island life- in a monastery

The Trinity- Ethiopian

Alcario Otero

TRINITY SUNDAYis a moveable feast celebrated a week after Pentecost Sunday in honor of the most fundamental of Christian beliefs- belief in the Holy Trinity. We can never fully understand the mystery of the Trinity, but we can sum it up in the following formula: God is three Persons in one Nature. The three Persons of God - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit - are all equally God, and They cannot be divided.

As the Fourth Lateran Council declared, "It is the Father who generates, the Son who is begotten, and the Holy Spirit who proceeds". While distinct in their relations with one another, they are one in all else. The whole work of creation and grace is a single operation common to all three divine persons, who at the same time operate according to their unique properties, so that all things are from the Father, through the Son and in the Holy Spirit. The three persons are co-equal, co-eternal and consubstantial.

Trinity Sunday is celebrated in all the Western liturgical churches: Roman Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, most Presbyterians, Methodists, and many churches within the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship.

It is one of the few feasts that are celebrated as a doctrine instead of an event. It is also symbolic of the unity of the Trinity.

Arturo Olivas

St. Ignatius of Antioch (early Church Doctor and Martyr) provides early support for the Trinity around 110, exhorting obedience to "Christ, and to the Father, and to the Spirit."

Justin Martyr (AD 100–ca.165) also writes, "in the name of God, the Father and Lord of the universe, and of our Savior Jesus Christ, and of the Holy Spirit." The first of the early church fathers recorded actually using the word Trinity was Theophilus of Antioch writing in the late 2nd century. He defines the Trinity as God, His Word (Logos) and His Wisdom (Sophia) in the context of a discussion of the first three days of creation. The first defense of the doctrine of the Trinity was in the early 3rd century by the early church father Tertullian. He explicitly defined the Trinity as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit and defended the Trinitarian theology against the "Praxean" heresy.

The most famous image of the Blessed Trinity is the icon of the Trinity was painted around 1410 by Andrei Rublev. It depicts the three angels who visited Abraham at the Oak of Mamre, but is often interpreted as an icon of the Trinity. It is sometimes called the icon of the Old Testament Trinity. Rublev is considered to be the
greatest medieval Russian painter of Orthodox icons and frescoes.


I arise today

I arise today
Through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity,
Through the belief in the threeness,
Through the confession of the oneness
Of the Creator of Creation.
(from St. Patrick's Breastplate)

Lucio & his sons- my host last visit

The people of Peru are known to be some of the most friendly in the world. They are also not known for their quiet demeanor, though I find the peoples of the highlands and mountains to be less boisterous and much more shy.

Piuranos are characterized by their witty minds, melancolic Tondero music and welcoming personalities. Like all Peruvians, they are heavy drinkers of chicha de jora, pisco or beer and all of them have a tendency towards creativity and art as their source of income.

Here are some photos of my favorites- family, friends and strangers met in travels and I hope on this trip to make many more friends..

Susana's three- my hostess this time


Woman spinning- on the way to Ayabaca

Lucio's wife Elena & Mamma

Dinner with Elena's family-Chiclayo

Abby- on the boat trip of a lifetime!

Prior & Father David OSB - Incarnation Monastery south of Lima

Jeremy's wonderful friends - Ayabaca (Mts.)

MH with Benedictine nuns of Sechura

Map of Regions of Peru

Cathedral- Piura

PIURAis a city in northwestern Peru. It is the capital of the Piura Region and the Piura Province. The population is 377,496 for the city area, but 665,991 for the region. At first I found this Province/region busness confusing, till I looked at a map.

Peru is divided into 25 regions with 195 provinces except for the Lima Province which does not belong to any region. Of the 25 regions I have only been to three: Lima, Piura, and Lambayeque.

In the region of PIURA, there are eight Provinces, again confusing as Piura is the region, the province and the capitol of the province. So it reads, Piura,Piura,Piura.

Piura at night

Ayabaca, one of my favorites places on this planet, is a province within the region of Piura and is the capitol of its province. So it reads Ayabaca, Ayabaca, Piura.

Ayabaca

My Irish friend, Jeremy, lives in Sullana (city) which is in the region of Piura, and the province of Sullana.

Our famous potters live in Chulucanas the capitol town of the province of Morropón in the region of Piura.

Chulucanas

When we travel south to Elena's family in the region of Lambayeque it is to the capitol city of Chiclayo, whose province is Chiclayo. Now do you see why I get confused???? And that is only a small part of the country!

Reed fishing boats- near Chiclayo

I am now inPIURA, located in the northwest corner of Peru. It is the oldest Spanish town in South America. It was here that Spanish Conqueror Francisco Pizarro founded the first Spanish city in South America, San Miguel de Piura, in 1532, thus earning the modern day city its Peruvian nickname: "La Primera Ciudad"- meaning: the first city.

The Spanish named the city from the Quechuan word, pirhua, meaning abundance. Nowadays, Piura is known as the "Ciudad del eterno calor" meaning "The city of the eternal heat" because it is hot all year round.

When most people think ancient Peru they think Incas, but actually this civilization was more recent and very short-lived, lasting less than 100 years (1438 to 1533).

Like most of northern Peru, the territory of Piura had been inhabited by indigenous groups of natives called tallanes and yungas. These lived without an organization or single leader to rule until the Moche culture(100 to 800 AD) eventually took control. The Moche built great pyramids, spread-out towns and an extensive network of roads and water channels used for farming in a very dry region. They buried their elite with an impressive share of gold and precious stones. On my last trip we visited some amazing museums & pyramids of this culture near Chiclayo, several hours south of Piura.

Moche burial, Sipan, Peru

The Moche culture overlapped with the Vicús culture (200 B.C.-600 A.D.) which reigned in the northernmost corner of Peru´s coastal area where I am visiting. Several details of art and architecture link it with the Moche culture, but just as many details point to local development and influence radiating from the direction of Ecuador, which is not unusual considering Piura is on the border of Ecuador. After the Moche civilization disappeared mysteriously, the Chimor civilization ruled the northern coast of Peru, beginning around 850 and ending around 1470. Chimor was the last kingdom that had any chance of stopping the Inca conquest which began in the 1470s.

Vicus, dbl. chambered pot

Piura came under the rule of Tupac Inca Yupanqui for at least 40 years before the Spanish arrived.

With the arrival of the Spanish in 1532, the current mestizo and creole cultures of Piura were born. This mestizo culture includes influences from Spanish Extremadura and Andalucia, African influence due to the arrival of slaves from Madagascar, the Chinese coolies that migrated from Canton to work the rice fields and replace the slaves, and also Roma Gypsies who came as pirates looking for pearls or incognito as Spanish horsemen. Northern Peru is basically today a melting pot of the many faces of these peoples.

