Celebrating the First Sunday of Lent and Monthly Lecture by Dr. John C. Rao

Dr. John C. Rao

After Latin Mass on the First Sunday of Lent, we went to Manhattan to listen to Dr. John Rao’s monthly talk at the Church of the Holy Redeemer. With a few hours to kill, we decided to run a couple of errands and retrace a few steps from our past.

First things first, we stopped by Caffè Reggio in Greenwich Village for our morning espresso and croissant. Once a frequent haunt of ours, we rarely get to visit the historic caffè these days because it’s always packed with tourists and locals. Lucky enough to find a table, we had our breakfast and took in the many works of art and curios. The place is worth visiting just to see the old 1902 espresso machine and unique decor.

Fueled up with caffeine and carbs, we sauntered around the village and did some people-watching at Washington Square Park. Quickly turned off by the sights and sounds, we decided to do a little window shopping at the Chess Forum, Generation Records, Forbidden Planet, Mercer St. Books, and Carmine St. Guitars.

Life's Handicap by Rudyard Kipling

We did some actual shopping for art supplies at the Blick and I found an inexpensive hardback copy of Life’s Handicap: Stories of Mine Own People (1903) by Rudyard Kipling at the Strand.

On our way to the Burp Castle, a monastery-themed bar for beer and pretzels, we passed by world-famous McSorley’s Old Ale House, New York City’s oldest continuously operated saloon. My father brought me to McSorley’s many, many years ago for liverwurst and onion sandwiches and my first legal beer. Back then, we parked the car outside and walked right in. Today, like so many other popular New York institutions, parking is impossible and tourists line the street waiting to get in. Sadly, the Burp Castle was closed. I was looking forward to seeing the murals of sotted monks brewing beer and listening to Gregorian Chant.

Perhaps we were lucky. Before we knew it, it was time to head to Holy Redeemer for Dr. Rao’s talk.

Joining our friends at the church, we packed into the meeting room, mingled with other guests, and enjoyed assorted wine and cheese.

Always interesting and informative, this month’s talk was titled “When Values Descended to the Earth (900s-1200s).” Dr. Rao spoke at length about the rise of old European nobility, the formation of chivalric orders, and several medieval figures of great import, such as Hugh of Cluny and Pope Innocent III. Most of Dr. Rao’s writings can be found at For the Whole Christ and his lectures can be heard on Soundcloud.

After a brief Q&A period and catching up with our illustrious speaker, we said our goodbyes.

Rehashing the events of the day, we enjoyed a delicious dinner at Numero 28 pizzeria and bar in the West Village. Our hungry party enjoyed some spaghetti mollica e alici (anchovies and breadcrumbs) and a family-style pizza, half marinara (anchovies and capers) and half Reginella (fior di latte, buffalo mozzarella and basil). The salty fish delicacies are not for the faint of heart.

I know this may be hard to believe, but we had such an amazing day our subway commute home didn’t seem so bad.

Family-style pizza, half marinara and half Reginella

Spaghetti mollica e alici