capdox blog

2011 Christmas Crib, Capuchin Friars, St. Fiacre's Church, Leichhardt, Sydney

2011-12-26T10:59:00.000+11:00

This year’s Christmas crib made by the student friars continues the Franciscan tradition. It followed the idea of finding Christ in St Fiacre’s Parish in Leichhardt. It is the Capuchin mindset which emphasises that Christ can be found in any setting. Having the privilege to experience a white Christmas in the northern hemisphere, the students were inspired to bring the same joy to the parish and school with a snow theme. The Nativity scene is made up of all the main features found in St Fiacre’s Parish from the school to the church and even the Friary. Collectively, the students agreed that the garage was to be the setting for the nativity scene because it was the most obscure of places and a building commonly dismissed by all who passes by. It really emphasises the humility of God.

To see photos and read more....

The Circle of Divine Love

2011-12-24T06:22:00.002+11:00

A new addition to the CAPDOX site: the first translation of the The Circle of Divine Love composed by Francesco Ripanti da Iesi, who died in 1549. Bro. Patrick Colbourne is the translator. To see this new work, click here..

Capdox update

2011-12-11T06:09:00.002+11:00

A new link has been added to the top menu of Capdox. The [OzCap] tab is a link to the website of the Australian Capuchins. Unfortunately, the company that managed the site template has disappeared, along with administrator access codes. Perhaps this is a blessing in disguise, and there is talk and thought about a new webpage. Meanwhile the news module of http://www.capuchinfriars.org.au/ is active.

Coming up on Capdox ...

Br. Patrick Colbourne is preparing an English translation of Francesco da Jesi's Circle of Divine Love - another very welcome addition to Capdox. To the best of our knowledge this will be the first English translation of the work. Br. Patrick has produced fine translations of other texts found already on Capdox, including works by Giovanni da Fano.

The Art of Union and A Small Catechism (here)
A Short Discourse Concerning the Observance of the Vow of Poverty of the Friars Minor (here)
The Second Dialogue on Salvation (here)
Apart from these works by Giovanni da Fano, Br. Patrick has also translated for Capdox
Evangelical Love concerning the Rule of Saint Francis (here)

Also in preparation at this time is a translation of Licet ab initio, a Bull of Paul III on 21 July 1542. In this Bull he centralised and unified heresy investigation procedures with the establishment of the Roman Inquisition. Before the Bull, this kind of investigation (inquisitio) and trial (processo) was largely the responsibility of each diocese. .

Capuchin Charism

2011-11-09T11:34:00.000+11:00

The Capuchin Friars of the Australian Province celebrate our Provincial Chapter this week (7-11 November). I was asked to make a presentation of the Capuchin Charism. The text of the presentation can be found on the homepage of www.capdox.com Your comments will be much appreciated.

A new addition to capdox

2011-09-25T05:59:00.002+10:00

A new link with liturgy resources has been added to the Liturgy and Lectio Divina section under the LINKS tab on the top menu bar. Parole Nuove is part of www.qumran2.net out of Milan. This site is impressive! The material available in Parole Nuove is diverse and extensive. Though in Italian, you will find a section that contains images to illustrate the Liturgical theme for each Sunday.

These links are updated every Sunday for the following Sunday. They contain liturgy resources (readings, commentaries, liturgical prayer, images, etc) to help prepare for the Sunday Mass.

Other news: Due to illness I have had to return to my home Capuchin Province in Australia. God willing, I hope to be able to add more material now in preparation to the capdox site.

Visit of the Brothers to Palermo

2011-06-09T17:42:00.005+10:00

A number of us from the General Curia spent the first weekend of June in Palermo and its region of Sicily.

Palermo Cathedral

Thanks to the tireless hospitality of fra Enzo (the Minister Provincial) and the friars of Palermo, we were able to visit Salemi, Trapani, Erice, Castelvetrano, Selinunte, Sciacca, Cefalù, Palermo - of course - and Monreale.

Erice

Palermo is only one region of Sicily, yet three and a half days was barely enough for a quick glimpse of its natural and historical beauty.

Erice

For me, the highlight was our visit to the Cathedral of Monreale just outside Palermo. Its mosaic icon of the Jesus the Pantokrator is well known (see below.)