My hostess and daughter

Piura served as the first main port through which the Inca gold the Spaniards had gathered was shipped back to Spain.

While Peru is the Latin American country with the highest levels of economic growth in recent years almost half the children in the Piura region suffer from chronic malnutrition. This is due to the fact that so many fled the mountainous areas when the "Shining Path" raided their territories. Now these people cram the city, especially along the rivers.

Poverty

Intense irrigation of the desert has made Piura a major agricultural center ( rice, cotton and plantain crops), that feeds the masses. One does not think of rice associated with this land of potatoes, but rice is usually served with every meal. This is due to the influence of the Chinese who came.

Lush rice fields

I love this area (not the heat) and especially the people, who treat me like royalty. To see a nun in habit is rare so they have great respect for religious.
It is hard to see the poverty, but the smiling faces everywhere I go gives joy to my heart and even when I return home, these people are with me.

Quecha and Maria

Susana and her three

Andreas & Luis Antonio with tennis trophy LA had just won

Vicus owl pot

I have always been drawn to the art of ancient cultures especially their jewelry and their pottery. In Northern Peru their works are less known but not any less beautiful.

VICUS peoples (400BC-600AD) were known for their work in ceramics, copper, and gold. Living mainly on the coastal deserts, they used the native clay and local dyes to produce natural and religious symbols; modern day pottery from the town of Chulucanas is said to closely resemble the ancient art. They created Double spout and bridge vessels that created whistling sounds when pouring liquids.

MOCHE potters (100-800AD) produced a great variety of exquisitely decorated vessels. The ceramics incorporated a wide-ranging subject matter, whether the actual form of the pot or the fine line paintings on them, of representations that included people, animals, and gods hunting and making war, music making, visiting rulers, burying the dead, curing the sick, anthropomorphic and ritual scenes. Moche ceramics illustrated all manner of behavior, both human and divine, through expressive modeling and painting, but there were certain reoccurring narrative themes throughout that defined their ideologies.

Moche pottery- note various themes

Pottery representing actual people in Moche ceramics is one of the best known art forms from the Andes.The pieces are very realistic, representing specific individuals, most likely that of important people or rulers.These portrait jars depict weaknesses and physical disabilities accurately; a wide variety depicts disfigured individuals and individuals with genetic defects, giving archeologists an insight into this ancient culture. For these ancients, the processes that created disfigurements were treated with respect and the people they affected were considered part of the normal human condition.

CHIMU (900-1470) ceramics are all black. This culture is also known for its exquisite and intricate metal-working, one of the most advanced of pre-Columbian times. Chimú ceramics were crafted for two functions: containers for daily domestic use and those made for ceremonial use for offerings at burials. Domestic pottery was developed without higher finishing, while funeral ceramics showed more aesthetic refinement.

Chimu llama head pot

The main features of Chimú ceramics were small sculptures, and manufacturing molded and shaped pottery for ceremonial or daily use. Ceramics were usually stained black, although there are some variations. Lighter ceramics were also produced in smaller quantities. The characteristic brightness was obtained by rubbing with a rock that previously had been polished. Many animals, fruits, characters, and mystical entities have been represented pictorially on Chimú ceramics.

When I was last in Piura, an old woman whose family I knew well, showed me about six pieces that her husband has collected- legally or illeglly, I do not know. She later offered me one, which I took, knowing I would never get it out of the country. I gave it to her daughter to keep for her children, as it is part of their heritage, not mine.

Inca ceremonial vessel

INCA (1438-1533) ceramics were painted using the polychrome technique portraying numerous motifs including animals, birds, waves, felines (which were popular in the Chavin culture) and geometric patterns found in the Nazca style of ceramics. Without a written language, ceramics portrayed the very basic scenes of everyday life, relationships and scenes of tribal warfare. It is through these preserved ceramics that we know what life was like for the ancient South Americans.

THE POTTERS OF CHULUCANAS- The town of Chulucanas is famous for its pottery. Originally dating from pre-Inca times it is today exported all over the world. The potters of the Vicus culture in the coastal deserts of Peru were known throughout the land as the finest ceramic artists. Using the clay beneath their feet, the natural symbols around them and a strong religious inspiration to guide them, they fashioned elegantly shaped, subtly painted ceramic pots. Designs are varied, but are predominated by black and white. There are several bigger companies but a lot of small manufactures are in Chulucanas itself and in the nearby villages of Quatro Esquinas.

Studio of Maneno- polishing my purchases

Chulucanas is the home of Maneno. He was born, raise and still living in this town. In this town of artisans, Maneno decided to be a ceramist at the age of thirteen. He learned from his uncle Polo Ramirez, a great ceramist. When I was last in Piura, we made a trip to this desert town, in evening (due to the heat of day), to visit Maneno and buy some of his wares. It was an amazing experience.

Victor Manuel Juarez is a young artist in search for his own style..." That is what the art critics say about Maneno, but he says he is neither young nor looking for a new style. He is believed to be one with his ancestors that have been making pottery for thousands of years. He is called LLINQA RIMACHIQ "The one that makes the clay speak".

Maneno

His work reflects the waves, the wind, the mountains and the melted snow. His style is the same used by old communities of Simbala, Chulucanas and Vicus. Maneno has represented Chulucanas all over the world in many occasions.

One of the kilns at Maneno's

Mother & Child & bird with llama from Maneno (OLR Christmas card)

Farmers returning home- Ayabaca

PIURA is a land of unique algarrobo trees, a variety of mesquite similar to the carob, and it is the region with the most equatorial tropical dry forests in the whole Pacific.

My enclosed garden - Piura

These eco-regions carry a unique variety of orchids, birds, reptiles, plants and mammals. Piura is known for the best and oldest lime-lemons in South America (they use them in everything and taste nothing like our limes or lemons) as well as South America's finest mango (tropical dry), which I do not like.
With Lambayeque, it is the original home of Pima cotton. Piura also produces bananas, coconuts, rice and other fruits as local income.

Its development has been favored also by the petroleum found in the ocean of Talara Province, fishing is blessed by two ocean currents, silver mines are common and phosphate plants popping up along the coast.

Farmers

It is not mine to get into the the politics of a nation I do not live in. In my visits to Piura I hear what the locals say, and as anywhere, they complain about government not doing enough. My friend Cliff who brings me to Piura with his wife Judy, says he has seen great economic improvement in the past six years, compared to ten years ago. In 2011, amidst an ongoing global recession and against a historical backdrop of political violence, social instability and economic vulnerability, Peru grew its GDP by 6.9 per cent.

