Our Lady of the Cenacle

Chasuble of Our Lady used for this past Friday's and Saturday's Masses.

Dear Friends and Family,

Greetings during this beautiful time of grace that is the Cenacle: the Church's oldest novena where the apostles and the Virgin Mary gathered in the upper room for prayer between the Ascension and Pentecost. It has been already been a very grace-filled few days for me, including the wonderful blessing of giving first Holy Communion yesterday, which I hope to have pictures to share with you next week! For those of you reading this in Texas, you will recognize a familiar face... in the meantime, I'll share a photo at the bottom of this post.

I'm currently in France for a week of studies, and did not have access to the internet last night--hence this delayed posting. The week promises to be quite interesting because the two topics are: 1) marriage in Aquinas and 2) the supernatural virtue of faith. But I wanted to share with you two beautiful feasts that we celebrated at the convent this weekend.

Friday was the Feast of Our Lady, Mediatrix of All Graces. In the Mass we invoked Our Lady's intercession that the Holy Ghost might be poured out in abundance. Then Saturday morning was a votive Mass of Our Lady of the Cenacle, once again asking for a greater outpouring of the Holy Ghost and our docility to His guidance. At the heart of both feasts is a prayer from the 1912 Novena to the Holy Ghost by the Holy Ghost Fathers--still posted prominently on EWTN's website. The daily consecration to the Holy Ghost concludes by prayer "...Give me grace, O Holy Ghost, Spirit of the Father and the Son, Speak Lord, to say to You always and everywhere, 'Speak Lord for Your servant is listening.' "

This prayer expresses the very heart of the Catholic moral life--as so many have heard me say, according to the teaching of Aquinas, etc.: docility to the Holy Ghost's action in our lives. There is also a particular connection with this novena and the Latin Mass. The Holy Ghost Fathers is the congregation that Marcel Lefebvre entered shortly after this novena was written and in use (note, I am not here going into an analysis of his actions, but simply remarking that he played a very particular role in preserving and promoting the Latin Mass). Fundamentally, there is a profound link between the silent adoration and humility that the Latin Mass seeks to foster in our souls and a listening heart to the Holy Ghost. Sometimes people see these two things as opposed, but the Virgin Mary surely would have found Herself very much at home kneeling in silent adoration during a Latin Mass and also being docile and attentive to the Holy Ghost throughout Her daily life.

If you haven't already done so, I'd encourage you to begin the novena to the Holy Ghost for Pentecost, which can be found on EWTN's website. I have to get back to studies now.... will try to post more photos next week. In the meantime, here is one.

In Cordibus Iesu et Mariae,
Fr. Pillari

Pentecost Novena

Image from a traditional children's catechism.

Dear Friends and Family,

The above image is a sample of so many beautiful images created by Catholic artists throughout the ages. This image is focussed on the communion of saints, showing the angels around Our Lord, the Holy Ghost descending, Our Lady and the Saints surrounding the Holy Ghost, the Holy Mass, souls on earth, souls in purgatory, etc. An image says more than many words...

And we are about to enter one of the most blessed times of the Church year: the novena leading up to Pentecost: the 9 days between the ascension and the day of Pentecost, when the apostles gathered together with the Virgin Mary and other disciples to pray. We have the opportunity to join them in that blessed prayer, asking that our own souls be transformed by the coming of the Holy Ghost at Pentecost, just as the apostles' souls were transformed.

And next Sunday, the Sunday during this novena, will be a particularly blessed Sunday here at Lanherne because there will be a first Holy Communion: Mr. Samuel Layfield. Especially for those of you in Texas, please pray for him, that he might receive the Lord with much love and devotion, and be docile to all that Jesus wishes to do in his heart.

The more I study St. Thomas Aquinas, the more I realize how central the action of the Holy Ghost is in the moral life. Indeed he says that the gifts of the Holy Ghost are so essential that they are necessary for anyone to even reach Heaven. I'm currently enjoying preparing each week and preaching on the gifts of the Holy Ghost. We just finished the third gift: the gift of knowledge. Each gift helps us by rendering the soul docile to the action of the Holy Ghost in a particular aspect of our life. Each also corresponds to a beatitude--in other words, each gift is meant to help us do certain types of actions, those described by one of the beatitudes. And each then leads to one or more of the fruits of the Holy Ghost.

