your prayers all the work of video and audio editing.

Wishing you a very blessed Sunday.

In Cordibus Iesu et Mariae,

Fr. Pillari

Classes have begun!

Dear Friends and Family,

Classes have begun! After almost a year of preparation, it is a real joy to now dive into studies. The atmosphere is rather unusual--a year like no other--in the sense that masks are now obligatory everywhere indoors, including in classrooms, along with social distancing, pulse and temperature checks, etc. But none of that should affect significantly my doctoral studies.

Rather than try to recount everything that happened this week, I'll tell you about Wednesday, which was spent getting to know the library, which you can see here:

It is a beautiful, old library--and I was told by a professor at a different university, the best one in Rome! What you see above is just a few of the rooms. It has multiple levels and, as you can see, within rooms different levels of bookshelves. There is something neat about the smell and feel of old books.

My morning orientation began with a walking tour of the different parts of the library especially pertinent to canon law--among them is a room full of doctoral dissertations from the past 100 years or so from multiple Roman universities. Other rooms have canonical journals, other historic commentaries, others general books, etc. etc. Then we went to see the collection desk. 

No one is allowed to take books out of the library (well, no one except for the professors and some of the Jesuit community in residence, I believe). This reminds me of something recounted in the life of St. John of the Cross. When he was studying theology at Salamanca, several hundred years ago, books were chained to the wall to prevent any student from carrying them away.... which gives an idea of how seriously books and libraries are taken here. So, the system is that you locate, in the online catalogue or on the shelf, the book(s) you wish to consult. You then submit an online request to the collection desk. Within 30 minutes, sometimes less, they produce the books for you, you pick them up at the collection desk, study them there in the library, and return them before you leave.

Because the books you see in the above photos, and the others in the rooms we could walk around into, are only a small part of the collection. Most of the books are in a reserved area that only the librarians have access to. The books in the rooms pictured above are ones that we are allowed to pull off the shelves and then put back ourselves, by the key parts of the library only the librarians go to. 

So research will involve a good deal of scanning pages so as to be able to consult them later on, and use them for eventually composing the doctoral thesis. On this day I requested and collected a number of books, after I figured out how to operate the online system, which took a while, and will now be reading from home, thanks to scanning, a book that has a collection of articles on Sacramentorum Sanctitatis Tutela, a key document for the Church's discipline in violations of the 6th Commandment by clerics (probably doesn't sound very exciting to you, but in terms of Church law it's a really important domain that is now being developed and much commented on).

There were many other events and blessings this week, but to keep this short I will stop here and tell you more about classes or other things next week. And for any of you who only follow the online rosary occasionally, I would encourage you to make sure to tune in this Tuesday, Oct. 13th, for a special announcement.

May Jesus be your strength and protection, and may Our Lady guide you.

In Cordibus Iesu et Mariae,

Fr. Pillari

Beginning Classes Tomorrow

 

St. John Lateran visible in the distance, looking through the Colosseum.

Dear Friends and Family,

Blessed Feast of St. Francis of Assisi! As one of the patron saints of Italy, his feast is liturgically a "first-class feast," which means that it takes precedence here even over the Sunday Mass. Thus, I had the blessing this morning of celebrating the Mass of St. Francis. He is such a wonderful saint. And the gospel for his feast day is one of my favorites. Even though you know it, I'll write it here again:

At that time Jesus declared, “I thank thee, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to babes; ²⁶ yea, Father, for such was thy gracious will. ²⁷ All things have been delivered to me by my Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and any one to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. ²⁸ Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. ²⁹ Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰ For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

Wonderful words to meditate on.

Tomorrow classes begin. I will spend the morning at the Gregorian going through introductory classes in how to do research and writing according to their methodology. Given the presence of COVID, it will be interesting to see how we will be given access to the library. It will also be interesting to meet the other doctoral candidates. Apparently, we are 17 this year beginning the doctorate in canon law.

Then the afternoon will be spent at the Angelicum, hopefully getting to know their library system and also attending a class on the historical development of the doctrine of the Trinity. The class should be interesting because much of this semester we will be reading the original texts of authors such as Athanasius, Basil, and Gregory--Fathers of the Church who were key in the articulation of the great mystery of the Trinity.

After much preparation, it is a joy to be able to finally begin classes and research! Please say a prayer for me tomorrow, and this week, as I begin this next chapter of God's will for my life. 

