Assisi

Hi,
I hear that Minnesota has been wet and that the Twin Cities received a foot of snow. I thought that this is a good time for me to be in Rome, but I will a difficult time adjusting to the cold when I return.
I hope you are well and healthy. I will be returning to the parishes on December 15 - time has gone so fast. I hear that Fr. Ernster is doing very well - I am glad for this.
I was on retreat last week at Assisi. I am feeling refreshed in my prayer and I am finding a deeper place withing for God. I am also at peace with myself. So I will be renewed when I return home.
Below are picture from Assisi. The first is of the city, the second taken at the Franciscan Hermitage, the third is an ancient painting from one of the churches.
May God bless all of you. I think of you every day and I continue to pray for you.
Fr. Pete

Malta

Hi,
I had another good week of classes, mostly on ethics, especially biomedical ethics. There is so much going on in this world that we know so little about. Some of it is frightening.
I spent last weekend in Malta which has so much history from prehistoric people to the infamous Knights of Malta to the World War II bombings they received as they held the island for the allies. The oldest standing temple in the world is in Malta. Named Hagar Qim, it was built in about 3600 BC. Below is a picture of the entry to the temple and a picture of an altar with a design of a tree chiseled out of the rock - this is before the bronze and iron ages, so all the work was done with stone.
I also listed a youtube internet site of a church in Malta. From my camera I videotaped the Church of Mary, Mosta which has one of the largest domes in the world. During World War II, during mass, a German bomb went through the roof, hit a side wall and fell to the floor spinning, without exploding. Three hundred people were unharmed. Two other bombs hit the domed roof and bounced off. The people of Mosta told me that this was their miracle. God surely was with them that day.
God's blessings to all of you. I hope all is well at home. You are in my thoughts and prayers.
Fr. Pete







http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4S0eENS7ekI

Pantheon

Hi,
I haven't written for a while, so it's time for me to check in. I am close to being in my last month of sabbatical. I have learned so much and my relationship with Christ is deepening. I will be bringing home so many insights in our faith and in the world.
Classes these days have covered topics of preaching, sacred scripture, morality, role of Mary in the church, etc. These have been uplifting classes and I am still feeling very blessed. I also have been touring the city of Rome and surrounding area. I was very privileged to concelebrate mass at the Pantheon in Rome on November 1, Feast of All Saints. The Pantheon was a temple to all gods during time of the Roman empire which was converted into a church in the 6th century. Named St. Mary of the Martyrs, this was the church where the Feast of All Saints began. After mass, the pastor showed me an icon of Mary with the child Jesus from the 3rd century AD. Please see below pictures of the Pantheon and the icon.
Blessings to all of you. Know that I still think of you every day and that I keep you in my prayers.
Fr. Pete