I'm very much looking forward to praying the novena leading up to Pentecost and then to celebrating the Pentecost Octave. May Jesus and Mary help you to prepare your hearts for this blessed time.

In Cordibus Iesu et Mariae,
Fr. Pillari

Scala Santa

The "Scala Santa"--"Holy Staircase"--that Our Lord walked up to be tried by Pilate.

Looking toward the Vatican from just beyond the Circus Maximus, and the busy streets of Rome...

Dear Friends and Family,

This past week I was in Rome for a theological colloquium as part of the program for my licentiate in theology. We were required to attend a colloquium somewhere in the world but could choose. I chose the Rome Life Forum and was not disappointed!

Many of you have likely read summaries of the talks on LifeSite. They were excellent. Four Cardinals, two Dominican theologians--including the theologian to the papal household, an expert on China and a number other excellent speakers. But perhaps the best part of the colloquium were all the discussions and times of prayer with the other participants. It's hard to find a better group of people than 200 pro-life leaders from around the world.

I celebrated the opening Mass of the conference Thursday morning at the Angelicum, and the chapel was almost filled to capacity. It was beautiful to see people from all over the world kneeling in silent adoration as I offered a quiet low Mass. What were the people like? Full of life, hope, lots of laughter, joy, and of course also suffering. But I would say that hope and joy were by far the predominant notes of our encounters.

To give you a glimpse of what the encounters were like:
-Sunday evening: visited with Virginia Coda-Nunziante, who heads up Rome's March for Life.
-Wednesday I had time with Roberto de Mattei, John-Henry Weston, Maria Madise, Fr. Linus Clovis, and some great young adults.
-At Thursday morning's coffee, I right away ran into Fr. Giertych, the theologian of the Papal Household, and discussed theology, only to be interrupted by the arrival of Cardinal Eijk, whom I talked with for a while until we were called into the main hall for the conference to begin.
-Thursday lunch: a good lady from New Zeeland who is the mother of 7 and is doing heroic pro-life work.
-Thursday evening: dinner with Taylor Marshall and his 7-year-old son, two men about to enter the seminary, and a good priest living in Rome.
-Friday lunch: sat across from Cardinal Eijk and spent most of the meal discussing the situation in the  Netherlands, which is not easy! He is a physician with two other doctorates and was quite friendly and accessible, not to mention courageous!
-Friday morning: met with Cardinal Burke.
-Friday evening: discovered a fellow participant, a businessman (tech company) from Oklahoma with a young family, was a fellow Notre Dame grad. So we went out for coffee and then walked around Rome until Adoration began at 8PM.

One particular highlight was the Scala Santa. For the past 300 years the marble steps that St. Helena brought back from Jerusalem--the marble steps of the praetorium where the Lord was condemned--have been covered with wooden planks to protect them. But this spring they were uncovered. Hence, I was able to spend 40 minutes or so going up them slowly (as everyone does) on my knees and praying for my own personal conversion as well as for all of you. It was quite moving to see, and feel, the marble steps that had about 8-inch indentations in them because of the centuries of kneeling pilgrims! So many, many Catholic ancestors and saints went before me and knelt on those same steps.

Much more could be said about the week but I have to go now to meet a visiting priest for dinner.

May Jesus and Mary watch over you and guide you.

In Cordibus Iesu et Mariae,
Fr. Pillari

Roma

Our Lady keeping watch over the convent as flowers spring up.

The side door to the cloistered garden....

A lane leading into the village.

The neighbor's farmhouse and some flowers.