This week had many other blessings. Rather than give you a long list I will simply describe one of them. I was pleased to discover that one of the neighboring ancient churches here along the ancient Roman Forum--namely, the Church of St. Sabastian--has daily Eucharistic adoration from 5PM to 6PM. I went there yesterday and it was very quiet and conducive to prayer, which is not always the case in the churches frequented by tourists in this area! The church is built on the site of St. Sabastian's martyrdom. Saint Sabastian was a Roman soldier renowned for his courage, who became a captain of the Praetorian Guard. Eventually, his faith was discovered, after he had helped a number of others to convert, and he was martyred and went to his eternal reward. 

I will be returning to the church in a little bit to make a Holy Hour, and will pray for you all there, for the virtue of courage in today's world.

May St. Sebastian intercede for you, and may Our Lady be your counsel and guide.

In Cordibus Iesu et Mariae,

Fr. Pillari

 

Vicariato di Roma

 

Dear Friends and Family,

It has been a very blessed first full week in Rome. Thank you very much for your prayers! Much of the week was spent sorting out logistics and learning a bit of how Rome works. Among other things the week involved a trip to IKEA to begin sorting out necessary furniture so that my room can work well as an office for study and also as a good living space, and a trip to the Lateran Palazzo, where the chancery of the Diocese of Rome is located. 

The photo above gives you a glimpse of the incredible artwork that adorns the ceiling everywhere (at least everywhere I went) in the Lateran Palazzo. Here is a photo of a stairwell:

While quite beautiful, I much prefer the churches that are often so conducive to prayer. For example, here is a photo of the Church of Saints Cosmas and Damian, who are our "next-door neighbours" here along the Roman Forum. I made a mini Holy Hour there yesterday morning, and took this photo.

The structure was originally a pagan temple, with a large library attached (the photo above is showing part of what seems to have been the library), that was transformed in the 500's into a church. It was quite, recollected place for prayer that I will likely visit again soon.

In just a moment I will be heading out the door to pray in a church or two and then make my way to Santissima Trinita dei Pelligrini, which is familiar to a number of you. It's the parish church of the FSSP in the heart of Rome. I was invited to be in choir for the High Mass (N.B. "assisting in choir"--for a priest, doesn't mean I sing, but means I am near the altar and praying while the priest celebrates the Mass), and then to join the priests for lunch afterwards. Looking forward to getting to know them. Then I plan to visit the Musei dei Fori Imperiali, which is supposed to have very good models and explanations of the heart of ancient Rome.

I prayed for you this morning in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, as I do every day. I will be praying for you especially this Friday, as on every first Friday I offer the Mass for all my benefactors--and all of you are certainly that, whether by helping bring me into this world--thank you Mom and Dad!, or by your prayers or in other ways.

And to show you that I'm officially here:

May God grant you a blessed and joyful Sunday.

In Cordibus Iesu et Mariae,

Fr. Pillari

In the Heart of Rome

 

Dear Friends and Family,

Greetings from Rome! It has been a whirlwind week getting settled in here but it is really exciting to be in the heart of Rome, where so many martyrs and saints lived and died. I am living in a really beautiful location, in the heart of ancient Rome, right in between the Colosseum and the Roman Forum.

For this first post, I mainly wanted to give you a glimpse of what surrounds me. The above photo is taken from the bell tower of the monastery I just moved into. I climbed up the stairs the other day and Don Elvir, a fellow student, kindly took that and the photos below.

It is truly an amazing place to be in! And the monks have been most fraternal--it should be a very good place for prayer and study. This morning I was able to celebrate Mass in the crypt, where there is the tomb of San Francesca Romana, co-patron of Rome. If you'd like to take a glance at the Basilica to which the monastery is attached see here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santa_Francesca_Romana,_Rome

Next Sunday, I will write more about life here. In the meantime, praying for you all here in Rome!

In Cordibus Iesu et Mariae,

Fr. Pillari

Two Special Graces and a Train to catch tomorrow

 

Photo of the three children I helped prepare for Confirmation, just after they were confirmed by Bishop Athanasius Schneider.

The "head bands" are a family tradition to cover the part of the forehead anointed with sacred chrism, as a sign of the holiness of the oil and of the Sacrament received.

With their sponsors.

