UNDER A LUCCAN SUN FROM VIMEO

This is a wonderful video from VIMEO done by Leonardo Dallessandri

Under the Lucan Sun from Leonardo Dalessandri on Vimeo.

This is the Common Blackbird.  It is a very sweet singing and relatively friendly songbird that exists both in the Brittish Islands as well as in Italy, where I saw and heard it a week ago, as well as in the rest of Europe.



Catherine of Siena--Peace Maker Saint

Yesterday I put a picture of OUR LADY OF PEACE that I photographed in the Roman Basilica of "Mary Major".  Along with Mary, the Mother of God who, with her Son, ardently desires peace, forgiveness and reconciliation in today's world is the great saint, Catherince of Siena.  In my trip with my two brothers to Italy I visited the house where Catherine of Siena was born. There I took this photo of the holy and powerful St. Catherine.  Catherine spoke both to kings and to Popes urging them to create peace and to allow reconciliations to happen.  Needless to say she was not always heeded.  But I add this picture of Catherine hoping for peace in our terror torn and war torn world.

Our Lady of Peace

When I arrived in Italy on vacation with my brothers on May 1st there had been first the information about the air strike in Libya in which the son of Khadaffi was killed and also the news about the raid on Osama Bin Laden's haven in Pakistan in which he was also killed...For this reason the most poignant image that I have brought home from Italy is this one of OUR LADY OF PEACE.  It is in the Basilica of Mary Major just one block from the world headquarters of us Redemptorist Missionaries on the Via Merulana in Rome....Killing our enemies, "taking them out" as the phrase says....will not bring peace to the world. My two brothers and I were "warned" on arriving in Rome that there was a "travel alert" for Americans travelling abroad.  The fact is that there exists the need of a "peace making and reconciliation alert" in all parts of the world.  Recently I read something that said that..."one of the gravest mistakes in today's world is the belief that idyologies can be overcome simply by killing or "eliminating those who believe in them or live by them"....Many years ago there was a group in Venezuela called "Los Guaraguao".  They sang of injustices in both Venezuela where the poor lived in "Casas de Cartón (Cardboard Shacks).  One of their most popular songs was..SI SE CALLAN EL CANTOR  (If the Singer is Silenced).  The song dealth with the death squads that in that era as in our own kill, threaten and maim those who speak out against evil and injustice.  One of the last phrases of this song went...."If the singer is silenced...LIFE is silenced.."  One of my firmest beliefs is that in today´s world the prophetical voices are not heard or not heeded.  Leaders who are both prophetical, loving deeply humanity and are religious in the deepest and truest sense of what religious "should mean"  need to speak up.  In this way the extended arms of OUR LADY OF PEACE and of her little Jesus who also has his hand outstreched will lead us to the peace that nor political leaders nor terrorists have achieved.

MIGUEANGELO'S TOMB WITH HIS "THREE MUSES"

These are the three muses, of Painting, Arquitecture and Sculpture that are part of the beautiful "Tomb of Miguel Angelo.  We saw them in the Church of Santa Croce in Florence, Italy

Long Eared or Tufted from the South Florida

Kyle, a friend of my brother Dan, shot this short video of what seems to be a Long Eared or a Tufted owl, or whatever it is called in South Florida..

"BIRDER"...IN FRONT OF GRAND CANAL-VENICE

BRONZE STATUE OF FRANCIS NEAR SAN DAMIANO

THE "BIRDER" AND HIS BROTHERS IN ITALY

I have been here in Italy with my brothers.  I have seen millions of what I gather are Bank Swallows or a unique European version of Tree Swallows. In the beautiful medieval towns of Florence, Pisa and Siena which we visited they "control the skies" 2nd, of course, to the Rock Doves. Here in Venice where we are staying with my Redemptorist confreres the Rock Doves above and on the Plaza of St. Marks  will greet us tomorrow when Benedict XVI  comes to Venice for a huge open air Mass.  Enjoy some of our moments.

At Rome's  Colliseum

On a Bridge over Arne River in Pisa

On Route to Redemptorist Parish, Our Lady of Consolation -Venice

THE MOUNTAIN---A VIMEO VIDEO FROM TEJEIDE SPAIN

This is another truly splendid video which the filmaker, Terje Sorgjerd,  made, using some wonderful time lapse photography on the highest mountain in Spain.  As he says in his explanation one of his chief goals was to take some high altitude, clear time lapse shots of the Milky Way.

The Mountain from TSO Photography on Vimeo.

A "FINALLY SPRUNG SPRING"--THE MOUNT

Before my two brothers and I go to Italy this Saturday, I would like to share with you some pictures of my favorite haunts at The Mount. They are the route that I like to follow, entering at the dip in the road after our Northern entrance from 9 W. One goes to the left along what we always called "The Acre Stream"..Then up along the Acre Pond which is our northwestern, rock lined border with the owners of the Apple Bin.  There is one picture of the blooming Purple Beech which I have on Google Earth..

