Studying the Holy Trinity and Our Savior

The Triumphant Lamb, Who was slain.

Dear Friends and Family,

Though this week was full of blessings--welcoming a new young family to Mass, teaching catechism to another young family, having lunch today with altar boys and the teaching them about serving for the Holy Mass, celebrating the Feasts of the Presentation of the Virgin Mary in the temple and of St. John of the Cross, speaking on the phone with one of my altar boys who was in a motorcycle accident today, but is thankfully OK and resting at home, and many other blessings--though I could write about those events I wanted instead to say a few words about theology studies, which I don't think I've written much about.

A week from tonight I will be flying to Toulouse for another week of theology study, this one focused on the Holy Trinity and Christology. Together with good priests from France, Spain, and Italy I will spend each morning studying St. Thomas Aquinas's teaching on the Holy Trinity as given in his Compendium of Theology, and then each afternoon studying Christology in Aquinas. Since these are two of the most important mysteries of our faith, and since good Dominican priests will be teaching each session, it should be interesting.

In the meantime, as part of the theology program in Toulouse (L'Institut Saint Thomas D'Aquin), I have been studying some of Augustine's and Aquinas' treatises on grace and the new law of the Gospel. Most recently I read one of Augustine's major works against the Pelagians, entitled "On the Spirit and the Letter"--in which he argues for the absolute necessity of grace and the assistance of the Holy Ghost in order to reach Heaven, and in order to follow God's law here on earth. It's interesting to follow his writing and get a sense of the debate then raging in the fifth century. It's beautiful to see how Augustine outlines the truth of Christ on this point. The work is not very long, perhaps 90 pages and my work was to make an outline of the text--for example, noting the Scripture passages that Augustine uses and how he interprets them--in preparation for a paper I will need to write showing the development on this point from Augustine to Aquinas. As you might guess, they both agree! But Aquinas provides some more precision on various points.

Well, for those of you not interested in theology that probably put you to sleep. But for the rest of you, it hopefully gave you a glimpse of what I will be doing in 8 days' time. Immediately following those 5 days of study I will begin my annual retreat, which I am very much looking forward to! But I will write more about that next weekend.

May Jesus and Mary watch over you and guide you.

In Cordibus Iesu et Mariae,
Fr. Pillari

Renovated Quarters

Taken on the drive home from Mass in Plymouth today. To give you a glimpse of the green countryside.

Dear Friends and Family,

Yesterday I moved into the renovated chaplain's quarters here at Lanherne. After a year of renovation work, and the past few months of living out of boxes in a bedsit--especially working out of boxes for my office: not the most efficient practice!--it is truly wonderful to be back in the chaplain's quarters.

The workers have done a tremendous job of preserving the historic building. For example, the floorboards in my room are apparently several hundred years old! Other parts of the building are much older. Most of their work is hardly visible as it involved repairing the roof supports, fixing windows, redoing the wiring and plumbing, removing more recent walls to go back to the original layout of some rooms (OK, that part is visible), redoing drainage and sewage, replacing the boilers, and heating system, etc. etc.

Below is the photo of the renovated chaplain's office and bedroom:

A truly beautiful space with the old window giving plenty of light.

They renovated a corridor to become a little library:

I've already begun filling the shelves with books...

It feels wonderful to be able to begin properly laying out office files, books, envelopes and stationary, different piles of "to do's" etc. etc. For those of you who have been waiting for a letter from me, I hope to finally be able to sort the letters properly and begin replying.

The space should work very well for prayer, study, work, and rest.

I also had the blessing of seeing our good bishop today, Bishop Mark O'Toole, at St. Edward's in Plymouth. He is conducting a parish visitation this weekend and spoke about future renovations and various other matters. It was a very encouraging visit. Among other things, I was struck by his sincerity, willingness to speak frankly, willingness to listen, and love for the Catholic Faith. May God protect him and guide him.

In Cordibus Iesu et Mariae,
Fr. Pillari

Movie Recommendation

Some of the good team of workers who have been fixing up the monastery the past 8 months.

