Celebrating Maundy Thursday and the Feast of San Francesco di Paola

After Mass and visiting the altars of repose on Holy Thursday, I broke my Lenten fast with a light meal and a bottle of Paulaner bier in honor of San Francesco di Paola. Normally, we would celebrate with a full pizza-and-Paulaner gathering, but given Holy Week—and my abstaining from meat, eggs, and dairy—we set the festivities aside.

Still, I could not let the day pass without honoring our glorious patron. The significance of the beer lies in the fact that the monks who began brewing this excellent brew in 1634 to support their charitable works were members of the Minim Order, founded by the great saint himself. The name “Paulaner” is said to derive from Paola, the Calabrian town where he was born.

Evviva San Francesco di Paola!

Simple Pleasures: A Small Reliquary of Quiet Devotion

Recently acquired by a friend, this modest oval reliquary speaks to a deeply personal form of faith once carried close to the body. On its face, the Madonna of Loreto appears in simple relief, a reminder of one of Italy’s most enduring Marian devotions. Inside, delicate threads arranged in the form of a cross are sealed with wax—likely fragments of a contact relic, preserved as a tangible link to the sacred. Worn smooth with age, the piece suggests not display but use, an object meant to accompany its owner through ordinary life, offering protection, presence, and quiet consolation. Our Lady of Loreto, ora pro nobis.

Holy Saturday at Our Lady of Sorrows Church in Jersey City, New Jersey

Reflections on Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater

The Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts

As Good Friday approaches and I reflect on our Lord’s Passion, I am reminded of Giovanni Battista Pergolesi’s spare and mournful Stabat Mater.

In the early to mid-2000s, a former employer would often give us proles extra tickets from corporate events he didn’t want to use. Most people rushed to claim the sporting events—Knicks, Rangers, Yankees, Jets—while I always chose the opera and ballet at Lincoln Center, which no one else wanted.

I brought dates, friends, and family to performances of The Magic Flute (Mozart), Hansel and Gretel (Humperdinck), Rigoletto (Verdi), Orfeo ed Euridice (Gluck), Madama Butterfly (Puccini), La Bohème (Puccini), War and Peace (Prokofiev), and others. But one evening, I went alone.

In 2009, the New York City Ballet performed Stabat Mater, set to Pergolesi’s 1736 sacred score—a haunting late Baroque masterpiece and a profound meditation on Mary’s sorrow at the Cross. Six dancers, in diaphanous dress, moved in three couples across a dark, atmospheric stage, with only a crucifix. Their movements were slow and restrained, reflecting grief with quiet reverence.

I was brought to tears. The music and dance, overwhelming in their simplicity and sorrow, struck deeper than I expected.

To this day, it remains the most memorable performance I have ever seen.

~ By Giovanni di Napoli, April 2nd, Feast of San Francesco di Paola

(Above and below) Detail of the ceiling of the Metropolitan Opera House

In Search of the Villa of the Mysteries with the Ghost of the Count of Sciancato

In Search of… with the Ghost of the Count of Sciancato explores mysteries where history and legend blur and conjecture begins—along with the strange, the macabre, and the uncanny. What follows suggests possible explanations—though not the only ones.

The Villa of the Mysteries: Initiation in Pompeian Red

On the outskirts of ancient Pompeii, beyond the city walls and overlooking the Bay of Naples, stands a Roman house unlike any other.

They call it the Villa of the Mysteries.

Buried beneath volcanic ash in 79 A.D., it lay hidden for almost eighteen centuries. When excavated in the early twentieth century, archaeologists uncovered a chamber whose walls were painted a deep, consuming red. Life-sized figures moved across the plaster in solemn procession: women, satyrs, maenads, and a veiled initiate at the center of it all.

What was this room?

The fresco cycle, dating to the first century B.C., appears to depict a ritual—possibly an initiation into the cult of Dionysus. A bride prepares. A child reads from a scroll. A winged figure raises a scourge. A woman recoils, half-veiled, in what may be fear… or ecstasy.
 

