A Visit to the Zoo

 

Dear Friends and Family,

On this beautiful Passion Sunday the weather was so nice that I ventured out with my parents for a trip to the Cleveland Zoo. Walking has become easier and easier so it was not a problem to spend almost two hours walking around the exhibits, including the rain forest, which you have a glimpse of in the photo below:

Housed in a vary large glass building it gave us the chance to see beautiful varieties of animals. The multi-colored birds were the most spectacular, though I regret that I did not take any photos of them to show you. What vibrant colors! And they would fly right by you. One perched on a branch just about two feet above my head and didn't mind me moving around and inspecting him.

We also saw tiny frogs that are considered the most poisonous animals on earth. The poison from one frog is enough to kill 100 people.... I have a newfound respect for frogs. Then there were other animals.

This alligator is about 6 feet long. These Koalas were  quite close to us:

It was a fun outing. 

My back continues to improve. The big step of the last 4 days is that I have been able to sit upright at a desk for several hours a day and to work there. This bodes well for my studies, which I am trying to catch up on, and should be able to catch up by the end of the semester.

You may not see a post from me the next two Sundays because I will be making my annual priestly retreat--which I was unable to make last year--in the guesthouse of a Benedictine monastery of nuns, the Benedictines of Mary in Gower, MO, from Palm Sunday through Easter Monday. If you do not hear from me before Easter week, know that you will continue to be in my daily prayers.

May Our Lady guide you into the great graces that God has in store for us this Holy Week.

In Cordibus Iesu et Mariae,

Fr. Pillari

Feast of St. Joseph Holy Mass at St. Stephen's

 

Dear Friends and Family,

Among the many blessings of this past week I received the wonderful invitation to celebrate the Holy Mass--in the form of a sung, solemn High Mass--this Friday March 19th at 18:30 for the Feast of St. Joseph, and next Thursday March 25th at 18:30 for the Feast of the Annunciation, at St. Stephen's parish on the west side of Cleveland. The historic church is quite beautiful, as you can see above. It was a particular act of kindness for Fr. Bede, a benedictine monk in the area, to offer to have me be the celebrant in his place for these two Masses. If you are in the area, I will hope to see you there.

Other blessings of this past week included going out and walking more. Little by little my stamina is increasing. Today, between 3 different walks, I think I walked a total of around 2 miles.

Beyond that my life is rather simple: prayer and study for most of the day.

Thank you for all of your prayers.

In Cordibus Iesu et Mariae,

Fr. Pillari

Bread from Heaven

 

Dear Friends and Family,

Greetings and a blessed Third Sunday of Lent from a sunny Cleveland Ohio! The past days have been quite beautiful here: often blue skies and sun, with crisp cool air hovering around freezing. I have been able to get out and do a little walking in the neighborhood, which has been a real blessing. 

My back has better days and worse days. Yesterday was a better day and I was able to go for a longer walk, to work most of the day at my studies, and to even make a Holy Hour in the evening--the first time I have been able to do that in a month! However, last night my back was not particularly happy and is slowly coming back today. So today is being spent largely reclining to rest my back, and reading.

The above photo--please excuse the fact it is sideways, I can't figure out how to rotate a photo--is the book I have been reading today. It is quite good. Brant Pitre, the author, draws from various accounts of Jewish customs at the time of Our Lords that shed light on how his gestures and words would have been understood in his day, with regard to the Eucharist. I am only half-way through the book but have found it quite interesting so far. Hopefully I will get through the rest of it today.

I also have some good news regarding Holy Week. For the first time in 20 years I will have the privilege of living this Holy Week as a personal retreat. While leading a flock through the Holy Week liturgies has very particular joys, so does spending that week in silence and prayer at a monastery. This year, I will have that blessing at the guesthouse of the Benedictines of Mary in Gower, Missouri https://benedictinesofmary.org  . They are known for the beauty of their chanting and for having a good retreat house for priests, so I am very much looking forward to it.

As we begin this third week of Lent, you all will continue to be in my prayers. Please keep me in yours.

In Cordibus Iesu et Mariae,

Fr. Pillari