Dear Friends and Family,

Though it is now midnight on Sunday, I wanted to show you these few pictures and write a few words about this blessed Sunday. I will try to continue with at least a few blog posts once I arrive in Rome.

Last Sunday Bishop Athanasius Schneider confirmed three children I helped prepare for the Sacrament. It was a real joy to see them receive the fullness of the Holy Ghost and His gifts. It was also a joy to assist at Bishop Schneider's Mass, and to see his prayerful, fatherly attention to the children and to others in the celebration that followed. In fact, the schedule worked out such that he had a good 20 minutes to interview the children before the ceremony began. It brought a real smile to my face to see them answering the good Bishop's questions and interacting with him.

Then today, I had the joy of a skype call with a former parishioner from Plymouth who became a postulant 6 months ago and today was invested in the full religious habit. She seemed very happy and it was a joy to speak to her about prayer, about religious life, and to hear about her experiences so far.

Tomorrow, I will take the train to Rome and begin my time of studies there. God-willing I will have some photos to share with you next Sunday. At the moment, I'm sitting in the middle of boxes of books and preparing to finish one last task, which I should do now...

Will pray for all of you at the tombs of the saints and martyrs in Rome!

In Cordibus Iesu et Mariae,

Fr. Pillari

Pause in Posting

Looking out over the valley.

Dear Friends and Family,

Blessed Sunday! And for those in the U.S., happy 4th of July weekend! Even if it is a very heavy time for the country, I am very grateful to have an American, to have received so much that is good from the sacrifices made by our ancestors in the States.

I want to let you all know that I will not be, at least not for a while, posting to this blog. The reason is that I all of a sudden find myself in the surprising position of being a rather public figure, due to the daily worldwide rosary crusade. I'm very conscious of the admonition of Scripture, "Let every man be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger." I think that, in general, we would do much better as pastors of the Church to speak less frequently but more to the point or more carefully. To that end, I think I ought, for the moment, to not add to the number of words I am spreading around the internet each week.

I began this blog as a way of allowing family, friends, and families who had been under my care to still be in contact, even if I was now living far away. But now that you can, for better or worse, pray the rosary with me any day you wish to, I don't think the blog is as necessary. Also, I had begun this as a vehicle of writing to friends and family in much the same way I would speak around the table if I were sitting in one of your homes. Now that I have begun more of a public person, anything I write or do online is that much more public, including this blog. The goal of a priest is to put people face to face with Jesus Christ, not with his own personality. "He must increase, and I must decrease."

So I think, at least for a while, that this is the right approach. Feel free to let me know your own thoughts. Perhaps after a few months, we can see if this is the best approach or not.  In the meantime, know that each of you will continue to be in my daily prayers and thoughts.

But since today I am still writing.... among the blessings of this past week was nearing the end of my 100-page licentiate paper in theology. I still have a few more pages of the conclusion to write, and then the process of reviewing and correcting, which will not be minor, but the hardest part is almost behind me! Tomorrow I will head into Florence, both to stop by a parish for Confession, in order to receive the graces of the First Saturdays, and also to have lunch with the chancellor of the diocese, a good canon lawyer who is also an American.

Thank you for the special gift that each of you is in my life. May Jesus and Mary watch over you each day. When travel becomes possible again, I will hope to see you in person. in the meantime, I will hope to see you for the rosary!

In Cordibus Iesu et Mariae,
Fr. Pillari

Aquinas' Commentary on Romans

Dear Friends and Family,

I hope this email finds you well. Here, it is a beautiful sunny day. After much rain the past month summer seems to have fully arrived in Tuscany. In a little bit, I plan to go for a fun up the mountain.

Among the many blessings of this past week, I spent a good deal of time studying St. Thomas Aquinas' commentary on the Letter to the Romans. Though the following may be a bit theoretical, I thought some of you might like to know a little of what I'm studying.

Part of the licentiate paper that I am working on, for the STL in Toulouse, involves this commentary, which has many interesting points. I thought I would share one with you. In chapter 7 of St. Paul's letter to the Romans there is his famous description of an interior struggle:

We know that the law is spiritual; but I am carnal, sold under sin. ¹⁵ I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. ¹⁶ Now if I do what I do not want, I agree that the law is good. ¹⁷ So then it is no longer I that do it, but sin which dwells within me. ¹⁸ For I know that nothing good dwells within me, that is, in my flesh. I can will what is right, but I cannot do it. ¹⁹ For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I do. ²⁰ Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I that do it, but sin which dwells within me. 

