ST. PHILOMENA'S PARISH-ST. JOHN NEUMANN AND BLESSED FRANCIS SEELOS

I am from Pittsburgh PA where my Redemptorists founded the parish of St. Philomena's back in the 1800's.  Two of our Redemptorist Saints (St. John Neumann and Blessed Francis Seelos) worked there.  John Neumann later went as bishop to Philadelphia where, as a great "immigrint bishop" he served immigrint Catholics, not only from his native Bohemia, but from all parts of the world.  John Neumann died, apparently of a heart attack, falling to the pavement at 42 years of age on Vine St. in Philadelphia...Francis Seelos, who had also come as an immigrint to serve the Catholic immigrint peoples, also spent time in Pittsburgh at  St, Phils with John Neumann.  Francis Seelos is called the Smiling  Ascetic in one great book on his life, because he worked so very hard and was very joyful.  Seelos spent his last years in New Orleans where he died of yellow fever. 
Today, visiting my own Dad's grave here in Calvary Cemetery in Pittsburgh I came upon the place where my many Redemptorists priest and brother confreres have found their final resting place...On it are these truly beautiful statues of both John Neumann and Francis Seelos.  As the inscriptions say they were placed their by  Rev. John Kelly, C.SS.R. who inspired a "young and future Hudson River Birder" to desire being a Redemptorist missionary.  Thanks, Fr, John!!!  And thanks  Regina Kelly who is a Redemptorist oblate and is living her last moments on earth in a hospice here in Pittsburgh as she awaits her own joyful reunion with  Christ, the Blessed Virgin and, of course, with St. John Neumann and Blessed Francis Seelos .

THE BIRDER "A FEW" YEARS AGO

Next January I will continue being the HUDSON RIVER BIRDER, but I will have to change the introduction above.  Because I will no longer live in THE MOUNT.  I will live in a gatehouse at the entrance to this place which from 1907 until 1987 was the Theological Seminary for the Redemptorist Fathers and Brothers of what we call our Baltimore Province.  For many reasons into which I will not enter our governing chapter has decided to cease ministry in what we called from 1987 until this present year, Mount St. Alphonsus Retreat Center.   Right now I am preparing a 10 minute video for our August Century of Blessings celebration.  I will try to describe with old and new images how God's work has been prepared for and done here at "The Mount" during what will actually be 104 years...I was ordained a priest in our chapel here 46 years ago.  I am the third one from the left. I have never forgotten the exact tile upon which I knelt with that candle waiting for Cardinal Spellman's hands to bless and annoint me for this mission which has brought me back to this great castle on the Hudson River which I left in August of 1966.  (You know I was really not much of a birder then. I do remember, of course, the Northern Mockingbirds.  Who wouldn't...in as much as they are the most "in your face, joyful bird around.) 

Heh!!...It's an Eagle

It is a special treat kayaking on the Hudson. It is one of the best ways to see the American Eagles that one will just "chance upon" sitting in a branch.

NUMBERS, GEOMETRY AND NATURE

This is another wonderful VIMEO video done by a great Spanish film maker, Cristóbal Vila from Zaragozza. The connection between the mathematics, and most especially the geometry of nature becomes most powerfully clear as this three minute or so film shows.  I wondered what the 137.7 degree item meant. Maybe you will.  Enjoy

Nature by Numbers from Cristóbal Vila on Vimeo.

MURAL OF EL YUNQUE IN PUERTO RICO

The names of the artists of this famous mountain of "El Yunque" in Puerto Rico are in the next post.

BARRIO MURAL ARTISTS IN PHILADELPHIA

BEAUTIFUL PHILADELPHIA BARRIO ART

..EVEN MORE PHILADELPHIA BARRIO MURALS

The names of some of the Philadelphia barrio artists and local sponsors are seen in a detail in the post after this one.  (It is the lower left hand corner of this mural which I did in close up)ç

MORE NORTH 5TH-PHILADELPHIA STREET MURALS

MURALS ON NORTH GIRARD-PHILADELPHIA

IN JOHN NEUMANN'S PHILADELPHIA

Philadelphia is where St. John Neumann became a bishop.  Before he was a Redemptorist missionary priest like I am.  He had come from Bohemia in the 1800's to preach the Gospel of Christ to his fellow German immigrants who had come to the US for a better life and for work.  At our Redemptorist Parish of St. Peter's is the shrine for him.  He is the first male made a saint in the USA.  He fell of a heart attach a few blocks from this church at 5th and Girard in Philadelphia.  Tomorrow will be the 200 anniversary of his birth here in Philadelphia, and so we will have a big celebration.  (John Neumann had been working the area of northern New York State, Pennsylvania and West Virginia when he decided to join us, the Redemptorists.  He was pastor in my home parish at what was St. Philomenas in Pittsburgh PA.)
Today I walked from our parish here in 5th and Girard up to Visitation Parish where other four of my Redemptorist brothers have a very good apostolate amongh the spanish speaking as well as English speaking... Along the way I took photo of the most beautiful street murals done my community artistic groups.  I show some of these on other posts today. 

LEWIS'S WOODPECKER -FILM BY DOM DES JARDIM

One of the many species of birds, wildlife and flowers discovere by Commander Lewis, of the famous Lewis and Clark Expedition is the "Lewis Woodpecker".  It is a beautiful mixture of red, green, blue and grey and is a Western Bird.  About five years ago when two of my friends and I visited Yellowstone National Park and followed (more or less!) their route in that area, I was anxious to see one of them.  But never did.  This beautiful VIMEO video by Dom DesJardin may be the closest that you and I will ever get to actually seeing one....This is what Don himself says about this film on his site on VIMEO.

"This is one of the best looking of all North American woodpeckers. It's also one of the most unusual, in that it has very broad wings that allows it to foray out from high perches and catch flying insects out of the air. Two scenes, first showing it working to remove the stinger and venom sac from a wasp it caught, finally succeeding and eating it. Second scene is showing it perched high on a dead pine tree looking around for its next meal. November 2009, Lake Los Carneros, Goleta, Santa Barbara County, California, USA."

Lewis's Woodpecker from Don DesJardin on Vimeo.

Banding Peregine Falcons on Thogs Neck Bridge-Bronx-NYC

This is a most unusual video of three male Peregrine Falcons being banded on the top expanse of the  "Throgs Neck Bride" in the Bronx.  The bander of the DEP is immediately attacked by the parents which he cooly brushes off.  Then he bands the three males one called Bayside as Throgs Neck is part of the Bay of New York on the way to Willets Point where the New York Mets have their baseball stadium.

MY FATHER'S GARDEN-a film by Mirko Faienza of Italy

As the Hudson River Birder my "original" plan had been to place on my blog both images and comments on the land, the flora and fauna (mostly "birds") that exist both on the property of "The Mount" and in nearby places here in Ulster County.  The truth has been that I am really not anything like a pro photo or videographer.  So......I have been embedding some of the best nature and scenic videos that I find on the web.  (On one occasion I received a "reprimand" for not getting permission to embed something.  So now, before I embed something I write the videographer as I did to Jozef Weigert in Hungary and just recently to Mirko Faienza, a professional videographer in Bologna. ITALY.  Mirko sent me a most gracious letter saying that he was delighted that I might embed his wonderful film on nature called....MY FATHER'S GARDEN.  It is truly marvelous, including the music that Mirko uses, synchronizing the insects' and flowers' movements most excellently with the music.  THANK YOU, MIRKO.  Enjoy everyone!

My Father's Garden from Mirko Faienza on Vimeo.

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..