Monreale

Without any exageration, standing (- and sitting with a dropped jaw-) within that space was one of the most moving experiences I have ever had. Even apart from the excellent catechesis of the cathedral dean. I was surprised at the silent impact the interior of the church had upon me. I cannot imagine that anyone would be unaffected by the light and compelling beauty of the icons and their interrelation. That, and the catechesis of the parish priest, have compelled me revise my earlier opinions about such texts as "The Divine Liturgy" by Germanus the Confessor, or "The Hierarchies" by the Pseudo-Dionysius, and the like. Personally, until seeing inside Monreale cathedral - which does constitute an integrated liturgical space (even with its later modifications) - I have thought of the "allegorical" commentaries on the Sacred Liturgy to be pius exaggerations empty of content. Now it feels as though my own view has been very limited without this experience. The intuition of the transcendent dimension of the Sacred Liturgy has been more present to me in the Liturgy of the Hours. In Monreale, though, that dimension to the entire Sacred Liturgy (Eucharist and Liturgy of the Hours) is made tangible and visible on a cosmic scale. I have to admit now how beauty can enhance active participation (but not just any beauty, and not just any participation it must be said .) The transcendent dimension of the Eucharist has been less visible and less accessible to my conscious and unconscious self than I could have been aware of without this visit, a visit that will remain one those milestones of rare significance in my own vocational journal. Below are some images. Without comments. Words seem inadequate, and a few words - banal. The Cathedral in Monreale could be a place of universal pilgrimage if it isn't already. (Again, apologies for the rotated view.)

See http://www.paradoxplace.com/Perspectives/Sicily%20&%20S%20Italy/Montages/Sicily/Palermo/Monreale%20Cathedral.htm

The Lost Michelangelos

2011-05-27T02:38:00.005+10:00

Antonio Forcellino, The Lost Michelangelos, Cambridge, Polity Press, 2011. Translated by Lucinda Byatt. (Original title: La Pietà Perduta, Milano, R.C.S., 2010). pp.181 (10 plates, 5 in colour); ISBN-13: 978-0-7456-5203-0.

The author, an Italian professional art restorer/conservator, reports the detective story that led to his identification of what he believes to be an original Michelangelo panel previously unknown to the academic world. (He also revises the provenance of a second panel with evidence to strongly suggest that it too is an original by the master.)

Far from a dry, technical report, the author also tells the personal story of his search and conscious fidelity to a sceintific methodology - a fidelity that does not extinguish his infectious enthusiasm and that of his collaborators.

Part of his account expresses Michelangelo's relationship with the Italian spirituali, including Vittoria Colonna and Reginald Pole - an historical and documented context in which the Pietà was produced, and which testifies to the existence of the panel painting. Forcellino's detective work establishes a plausible line of provence of the panel. Combined with corroborated analysis of the Pietà's underlying drawing leads to a positive identification of the panel's author.

The translation is a smooth read.

Post script:
The following article has since appeared in the International Herald Tribune (26 May 2011): http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/29/arts/design/the-pieta-behind-the-couch.html?_r=1&scp=2&sq=michelangelo&st=cse

I first became aware of this story from an article by Melissa Klein (NewsCore on 11 October 2011) published in the International Herald Tribune and various other news services, including The Australian:
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/world/historian-convinced-family-has-found-a-michelangelo/story-e6frg6so-1225937058195

Beatification of John Paul II 2 May 2011

2011-05-02T02:40:00.004+10:00

Pope Benedict's Homily

(English tranlsation) at the Beatification of John Paul II.

Scroll down for images from the Liturgy.

Click on each image to see it in its original size.

The images below are from the Maranatha website.

Fraternity of the Capuchin General Curia, Rome

2011-04-15T20:48:00.003+10:00

Click on the pic!

Just finished reading...