Rural women buying bread
(Jeremy grabs some for us)

According to government statistics, less than a third of the Peruvian population now lives below the national poverty line, compared with around half in the early 2000s. But for many hundreds of thousands it is not fast enough. The poorest of the poor in Peru are in the arid Andean highlands, where a large majority of the indigenous Quechua and Aymara communities live below the poverty line .

I remember when Jeremy and I were trying to track down weavers on the coast, we came across some pretty rough areas with dirt roads, no plumbing or electricity, grandparents raising the children while both parents worked menial jobs, and yet there was always amazing hospitality and graciousness.

Many agencies, local and from abroad, are working to help peoples in rural areas to better their lives, especially in better agricultural practices.

Rural school- note desert

Women & children getting water

Here I present some photos I took of the contrasts of this area. For me the riches went far beyond the materialism I found in the "upper echelons" but was found in the people themselves.

Rural home


"The goat-lady" who grazed her goats in our wealthy area- Piura

30 cents taxi- Piura

Future farmer?

Ayabaca sweetheart

Elena shopping- Piura

Fishermen who give best fish in world!

German (Beuron)

Devotion to the Sacred Heart can be seen as early as the second century with St. Justin Martyr and in the 7th century with Pope Gregory the Great. Writers throughout these centuries emphasized the pierced side of Christ as the inexhaustible source from which all graces flow upon mankind and the blood and water as symbols of the sacraments of the Church. With the coming of St. Bernard of Clairvaux and St. Anselm in the 12th century, there was a sudden increase in direct reference to the love of the Sacred Heart for every person redeemed by His Passion and Death.

The widespread influence of Franciscan and Dominican Friars enkindled this devotion in the hearts of the faithful who heard their preaching. The focus on the Sacred Heart moved from being a symbol of the sacraments, to the symbol of Divine Love.

In the Middle Ages Saints Gertrude and Mechtild further this devotion. The editor of St. Gertrude’s writings, Revelations, (Dom Boutrais of Soesmes) stated: “Never before…has anything been written on the effect of the divine Heart and its relation to men, to saints, to the souls in Purgatory, such as we find in the writings of St. Gertrude and St. Mechtild´.

Odilon Redon (d. 1916)

St. Margaret Mary Alacoque (1647-90) was the cloistered nun who we think of when we mention a saint devoted to the Heart of Christ. She entered the Daughters of the Visitation, founded by St. Francis de Sales and St. Jane Frances de Chantal, in 1671. Although devotion to the Heart of Jesus was already important to the order prior to St. Margaret Mary’s entrance, it would be through her that public devotion to the Sacred Heart would be practiced universally in the Catholic Church.

St. Margaret Mary- C. Giaquinto 1725

She had help to carry out the mission entrusted to her, with St. Claude la Columbiere, a Jesuit priest, who became her Spiritual Director. He was the first to believe in the revelations of the Sacred Heart to St. Margaret Mary. Thanks to his support, her superior also believed, and wide spread propagation of the devotion to the Sacred Heart in the Universal Church began. From then on, the Jesuits became the chief propagators of the devotion to the Sacred Heart which flourished throughout the subsequent centuries.

My own Jesuit academic and spiritual adviser in College (Creighton U.) had a great devotion to the Sacred and wrote a very scholarly book entitled The Sacred Heart: A Commentary on Hauraitis Aquas. Thus Father Alban Dachauer, S.J. enocuraged me in this devotion and today it remains one of my favorite feasts of the year.

"He showed me that it was His great desire of being loved by men and of withdrawing them from the path of ruin into which Satan hurls such crowds of them, that made Him form the design of manifesting His Heart to men, with all the treasures of love, of mercy, of grace, of sanctification and salvation which it contains, in order that those who desire to render Him and procure for Him all the honor and love possible, might themselves be abundantly enriched with those divine treasures of which this Heart is the source".

Br. Mickey McGrath

"He should be honored under the figure of this Heart of flesh, and its image should be exposed…He promised me that wherever this image should be exposed with a view to showing it special honor, He would pour forth His blessings and graces. This devotion was the last effort of His love that He would grant to men in these latter ages, in order to withdraw them from the empire of Satan which He desired to destroy, and thus to introduce them into the sweet liberty of the rule of His love, which He wished to restore in the hearts of all those who should embrace this devotion.”…. “The devotion is so pleasing to Him that He can refuse nothing to those who practice it.”
-Revelations of Our Lord to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque

St. MM- Br. McGrath

The Devotion to the Divine Mercy, given to St. Faustina Kowalska in 1931, is a broadened devotion to the Sacred Heart. From this devotion our trust in God’s limitless love and mercy is rekindled. The incomprehensible treasures which we have in the sacraments are symbolized in the blood and water gushing forth from the Heart of Christ. The devotion to the Sacred Heart has flowered and has seemed to come full circle in the devotion to the Divine Mercy, particularly in its emphasis on the graces flowing from the Heart of Jesus, healing and forgiving souls, through the Sacraments of Mercy.

Madonna of the Woods

CHARALAMBOS EPAMINONDA was born in Paphos and raised in Stroumbi (Cyprus). He said he watched the world, the people, and painted them.

He learned Byzantine art from Father Simeon Mavrovouniti. Later he studied with Father Simeon Peruvian, at Holy Mountain (Mountain Athos) and in the Athens School of Fine arts and the University of Thesalonika.

He wrote, illustrated, and published ten books of which two were honored with a state award for literature and illustration.

St. David

He lives with his family in Stroumbi where he has his workshop. Some consider him to be the greatest contemporary icon artist. I -love his works, not only for the colors but for the birds and floral patterns which appear in his works. Compared with most icons his work exudes warmth and humanity.

The Sower & the Seed

John Kohan (SACRED ART PILGRIM) wrote: he remains calm and centered, a man at peace with himself, and a paradigm, for me, of a spiritually-centered artist, indifferent to commercial success or critical acclaim... I asked Charalambos to paint a triptych, based on my three favorite parables from the Gospel of Luke, the Prodigal Son, the Sower and the Seed, and the Good Samaritan, giving him a free hand in the arrangement of the images. He came up with three separate paintings, united in composition and conception...

The Good Samaritan

The Prodigal Son

...Not only are humans reconciled one with another in these wonderful images, but the whole created order, animate and inanimate, water, plants, fish and birds are drawn toward the powerful central figure of Christ, the Sower of the Seed, the Renewer of Life.

This schema is repeated in a different color palette is his lovely little painting, Madonna of the Woods.