Dear Friends and Family,

Greetings on Remembrance Sunday! Here in England, we are marking the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I, and commemorating the many men and women who lost their lives. Every priest is permitted to offer a requiem Mass for the repose of the souls of all who died in the two World Wars last century. I had the blessing of offering two such Masses this morning--at Lanherne and Plymouth. And the day had many other blessings.

It began with quiet prayer, the Divine Office, and Confessions, but then I blessed a new mother (or rather a mother who had just given birth to her 5th), in the traditional "Churching of Women" ceremony, which offers special prayers for the mother. After the Mass in Plymouth, I had the joy of eating with the young adults (18 - 30) of the congregation and spending time talking and laughing with them. Then, here at Lanherne, there was an evening Baptism of the newest member of our congregation. The children and all present (perhaps 30 people) were especially reverent and prayerful. It is always a joy to baptize a baby and then hold him in my arms as I consecrate him to Our Lady.

Next weekend I will be, God-willing, moving back into my room, which the workers have been studiously transforming and preparing, along with the rest of the presbytery. They have done an excellent job of replacing all the piping, wiring, much of the roof, fixing windows, a new heating system, etc. etc. and in addition have made the rooms look quite nice. I hope to share some photos with you. Am quite looking forward to moving back upstairs as I will once again be able to pull my office and various other items out of boxes and operate in a good workspace. But the looks of things, the end result will be well worth the wait!

But as the title of this post indicated I wanted to recommend a movie to you: The Miracle of Our Lady of Fatima (1952). I watched it this week in order to evaluate it for a local family. I am pleased to say that it is better than I remembered it. Cinematographically well-done and entertaining. More importantly, it conveys a good sense of the basic events and environment of the apparitions. While to be sure artistic license was taken, I find it to be a wholesome, family-friendly movie that will lift your hearts to God and renew your thanksgiving for the beautiful gift of Fatima, which came in the midst of World War I.

May Jesus and Mary watch over each of you and guide you this week.

In Cordibus Iesu et Mariae,
Fr. Pillari

Rome Video + Week Full of Blessings

Dear Friends and Family,

In case any of you have insomnia and need something to put you to sleep.... (or for my mother who is always happy to see her son in a video), you will find a video of the talk I gave to young men in Rome here, along with the text: https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/young-men-become-leaders-by-imitating-the-intense-suffering-of-christ

This week was very full--so full that I forgot to take a photo to share with you all! Though I don't usually like to list a bunch of activities in a blog, I'll do so here to give you a glimpse of what the week was like:

Tuesday: a deanery meeting and lunch with the priests took up most of the day, in St. Austell, on the south coast. The evening was largely spent in an online Greek class. Preparing Sermon for All Saints' Day and special preface to be chanted the next morning.

Wednesday: dentist appointment, visit to a young family where the mother just gave birth to her firth--a beautiful baby boy!--then an evening "Eve of All Saints' Day" celebration at a local farm, featuring homemade pizzas, the telling, and even acting out, of saints' stories, and the rosary. It was a very nice four hours. The best presentation was done by a child dressed as the Angel of Portugal from Fatima.

Thursday: All Saints' Mass in the morning for the Nuns and local families, along with the beautiful long office of Matins, preparing the sermon for All Souls' Day, meeting with the foreman to work out the design for part of my office here at Lanhrerne, then an evening All Saints' Mass at St. Edward's in Plymouth.

Friday: 6 AM First Mass of All Souls' Day, by candlelight at Lanherne, 8 AM Mass for Nuns and faithful, various work during the day, then an evening Mass at St. Edward's in Plymouth.

Saturday: Prepare formation talk. 4 PM Rosary and gathering at a family home in Plymouth, to present the 3rd of the Twelve Steps to Holiness and Salvation, pray the rosary with them, then back to Lanherne to finish preparing today's sermon.

Sunday: Rise for a quiet Holy Hour and the Divine Office. Remember that I forgot to print today's announcements and so type those up and print them out, then head to the chapel to prepare the sanctuary for Mass, and then begin with Confessions and the usual flow of the day.

