Off to Italy! Last post for 8 weeks

The Basilia of St. Sernin in the heart of Toulouse.

An ordinary street in Toulouse, to give you a feel for the city (graffiti and all!)

Cathedral St. Etienne, in the heart of Toulouse.

Dear Friends and Family,

This will likely be my last post until August 19th because of the intense Latin and Greek immersion in Italy. But you will be in my daily prayers! Especially in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass each morning.

I am very pleased to say that I passed my one hour oral exam this morning with high marks--Deo gratias et Mariae! I was rather nervous--not having spoken much French in 20 years and the topic being a completely new one for me (they asked me to research and defend the Church's teaching on "No salvation outside the Church"--which is a rather involved topic). So I will be awarded this summer an "STB"--Baccalaurate in Sacred Theology--from l'Institut Catholique de Toulouse. This is essentially a validation of my previous seminary studies and conferal of a degree from a pontifical university (which l'Institut is), so that I can now be admitted to the STL and STD degrees. The STL is essentially a specialized masters degree in theology. STD is the Church's doctorate in theology awarded by pontifical universities. A few words about this wonderful opportunity.

It is a dream come true to be able to study for a doctorate in theology. A series of unexpected events, that would take too long to explain here, opened up this possibility last fall. As most of you know, the plan had been for me, after receiving my licentiate in canon law last summer, to continue for a doctorate in canon law. Then, the Lord seemed to open this door to instead receive three theology degrees, the last being the doctorate, and in a very good program. After discernment it seemed to me that this was the door the Lord was asking me to walk through.

One key in that discernment was that my bishop was encouraging and supportive. Another key was that this program should not require me to miss any Sundays for the apostolate at Lanherne and in Plymouth. Instead, it will consist of 5-weeks each year away, Monday to Friday (plus this one summer session for languages that I am embarking on now.). A third key was the quality and style of the program.

The STL and STD (God-willing) will be through l'Institut Thomas d'Aquin in Toulouse (Institute of St. Thomas Aquinas). The progam is run by the Dominican province of Toulouse. It is their house of formation where they teach theology to the Dominicans studying to be priests. They also offer, to a small group of students, these degrees and formation. The goal is to take 10 topics per year. This year's topics will be: 1) key elements of the political thought of St. Thomas, 2) St. Thomas' metaphysics and its use in theology, 3) Christology in St. Thomas and contemporaneous theology, 4)
Thomas' treatment of the Trinity 5) Thomas' teaching on angels and demons, including the sin of the demons, 6) "I do not want I want, but what I do not want"--from Romans; free will and our weakness according to St. Thomas, 7) the virtue of Faith in St. Thomas, and three other topics I can't remember...

I will be with, I think, about 15 other students, including priests from France, Portugal, Spain, and Italy. It should make for some interesting discussions. The goal is to look at any topic through the eyes of St. Thomas but then looking also at what other good sources of theology might bring. It should be interesting and the class size should make it easier to dive into discussion. While no doubt the program will not be perfect (nothing on earth is!), the professors have a strong reputation of holding and teaching the Catholic faith. And in one sense St. Thomas is the key professor, and he's a pretty solid Catholic.

This program will be an investment of time and energy, but one that I believe will bear much good fruit, in time, in caring for your souls.

I had best now care for my own soul by signing off and praying some of the Divine Office before dinner.

Each of you will be in my heart and prayers these next 8 weeks. May Jesus and Mary watch over you, guide you, and keep you from harm.

Arrivederci!

In Cordibus Iesu et Mariae,
Fr. Pillari

Study in Italy

With Bishop Athanasius Schneider at Walsingham, at the end of the pilgrimage.

Dear Friends and Family,

Above is a photo that EWTN kindly sent me, from the pilgrimage a few weeks ago with Bishop Schneider. They also posted his main talks from that weekend here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-wmIefomrXqMy10IuYWprw  in case you are interested.