Daniel Bonnell- USA

June 24 we celebrate the birthday of St. John The Baptist. Christians have long interpreted the life of ST. JOHN the BAPTIST as a preparation for the coming of Jesus Christ. The circumstances of his birth, as recorded in the New Testament, are miraculous. John's pivotal place in the gospel is seen in the emphasis Luke gives to the announcement of his birth and the event itself- both made prominently parallel to the same occurrences in the life of Jesus.

At the Annunciation, when the Archangel Gabriel appeared to the Virgin Mary to inform her that she would conceive of the Holy Spirt, he also informed her that Elizabeth, her cousin, was already six months pregnant (Luke 1:36). Mary then journeyed to visit Elizabeth. Luke’s Gospel recounts that the baby “leapt” in Elizabeth’s womb at the greeting of Mary.

Brigid Marlin- USA

The sole biblical account of the birth of St. John the Baptist comes from the Gospel of Luke. John’s parents, Zechariah or Zachary, a Jewish priest, and Elizabeth, were without children and both were beyond the age of child-bearing. During Zechariah's rotation to serve in the Temple in Jerusalem, he was chosen by lot to offer incense at the Golden Altar in the Holy Place. The Archangel Gabriel appeared to him and announced that he and his wife would give birth to a child, and that they should name him John. Due to Elizabeth's "old age" Zechariah did not believe the message of Gabriel and so was rendered speechless until the time of John's birth.

When the child was born, his relatives wanted to name the child after his father, but Zechariah wrote, "His name is John" . At this his mouth was opened and he could speak (Luke 1:5-25; 1:57-66). Following Zechariah's obedience to the command of God, he was given the gift of prophecy, and foretold the future ministry of John (Luke 1:67-79).

Birth of St. John- Spanish 1525

Ordinarily the day of a saint's death is usually celebrated as his or her feast day, because that day marks their entrance into heaven. There are two notable exceptions: the birthday of the Blessed Virgin Mary and that of St. John the Baptist. Mary, already in the first moment of her existence, was free from original sin (Immaculate Conception), while John was cleansed of original sin in the womb of his mother. St. Augustine mentioned this belief as a general tradition in the ancient Church. He was "filled with the Holy Spirit even from his mother's womb" (Luke 1, 15) and, therefore, born without original sin.

St. John the Baptist is patron of tailors (because he made his own garments in the desert), of shepherds (because he spoke of the "Lamb of God"), and of masons. This patronage over masons is traced to his words:
Make ready the way of the Lord, make straight all his paths. Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be brought low, And the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways smooth. (Luke 3, 4-6.)

Athanasios Clark

Road to Cuspe - Cajamarca Provence

Another wonderful trip to Peru and as always the two highlights were the people and the birds. We traveled again to the fab private preserve at Chaparri where we spent 3 days- there were no other guests so the three of us were in Paradise. Our arana (Chilean taranchula) from the last trip was nowhere to be found, but our little fox came daily to watch us.

Chaparri- its beauty changes with the hour

Jeremy got me up at 4 A.M. one morning so we could hit the highway (dirt-rock road) up the mountain, in the dark. Owls and night-jars flew at us as we disturbed their feeding. It was a three hour trek to where we were going. After two hours we stopped at a tiny hamlet where we had a break for the bano. I was able to see the local sheep and dairy cows which were being led to milking. One of the best conversations I had with a native who spoke no English, to my almost non- existent Spanish, was with Senora Nina.

Senora Nina

It was really amazing as she told me about the milk and how it is sent to be processed. She could not believe that we have raw milk (she said they call it leche cruda) and did we really drink it? This, in a country that often does not have the most sanitary conditions, esp. in rural areas. This family, while poor in the eyes of a gringo, was actually quiet well off. Their fields were abundant with crops, their animals were numerous and healthy, they lived in an absolutely gorgeous valley between the mountains, and they certainly knew the meaning of hospitality..

As we climbed up the mountain on foot, with Fernando our driver following at a distance with the car, we encountered many children going to school: some walked, some on bikes or donkeys, and a few on the handle bars of father's bike. All seemed happy waving at us! Of course I am sure I was a sight in my habit with binoculars. At 7 we had a wonderful tail-gate breakfast.

Children on the way to school

Tail-gate feast

The walking was gentle and slow on this mostly stone trail, which if you have an extra 10 hours will eventually take you to the city of Cajamarca.

Some of the 30+ birds we spotted were rare hummingbirds, including the tiny little woodstar (the size of a bumble-bee), the long-billed starthroat, the fab green-tailed trainbearer, and the grey-chinned hermit.
I love the names of these tiny jewels of the mountains, as if they are giants carrying more than just their colors!

Little woodstar

Grey-chinned hermit

Long-billed starthroat

Green-tailed trainbearer

Foliage-gleaners that I had missed on my last trip were there for us. Another gem in its splendor was the grey and gold warbler. We could hear the rarely spotted Ochre-bellied dove and the Ecuadorian trogon, but never got sightings.

Our guide Tomas with his son

On this trip, half the length of the last trip to Peru, I added 32 new species to my life-list giving me a total of 246 species for Peru and 1349 total world-wide. Next stop???? who knows!

Henna-hooded foliage-gleaner

Grey and gold warbler

My hosts- Marsue, Susana & Ima

Andreas, Claudia, Luis Antonia

As always the best part of any trip, is meeting old friends and making new ones. This trip was "quieter" than the last, and we did not venture out as much, but this gave us the chance to "catch-up" with those we really came to see. The children, some now in their teens, have grown into lovely young people and are a joy to be with. Most speak English, Marsu and Andreas being the most fluent in conversation. One of the "high-lights", tho not in a positive way, were the string of break-ins in the neighborhood where we were staying in Piura. There were four in the neighborhood within a week, all by the same men, who had a car and were armed. The 2nd was at Lucio and Elena's while Judy and the housekeeper were upstairs. The men used a huge instrument, trying to break thru the thick wrought iron gates. Fortunately, a neighbor heard them and yelled. Police were called, and Lucio had the gate so reinforced the next day, it is now hard for anyone to open.

When Judy and I returned from Chaparri, the banditos had struck again across the street and there was an armed guard at the corner (not unusual in the more affluent neighborhoods). Of the four homes struck, in broad day, one was ransacked. Needless to say, all were on pins and needles!

Outdoor concert by students

The first week we were in Piura, was festivals galore. I was able to attend several concerts with the family, the best being by the college students themselves. The Piurianas are famous for their music and it is so easy to get caught up in their rhythm.

Next came Corpus Christi Mass and Processions. It was inspiring to see so many thousands praying. Students lined the walkways, wearing white gloves and holding candles or Star-War like wands that glowed.

Corpus Christi Procession

The next week was a grand festa at the girls school for Father's Day- almost a bigger celebration than in the USA. Each class did a dance of a different country and in many cases the girls were as good as professionals. The costumes were colorful, and the music wonderful.

