February 14, 2026

Dinner and a Show: A Valentine's Memory

›
Years ago, for our first Valentine’s Day, I took a girlfriend to a small Neapolitan restaurant in a quiet corner of Manhattan. It was warm a...

Foreclosing on Faith: America's Church Closing Crisis at the Mary House in New York City

›
February 13, 2026

Auguste Rodin Redux

›
Eternal Springtime , bronze, modeled 1884, cast between 1898-1918 by Ferdinand Barbedienne In the early days of this blog, I limited myself...

Michela Musolino: An Evening of Sicilian Folk and Roots Music at the Italian American Museum of Los Angeles

›
February 12, 2026

A Prayer for Tumbler Ridge

›
Canadian Martyrs, orate pro nobis We offer our prayers and sincere condolences for the victims of the deadly mass shooting on February 10th ...

A Familiar Melancholy

›
My father and I ate dinner early, just the way he liked it. There was too much food, the old familiar stories repeated with minor variations...

165º anniversario della fine dell’Assedio di Gaeta (1860–1861)

›
February 11, 2026

More Family History Confirmed

›
Family lore long suggested that I was part Arbëreshë. Recently, a cousin put that beyond rumor, sharing documents showing that my great-gran...

Ash Wednesday at Corpus Christi Church in South River, New Jersey

›
February 10, 2026

Rodin, Egypt, and the Return of First Obsessions

›
Le Désespoir (Despair) , bronze, ca. 1893 (model), 1942 (sand casting by Alexis Rudier), Auguste Rodin At the Institute for the Study of the...