The scenes are theatrical, almost operatic. Yet they are frozen in silence.

Fresco cycle from the Villa of the Mysteries, Pompeii (1st century B.C.).
The life-sized figures are widely interpreted as depicting a Dionysian
initiation rite, though their precise meaning remains debated.

For decades, scholars have debated their meaning. Some argue the paintings illustrate a young woman’s passage into marriage, cloaked in Dionysian symbolism. Others insist they portray initiation into mystery rites—secret ceremonies reserved for the chosen.

The Romans called them mysteria—things revealed only to initiates.

Dionysus, god of wine, frenzy, and divine madness, presided over cults that blurred the line between order and chaos. His rites were said to loosen the bonds of reason through intoxication, music, and holy terror. To confront Dionysus was to confront something wild, untamed, and perilously close to hidden knowledge.

In the Villa’s red chamber, the initiate stands between two worlds: innocence and awakening. The raised scourge may symbolize purification. The unveiled bride may signify passage into a new state. Or the entire sequence may represent something far more esoteric—an encounter with a god who did not arrive gently.

We do not know who commissioned the paintings. We do not know who stood in that room as bronze braziers flickered against those crimson walls. We do not know whether the rites performed there were symbolic… or real.

Then Vesuvius erupted, ash fell, roofs collapsed, and the city died. The chamber of initiation was sealed.

When it was rediscovered, the figures seemed almost alive, their eyes watchful, their gestures suspended in perpetual motion. Some visitors speak of an unusual stillness in the room, as though the ritual never ended—only paused.

Was the Villa of the Mysteries a bridal chamber adorned with mythic imagery?

Or was it a sanctuary of secret rites, preserved by catastrophe?

……………………………………

Sebastiano III, Conte di Sciancato, a minor prince of forgotten Lucania, was said to have loved his wife more than his soul. When his beloved bride, Donna Lucrezia di Nerafiora, died in a tragic accident, he could not accept the will of fate. In his grief, he turned to ancient books and desperate learning, searching for a way to restore her to the world of the living. The attempt cost him his life. The ruins of his torre lie hidden, and when the earth trembles, some whisper he still searches for her.

A Chance Find, a Lingering Dream, and The Deceivers

(L-R) 1952 hardback and 1998 softcover editions of The Deceivers by John Masters, alonside a sealed box of Frazetta Series I trading cards

One of the simple pleasures of warm weather is the return of garage sales. While thumbing through a bin of old books—and finding a sealed box of 1991 Frazetta Series I trading cards I once collected—I came across a couple of worn copies of The Deceivers by John Masters. The discovery felt oddly timed. Just a few weeks ago, I had mentioned the film adaptation—something I hadn’t thought about in years—after it resurfaced in a particularly unsettling dream involving three succubi. Until now, I hadn't realized that the film was based on a novel. With some hesitation, and at the risk of inviting another restless night, I look forward to reading it.

Random page from my trading card binder featuring
Frazetta Series I and Frazetta Series II trading cards

Questioning Tolerance: A Review of Gianandrea de Antonellis’ “Praise of Intolerance”

Fraternité (1893) by Adolphe Willette (1857-1926) portrays a revolutionary scrawling fraternity in blood on a wall while holding a severed head on a pike

In a recent article posted in Italian by altaterradilavoro.com, Gianandrea de Antonellis offers a provocative but thoughtful reflection on one of the most celebrated ideas of modern political culture: tolerance. His essay, Elogio dell’intolleranza (“Praise of Intolerance”), challenges readers to reconsider a concept that today is rarely questioned.