Ima in her Spanish flaminco dress

30 flaminco dancers

One Sunday after Mass, and a Chinese dinner (this family's favorite) we went to the beach at Colon, about and hour's drive west of Piura. Needless to say, whenever I hit the ocean I am home! It is winter now in Peru so not many people at the seaside- which was nice for us!


Family at Colon


In the shade at Colon

Another highlight of the trip was a visit to a ranch which raises the PERVUVIAN PASO HORSE. The hacienda, Los Ficus, is south of Lima in the Lurin Valley. To get to this marvelous place, one travels through slums, rural villages, cultivated fields, and small towns.

Los Ficus

The Peruvian Paso is a breed of light pleasure saddle horse known for its smooth ride. It is distinguished by a natural, four-beat, lateral gait called the paso llano (a side walk). Instead of a trot, the Peruvian Paso performs an ambling four beat gait between the walk and the canter.

The hacienda

It is a lateral gait, in that it has four equal beats and is performed laterally- left hind, left fore, right hind, right fore. Intrstingly enough, when performing they most often us the music from the area of Piura, as the beat of that music perfectly fits the gait of this horse. This characteristic gait was utilized for the purpose of covering long distances over a short period of time without tiring the horse or rider. The gait is natural and does not require extensive training. Peruvian Paso foals can be seen gaiting alongside their dams within a few hours of their birth.

A yearling on the lung line

We watched all stages of training

The gait supplies essentially none of the vertical bounce that is characteristic of the trot, and hence posting (moving up and down with each of the horse's footfalls) is unnecessary. It is also very stable, as the execution of the gait means there are always two, and sometimes three, feet on the ground. Because the rider feels no strain or jolt, gaited horses such as the Peruvian Paso are often popular with riders who have back trouble.

Smooth-gaited horses, generally known as Palfreys, existed in the Middle Ages. Peruvian Pasos trace their ancestry to these ambling Jennets, which contributed strength and stamina and to the glorious Andalusians which added style, conformation and action. Horses arrived in South America during the Spanish Conquest, beginning with the arrival of Pizarro in 1531.

These small, yet elegant, horses are bred for their gentle temperament and spirit and training starts before they are a year old. We were able to see the stages of training, beginning at eight months of age on a long line. We spent a lovely afternnoon at the hacienda, enjoying these beautiful creatures and a true Peruvian meal, Pisco sours included.

Dancer & horse

Not sure who is more beautiful


Sts. Peter and Paul- El Greco

Today we celebrate two great saints who are proof that God can work through anybody. We have St. Peter, a brash, thick-headed fisherman, inclined to say whatever popped into his head without thinking, and St. Paul, that well educated Pharisee who persecuted the Church, later becoming its great champion.

I would speculate it was quite hard for St. Peter to accept (at least at first) this "upstart" who was not one of the Twelve and had never known Jesus. Peter was present at all the events in which Jesus had just a few special persons with him. Peter was the one Jesus appointed to lead His new Church.

Yet Paul became one of the greatest of the Apostles and was very much given to mystic experiences. Paul claimed to have visited some “higher heavens,” and he articulated many of the more mystical aspects of Christology. Once Paul “saw the light,” he was one of the most ardent devotees of Jesus, traveling the so-called “known world” bringing the message of Jesus to the Gentiles.

Today's feast, then, is a celebration of the Church's unity (and a good example to us in Community). Anyone who has read Acts or Galatians, will recall that Saints Peter and Paul did not always think or act in perfect harmony. They came from different backgrounds, they had different methods of evangelism, and they didn’t always get along, but they were vitally important to the emerging Christian Church.

M Djunisijevic- Serbia

Both helped to spread the faith of the early Church, following in the footsteps of Christ. That these two extremes could allow the Holy Spirit to work through them is certainly proof that God can work through each of us, as long as we are willing to answer “yes” to God’s call.

Aiden Hart

Church Unity

Daniel Mitsui- Pentecost

I have been recently asked where I find the art which I use in my Blog. While I certainly love classical art, I am these days drawn to more modern art, esp. naive (naif) or primitive works and those of other ethnic backgrounds. Since we know the more traditional works of art, I think it is fun to find artists from our own times. As I have said in other Blogs, I love the Japanese Sadao Watanabe and the Chinese-American artist Dr. He Qi (both of whom I have used in many recent blogs).

C.S. Lewis in The Weight of Glory wrote: “We do not want merely to see beauty… We want something else which can hardly be put into words – to be united with the beauty we see, to pass into it, to receive it into ourselves, to bathe in it, to become part of it… At present we are on the outside of the world, the wrong side of the door. We cannot mingle with the splendors we see. But all the leaves of the New Testament are rustling with the rumor that it will not always be so. Some day, God willing, we shall get in.”

Jodi Simmons- The True Vine

While Europe and now many in the East, have many wonderful Catholic artists, there seems to be a dirth in our own country. We do have Daniel Mitsui, Matthew Alderman, Bernard Brussel-Smith (1914-89), Jodi Simmons, Edward Knippers, George Tooker (1920-2011), Father John Giuliani, Carl Schmitt (1889-1989), Dan Paulos, and of course the wonderful artists of the Santos tradition in NM and other places in the USA.

Dana Gioia, Catholic poet and former chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts said he considers the lack of Catholics in the arts to be a “paradox,” given the Catholic Church’s long tradition as “patron and mentor” to the arts and the strength of the largest cultural minority in the United States. It is particularly ironic, Dana added, in a nation where “diversity of culture and ethnicity are actively celebrated.”

Matthew Alderman

B. Bussel- Smith- Apostles


Charles M. Carrillo, NM

Fr. John Guiliani - Holy Family with Lamb

Edward Knippers

Carl Schmitt- Eclipse

Dan Paulos- Our Lady of Auschwitz

As I was pondering what to write for the celebration of our Independence, I came across a headline that a Syrian Catholic priest had been beheaded by jihadist fighters in northern Syria. The death of Franciscan Father Francois Murad (49) was confirmed by the official Vatican news agency. It made me aware of the freedom in our own country as opposed to many, especially in the middle east, where basic human rights are sorely lacking.

One of the most important fundamental principles of human rights, and one that is now protected in the laws of many nations around the world and in global compacts like the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948), is FREEDOM of RELIGION.

Freedom of religion was first applied as a principle of government in the founding of the colony of Maryland, by the Catholic Lord Baltimore, in 1634. Most Americans know that religious freedom is one of the most basic freedoms guaranteed in the U.S. Constitution. Frequently called the “first freedom,” freedom of religion is prominent in the American founding documents and gives rise to many other freedoms.

