In a great house, as the Apostle explains, there must needs be various vessels, some of gold and of silver, and some of wood and of earth: but their purpose varies with the quality of their material, and the use of the precious and of the cheap kinds is not the same. For everything will be in disorder if the earthen ware be preferred to the golden, or the wooden to the silver. And as the wooden or earthen vessels are a figure of those men who are hitherto conspicuous for no virtues; so in the golden or silver vessels they no doubt are represented who, having passed through the fire of long experience, and through the furnace of protracted toil have deserved to be tried gold and pure silver.

My wife, Terri, has taken to the refinement rather well — well enough for both of us, I hope. She’s the purest of silver, by Leo’s standard or anybody’s, and should attain golden well in advance of our fiftieth.

I remember my dad (God rest his soul) telling my niece Melissa that he hoped to sneak into heaven by hiding behind his wife. Melissa responded that, unless he lost a lot of weight, he wasn’t gonna be hiding behind anybody.

I’d better get in shape.

I know that some of you have been waiting to hear a report on the pilgrimage to Rome. At first I was waiting till other pilgrims posted photos, but now I discover that Facebook has changed the dynamic a bit. I’m not on Facebook, so I’ll share this shot with you. How was my time in Rome? How could it be anything but wonderful when I spent my days with these two bright and lovely young women (my daughters)?

It was a much richer pilgrimage with art historian Liz Lev as our guide. It was my seventh trip to the Eternal City, but with Liz’s guidance I felt as if I saw the ancient city for the first time.

Happy Feast of Saints Peter and Paul to everyone. Remember: no one in Rome works today.

And apparently that’s a favored straight line for Italian comedians.

Something strange is happening … there is a great silence on earth today, a great silence and stillness. The whole earth keeps silence because the King is asleep. The earth trembled and is still because God has fallen asleep in the flesh and he has raised up all who have slept ever since the world began. God has died in the flesh and hell trembles with fear.

He has gone to search for our first parent, as for a lost sheep. Greatly desiring to visit those who live in darkness and in the shadow of death, he has gone to free from sorrow the captives Adam and Eve, he who is both God and the son of Eve. The Lord approached them bearing the cross, the weapon that had won him the victory. At the sight of him Adam, the first man he had created, struck his breast in terror and cried out to everyone: “My Lord be with you all.” Christ answered him: “And with your spirit.” He took him by the hand and raised him up, saying, “Awake, O sleeper, and rise from the dead, and Christ will give you light” . . .

You can read the rest by clicking here.

On May 25-27, 2010 the International Association of Exorcists will put on a conference on exorcism ministry at the Gilmary Catholic Retreat Center in the Pittsburgh diocese. This conference is not open to the public, only clergy and others that are approved will be admitted. Topics will include: the place of exorcism in the Church, training exorcists, diocese team formation, the new and old exorcism rite, exorcism vs. deliverance, law and liability, occult crime, canonical perspectives, and ethics.

The following are presenting: Fr. Giancarlo Gramolazzo, president of IAE (Vatican, health allowing). Dr. Richard Gallagher (governing body IAE), Fr. Clement Machado (Vatican), Fr. Brian Welding (canon lawyer), Captain Jim Dooley (NYPD). Other speakers are pending.

There is a growing awareness in our Church of the harmful influence of Satan in the lives of believers and non-believers alike. In his foreword to Fr. Fortea’s book Interview With an Exorcist, Bp. Samuel J. Aquila of Fargo, ND writes: “When needed, the Church continues to exercise this ministry of Jesus up to the present day, carefully discerning when true possession is present and permitting those priests, who have been trained in the rite of exorcism and with the permission of their bishop, to perform it.” This conference seeks to address these and related issues.

The cost for the Conference is $250.00 which includes food and lodging. The shuttle to and from the airport can be provided by Charlie Brown’s Airport Parking ($5 each way paid to them, call 412-262- 4931 when at airport). Priests may bring an alb and stole for the celebration of Mass.

Gilmary Catholic Retreat Center is at 601 Flaugherty Run Road Coraopolis, PA 15108. Phone: 412-264-8400. Email: info@gilmarycenter.org.