Thank you for all of your prayers for my exams. I took all my civil law finals, for this semester, this past week, and am very pleased to say that I received A's in two classes, and am still waiting for the results from the others, but am hopeful! The last exam of this semester will be an oral exam, in French, this Friday morning at l'Institut Catholique in Toulouse. If I pass this exam it would permit me to enter the licentiate and, God-willing, doctoral programs at l'Institut Thomas d'Aquin (The Institute of St. Thomas Aquinas) run by the Dominicans of the Toulouse province. The oral exam will consist of me presenting on a topic for 20 minutes and then two Dominicans examining me for 20 minutes each. I will be sure to let you know the results next weekend! If I pass the exam, I will then tell you more about the studies for the licentiate and doctorate in theology.

But I wanted to write today about another blessing I am about to receive: From June 24 - August 19 I will follow an intensive Latin program in Frascati, Italy, near Rome. It is considered one of the best such programs in the world. Each summer about 30 students come to live 8 weeks of immersion in the Latin language--meaning that the only language you are allowed to speak, write, or read is Latin, whether you are at the dinner table, in the classroom, playing a game, etc. The goal is to train your mind to think in Latin so that you can read ancient texts fluently. I have always found immersion experiences particularly helpful for learning foreign languages, and am excited at this opportunity. God-willing I will return on August 20th much more fluent in Latin.

The program will be intense: from 9AM to 10PM there will be classes, meals, plays performed in the evening, etc. all in Latin. There is some free time in the afternoon for private study, a siesta, or recreation, and also an optional 90-minute course in Greek each evening. The early morning, before 9AM, will be for the Holy Mass, Divine Office, and prayer. This will take place Monday - Saturday. Then on Sundays, there is an outing to some historic site, but the whole trip is conducted in Latin. The more I have had to use canonical texts, writings of Church Councils, writings of saints and Fathers of the Church, etc. the more that it has become apparent how useful a good knowledge of Latin is.

I prayed rather hard, this past November, when this opportunity came up, about whether or not I should accept it. Two months is a long time to be gone from the flock God has confided to me. But it seemed to me that the investment of time, and the sacrifices involved, would be well worth it. I will let you know at the end of the 8-weeks!

In a little while I will need to meet a local diocesan priest for dinner, so will sign off now. May Jesus and Mary watch over you, protect you, and guide you.

In Cordibus Iesu et Mariae,
Fr. Pillari

First Holy Communion and a Cheerful Temper

Lawn outside Lanherne

Grotto

Orchard

Lanherne Graveyard.

Dear Friends and Family,

Today my niece was born! Little Catherine Therese Whitmore showed face to the world a little after 4 AM and is doing well at a healthy 9 lbs +, as is my sister. Thank you to those of you who were praying.

I also had the joy of giving First Holy Communion to a little girl in Plymouth. The Mass was the external solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, a nice Mass for the occasion. The music was particularly beautiful. I then had the joy, during the reception at her family's home, of her wanting to show off various "tricks" on the trampoline, such as flips and various games with her friends. There is something rejuvenating about seeing young children laughing and having good, innocent fun.

This past weekend and Wednesday I gave a talk to young families on fostering a cheerful temper in the home--in imitation St. Philip Neri. St. Philip insisted much on a cheerful temper (contrasted with melancholy) as a key to growing in holiness. It was the introductory talk of a monthly series of talks entitled "Twelve Steps to Holiness and Salvation" that I will--God-willing--be giving starting in September, drawn especially from the teaching of St. Alphonsus Liguori. Hopefully, the families who heard this week's talks are now off to a good start to this month of working on fostering a cheerful temper in their homes!

I'm also in the midst of final exams and have gotten a bit less sleep than usual the past few nights so I am going to sign off now.

In Cordibus Iesu et Mariae,
Fr. Pillari

Walsingham with Bishop Athanasius Schneider

Design made entirely with flower petals (red, white, and gold), by the Sisters for the Octave of Corpus Christi. Father Thomas Crean is offering the Holy Mass at the altar.

Dear Friends and Family,

The past two weeks had so many blessings that it's hard to know what to choose to write about! I would have to say though that the 5 days with Bishop Schneider were the highlight.

