Last Wed. a surgeon amputated the fourth toe
on my right foot. How I miss it.
We had grown quite attached.
6 Jan. 2022
Separation
Category: Event
The Maurist Congregation – 19 January
The Congregation of Solesmes is a direct descendant of the celebrated Maurist Congregation (1618-1818) of ascetics and scholars at St-Germain-des-Prés, Paris, where the Benedictine historian and inventor of paleography, Dom Jean Mabillon OSB (1632-1707) lies buried. “Mabillon” is the nearby Parisian Metro station that bears his name.
John Paul McDonald translated and published the influential Treatise on Monastic Studies written by Mabillon in 1691 in response to De la sainté et des devoirs de la vie monastique, a provocative essay by Dom Armand-Jean de Rancé (1626-1700), the stern, reforming Cistercian Abbot of La Trappe.
Death of John the Baptist 2016
Head of Saint John the Baptist, alabaster, (c. 1470–1500); (Victoria and Albert Museum).
The Beheading of the Baptist used to be a big feast day at Saint John’s Abbey. John the Baptist is the patron of the abbey. Monday, 29 August 2016, the celebration had been reduced to a Memorial and was celebrated sparsely except for the elevated music at Mass.
Transit of Mercury
I’m fascinated by rare astronomical events such as the upcoming Transit of Mercury. From earth, proper instruments can track the movement of the small planet across the surface of the sun. The event that occurs 13 times per century is not visible to the naked eye without serious damage. Better to watch the live streaming on Monday morning, 9 May.
Even more spectacular was the Transit of Venus that occurred in 1882, 2004, and 2012. I mentioned it on my Facebook page at the time. John Phillip Sousa, also intrigued by astronomical phenomena, composed The Transit of Venus March in 1882.
Last Day of Classes at CUA
The students at CUA celebrated the last day of classes, 29 April 2016, with fireworks. Below are some photos taken near Curley Hall.
1916 Easter Uprising 2016
Last night, 20 April 2016, I attended a commemoration in poetry and song at The Catholic University of America honoring the Easter Rising. Her Excellency Anne Anderson, 17th Irish Ambassador to the U.S., launched the evening with two short contemporary poems.
Dr. Coilin Owens concluded the event discussing the aftereffects and lingering significance of the Easter Rising 1916.
“I write it out in a verse—
MacDonagh and MacBride
And Connolly and Pearse
Now and in time to be,
Wherever green is worn,
Are changed, changed utterly:
A terrible beauty is born.”
–W.B. Yeats, From “Easter 1916.”
Remember the Titanic, 14-15 April 1912
The Patriot II took its passengers near the Women’s Titanic Memorial that commemorates the male passengers and crew who lost their lives at the sinking of the RMS Titanic so that women and children could survive. It is located on the Southwest waterfront beside Fort McNair.
The same person with whom I was taking the cruise had joined me four years earlier for a special evening ceremony honoring the sad event’s centennial in 2012.
Cherry Blossom Time
Thursday, 31 March 2016, a visitor from Minnesota and I signed on to the Cherry Blossom Cruise from National Ferry Corp. at the Washington Marina. The day was overcast and windy, but it was a pleasant diversion. The boat was about half-filled with passengers.