SPRINGTIME--IN HUNGARY

A very beautiful website where very wonderfully shot videos are found is where I found this one, SPRINGTIME. It was shot by Joseph Weigert ten months ago in the outlying area of Gyomaendröd in Hungary.  It is truly beautiful, with music and artfully and carefully rendered...Here in Esopus, NY we are "waiting for" our own slowly arriving springtime.  The video is 5 mins long, but well worth it. HAPPY SPRINGTIME!...And the 2nd video is called FLOWERIZED.  It is an equally glorious nature video.



Springtime from Joseph Weigert on Vimeo.

Flowerized from Joseph Weigert on Vimeo.

THE POWER OF WORDS

"FOOTPRINTS IN THE SAND"--SUNG BY LEONA LEWIS

I found this very nice video by a Miss Shaw who prepared it for her primary grade school class.  It has the "Events of Holy Week" set to this song by Leona Lewis.  Today I heard the melodious sing song of the Eastern Pewee who have "finally" arrived here at The Mount.  Holy Week begins joyful, gets somber and sad on Holy Thursday and Good Friday.  Then on Easter, when Jesus rises to new life, as happens each springtime for the Eastern Pewees, plants, vegetables, flowers and earth..Holy Week is filled with a Joy which I truly hope will grow and grow in our world and never end.

SPRING SPRINGING SLOWLY AT "THE MOUNT"

Here are two pictures: first at what we used to call "The Acre Pond". The pink bench you see is part of the old "Penalty Box"  where our rougher hockey players back then in the 60ties spent a good part of each game.

And this is a view as one move up along the trail that skirts the Acre Pond heading toward the Pell Farm one sees the Apple Bin orchards to one's left.

And the pink blossoms high up show "spring springing to life".

The Budding Weeping Willow

And some small buds and thorns that I found along the southern flowing stream passing right below my Sylvester Feeley Abundant Life Garden......By the way I have "resisted the rules" of planting.  I have reduced the rows between my beets, radiches, red and green lettuce and broccoli to less than 10 inches.  I am going to try and plant some "Burpee Seedless Tomatoes" at the end of May.  And I still have some packets of cauliflower and turnips to sow this Holy Week.

SPRING--AND BAPTISM IN TEXAS

Spring is a time when the earth, deeply asleep and cold, "resting" during, in this year's case...a "very long and difficult winter...when the earth "comes alive again"...For this reason Roman Catholics, as many other christians celebrate Baptisms at the end of Holy Week as we celebrate Christ himself arising from the dead to NEW LIFE...For this reason I share with you this quite moving Baptismal Rite from Curtis Park in Texas.

Baptism Spring 08 from Steve V on Vimeo.

EDITH STEIN-SR. BENEDICT OF THE CROSS

In the nearly three years I have spent on the retreat team here at Mt. St. Alphonsus I have created at least three retreats that treated our the connection between all things in the universe.  Call it ecology.  Call it Creation Theology.  The fact is that all life is connected.  We human beings, with our intelligence are the "crown" of creation.  But our intelligence, besides being a great "gift of God" holds us responsable for being just and compassionate caretakers (stewards) of all life.  Right now I am preparing a Holy Week retreat for women (1 day) and for Men (3 days).  One recent Roman Catholic Saint, St. Benedict of the Cross (Edith Stein), has helped me understand how, if we understand the "connectedness" of all life, all people and all created life....it can "lead us to God".  This is what happened to Edith Stein, born a Jew, become a great philosopher but never allowed to have a professorship in her native Germany, first because she was a woman and later because she was also a Jew.  The experience of being excluded, hated, despised led Edith Stein to understand and accept the person of Jesus Christ as one who like the Yom Kippur "scapegoat" took all the evil and all the pain and all the sin of our world and destroyed it.  No one likes suffering.  But Edith Stein learned that great love leads people to great suffering.  It happened with Jesus. It happens with good, valiant and loving people of all times.  And it happened with Edith Stein.  

Sustaining 2nd Generation Mexicans in the Faith – 3/28/11 : Currents

Recently Fordham University had a most interesting panel on the subject of Sustaining the Faith of 2nd Generation Mexicans in their Catholic Faith.  This video shows my Redemptorist confrere, Rev. Francis Skelly C.SS.R. and also Deirdre Gould (Cornell)  with whom I have been working in Migrant Ministry here in Ulster County.



Sustaining 2nd Generation Mexicans in the Faith – 3/28/11 : Currents

WINTER IS GONE

I truly loved this short video shot by Justin Leyba who shares it with us on VIMEO.  Justin tells us that he decided to film this walk in the woods with his little sister.  As he says in the caption, he shot it entirely without aid of a tripod. I hope you find it as beautiful as I did and long for the end of this long, harsh winter and the arrival of spring.

Winter's Gone- Short Film from Justin Leyba on Vimeo.