Freedom of religion is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or community, in public or private, to manifest religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship, and observance.

Norman Rockwell

Freedom of religion is considered by many people and nations to be a fundamental human right. In a country with a state religion, freedom of religion is generally considered to mean that the government permits religious practices of other sects besides the state religion, and does not persecute believers in other faiths.

The US Conference of Catholic Bishops is sponsoring another Fortnight for Freedom this year from June 21 to July 4, in response to the still looming threats to our religious freedom.

In 1965 Pope Paul VI wrote a declaration on Religious Freedom: DIGNITATIS HUMANAE (DIGNITY OF THE HUMAN PERSON), which dealt with the right of the person and of communities to social and civil freedom in matters of religion. Here I quote the first paragraph, which is far more eloquent than anything I can say:

A sense of the dignity of the human person has been impressing itself more and more deeply on the consciousness of contemporary man, and the demand is increasingly made that men should act on their own judgment, enjoying and making use of a responsible freedom, not driven by coercion but motivated by a sense of duty. The demand is likewise made that constitutional limits should be set to the powers of government, in order that there may be no encroachment on the rightful freedom of the person and of associations. This demand for freedom in human society chiefly regards the quest for the values proper to the human spirit. It regards, in the first place, the free exercise of religion in society. This Vatican Council takes careful note of these desires in the minds of men. It proposes to declare them to be greatly in accord with truth and justice. To this end, it searches into the sacred tradition and doctrine of the Church-the treasury out of which the Church continually brings forth new things that are in harmony with the things that are old.

Prayer at Valley Forge- Arnold Friberg (1913-2010)

This council greets with joy the first of these two facts as among the signs of the times. With sorrow, however, it denounces the other fact, as only to be deplored. The council exhorts Catholics, and it directs a plea to all men, most carefully to consider how greatly necessary religious freedom is, especially in the present condition of the human family. All nations are coming into even closer unity. Men of different cultures and religions are being brought together in closer relationships. There is a growing consciousness of the personal responsibility that every man has. All this is evident. Consequently, in order that relationships of peace and harmony be established and maintained within the whole of mankind, it is necessary that religious freedom be everywhere provided with an effective constitutional guarantee and that respect be shown for the high duty and right of man freely to lead his religious life in society.

The declaration ends with this prayer- may it be for all of us on this week of our Independence. May the God and Father of all grant that the human family, through careful observance of the principle of religious freedom in society, be brought by the grace of Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit to the sublime and unending and "glorious freedom of the sons of God" (Rom. 8:21).

S.C.- Lost Sheep

S.C.- Lost Son

Today we celebrate the feast of St. Augustin Zhao Rong and 119 Chinese Martyrs, who were canonized by Bl. Pope John Paul in 2000. They were part of the hidden Christian church which, even to this day, is persecuted in parts of Asia. These saints were martyred between 1648 and 1930. St. Augustin himself died in 1815. He was one of 29 priests (including six bishops) martyred for their faith. Their witness to the Christian faith, ties in with the last blog regarding religious freedom for all peoples.

Of late I have been fascinated by the Christian art that comes from Asia- You have seen many of the paintings and drawing of Sadao Watanabe and Dr. He Qi in past blogs. I came across a book that deals with five of these artists, one who I will present here.

Information on him and other Asian artists are in a book titled: The Christian Story: Five Asian Artists Today. It presents paintings by leading contemporary Asian artists Sawai Chinnawong (Thailand), He Qi (China- now USA), Nalini Jayasuriya (Sri Lanka), Nyoman Darsane (Bali), and Wisnu Sasongko (Thailand), and highlights the different ways in which artists of diverse cultures today perceive Biblical tales.

Although the artists represented share one medium, they tell their stories very differently, depending on visual forms, signs, symbols, and features that appeal to their particular cultures.

While they may not be well known in their native lands, these artists are known throughout the world in other places, esp. by discerning patrons of the arts, and their work is featured in museums in many countries.

These contemporary Asian artists are all Christians, working as members of a minority religious tradition on a continent where Buddhism, Hinduism and Islam command the largest share of loyalty. This has not stopped these artists from producing biblically inspired art that expresses deeply held religious beliefs.

Madonna

SAWAI CHINNAWONG of Payap University, Chiang Mai, Thailand, is well known in Asia for his portrayals of Biblical imagery in a traditional Thai graphic idiom. After completing his art studies, he attended the McGilvary Faculty of Theology at Payap University in Chiang Mai, Thailand. He was the Paul T. Lauby artist in residence at the Overseas Ministries Study Center in 2003-2004, and was one of five artists featured in the 2007 exhibition, "The Christian Story: Five Asian Artists Today" at the Museum of Biblical Art (MOBIA) in New York City.

"My work represents influences from many styles...I believe Jesus Christ is present in every culture, and I have chosen to celebrate his presence in our lives through Thai traditional cultural forms".

Annunciation

"My belief is that Jesus did not choose just one people to hear his Word, but chose to make his home in every human heart. And just as his Word may be spoken in every language, so the visual message can be shared in the beauty of the many styles of artistry around the world."

Sawai said the goal of his art was to “bring Christianity into his own culture.” All biblical characters are portrayed as native people of Thailand. Their clothes are traditional of Thailand, as are the plants and foods that are present in each scene.

He portrays Christianity and Thai culture in harmony. In the caption under one painting he writes, “Buddha is never seen suffering in our iconography, but as a Christian I have to depict the suffering of Christ, which is the hardest spiritual concept for us to understand or accept. Christ is not a Westerner, however. He is Thai.”

Crucified

The love for art began when he was he child while he watched old men painting on a Buddhist temple wall. His interest in art persisted into adulthood. He studied art in a vocational school in Bangkok, Thailand. It was at this time that Sawai became a Christian. He says that a missionary was witnessing on the street one day, and soon after he began to study the Bible every day after art class.

Gennesareth

After completing his art studies, Sawai studied at the McGilvary Faculty of Theology at Payap University in Chiang Mai. He was deeply influenced by a series of lectures on the history of Christian Art given there in 1984 by artist and professor Nalini Jayasuriya. He began creating liturgical art while attending seminary and designed the artwork for the chapel there. Today his art is appreciated in many places for its portrayal of Christian themes through a Thai graphic idiom that is inspired by Thai culture. He was the Paul T. Lauby artist in residence at the Overseas Ministries Study Center in New Haven, USA, in 2003-2004. and was one of five artists featured in the 2007 exhibition "The Christian Story: Five Asian Artists.