2011-04-15T03:17:00.004+10:00

1. Alister McGrath and Joanna Collicut McGrath, The Dawkins Delusion?, 2007 (ISBN 978-0-281-05927-0)
2. Alister McGrath, Why God won't go away. Engaging the New Atheism, 2011 (ISBN 978-0-281-06387-1)
3. Alister McGrath, Surprised by Meaning. Science, Faith, and How We make Sense of Things, 2011 (ISBN 978-0-664-23692-2)

Overall, I enjoyed reading these and am glad I did. Stimulating, they outline and critique the fundamental tenets of the "New Atheism" clearly, simply, persuasively. I would have liked to see a recognition of metaphysics as a legitimate science with its own degree of abstraction and certainty, with its capacity for deductive proof distinct from that of mathematics. Such a discussion may have been beyond the scope of these volumes and disrupted the accessibility of the text. Nonetheless, it would be regrettable if a reader were left with the impression that the philosophy of science trumps other philosophical sciences, and that mathematics alone enjoys an a relatively unassailable degree of certitude. In short, I am left wondering about some epistemological pre-suppositions in the books. Having expressed that one, personal un-ease I have, I must say again that the books are a great read, and I would recommend the second one the most of all.

Franciscan Ascetical Writings

2011-04-06T15:28:00.002+10:00

A "must see" page. Fr. Campion Murray OFM has, over the years, made English translations of early Franciscan ascetical texts. The texts can be downloaded in PDF format. Excellent! Go to http://www.franciscans.org.au/spirituality/campion/index.htm

Corrections to capdox

2011-04-03T00:51:00.003+11:00

Until a 'reader' wrote today, I was unaware that Short Discourse Concerning the Observance of the Vow of Poverty of the Friars Minor had not been linked to its PDF file. The problem is fixed and the English translation of Giovanni di Fano's text is now available. Four or five more photographs have been added to the collection of header images too.
If you know of other difficulties with the capdox site, I would be grateful to hear about them.

2011-03-26T06:58:00.006+11:00

That's it. No more tweeking of the site for the time being ... well, not much. Some adjustments happen routinely. The Sunday liturgy links (La Chiesa, Maranatha and the Carmelite Lectio Divina) usually get updated every Sunday morning around 8am, GMT - more or less.

Very positive comments on the photographs dispalyed on the capdox homepage. Thankyou. The camera used for most of the pics is a little Olympus FE-20. Photo editing with PhotoImpact version 6. This programme has been in my service since 2000 and more than meets my needs.

Hopefully, capdox may have some new content soon. One or two projects are in the works.

Roller coaster

2011-03-17T20:03:00.012+11:00

Visitors to the capdox site have had a roller-coaster ride with all the live changes happening to the site yesterday and today. Probably a bit annoying. Brighter and easier to navigate, CAPDOX looks better.

Apart from a slightly wider page and a better menu, capdox presents some quality images from a few Franciscan and Capuchin places. (Smart Flash Header by ProJoom manages and displays these images. This Joomla extension has a number of useful functions and settings. My only concern is the time needed to download the home page.)

Later, captions will identify the locations.

Huddled in a little valley below the town of Cupramontana is the former Camaldolese monastery of the Grottoes of Massaccio (left). With an previous, long history of eremitical life lived in various way, the site was taken up by Paolo Giustiniani. Seeking refuge, Ludovicio Fossombrone and his brother Raffaele came here briefly shortly at the beginning. Ludovico would have known about this monastic site from the days of his novitiate in the Franciscan friary are short distance away, outside Cupramontana itself.

In recent years the building has been beautifully restored by various owners.

A recent study

2011-03-09T00:57:00.007+11:00

Bernardino Ochino, the general superior of the Capuchins at the time, left Italy for Switzerland in August 1542. News of the "flight" of the famous preacher spread rapidly throughout Italy and was a great scandal. The existence of the Capuchins, a new branch within the Francsican family, was still the matter of debate. The behaviour of its superior cast a shadow of doubt over the new congregation.

Shortly after his departure, within a few weeks, Pope III received a startling letter from his former friend Bernardino. The harsh contents of the letter startled and angered Paul III and that shadow lengthened over the future of the Capuchin Friars.

Another letter was published later, and circulated in manuscript form also. That letter was attributed explcily to Bernardino. As that letter had some circulation it was probably the one that the first Capuchin chroniclers knew about when, from 1565 onwards, they began to compose their accounts of the first years of the Capuchin reform. It is quite plausible to believe that this published letter shaped the image of Ochino transmitted in these Chronicles. In turn, that poor image was underlined by Capuchin apologia within the context of the Counter-Reformation.

After some indecision - and waiting for replies from possible publishers - I present the study on the capdox.com site for the first time today.

"Fixing a footnote" - as a title for this work- would adequately situate scale of the importance of the study. Nothing earth-shattering, yet one significant tile in the mosaic of Church and Capuchin history.

