Ruminations of an Amateur Monastic
Today is the feast of the blessed martyr Saint Polycarp (he of many fishes). Burned alive in Rome for the crime of being a Christian bishop, he was a disciple of Saint John the Apostle. Although I could wax on and on about the great Polycarp, I’m not going to, for as the headline to this post reveals, a truly […]
» Read moreOn this day in 1600, the priest, theologian, sometime Dominican friar, philosopher, and early proponent of heliocentrism, Giordano Bruno, was burned at the stake in Rome for the crime of heresy by the city’s civil authorities. His ashes were dumped into the Tiber river. My primary interest in Bruno is that I once lived in a house that he once […]
» Read moreI have written before about the 14-year old Agnes of Rome, murdered on this day at the order of the Emperor Diocletian, and of some of the traditions that have grown around her feast day. Today, I will simply leave you with a photo of the shrine containing her skull, and the marvelous words of John Keats, an English poet […]
» Read moreIt’s the first of January, and I’m clearly looking and feeling my very best after last night’s festivities. We rarely throw parties, but when we do, we invariably overdo it a bit. Last night’s feast had libations aplenty and a table groaning with food for our family and friends old and new. Everybody brought something to share. Combine that with […]
» Read moreProfessor Tolkien’s works embody his deep and abiding Catholic faith and worldview. Today in the calendar of Middle Earth, it is Durin’s Day. Durin J.R.R. Tolkien The world was young, the mountains green, No stain yet on the Moon was seen, No words were laid on stream or stone, … When Durin woke and walked along. He named the nameless […]
» Read more(Whatever is said in Latin sounds profound) Two people have now asked me about the use of Latin on my journal. Since that’s a sizable percentage of the readership (possibly half), I thought I’d better address it. Here several reasons. Take your pick. I’m a mediævalist. I like old things. I’m a Roman Catholic. It’s our language, even if we […]
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