Genesis

Today we celebrate the feast of our founder ST. BENEDICT. He was born in Nursia in Italy and lived from about 480 to 550 AD. After studying in Rome, he tried to live in solitude as a hermit in a cave at Subiaco, but was soon joined by others eager to learn from him. Eventually he organized these followers into small communities, bound together by a common rule of life. St. Benedict is regarded as the founder of Western monasticism and he is the patron saint of Europe.

He left us a Rule which is still is use today, by monks and nuns everywhere and which has many implications for our modern world. The Rule of St Benedict is essentially a simple and practical guide for daily living: a balance between physical work, intellectual study and common prayer. During the 1500 years of its existence, it has become the leading guide in Western Christianity for monastic living in community.
The spirit of St. Benedict's Rule is summed up in the motto: pax ("peace") and the traditional ora et labora ("pray and work").

Christminster

Beyond its religious influences, the Rule of St. Benedict was one of the most important written works to shape medieval Europe, embodying the ideas of a written constitution and the rule of law. It also incorporated a degree of democracy in a non-democratic society, and dignified manual labor.

S. Dimitrova

To find peace and happiness, St. Benedict calls us to “listen carefully” for the voice of God speaking in the depths of our hearts. By making our hearts attentive in trust and hope toward the heart of Jesus, we become more and more capable of hearing God’s will for us.

Listening with our heart is key to spiritual growth, but it has to be more than a passive hearing. We must actively put into practice the tenets set forth in the Rule, with humility and obedience to Christ.

St. Benedict’s rule is a practical, down to earth guide to community living and spiritual growth.

One might say he is the author of common-sense living! Balance is what so many of us strive for these days and St.Benedict has much to teach us all !!

Becky Nielsen, NY

For the past year, I have been feeding a pair of ravens outside the kitchen, off the upper deck. Watching them has been interesting. I am sure the male knows my voice as he often sits only a few feet away from me watching intently as I drop the food down over the railing.

As Benedictines one of our favorite stories in the life of St. Benedict is the narrative of the "man of God" and the RAVEN, as related by St. Gregory the Great. In the wilderness Benedict fed a raven with a portion of his bread. When a jealous and wicked priest tried to kill the saint with poisoned bread, Benedict coached the raven to take the deadly bread to a place where it couldn't harm another.

Simon Krogan

St. Martin's Abbey- Lacy, WA

St. Gregory in his Dialogues writes, "Then the raven, opening its beak wide and spreading its wings, began to run around the bread, cawing, as if to indicate that it wanted to obey but was unable to carry out the order. Again and again the man of God told him to do it, saying, 'Pick it up, pick it up. Do not be afraid. Just drop it where it cannot be found.' After hesitating a long time, the raven took the bread in its beak, picked it up and flew away. Three hours later it came back, after having thrown the bread away, and received its usual ration from the hands of the man of God."

In ancient times- and even to this day- the raven is a symbol of death or evil. In our Northwest Native culture the raven is seen in a more positive light. Raven in these indigenous peoples' mythology is the Creator of the world, but it is also considered a trickster god. For instance, in Tlingit culture, there are two different raven characters which can be identified, although they are not always clearly differentiated. One is the creator raven, responsible for bringing the world into being and who is sometimes considered to be the one who brought light to the darkness. The other side is the childish raven, always selfish, sly, conniving, and hungry.

Another raven story from the Puget Sound region describes Raven as having originally lived in the land of spirits (literally bird land) that existed before the world of humans. One day Raven became so bored with bird land that he flew away, carrying a stone in his beak. When Raven became tired of carrying the stone and dropped it, the stone fell into the ocean and expanded until it formed the firmament on which humans now live.

Raven & the first man- Bill Reid

My favorite story is of Raven stealing and releasing the sun, and tempting the first humans out of a clam shell.

David Lange, OSB- St. John's Abbey

In Western Christianity the raven is presented in a positive light, associated with saints. The raven is a symbol for solitude, especially since ravens fed several saints in the wilderness, namely, the Desert Fathers, St. Anthony Abbot and St. Paul the Hermit

Ravens also brought food to St. Chelidonia, a Benedictine hermit of the XIIth century, who lived for more than fifty years in a cave of the Aniene River valley.

The raven’s submission to the will of God, despite what we may see as its disagreeable habits, is an expression of redemption. The raven symbolizes filial gratitude and affection, wisdom, hope, longevity, death, and fertility.

The 9th century hermit St. Meinrad, who regularly fed ravens, was murdered by thieves. Ravens pursued the murderers into the forest, their loud caws alerting the villagers to come and apprehend the men. (The Benedictine monastery of Einsiedeln in Switzerland, which claims this saint as their founder, uses ravens in its coat of arms).

According to legend, after being martyred (304), ravens protected St. Vincent of Saragossa's body from being devoured by vultures, until his followers could recover the body.

Tim Mispagel- St. Ben. College, Atchinson, KS

When I visited Subiaco (the birth place of our Benedictine heritage) many years ago, ravens were kept in the courtyard. I am not sure if thy are still there. But the spirit of our founder lives on in these intelligent birds. I like to think of St. Benedict and his twin, St. Scholastica, as birders, since they are so often pictured with their birds. (St. Scholastica with a dove).

(For more information on this bird's family which includes crows and Stellar jays see blogs: Jan.16, 2013, Aug. 27, 2012 and May 29, 2012).

Fra Angelico

St. Benedict- detail

While doing recent blogs on St. Benedict I was amused to see how Catholic art has changed through the ages. In earlier art, rarely was St Benedict alone, but usually surrounded by other saints, especially founders of the great orders, like Sts. Francis and Dominic.

St. Benedict of Nursia lived in the sixth century, and in spite of his many followers, no contemporary painted his portrait, and, we have no specific description of his features. While there was really nothing from his era, we do have the famous frescoes of Subiaco, which were painted in the 13th century by Master Conxolus, of the Roman school. This painter contributed nearly all the frescoes in the Lower Church.

Sts. Benedicta and Scholastica with Virgin- Nursia

As with most early medieval figures, it has fallen to later artists and their imaginations to provide us with images of St Benedict. He is almost always depicted as gentle, wise and fatherly and many of the paintings show him surrounding the Virgin Mary, with other saints. A beautiful example is Fra Angelico’s "Coronation of the Virgin" (1436) which is found in the Convento of San Marco, in Florence. We see St. Benedict ( 2^nd on left) with St Thomas to his left and Sts Dominic, Francis, Peter, and Mark to the right. (see above)

One of my favorites, and where St. Benedict is alone in his adoration, is "Adoration of the Child with St. Benedict and Angels" (1478) by Vincenzo Foppa. Note the wonderful sheep on the hill in the background.