I am writing this email Sunday morning, during the Octave of Corpus Christi here at Lanherne--a beautiful Octave where almost every day is the Mass of Corpus Christi. You see above a beautiful design with flower petals done by the Sisters. The celebration included a procession on Thursday, and adoration and benediction every day throughout the octave.

In a few minutes I will be heading to Plymouth, where I will offer the Mass of Corpus Christi (external solemnity), followed by a procession including flower girls spreading petals before Our Lord, then the Baptism of the newest member of our congregation, then a reception. Should be a wonderful Sunday.

Also, Fr. Thomas Crean, O.P., a learned Dominican who, among other things, has written a book to respond to Richard Dawkin's work "The God Delusion," is spending much of the summer here. It is a blessing to have his fraternal presence, including a meal and discussion with him each evening.

So now on to the visit of Bishop Schneider...

He arrived in England last Thursday for a Mass and talk in London, before traveling to Walsingham--England's major Marian shrine--on Friday to spend 4 days with the young Catholic families of The National Association of Catholic Families. I was asked to accompany him throughout the entire trip, to essentially as his personal assistant. It was a real privilege to get to know him personally and to essentially spend every waking hour with him for those 5 days.

A brief outline of the events:

-Thursday noon I had lunch with him and Dr. Joseph Shaw, head of the Latin Mass Society for England and Wales.

-Thursday evening: Mass at St. Mary Moorfield's, conference on the Church Militant, and dinner at a local restaurant with him and the leaders of the Latin Mass Society.

-Friday morning: serve his private Mass at the Brompton Oratory. It was only the two of us at this Mass. In some ways, it was my favorite Mass with him. I was quite edified by his devotion and reverence, and it was very nice to simply be able to pray with him without worrying about some of the finer points of episcopal functions.

-Friday 10AM: 5-hour drive to Walsingham, stopping for lunch in a little village. Upon arrival in Walsingham, we went straight to EWTN's studios where he was interviewed for 90 minutes. During that time a member of EWTN showed me the replica of the "Holy House"--a replica of the house the Virgin Mary lived in, in Nazareth, as revealed to the visionary at Walsingham in 1061.

-Friday evening: dinner with a lovely couple who live in Walsingham, and about 12 members of the National Association of Catholic Families, including two lovely babies! Dr. Ward and his wife, the founders of the association (Dr. Ward has also been a member of the Pontifical Academy for Life and held various other positions--and has a great sense of humor!), were there.

-Saturday morning: I celebrated a 7:45 AM quiet low Mass in the Slipper Chapel, which has been standing all these centuries. Then there was the rehearsal for Bishop Schneider's afternoon Mass, a visit with Bishop Schneider to the old Abbey grounds, lunch with a local couple. A few shots of the town:

-Saturday Afternoon: 1:50 PM official welcome by the families. The 200+ people there (vast majorithy were children), were almost all camping in a large field reserved for them. As we arrived with Bishop Schneider they formed a long receiving line on either side of a path leading to their main tent. They applauded, knelt to receive his blessing, and welcomed him very warmly as we walked to the tent, where there was a nice opening ceremony of offering flowers to Our Lady.

-Sat Afternoon: I gave my first o three talks to boys ages 13-15. The adults were with Bishop Schneider throughout, and boys and girls were divided by age group among priests, brothers, and sisters. Then followed Bishop Schneider's pontifical Low Mass, at which I was the first assistant priest. The poor Bishop.... he probably earned time off from purgatory by being patient with me. But on the whole it came off pretty well.

-Saturday evening: dinner back in the field tent with Bishop Schneider and others, then Confessions, then a brief time to pray in the chapel (while a version of line-dancing was taught to the children in the tent), then at 9:30 PM I gave a talk to the young adults ages 18 - 35. Lastly, I exposed the Blessed Sacrament for all-night adoration, and headed off to bed (in a house where the Bishop was staying).

-Sunday AM: give Benediction and repose Blessed Sacrament, then I offered a 7:30AM low Mass for most of the families there (the other families would attend the noon Mass of the Shrine, where Bishop Scheider would preside and preach). 10AM second talk, then accompanying the Bishop back towards the chapel and helping him prepare for Mass. Noon: a bit of time to pray, then speak with a religious sister, then back to help the Bishop unvest and walk him over to lunch. Lunch with young men--in the  tent in the field, and with the Shrine's rector: Msgr. Armitage.