Please make fees out to the Diocese of Pittsburgh. If you have any special housing or dietary needs please let us know as soon as possible. Please send your name, title, mailing address, contact information and fee to: Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh, c/o Rev. Brian Welding, 111 Blvd. Of the Allies, Pittsburgh, PA 15222.

Please direct any questions to Adam Blai at adamblai@hotmail.com.

He ranks prominently among my “Fathers.” Thus I’m categorizing this under “patristics.” May he rest in peace.

At Christmas, my beloved niece Melissa notified me that I had achieved my little bit of fame and could now retire. She explained that I’d been featured — with photo and a resume of sorts — on the website Am I Annoying or Not?

I just got around to checking it out, and she’s right!

If you’ve read my blog for more than a week (Hi Mom!), you already know that I’m annoying — though you probably could come up with better reasons than you’ll find in my brief for nomination. Tom Jefford, the guy who posted it, never mentioned my punning, snoring, stammering, or foot odor, to cite just a few examples.

Mercifully, Tom the Nominator noted just a few obvious deficiencies. He also said some very kind things about me and my work.

I would, however, like to take issue with a few details in his brief for my canonical status in the Hall of Annoyance.

First: my degree is in English, not Journalism (as he stated). We English majors like to make that annoying distinction. The degree is from Penn State, and that in itself is annoying to many people. I received the university’s Oswald Award “for achievement in journalism and mass media” — probably the source of Tom’s confusion — but that recognizes work in the field, not in the classroom.

Second: Tom is needlessly annoyed by what he perceives as my authoritative status. Rest easy, good man. No one outside the state asylums considers me an authority on anything. I don’t claim to be a scholar. I don’t try to hide my lack of advanced degrees. I’m a reporter covering a certain beat. Yes, it helps if a journalist covering the field of oncology happens to hold a degree in medicine — but very few do. Then again, few oncologists can write about their field in a way that ordinary people can understand. I believe that the Fathers belong to everyone, not just scholars. I also believe that Christians outside the academy should be made aware of what the good scholars are doing. Unless someone volunteers for the job of patristic journalist and publicist, it ain’t gonna happen.

I’d like to plead “not guilty” to Tom’s charge that my works are “cut-and-paste.” I do begin with Lightfoot and the old ANF and NPNF translations, which I acknowledge everywhere, but I perform major surgery on them before I include them in my books, and I do consult the originals when I can and when I need to. I can’t say I “know” the original languages the way native speakers did, or the way a doctoral candidate should, but I did well enough way back when to get A’s from Sister M. Herberta Burns, IHM, who was no easy grader. Like most journalists who have a beat, I know my limitations, and I rely on good interpreters, including a luminous one named Jefford.

In making his case, Tom observed that “Many, if not most Christians, don’t know or care who the Church Fathers were,” and I’m afraid he’s right. Alas.

But enough. As I said, Tom found some extremely kind things to say about me. And he placed me on his lists with some remarkable people, like Justin Martyr. And, so far at least, less than half the people who voted found me annoying. That could change, now that my kids know the voting is still open. In any event, the results show me to be twice as annoying as Justin Martyr.

So I’ll be grateful for the gift the Giftie gave me for Christmas: to see myself as others see me!

I hate to look a gift horse in the mouth, but … I am deeply — deeply — disappointed that Tom never mentioned my punning.

Rich and Noble:

Wisdom from a Sicilian-American Ghetto

Calogero Aquilina, my grandfather, arrived on America’s shores on April 24, 1909. He had made the long voyage by sea from Caltanisetta, Sicily, on the S.S. Finland.

He crossed the Atlantic in overcrowded steerage. And why? For the great privilege of working in the coal mines. Such jobs were plentiful. They were also dangerous and dirty — long hours for poverty wages. They were jobs that American citizens were not eager to fill. So Calogero landed at Ellis Island, like hundreds of thousands of others, and found immediate employment.

Those were the years before the unions made their impact. The air in the mines was damp, dusty, and barely breathable. The corridors were infested with rats.

At the end of the day, the miners joined their families in one-room houses. They cooked and they ate in the place where they slept.

Calogero worked in the mines for a solid decade before the dust took over his lungs and turned them black …

The story gets happier. Read on.