V. Foppa

Bernardino di Betto Pinturicchio (c.1452-1513) painted Sts. Benedict and Gregory the Great together with the Virgin in Glory.

Pinturicchio

Sts.Peter, Nicholas of Bari & Benedict-
Cima da Conegliano- 1504

Another interesting painting is "Madonna and Child with St. Anne

and the Sts. Sebastian, Peter, Benedict and Philip" (1529) by Jacopo da Pontormo. One wonders who chose which saints the painter would mount onto his canvas. Was it patron saints of the one who commissioned the painting? We must remember that in these eras, the artist one did not usually paint what he wanted, but rather what he was commissioned to paint. I would venture to guess that many were commissioned by the great Benedictine Abbeys of Italy.

J. da Pontormo

Pictured with another great Benedictine of a later era is "Christ in Glory with St. Benedict with St. Romuald" by Domenico Ghirlandaio (1492).

"Madonna with Sts. John the Baptist, Gregory the Great, and Benedict" by Andrea Mantega, which was actually begun in 1492, but finished in 1506, is from the same years.

Ghirlandaio

Mantega

Note that all the above paintings are of the same era, and all from great Italian artists. There is not a lot in between the 15th Century and the present age showing our saint with other saints- other than his twin sister Scholastica..

In our modern times, since St. Benedict has been named one of the patrons of Europe, we have some lovely examples of our him with other great saints of the Church. The beautiful painting by John Armstrong (England) of "Our Lady Protecting Europe", illustrates the Christian roots of Europe, and shows Our Lady surrounded by the six patron saints of Europe: Sts. Cyril and Methodius, St Teresa Benedicta of the Cross (Edith Stein), St Benedict, St Bridget of Sweden, and St Catherine of Siena. Robert Schumann, one of the founding fathers of the European Union, looks on. St Benedict offers the monastery of Canterbury to the Blessed Virgin and St Cyril writes of the conversion of the Slavs.

Another modern icon shows again the patrons of Europe. St. Benedict on the left with Sts. Cyril & Methodius, Bridget, Catherine and Teresa Benedicta.

I love her Madonna with birds

The only woman in the book: Five Christian Asian Artists (see July 8 Blog) is internationally known artist from Sri Lanka, PROF. NALINI M JAYASURIYA. She has exhibited her soul-stirring paintings in Manila, London, Bangkok, Paris, Toronto, Tokyo, Jerusalem and New York. She has also lectured on sacred art in many universities, including Yale Divinity School in New Haven, Connecticut, and Tokyo University, Tokyo, Japan. She was artist in residence for two years at the Overseas Ministries Study Center (OMSC) in New Haven.

Nalini started her career as a teacher at St Thomas College Mount Lavinia Sri Lanka. She was awarded Sri Lanka's highest honour for the Arts by the Government of Sri Lanka. Numerous books featuring her paintings as well as her poetry have been published in several languages.

Three Kings

Solomon & Sheba

She was featured in the 2007 exhibition "The Christian Story: Five Asian Artists Today" at the Museum of Biblical Art in New York City.
I love the flowing lines of her art as well as the vivid colors she uses.

"I come from a land of rich, ancient, and diverse cultures and traditions. While I carry the enriching influences of both West and East, I express myself through an Asian and Christian consciousness with respect for all confessions of religious faith."

She once wrote: As Time spread lighted wings and flew over all the world, the Voice spoke, and I heard, as I stood listening on the Seashore of the world: "Go," the Voice ordered. "Do not walk in the footprints you see. Make your own footprints in the Sand. This will be your Covenant and your Reward."

"She is unafraid of any tension between the spiritual styles of East and West. Her art, its colorful flow and simplicity, is often a fusion of traditions. She has made a vocation of pursuing the world’s secret beauty and its savior God, sharing her responses and inviting ours". (Ray Waddle, Yale U)

Mother & Child

Flowers & Prayers

"In an age when our cultural image makers manifest an almost pathological preoccupation with the terrible, the dysfunctional, and the tragic, relying as they do for their very livelihood on the human fascination with shocking spectacle, Nalini offers us, through her art, the gift of peace," writes OMSC executive director Jonathan Bonk in the preface to A Time for My Singing.

Birds Singing & St. Francis

Reigning Lord

"Art imitates, sublimates, and exalts life," she writes in A Time For My Singing, "freeing the vision from anecdote and offering its radiant peace to all who would receive it."

Pope Francis in Brazil

Recently, Father Scott, our chaplain here at the monastery, told me that as he gets older, he finds the need for more simplicity in his life especially in his reading and his prayer. He finds more consolation and joy in simplicity than in difficult to understand theology.

This past week, Pope Francis in his visit to Brazil for World Youth Day made a similar statement to our modern Church especially to the clergy: “perhaps we have reduced our way of speaking about mystery to rational explanations; but for ordinary people the mystery enters through the heart...The Church needs to make room for “God’s mystery” so “that it can entice people, attract them.” …

…Another lesson the Church must never forget, is that “it cannot leave SIMPLICITY behind; otherwise she forgets how to speak the language of Mystery … At times we lose people because they don’t understand what we are saying, because we have forgotten the language of simplicity and import an intellectualism foreign to our people. Without the grammar of simplicity, the Church loses the very conditions which make it possible “to fish” for God in the deep waters of His Mystery.”

3 million on the beach at Copacabana, Rio

"It needs to learn to be simple again, warm people’s hearts and rediscover the maternal womb of mercy." Those of us in the contemplative life know, that if our lives are too "cluttered" there is not room for the Lord to speak to our hearts. It is refreshing to know that our new Holy Father is a true contemplative, as well as a missionary to all peoples.

While the Holy Father addressed millions of youth, his message is for all of us to be "missionary disciples" and spread the faith. "Bringing the Gospel is bringing God's power to pluck up and break down evil and violence, to destroy and overthrow the barriers and selfishness, intolerance and hatred, so as to build a new world," he said.

With indigenous people- Brazil

TRINITY SUNDAY

FACES OF NORTHERN PERU

PIURA, PIURA, PIURA

PIURA - OLD AND NEW

POTTERY OF NORTHERN PERU

POVERTY & RICHES IN PIURA

SACRED HEART

GREAT ICONS

NATIVITY OF ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST

PERU 2013 (PEOPLE AND BIRDS)

PERU 2013 CONTINUED

SAINTS PETER AND PAUL

CATHOLIC ART in AMERICA

INDEPENDENCE DAY

CHINESE MARTYRS AND MODERN ASIAN ARTISTS

A RULE FOR THE MODERN WORLD

RAVENS in the MONASTERY

ST. BENEDICT with OTHER SAINTS

Mantega

WOMAN FROM SRI LANKA

A SIMPLE CHURCH