²¹ So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. ²² For I delight in the law of God, in my inmost self, ²³ but I see in my members another law at war with the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin which dwells in my members.

Many commentators have asked: Is St. Paul describing the situation of a man before conversion, of someone not in a state of grace? Or is he describing someone in a state of grace, even himself, who has these struggles? St. Thomas spends about 40 pages analyzing this, so I'll only be able to share here a tiny bit of what he says.

He analyzes each line by giving both possible interpretations and showing what each would mean, but he says that the better interpretation is that St. Paul is speaking of someone in a state of grace.

In that case, Aquinas holds that the "I do the very thing I hate... the evil I do not want is what I do. Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I that do it, but sin which dwells in me"--that such phrases refer to the involuntary movements of what is called the sensitive appetite, i.e. the consequences of original sin that include disordered desires that spring up in the soul. He speaks of someone in a state of grace--say, St. Paul--who does not consent to these desires. In his actions, both exterior and interior, he acts according to what is right and just, according to what is God's will. Nonetheless, there is a part of him that acts in the opposite manner, interiorly, through such interior movements. Aquinas describes, therefore, someone who never gives in to sin and yet for whom these words hold true. But his analysis can also be used to show what--for most of us on most days--is the case: that we at times do commit sins, even if venial ones. In that case, the part of his analysis which applies to the man in mortal sin could be applied to the venial sins.

For the sinner, Aquinas writes that the sinner is still said to want the reasonable good in the sense of the “incomplete willing by which men want the good in general, just as they have a correct judgment about the good in general; yet this judgment is perverted by a bad habit or a perverse passion with the result that the will… does not do what it knows in a general way should be done and would want to do." In other words, man's reason and judgment allow themselves to be more and more drawn in the direction of what is being proposed by the sensitive appetite, by desires that go contrary to what is right and just, and so the man's reason becomes distorted and he convinces himself that the reasons in favor of doing the sinful action are actually the more important ones, that this is really the reasonable thing to do. In this sense he does not what "in a general way," or deep down, he knows to be right, what deep down his soul truly wants. 

Well, that is probably enough theology to have put many of you to sleep, so I'll stop there.

Blessed Feast of Sts. Peter and Paul tomorrow! I will be praying for you in the Holy 

Sacrifice of the Mass.

In Cordibus Iesu et Mariae,

Fr. Pillari

Mountaintop View

Dear Friends and Family,

Blessed Father's day! Thank you, Dad, for being such a great father to me.

Above is the beautiful view that I am blessed to have a few times a week when I go jogging. I finally carried my phone on the run Friday to take some pictures for you. There is something so uplifting about looking out from a mountain top, gazing at neighboring mountains across the horizon, looking down into the valleys. Perhaps it is because it makes me think of God's perspective looking down on the world, and helps me realize how limited my own perspective is. I'm not sure the reasons, but it is a really beautiful view that I always find refreshing.

This morning I had the blessing of celebrating Mass for a couple's 23rd wedding anniversary--members of the family I'm staying with. Wedding anniversaries are truly worth celebrating today, when it is more difficult than ever for spouses to sacrifice themselves faithfully, day after day, for their spouse and children.

Another of the many blessings of this past week occurred yesterday. I received a note from a mother in Pakistan who has been joining in the Our Lady of Fatima Worldwide Rosary Crusade that I've been leading online. She wrote that she had been unable to pray with us for about 12 days due to an illness, but that her three teenage children had nonetheless continued to pray the rosary daily, along with other prayers. It is good to hear of three teenage children maintaining that level of fidelity to prayer without their mother, and a privilege to be able to pray with them via the online rosary. When I read a bit about Pakistan online, I felt even more honored.

Catholics make up less than 1% of the population, which is about 95% Muslim. Persecution and marginalization have been, and are, very real realities for Catholics in Pakistan. As one of the Pakistani Bishops said in an interview, forgiveness of those who persecute you is something very real for them, something they need to put into practice often. It is also a young part of the Church, with many children. It was a real joy to know that I could be present to a family like that, from all the way in Italy, and could assist in some small way by praying the rosary with them each day.

May God grant us, and Catholics all over the world, the graces of joy, peace, and courage, so that we might be prepared to face whatever God may ask of us in this coming year.

And to all fathers reading this, happy Father's Day!