It was a very blessed week and now I am looking forward to a desert day tomorrow... Thank you all for so many prayers on my behalf. God is so good to me to give me opportunities such as the above. May Jesus and Mary watch over each of you and guide you.

In Cordibus Iesu et Mariae,
Fr. Pillari

The Joy of a Steady Daily Routine

Rome Youth Conference Participants

Dear Friends and Family,

This week I mainly wanted to share with you photos of the days in Rome, which you will find here: http://voiceofthefamily.com/see-all-photos-of-the-voice-of-the-family-weekend-of-prayer-and-formation-for-catholic-young-adults-in-rome/ For those at Lanherne or in Texas, see if you can spot those from your respective regions--for Texas, Luke Davis and for Cornwall, Tom Cuthbert.

As for this past week here, one major highlight was once again having a steady daily schedule of prayer and work. A wonderful blessing...

Enjoy the photos.

You are in my daily prayers here. Providentially, the first Friday of November, when I always offer my Mass for my benefactors (those who support my priestly ministry through prayer, donations, or work), will be Nov. 2nd. So I will be offering one of my Masses on All Souls' Day for you all.

In Cordibus Iesu et Mariae,
Fr. Pillari

Romae, Cum Iuvenis

Cardinal Burke speaks about holiness and responds to questions at the Lepanto Foundation last night.

Having pizza in Rome with some of our group.

Dear Friends and Family,

Thank you for all of your prayers these past few days. The Voice of the Family youth conference in Rome seemed very blessed. They finished with all-night adoration at Santissima Trinita last night, followed by the Holy Mass offered by Cardinal Burke, whereas I flew back to England, arriving here at 6 AM, but I can testify that the Thursday to Saturday program was excellent.

You will most likely be seeing reports, photos, and perhaps some of the talks, on LifeSite in the next week or two. Personally, it was a wonderful three days. Once again, a bit short on sleep, but as someone said, "we'll be able to rest one day in Heaven!"

The Conference took place at the Fondiazione Lepanto, located very close to the Circus Maximus, Colosseum, and Roman Forum, and run by Roberto de Mattei. While the youth and other leaders stayed in nearby hotels, I had the blessing of staying at the Fondazione, which gave me a nice quiet chapel for prayer each morning and evening. Thursday began with the Holy Mass, which I offered in the Fondazione's little chapel, with 30+ packed into the little space to adore our Lord at the foot of Calvary.

Thursday's program was dedicated to forming pro-life leaders. The 30 young adults participating Thursday--who had been chosen from among 200 applicants--were highly motivated pro-life leaders and devout Catholics from around the world. To give you just two examples, Melvin, the black gentleman pictured at the top back of the photo, just graduated from law school in North Carolina. He became a Catholic only 4 years ago but has a deep love for the faith and is a really fine young man. Madeline, third from the left in the top right corner of the photo, is in charge of evangelization for the Diocese of Cardiff, Wales, where she is also a student. Again, a really great young woman who was quite smart in how she had coordinated an intervention in the political process on behalf of pro-lifers.

From the very start, the talks addressed head-on the crisis in the Church and society on key issues which are interrelated: contraception, the sin of homosexuality, abortion, divorce, and touched upon the deeper, underlying issue of fidelity or the lack thereof with regard to Christ, His Church, the Sacraments, etc. For example, one talk illustrated the general crisis by examining what has taken place in Ireland these past decades. The day finished with a 3-hour dinner at a local restaurant to give everyone a chance to discuss further and simply support each other in fellowship.

Friday was dedicated to a pilgrimage to some holy sites in Rome, such as the Catacombs, St. John Lateran, the Holy Stairs, Santa Maria Maggiore, etc. I had the privilege of offering the Holy Mass for them in the side chapel of Santa Maria Maggiore where Pope St. Pius V is buried. He is a great pope who, among other things, oversaw the careful preservation of the Holy Mass--the same that is celebrated today throughout the world (commonly known as the "Latin Mass")--and the Roman Catechism (or Catechism of the Council of Trent) which was the backbone of preaching and catechesis for 4 centuries, and is still used by many people today. I spent the morning and afternoon offering spiritual direction, and then was blessed to be able to speak privately with Cardinal Burke in the evening, followed by a dinner with the young adults.

