Savannah

The Georgia coastal city is known for manicured parks, horse-drawn carriages and antebellum architecture. Its historic district is filled with cobble-stoned squares and parks such as Forsyth Park shaded by oak trees covered with Spanish moss. It has its own rich history and lots of great restaurants. The official guide to the city offers: “Savannah, Georgia is a charming Southern escape where art, period architecture, trendy boutiques and ghost stories are all set under a veil of Spanish moss. Savannah is a place where cuisine comes straight from the coast and cocktails are served at every meal.”

Did you know it is the third largest container shipping port in the nation behind only Long Beach, CA and New York? Continue reading

Pope John XXIII

Today is the feast day for St. Pope John XXIII, the pope who called the Second Vatican Council into session. Normally a saint’s feast day is celebrated on the date of his passing. Pope John XXIII died on June 3, 1963; however, his feast is celebrated on October 11th each year, on the anniversary of the opening of Vatican II. His story is well-known and available on many internet sites.

Born Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli in 1881, he was one of 13 children. His youth was spent poor as the son of sharecroppers in a farming village of the Bergamo province in Lombardy. Yet his family was able to provide an education that eventually led to the seminary. Continue reading

On the Way

This coming Sunday is the 29th Sunday in Year B of the lectionary cycle. It is a familiar story in which James and John seek glory: ““Grant that in your glory we may sit one at your right and the other at your left.” (Mark 10:37) The tenth chapter of Mark has been especially dense with preparing the disciples for the time when Jesus will no longer be with them as their teacher. Jesus will enter Jerusalem at the beginning of Mark 11. The terrible fate that Jesus has already predicted for himself awaits even as he strives to have the disciples more fully understand the meaning of the Kingdom. Continue reading