De Antonellis begins by asking a series of uncomfortable questions. Is it possible to defend historical decisions often condemned by modern opinion—such as the revocation of the Edict of Nantes or even the role of the Inquisition? And more broadly, is it possible to criticize the modern ideal of tolerance itself? In a cultural climate where tolerance is treated almost as an unquestionable virtue, raising such questions already signals the author’s intention: to examine the idea critically rather than accept it as a slogan.

One of the central points of the article is that “tolerance” is often used as a political weapon rather than a genuine principle. Throughout history, groups that demanded tolerance when they were weak frequently abandoned it once they gained power. De Antonellis points to examples ranging from the Jacobins of the French Revolution to Bolsheviks in Russia and Protestant reformers in early modern Europe. In each case, appeals to tolerance served a strategic purpose, but did not necessarily lead to lasting pluralism.

The author also highlights the contradictions of some famous advocates of tolerance, such as John Locke and Voltaire. Though often cited as champions of freedom of thought, both men imposed clear limits on what they considered acceptable. Locke excluded atheists and Catholics from his vision of religious tolerance, while Voltaire’s famous hostility toward the Catholic Church reveals a less universal spirit than his reputation suggests. For de Antonellis, this demonstrates that tolerance has rarely been as neutral or universal as modern rhetoric implies.

A particularly striking section of the article describes what the author sees as a recurring historical pattern. According to de Antonellis, social change often moves through a series of stages: prohibition, tolerance, acceptance, equality, privilege, and finally persecution of those who disagree. What begins as a request simply to be tolerated can eventually develop into an expectation of cultural dominance, accompanied by pressure to silence critics.

From this analysis, the author draws a broader conclusion about political and philosophical compromise. If truth exists, he suggests, it does not always lie comfortably between two opposing positions. For de Antonellis, the assumption that moderation or compromise automatically leads to truth can itself be misleading, because the truth may sometimes stand clearly on one side rather than in the middle.

~By Giovanni di Napoli, April 1st, Feast of San Lodovico Pavoni

Good Friday at Our Lady of Sorrows Church in Jersey City, New Jersey

Gaetano Mosca and the Ruling Class

Gaetano Mosca

Gaetano Mosca (1858–1941) stands as one of the great architects of modern political realism and a sober defender of constitutional order. Born in Palermo, Sicily, he rose from provincial beginnings to become a respected scholar, jurist, parliamentarian, and senator in the Kingdom of Italy. His life’s work was devoted to understanding how societies are truly governed—not in theory, but in practice.

Along with Vilfredo Pareto and Robert Michels, Mosca became one of the principal founders of modern elite theory—the study of how organized minorities inevitably shape political power in every society.

In his landmark study Elementi di Scienza Politica (1896)—later translated as The Ruling Class—Mosca advanced a simple yet enduring truth: in every civilization, an organized minority governs the majority. This was not, for him, a cynical observation but a historical constant. Stability, continuity, and cultural achievement depend upon a capable and disciplined ruling class—one shaped by law, tradition, and institutional restraint. Where leadership is competent and accountable, liberty can flourish; where it collapses into demagoguery or mass passion, disorder follows.

Unlike ideological revolutionaries of his era, Mosca favored constitutional government over utopian schemes. Serving in the Italian Parliament and later in the Senate, he advocated prudent reform while resisting political extremism. Although he initially viewed early Fascism with cautious interest amid the instability of postwar parliamentary politics, he never embraced its authoritarian direction. As the regime consolidated power and eroded constitutional safeguards, he distanced himself from its course, remaining committed to representative institutions and legal limits on authority.

Central to Mosca’s thought was the idea that every ruling minority sustains itself through what he called a “political formula”—a legitimizing set of beliefs that secures public consent. For him, elites endure not merely through force, but through organization, competence, cohesion, and a sense of institutional responsibility. Leadership, in his view, was not a matter of slogans but of structure and capacity.

His legacy is one of clarity and realism. He affirmed hierarchy as a constant feature of political life, emphasized the necessity of an organized and responsible governing minority, and understood that civilization depends upon institutions strong enough to channel power without surrendering liberty. His work remains a disciplined reminder that order is constructed, not assumed—and that free societies survive only when leadership is both capable and constrained.