By Saturday our group had grown to perhaps 50 participants. The day was dedicated to holiness--with talks focussing on holiness in different vocations: fathers and mothers of families, priests, nuns, brothers, single in the world, etc. I gave the talk on the priesthood and at least no one fell asleep. The day seemed to go quite well. Lots of good questions from the youth. For example, there were a number of many questions in the afternoon Q and A on modesty--not your usual question, but an important one!

Cardinal Burke gave the final talk and responded to many questions, then I had to take a taxi to the airport, flew to London (and found myself sitting next to a Pentecostal minister, and his wife, which made for interesting conversation), was met at the airport by a very kind parishioner--a young man who provides security for convoys of humanitarian aid in difficult parts of the world--who rode with me as I drove the 5 1/2 hours back to Lanherne in order to help me stay awake and to discuss some spiritual topics, arrived here at 6 AM, with enough time to get ready for Confessions and the Holy Mass. Shortly thereafter I had a good, long, nap!

Thank you again for all your prayers. If you're interested in hearing more, I imagine that some of the above will appear in more detail on LifeSite in the coming days.

In Cordibus Iesu et Mariae,
Fr. Pillari

L'Institut Saint Thomas D'Aquin

A field on my drive home after Mass in Plymouth this afternoon. It is good to be back in the beautiful countryside of Cornwall.

Dear Friends and Family,

This past Monday - Friday I was in Toulouse France, studying at L'Institut Thomas D'Aquin, run by the Toulouse Province of Dominicans. About 20 other students from France, Italy, and Spain joined me for a week of intense study of the thought of St. Thomas Aquinas. About 2/3 of the students were priests, all very devoted to their priestly life and ministry, which made for interesting discussions, and we were hosted by the convent of studies for the Toulouse Province, which meant that about 40 - 50 Dominicans hosted us.

Rather than give you a long list of all that took place, I will try to describe a few interesting points. One of the courses was "Politics according to St. Thomas Aquinas"--the course focussed on questions such as "what is the basis of law?" "What sorts of laws should a good country have?" "Should it try to legislate for everything or leave some things free?" "What is the proper relationship between Church and State?" Among the more interesting elements was a consideration of the natural law--the law that is written on the heart of every man and woman.

According to Aquinas, it is not written there in the form of numbered laws ready to be discovered. Rather, God inscribed in every heart a desire for certain goods, such as the preservation of one's life, begetting children, and coming to know who God is. By thinking about the implications of each in our lives we can come to discover other aspects of the law. For example, the preservation of my life means that, if my life is unjustly attacked, I  have a legitimate right to self-defense. Further reflection on this point lead to what is commonly known as the "just-war theory."

Another question was: "Should a good government make laws that prohibit or punish every sort of evil behavior?" Aquinas says no. Rather, a good government should limit the laws to the most important elements, but if it tried to punish everything it would wind up doing more harm than good. Rather, the "law of the Gospel" is meant to speak to hearts beyond what the civil law provides.

What do the laws of a good government aim to do? To help create a society where virtue is encouraged, so that people will be encouraged to live according to virtue and one day make it to Heaven.

I like the size of our group and the atmosphere for discussion. It is a promising beginning. This session was the first of 5 such sessions this year.

I have one last trip in this series of trips that began in May, after which I am very much looking forward to staying put for a while. This last trip begins this Wednesday and ends late Saturday night. It will be a trip to Rome to accompany three days of formation for young adults 18 - 30, and to give a talk on Saturday to young men on the topic of the priestly vocation. Please pray for me. I will give you a report next Sunday!

May Jesus and Mary watch over you.

In Cordibus Iesu et Mariae,
Fr. Pillari