Capdox - another new face...

2011-03-05T14:18:00.005+11:00

Earlier posts mention an sister site to capdox - the same content, different format. A tentative experiment. With the great PC crash of 13 December 2010 the time came to farewell the original capdox site.

Using a different content management system (CMS), the alternative site has been linked at "Capuchin Saints and Blessed" on the old home page. It came on line in early March 2009. The new CMS has a different structure (cascading style sheets). This 'old dog' has had to learn some new tricks. But the effort has been worthwhile. Now capdox looks very different.

Snow in February

2010-02-21T16:44:00.012+11:00

Snow fell in Rome on the morning of Friday 12 February. This fall was the heaviest in over twenty five years - according to some 'sources.' (This 'statistic' seems unspecific and generalization.)However I do remember waking to a good ground cover of snow in Rome just after Christmas 2003 (or was that 2004?!)

sister site to www.capdox.com

2009-06-04T05:38:00.002+10:00

Today I uploaded a sister site to www.capdox.com
To access the new site, click on the picture of Francis of Assisi on the capdox home page.
There is more new material on this site. Eventually the old site will be discontinued.
Comments welcome.

Website Makeover

2009-04-11T02:43:00.004+10:00

As of Easter Sunday (12 April 2009) www.capdox.com has a new face . . . and more new material, revised bibliography, a link to my bookshelf, as well as a revised annotated translation of the Capuchin Constitutions of 1536.

The new material is a translation of The Art of Union and A Small Catechism written by Giovanni da Fano. The translator is Br. Patrick Colbourne ofm cap.

Back to Arezzo

2009-03-14T13:47:00.003+11:00

Recently I returned to Arezzo to visit the Capuchin Friars there, and to look around the town. What a surprise to discover that the town hosts an Antiques Fair the last weekend of each month ... in this case, February.

Spring is arriving in Rome

2009-03-14T13:33:00.005+11:00

After a wet winter, Spring is finally arriving in Rome.

Your ideas?

2008-10-12T18:51:00.003+11:00

To jot down your ideas ... click on comments.

Wandering 'round Rome

2008-06-08T06:04:00.004+10:00

Recently enjoyed a few days with a guest, Jean Davies from Murrurundi, New South Wales. Being an artist, Jean found plenty of inspiration in the historic centre of Rome.

2008-04-21T16:51:00.001+10:00

Easter in Asolo 2008

Back to Asolo for Easter. Snow fell on nearby Monte Grappa during Holy Week.

Asolo for Christmas, 2007

2008-01-01T04:02:00.000+11:00

The Capuchin Friary (the Oasi di Sant'Anna) at Asolo (Veneto) was set up 25 June 1587. Three of us from the Capuchin International College in Rome went to Asolo to offer some assistance during the Christmas period.

Another moment in history ...

2007-12-16T19:36:00.000+11:00

Brothers Alexander Joseph, Sunil Kachapally, Alexander Madathil, Santosh Peacevilla, Ansen Thattassery, Cleettus Vettiyattethuputhenveedu and Godfrey Alby, together with Brother Gandolf Wild, at the hermitage of Aquarella, Albacina. This is the site of the first Capuchin Chapter in 1529. Our Indian Brothers are preparing to embark upon new Capuchin missionary enterprises - three of the brothers will go to Ghana and four to Germany.

Our nine days together allowed us to visit many places significant in Franciscan and Capuchin history. At Assisi, thanks to the great kindness of the owner, we were able to visit the first Capuchin friary in Assisi, called then "Le Carcarelle" (not to be mistaken with the Le Carceri). Bernardino da Colpetrazzo was a member of the fraternity in this little house at one point in time. Saint Joseph of Leonessa completed his novitiate within these walls. The humble little dwelling had to be abandoned by the friars towards the end of the 16th C in favour of a more accessible little friary purpose built by the town of Assisi. Its owners have, over a number of generations, have lovingly and tastefully restored the simple monastic style of Le Carcerelle. Even today its solitude is imposing, 'far from the maddening crowd.' And the guest book shows that Le Carcerelle is still very much a place of prayer for people from many walks of life and parts of the world.

I hope to return to the Capuchin Friary (Oasi di Sant'Anna) in Asolo for the Christmas confessions and liturgy. Dating back to the 16C this Capuchin Friary is located just outside the town of Asolo.