~ By Antonio Isernia

Remembering Blessed Emperor Karl I of Austria

Blessed Karl I of Austria, ora pro nobis

On April 1, 1922, Blessed Karl I of Austria, By the Grace of God Emperor of Austria, King of Hungary, and the rest, died in exile on the Isle of Madeira at the age of 34.

O God, through the adversities of this world You led Blessed Karl from this earthly realm to the crown reserved for him in Heaven. Grant through his intercession that we may so serve Your Son and our brothers and sisters, that we may become worthy of eternal life. Through Our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, Who lives and reigns with You in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. Amen

April, the Month of Awakening

La Bénédiction des blés en Artois, Jules Breton (1857)  

April is the cruelest month, breeding
Lilacs out of the dead land, mixing
Memory and desire, stirring
Dull roots with spring rain.
~ T.S. Eliot, from The Waste Land

April arrives with a quiet confidence. The struggle of early spring has passed; the earth now yields itself to growth. Fields soften, orchards begin to stir, and the light at last carries warmth.

On April 2nd, the Church honors San Francesco di Paola, the hermit of Calabria, whose life of austerity and humility drew princes and peasants alike. His example reminds us that true authority often emerges from solitude rather than power.

April 3rd recalls Santa Fara, abbess, noblewoman, and founder of the monastery of Faremoutiers. She helped anchor Christian life through discipline, prayer, and the quiet governance of a religious house.

On April 23rd, the Church celebrates San Giorgio, soldier and martyr. His legend, adorned through centuries of storytelling, preserves an older truth: that courage is not merely the triumph over monsters, but the willingness to stand firm when faith itself is under assault.

April 25th brings the Major Rogation Day, when fields and towns are blessed in solemn procession. The faithful walk the boundaries of their land, praying for protection from famine, storm, and pestilence. These processions remind them that the fruits of the earth are never simply taken—they are asked for.

The month closes with the feast of Our Lady of Montserrat on April 27th, honoring the Black Madonna venerated for centuries in the mountains of Catalonia. There, amid rock and cloud, the Mother of God is remembered as both refuge and throne—a presence that watches patiently over a restless world.

~ By Giovanni di Napoli, March 31st, Feast of Beata Giovanna di Tolosa

Saints of the Day for April

(L-R) San Giorgio, Madonna Incoronata, Our Lady of Montserrat

April is traditionally the month the Church dedicates to the Blessed Sacrament, inviting the faithful to deepen their devotion to the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist through prayer, adoration, and reverence.

• The last Saturday in April is the Feast of the Madonna Incoronata
• April 1 — Feast of San Lodovico Pavoni
• April 2 — Novena to San Leone Magno
• April 2 — Feast of San Francesco di Paola
• April 3 — Feast of Santa Fara (Burgundofara)
• April 4 — Feast of San Benedetto il Moro
• April 5 — Feast of San Vincenzo Ferreri
• April 8 — Prayer for Servant of God Maria Rosa Zangara
• April 9 — Feast of San Demetrio di Tessalonica
• April 10 — Feast of San Michele dei Santi
• April 11 — Feast of San Leone Magno
• April 12 — Feast of San Giuseppe Moscati
• April 12 — Feast of San Giulio I Papa
• April 14 — Novena to San Giorgio Martire
• April 15 — Feast of San Cesare de Bus
• April 16 — Feast of San Benedetto Giuseppe Labre
• April 17 — Feast of Sant'Aniceto

• April 18 — Novena to Our Lady of Montserrat
• April 19 — Feast of Sant’Espedito di Melitene
• April 20 — Feast of Sant’Agnese di Montepulciano
• April 21 — Feast of Sant’Anselmo d’Aosta
• April 23 — Feast of San Giorgio Martire
• April 25 — Feast of the Madonna delle Armi
• April 25 — Feast of San Marco Evangelista
• April 25 — The Greater Rogations