-Sunday PM: help Bishop prepare for procession, then serve as one of his deacons on mile-long procession with Blessed Sacrament. It was beautiful! We walked the old pilgrim's route from the Slipper Chapel. The Bishop carried the monstrance the whole way, under the canopy, preceded by young girls and nuns strewing flower petals, followed by the rest of the group, constantly praying the rosary. Benediction in town, then a mile walk back with a good young priest, Fr. Wisenant.

-Sunday evening: dinner with Bishop and young people, then talent show put on by young people--it was quite good!--then Confessions. 9:45PM head back to house.

-Monday AM: 7AM low Mass in Slipper Chapel then serve Bishop's 8AM Mass. Breakfast with Bishop. Final talk to 13-15 young men, then screening and reading people's (written) questions to Bishop for Q & A. Then 11AM departure.

-Departure: quite moving as everyone sang and wished the Bishop well. A final interview with EWTN, then the drive back to London. A final 2 hours with the Bishop--just he and I--to talk in the airport before he caught his flight. My own flight back to Lanherne.

Above all, it was such a joy to be with these good, young, large families. The weather was gorgeous and it seemed a taste of Heaven. And it was such a joy to get to know the Bishop better, to seem him interacting with people in so many small ways, and to have quite a lot of time to discuss various things with him.

It is now evening and I need to head to Adoration to pray Vespers, help with Benediction, and then have dinner with Fr. Crean, so I'd best go...

May Jesus and Mary watch over you and guide you.

In Cordibus Iesu et Mariae,
Fr. Pillari

Thanksgiving for Family, Friends, and God's Blessings

My Dad, who cooked his traditional "Dad's Breakfast"--of chocolate chip pancakes, popeyes, bacon, etc. for me a few times on my visit home this week.

Dear Family and Friends,

I am writing you from Silverstream Priory in Ireland, where I am spending a few days for prayer before diving into an intense June, July, and August. This past week was full of blessings--so much to give thanks to God for!

I spent the week at home with my parents, who are preparing to move in a few weeks--so it was the last few days to see our family home and give thanks for so many blessings there. In the midst of the week's work: writing assignments for law school, preparing talks and a sermon for this coming weekend's retreat for the National Association of Catholic Families in England, check-ups with doctors, etc. (all of whom gave me a clean bill of health--so it looks like all of you are stuck with me being on this earth for a while longer!), I spent time simply giving thanks to God for the many blessings he has given me during the time I was growing up.

The photo above is typical of so many, many, many times my parents served modeled love and service. I was extremely blessed to have a mother and father who spent their lives loving and serving us children. We spent an evening watching family videos. It was fun to laugh at what we had done as children: for example, there was one video of my little sister, then about 18 months old, with us four boys around her each trying to make her happy so that my mom could get a good video of her. My two brothers kept trying to hand her various items, I was scratching her back, all that was missing was two of us with the big palm leaves fanning her as a little queen! In spite of that, she seems to have turned out well :). Or another funny thing was coming across that jacket that I had made and worn when I ran for middle-school treasurer when I was 12 years old. Someone suggested I make a vest with pennies, etc. glued to it, and that I wear it when I gave my speech in front of the school. This was the result:

Bills handed out to other students and taped onto the jacket.

What a ridiculous vest.. that resulted in me winning the election. I'm not sure what this says about how politics works...

But above all, there was so much good to give thanks to God for, both with family and friends. For example, I visited again the adoration chapel that was a special help for me when I was discovering my vocation. It's the chapel of the Poor Claires:

Poor Claires' adoration chapel.

I was able to see my little Sister Elizabeth, who is just a few weeks away from giving birth to her second child, and to see her good husband Patrick and little Thomas.