In Cordibus Iesu et Mariae,
Fr. Pillari

The Blessing of Lectio Divina

Mountain top I hope to run to in a little while.

Dear Friends and Family,

It is a cool Sunday afternoon here in Tuscany, perhaps mid-60's, which is beautiful weather. We had a strong rainstorm last night, which was pretty to watch from a little porch. This morning has been a typical Sunday morning. After morning prayers in the chapel, I spent time practising the pronunciation for my Italian sermon. This takes a while--up to an hour of repetition if I want to get close to a smooth Italian delivery--but it is also good practice for my Italian in general.

After that, I headed to the chapel for 30 minutes of prayer in preparation for the Mass, took about 30 minutes after Mass for prayer, and then headed to lunch. While some of the finer points of Italian grammar are still a work in process, I'm getting closer and lunch conversations are becoming easier.

Yesterday, on the Feast of St. Anthony of Padua, I felt drawn to a renewed focus on the practice of lectio divina--the "divine reading" which is the expression classically used for reading the Bible prayerfully and trying to listen to what God wishes to teach us. I enjoyed yesterday re-reading the very beginning of the Gospel according to St. Matthew, reflecting on St. Joseph's hidden role and on other more hidden points of the first two chapters. For example, I wondered what became of the scribes and chief priests consulted by Herod.

Both they and all of Jerusalem were aware that the wise men came from the East seeking the newborn Messiah. And they were aware that it was prophesied, in Micah, that he would be born in Bethlehem and that Herod subsequently tried to kill him in the slaughter. Did some of them go seek out the Messiah before the slaughter? Did any of them later recognize the Lord when His public life began? Did they reproach Herod for what he had done?

I hope to start, little by little, committing some of the Gospel to memory each day--at least enough to think about it throughout the day. I've found in the past that this gives strength, peace, light, and hope.  On that note, I am now due to head to the chapel for my daily time of lectio divina so I will sign off here.

May Jesus be your strength and peace, and may Our Lady be your guide.

In Cordibus Iesu et Mariae,
Fr. Pillari

Florence's Famous Museums

One of the most famous piazzas and churches in Florence: Piazza Santa Maria Novella.

The same piazza looking the other direction.

The facade of the Duomo (Florence's famous cathedral).

Dear Friends and Family,

I pray that this email finds each of you well in the midst of the challenging situations our world and the Church are still living. My heart goes out in a particular way to those in the US right now.

I was blessed with a very unique opportunity this past Thursday: the opportunity to have almost private tours of Florence's two most famous art museums--perhaps the most famous, alongside the Louvre in Paris, art museums in the world: The Accademia and the Uffizzi.

I had almost private tours of each because they reopened on Wednesday but, due to the severe travel restrictions, almost no one was there! Normally, you would have huge crowds of people filing into each and would perhaps have a few moments before the most famous pieces of art, trying to peer around people and get at least a glimpse from up close. Whereas Thursday I was able to take as much time as I wished to contemplate the works of sacred heart, sit and pray in front of them, walk up close and examine details, walk around the statues, etc. You can find photos of the famous works in each online, but to give you an idea of how truly private it was, look at the photo below.

This photo is taken from right below the famous statue of David by Michaelangelo. It is in the most important hall of the Accademia and stands an imposing height that fills the main space: it's perhaps 20 feet tall. You can see below how many people were there...

Empty main hall (except for a few guards) of the Accademia.

It was amazing to see Michaelangelo's unfished sculptures (in the background along the wall), and see the marks made with his chisel, and then to look at the amazingly smooth David. Truly amazing that he was able to do this out of a single block of marble, and at just 26 years old. But more interesting were the many altarpieces and works of sacred art. At the Uffizi I had the blessing of being guided around by a member of my host family who is an expert in Renaissance art. She carefully explained to me the development of sacred art from Cimabue to Giotto, to later masters such as Michaelangelo, Rafael, DaVinci, and lesser-known names but ones whose art is quite beautiful. It was an amazing few hours.

Though masks and rubber gloves in the museum were obligatory (rubber gloves only at the Accademia), it was well worth such small sacrifices in order to have a once in a lifetime "private tour" of each museum. One of many blessings of the past week. This coming week's main work will be Italian grammar and some research for a theology paper.

You are in my prayers!

In Cordibus Iesu et Mariae,
Fr. Pillari