• April 26 — Feast of Santi Cleto e Marcellino
• April 26 — Feast of Santa Franca Visalta
• April 27 — Feast of the Madonna di Monserrato
• April 27 — Feast of Santa Zita
• April 28 — Feast of San Vitale
• April 29 — Novena and Consecration to San Michele Arcangelo
• April 29 — Feast of San Severo di Napoli
• April 30 — Feast of Santa Caterina da Siena
• April 30 — Feast of Beato Benedetto da Urbino

Holy Thursday at Our Lady of Sorrows Church in Jersey City, New Jersey

Apocalypse Now: A Friendly Billion-Dollar Wager

My friends and I are currently locked in a hotly contested dead pool with a prize of one billion U.S. dollars. This is not the usual celebrity or politician affair. We have standards. Ours concerns the manner in which the Earth will meet its end.

I’ve put my money on the imminent return of our alien ancestors and the total enslavement of the human race. It feels long overdue. Others favor more conventional catastrophes: nuclear holocaust, a virulent plague, global warming, a new ice age, a sequel to the Great Flood, or even a rerun of the Permian–Triassic extinction event—because once just wasn’t enough.

The theological wing of the pool is divided between Ragnarök, the Rapture, and the Apocalypse, each argued with surprising confidence by people who still renew their gym memberships.

Our friend Concetta, however, chose death by asteroid. She has been insufferable ever since learning that Asteroid 99942 Apophis is scheduled to pass dangerously close to Earth on Friday, April 13, 2029. She’s already rehearsing her victory speech.

I remain confident that her celebration is premature and our future alien overlords will simply swoop in and blast the rock out of the sky. After all, one doesn’t cross the universe to conquer a planet without protecting the prize. Our esurient saviors will save the day.

~ By Giovanni di Napoli, March 30th, Feasts of Beato Joachim di Fiore and San Giovanni Climaco 

Il Portastendardo di Civitella del Tronto (n. 57 - Marzo 2026)

Photo of the Week: Egyptian Granite Atlantes at the Entrance of the Round Hall, Vatican Museum

Photo by New York Scugnizzo

Candlelight Way of the Cross in Brooklyn, New York

A Thin Lent and a Restless Heart

Justice and Divine Vengeance Pursuing Crime (1808) by Pierre-Paul Prud'hon

As Holy Week approaches, I find my Lent lacking. The practices I keep—Mass, daily prayer (hesychasm, the Holy Rosary), and fasting—are already part of my routine. Even my other devotions come easily. There has been little real sacrifice.

For almsgiving, I do what I can, though my resources are limited. The other night, for example, I bought food for a homeless man begging for something to eat beside a hot dog stand. He refused it and asked for money instead. Unsure whether to discard it—wasting food—or eat it myself—which would break my abstinence—I returned it to the vendor at a loss.

Apart from this, life remains relatively comfortable. On Sundays, I visit museums after Mass, then share meals with friends and family. In the evenings, I read, write, and tend to small hobbies—such as philately and stargazing—and watch the occasional film. None of it is wrong, but I question whether I should be setting more of it aside.

What troubles me most is not what I do, but what I lack. I do not see in myself a true conversion of heart. I grow angry at the corruption around me and the dishonesty of those in power. I want justice, but I worry that this desire for retribution borders on vengeance. That, more than anything, shows how far I still have to go in trusting God’s justice.

~ By Giovanni di Napoli, March 28th, Feast of Saint John of Capistrano

Holy Week at Holy Trinity Church in Hackensack, New Jersey

Remembering Princess Cristina Pia of the Two Sicilies

24 December 1869 – 28 March 1870

In memory of Princess Maria Cristina Pia Anna Isabella Natalia Elisa di Borbone delle Due Sicilie, daughter of SG King Francesco II and Queen Maria Sophia of the Two Sicilies, we pray for the happy repose of her soul.