This week ... around and about - Assisi and Milan

2007-10-19T00:33:00.001+10:00

While on their travels, Terry and Karen Mohan, with their children Emily and Jack, spent four days here at the Capuchin International College. Together we visited both Assisi and Milan, spending a day in each place. Assisi was as beautiful as ever. Our visit focused mainly upon the Basilica's of Saint Francis, plus a few quiet little spots hidden away in the honey comb back streets. The Duomo of Milan, one walk around the roof at two levels or spend hours admiring the stained glass. The intricacy of the stone work is a marvel.

Course for Librarians and Archivists

2007-09-09T03:26:00.000+10:00

3 - 7 September 2007 . The staff of the Capuchin Central Library conducted the seventh annual course for Librarians working in Capuchin libraries. For the first time, the course included archivists. On Tuesday morning, we had the pleasure of a guided tour through the Secret Vatican Archives. While not for beginners, the course for Archivists (which I attended) was very useful in many respects. A range of topics included the history of the Capuchin General Historical Archives as well as description of its architecture (schematization) and a thorough introduction to the physical archives themselves, housed at the Capuchin International College of Saint Lawrence of Brindisi in Rome. The archivists, and would be archivists, also received a thorough introduction to the General International Standard Archival Description or ISAD(G) and the software produced by the Italian Episcopal Conference for application to Church Historical Archives in Italy. Apart from permitting a standardisation of archival descriptions, the CEIr will also make possible a general index of the Church's patrimony in historical archives in Italy. The librarians and archivists also enjoyed some combined sessions for discussion. Of particular interest (to me at least) was the practical presentation regarding the restoration and conservation of manuscripts and other old books. Among the issues raised in the general forum: the need to raise awareness of the serious questions concerning the state of the cultural heritage of the Capuchin Fraternity, especially in jurisdictions that can no longer manage their archives and libraries. This problem is serious in places where the Fraternity is experiencing manpower shortages. In most, if not all cases, these jurisdictions are those with the longest histories. We owe it to the future to safeguard and promote these cultural and historical assets.

2007-08-01T22:09:00.000+10:00

I trained to Broken Hill on 16 July (13 hours), arriving at 7pm in the evening, met by the parish priest of Broken Hill, Fr. Paul Clark. Thank you Fr Paul for your generous and congenial hospitality!!!

While Broken Hill is in NSW, the nearest capital city is Adelaide. The NSW border with South Australia is only a short distance from BH, which shares the same time zone with South Australia, half an hour behind Sydney.

Broken Hill (town and region) is famous for its lead, zinc and silver mines. Geologically the rocks are quite old (1.7 bn years I believe). Quite a difference in age compared to the more recent surface rocks of the Sydney Basin. While the geological history is fascinating, so is the story of the town grown up around mining. Both aspects are long stories ...

The images give some sense of the fascinating, arid desert landscape of Western NSW. July occurs in winter in the southern hemisphere. The daylight for exploration was brief, and the wind cold ... but no flies, no scorching heat.

The stay in Broken Hill was far too short since I had to return to Sydney on 20 July. So much to see and begin to understand. Three days are a good introduction. Next time, two weeks (God willing.)

2007-07-08T05:15:00.000+10:00

In Sydney, Australia, for meetings, retreats, and a short break at the Capuchin Hermitage at Murrurundi.

Moving right along ...

2007-06-10T17:45:00.000+10:00

Well. . .
Does the internet improve the quality of communication?

Yesterday I was attempting to read, yet again, parts of The Idea of Reform: its impact on Christian thought in the Age of the Fathers, Harper and Row, 1967 by Gerhart Burian Ladner. The style of the translation is a little heavy, unfortunately. Being a slow reader, I find the text 'viscous.'

Towards the end of the book he includes some reflections on method. Particularly interesting (for me) was his first discursus on historical certainty and the definition of reform. (What is a definition anyway?)

Translation is my work. From Italian to English. Often sixteenth century Italian. These old texts belong to another time. A translation looks at the words of a text. But the text must be understood within its 'historical' context, its milieu. The translator is also an exegete.

Getting started ....

2007-06-08T03:24:00.000+10:00

I am particularly interested in the relationship between the Capuchin reform and Church reform in Italy up until the Council of Trent. Of course, your comments do not have to be so restricted.