I also had some great conversations with faith-filled friends and family members. To give you one example: a friend related an example of a "youth evangelization" event in Ohio. It was aimed at teenagers, led by a Catholic layman, but with several priests present to hear Confessions. A 14-year-old girl decided to invite a non-Catholic friend. This particular young woman had recently declared herself to be an atheist and professed some things quite at odds with the Faith. But she was so struck by the event that she eagerly got in line to go to Confession. The priest explained that he couldn't give her, as a non-Catholic, absolution, but told her that what her soul really needed was the Sacraments, both Confession and the spiritual food of Holy Communion. She left the weekend convinced and eager to become a Catholic (something quite different from her parents' beliefs!). Please pray for her that she might follow through on this good intention.

Many more blessings occurred this past week, but the above hopefully gives you a glimpse of them.

I most likely will not be able to post next weekend because I will be accompanying Bishop Schneider from Thursday to Monday for the annual pilgrimage of the National Association of Catholic Families. He will be interviewed by EWTN at some point that weekend, so perhaps you will also be able to see him on TV.

On this Pentecost Sunday, may God pour out an abundance of graces into your souls. May the Holy Ghost guide you to embrace fully the special mission that He has chosen for you.

In Cordibus Iesu et Mariae,
Fr. Pillari

Washington D.C

Photo taken after my meeting with Trump.

Dear Friends and Family,

I spent the past few days in Washington D.C. and am happy to say that, thanks to President Trump's willingness to meet with me and move my case along, I was successfully granted a 3-year visa for the U.K.!

Well, I didn't actually meet with President Trump.... but I did get my photo taken outside the White House, and the British government did decide to grant my visa. I do not have it yet, but the decision was made, so I will be able to return to Lanherne as planned later this month.

I was able to travel to D.C. with my mother, a rare opportunity to have a few days just with her, before Mother's Day tomorrow. We also visited some of the Smithsonian Museums, including the National Archives, where we saw the original Declaration of Independence, Bill of Rights, and Constitution. Rather impressive. It was even more impressive to see significant demonstrations in favor of unborn babies. When we got on the metro on the outskirts of the city, to head to downtown, there were around 10 people peacefully holding large images of aborted babies and signs inviting others to choose life. Then, in front of the national African American History Museum, there were several ladies holding a very large image of an aborted baby, as well as a sign talking about how many black children are killed by abortion. It was beautiful to see their witness.

In the Museum of Natural History, I was able to enter the butterfly room and see exquisite butterflies up close. One even landed on my head.

I have to go now for dinner with my parents... so I'll simply add that the D.C. visit included an evening visit with my cousin Chris, whom it was wonderful to see again, some prayer at the National Basilica of the Immaculate Conception, a visit to the Air and Space Museum, which was quite interesting, and time with an old friend: Fr. Thomas-Joseph White O.P.

May Jesus and Mary grant you a blessed Second Sunday of May.

In Cordibus Iesu et Mariae,
Fr. Pillari

Our Lady's Month

The Grotto at the University of Notre Dame

Dear Friends and Family,

I am heading out the door in a few minutes for an appointment for my visa, so this post will need to be brief. My apologies for not writing yesterday. I had a wonderful weekend with my family in South Bend Indiana, which included my nephew Leo's First Holy Communion--please say a prayer that he becomes another St. Leo! It was wonderful to see his love for Jesus and childlike simplicity.

The weekend also included a visit to the University of Notre Dame, my alma mater, part of which is pictured above. It was a joy to revisit the places where I discovered my vocation. I even ran into a member of the Children of Mary, my old prayer group. A few images of the weekend:

The Golden Dome at the center of the University: with Our Lady crowning the top.

A portion of the campus.

My mom standing by one of the lakes on campus.

St. Stanislaus Parish, where Msgr. Fritz kindly welcomed me to stay, and I was able to have quiet holy hours here in this church.

Above all, I have been thinking about how blessed the Month of May is. Our Lady gives so many graces. We really cannot turn to her too much during this time. May She draw us ever closer to her motherly Immaculate Heart, and thus ever closer to Her Son!

I'm praying for you all.

I'd best go now for my appointment for the visa.

In Cordibus Iesu et Mariae,
Fr. Pillari