Eternal rest grant unto her, O Lord and let perpetual light shine upon her. May her soul, and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.

Good Friday Traditional Latin Mass Shuttle

Remembering Charles III, Duke of Parma

14 January 1823 – 27 March 1854

In memory of Carlo III di Borbone, Duke of Parma and Piacenza, we pray for the happy repose of his soul. While out for a stroll on Sunday 26 March 1854, the Duke was mortally wounded by an assassin’s blade and died at 5:30 PM the following evening on 27 March.

Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord and let perpetual light shine upon him. May his soul, and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.

Celebrating the Solemnity of the Annunciation at Transfiguration Church

Et ait Angelus ei: Ne timeas Maria, invenisti enim gratiam apud Deum. Ecce concipies in utero, et paries filium, et vocabis nomen eius IESUM. (Lk 1:30–31) *

On Wednesday evening, the Solemnity of the Annunciation was beautifully observed at Transfiguration Church in Chinatown, New York. The turnout was remarkable—the church was nearly full.

I was glad to see that the church had retained the Passiontide custom of veiling statues in purple, a striking reminder of mourning, penance, and of Christ hiding Himself from His persecutors. The Sung Latin Mass featured Byrd’s Mass for Four Voices, performed beautifully by the choir, whose effort elevated the Liturgy.

Before Mass, there was an unexpected moment. On my way out, a friendly Border Collie wandered up to me and began playing at my feet. His owner, a tall blond woman, soon followed and introduced him—Benjamin, a therapy dog. Learning that, I joked that it must have been what drew him to me.

In passing conversation, I mentioned that I was on my way to church. She asked if I was Catholic, and then why Catholics “worship” Mary. I explained that we do not worship the Virgin; we honor her as the Mother of God, and worship God alone.

She replied that most Christians do not venerate her—a claim that is not quite accurate, given that most Christians are Catholic. Already running late and not inclined to debate, I answered simply: “Well, that’s their problem,” patted Benjamin one last time, and made my way to church.

After Mass, we broke the Lenten fast with a simple serving of pommes frites. A modest end to a solemn day—marked by grace, music, and the quiet persistence of faith.

~ By Giovanni di Napoli, March 26th, Feast of Beata Maddalena Caterina Morano

Notes
* The Angel said to her: Fear not, Mary, for thou hast found grace with God: behold thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and shalt bring forth a son, and thou shalt call His Name Jesus. (Lk 1:30–31)

Traditional Holy Week at Our Lady of Sorrows Church in Jersey City, New Jersey

Feast of Beata Maddalena Caterina Morano

Beata Maddalena Caterina
Morano, ora pro nobis

March 26th is the Feast of Blessed Maddalena Caterina Morano (1847–1908), a Piedmontese religious sister of the Salesian Sisters of Don Bosco, devoted to the education and spiritual formation of young people. Born in Chieri, Piedmont, she became a teacher at a young age and later joined the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians, inspired by the mission of Saint John Bosco.

Sent to Catania as a missionary, she founded schools, oratories, and houses for poor and abandoned girls, becoming a beloved mother and educator. Known for her charity, humility, and tireless dedication to youth, she played a key role in expanding the Salesian mission in Sicily.

She was beatified in 1994 by Pope John Paul II. Her life remains a model of joyful service and unwavering faith.

Evviva Beata Maddalena Caterina Morano!

In celebration of her feast, we offer this prayer:

Prayer to Blessed Maddalena Caterina Morano

Father, you planted in the heart of the virgin, Blessed Madeleine Morano, your word of truth, which prompted her to dedicate herself with constancy and wisdom to the education of the young: grant that through her intercession and following her example, we may be docile to the action of the Spirit in fulfilling with joy your loving design. We make our prayer through your Son Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God for ever and ever.