Dear Friends and Family,

It is now 10PM in Rome, where I have just arrived in order to follow a colloquium at the Angelicum. It is a beautiful time of year in Rome, but an even more beautiful time of year in Cornwall. Nature seems to be singing a Paschal hymn of joy to the Risen King. Among other blessings this week, a family with many young children visited and attended the Holy Mass at the convent each Sunday and a rosary with some of the families Wednesday evening. One of the beautiful things about the Latin Mass is the way it brings people together very quickly, giving you a sense of the "universal family" of the Church. Any family accustomed to attending the Latin Mass quickly feels at home and can pray the Mass wherever they turn up. But that is only the beginning. So many other things naturally go (the vast majority of the time) with attending the Latin Mass: belief in the full range of Catholic doctrine, devotion to Our Lady, a sense of modest dress and the importance of silence in the Church, the importance of raising the children well in the Faith, etc. etc. This tends to help families quickly feel at home with one another. This week was a beautiful example of that. We hope our guests will come back soon!

I'm in Rome this week because a mandatory part of my theology studies in France is that we have to attend, and write a paper on, a theological colloquium somewhere in the world. This one at the Angelicum piqued my interest. It is entitled "City of Man vs. City of God" and will try to take a theological look at God's plan for society while looking at some of the more challenging concrete situations in the Church today, such as the situation of the Church in China.

Because of the hour, and an early morning start tomorrow, I had best sign off. I will be praying for each of you at the tomb of St. Peter, as well as at that of St. Catherine of Siena and hopefully at several other tombs.

May Jesus and Mary watch over you and guide you.

In Cordibus Iesu et Mariae,
Fr. Pillari

Painting a Picture with Words

Dear Friends and Family,

Today was full of blessings, lots of activities, and beautiful weather--so beautiful that I forgot to take any photos! So I'll try to paint a picture with words.

I'll start with the end: at 3PM many of the families from Lanherne and Plymouth gathered at the Buscombe farm to celebrate the Paschal season with both congregations together. Many families showed up and there were little kids running around everywhere!--to see the newborn piglets, to play on the rope swing, to fly remote-controlled airplanes, to kick the soccer ball (for those in Europe, the football), to throw the frisbee, to play "monster" and chase each other around, to pet the horses, and on and on...  

And God seemed to be smiling down on the afternoon. He gave us a beautiful sunshiny day. With a blue sky and the temperature in the mid-50's, warm for Cornwall this time of year!--the freshly grown, lush, green lawn. All of nature seemed to be smiling in honor of the resurrection. And David and Sarah did an outstanding job with the barbecue: home-grown sausage, bacon, burgers, turkey, freshly baked bread, vegetables, cheese, homemade ice cream, it was quite a feast...

It was such a joy for me to see the parents and children laughing, talking, playing, and relaxing together. In the midst of a world that is increasingly hostile to the Faith, and with so few Catholics around in this part of the country, it was very, very good to see them enjoying this time together.

After the, (long and very enjoyable!), meal and time of visiting, there was a tour of the farm, which all enjoyed, especially seeing the little piglets, horses, and tractors. We had scheduled a rosary to conclude the afternoon/evening but by this point, it was rather late for those with little ones from Plymouth, so I made the decision that we would just pray a decade--outdoors, around the statue of Our Lady. We then sang the Salve Regina and crowned Our Lady with a beautiful wreath of flowers that one of the mothers had made. A beautiful afternoon and evening...

The earlier part of the day was also very blessed. The early morning hours alone with the Lord in the chapel, then setting up for the Holy Mass, hearing Confessions, preaching, offering the Holy Sacrifice, visiting with everyone in the hall over breakfast. Heading into Plymouth to hear Confessions and offer the Holy Sacrifice, then a May Crowning, then the joy of bringing a homebound Catholic, who had not received the Sacraments in months, Confession and Holy Communion. Then driving to Cornwall. It is good to be a priest...

May Jesus and Mary watch over you and guide you.

In Cordibus Iesu et Mariae,
Fr. Pillari

The Blessing of Adoration

Springtime outside the Falcon Inn, just across the street from the convent.

Dear Friends and Family,

Blessed Divine Mercy Sunday! All of creation has seemed to be singing for joy here in Cornwall these past two weeks. While the last 2 - 3 days have had some rain and overcast skies, the above photo was taken yesterday morning and is typical of the sunshine and flowers that have covered Cornwall. For those in Texas, bluebonnets have covered many of the fields and hedges surrounding the village. I haven't had my camera with me when walking but can tell you that it has been quite beautiful. In my jogs through the fields, on the coastal path that follows the river for a while and then splits off through the fields to go to St. Columb Major, a number of the fields are still full of little lambs and their mothers. They seem more used to me now and don't move off the path until I'm quite close.

Also, our apple orchard has been in blossom. The blossoms probably looked prettiest a week or two ago, including during the Way of the Cross through the orchard, but this photo gives you a glimpse of the trees such as they are right now:

Some blossoms are still visible.

While the earth seems to have been rejoicing at the Lord's resurrection, I spent some time celebrating the resurrection with the altar boys yesterday afternoon. To be more precise, I joined them at their family farm to thank them for all their hard work in preparing for and serving Holy Week, which was a lot of work for them but which came off quite nicely. The gathering began with a 2 1/2 hour game of Risk Europe. "Sir Wesley of Europe" as one individual dubbed the 16-year old conqueror of Europe from our previous game, was the reigning champion.  For this game, I was based on London, Sir Wesley and his co-captain were based on Constantinople, and the other 2 armies were based in Rome and Stockholm. Battles ebbed and flowed among the four armies. Thanks to a combination of some lucky rolling of the dice and the other armies turning their attention, and arms, on battles between themselves, I was able to conquer the British Isles, France, North Africa, and key cities in Germany and Switzerland, such that I conquered Europe. My first order of business will be to disband the European Union...

We then moved on to pizzas and garlic bread. When shopping for these at Morrison's I spotted a hot sauce with a skull and crossbones on it and thought the guys might enjoy it. It did make for a good number of laughs and some burned throats and watering eyes... We completed the meal with some chocolate ice-cream sticks and the moved onto playing pool. My guardian angel must have been working hard because... I won all the pool matches. I will now go into retirement in order to hold onto my crowns, and will perhaps play pool and Risk again in another 20 years.

While such things were a good deal of fun and a real blessing, the blessing from this past week that stuck out in my mind the most was the blessing of adoration. Adoration of Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament, whether in the tabernacle or exposed in the monstrance, is something incomparable. In that quiet, simple prayer, whether assisted by the help of a book, or simply a quiet conversation, or accompanied by some of the rosary, or simply quiet adoration and thanksgiving, it is something that does so much good for the soul. I don't think I have words adequate to describe it. The resurrection and Our Lord's enduring risen presence are mysteries that are not easy to put into words or to access. But through regular time spent in quiet adoration, the Lord is able to open our souls to these mysteries, to direct contact with Him.

May He grant you much Easter joy through the hands of His Holy Mother.

In Cordibus Iesu et Mariae,
Fr. Pillari

Resurrexit Sicut Dixit, Alleluia!

Dear Friends and Family,

Happy Easter! Christ is risen. Truly He is risen!

On this wonderful, blessed day all of you were remembered in my offering of the Holy Sacrifice: my friends and family, my former flock in Texas, those I had the blessing of meeting in Canada, in Italy, those of course right here in Cornwall and Devon, and all those who God has brought into my life. May Jesus and Mary grant you an abundance of Easter peace and joy.

Right now, after the joys, and the work, of Holy Week and the Easter Triduum, then Easter Sunday's Masses and a sick call this afternoon--right now I am wiped out, though very happy. So, for today's post, I will simply share a few photos below.

I also began our annual novena of Masses--that will continue throughout the Octave--for all the benefactors of Lanherne, including all those of you who assist me in one way or another: through your prayers, donations, hard work, sacrifices, friendly support. May God reward all of you for making my priestly life and ministry possible, and may He grant you the hundredfold.

In Cordibus Iesu et Mariae,
Fr. Pillari

Palm Sunday Procession at St. Edward's, Plymouth.

Altar of Repose, Thursday Night.

High Altar prepared for Mass this morning.

Lanherne Grounds Wednesday evening, with Robert, our good gardener! in the midst of his handiwork.

A patch of the English countryside.