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All Saints and All Souls Special

Welcome back to Vatican Insider this weekend for Part II of my interview with two special guests, Father Joseph Fessio, founder of Ignatius Press, and Mark Brumley, president of Ignatius Press. The focus of our conversation was Ignatius Press’ latest edition of its YOUCAT series. YOUCAT stands for Youth Catechism. The original came out in Madrid at World Youth Day in 2011 The latest volume, “YOUCAT Love Forever,” is for young people looking at love, thinking about marriage or perhaps those who have just been married. We talk about how society has changed over the years, changes that contribute to how young people view marriage, especially the idea of a commitment that is, as the book’s title says, love forever. Part 1 of that interview aired last weekend.

Welcome to a new edition of Vatican Insider this weekend when I present two special guests in the interview segment which, by the way, was interesting this week because we did it via Zoom. My guests are Father Joseph Fessio, founder of Ignatius Press, and Mark Brumley, president of Ignatius Press. We met to talk about the latest edition of Ignatius Press’ YOUCAT series. YOUCAT stands for Youth Catechism. The original came out in Madrid at World Youth Day in 2011. The latest volume, “YOUCAT Love Forever,” is for young people looking at love, thinking about marriage or perhaps those who have just been married. We talk about how society has changed over the years, changes that contribute to how young people view marriage, especially the idea of a commitment that is, as the book’s title says, love forever. Part 1 of that interview airs this weekend.

Welcome to a new edition of Vatican Insider – lots of news this week, and some really great stories, and the best one may well be my conversation with a friend of many years, Bishop Daniel Thomas of Toledo, Ohio! Part II this weekend….. After years of promising to visit Toledo, my trip to Ohio finally happened on September 20th, spending 9 wonderful days (as you read on my blog yesterday) with friends of many years and making a lot of new friends along the way! Bishop Thomas and I have been friends since 1991 when we both worked in Rome at the Vatican, along with other American priests whom Pope John Paul had called to Rome, a number of whom, like Fr. Thomas, have since become bishops, names you’d know such as Archbishops Bernard Hebda and Salvatore Cordileone, and many others!

After years of promising to visit Toledo, my trip to Ohio finally happened on September 20th, spending 9 wonderful days (as you read on my blog yesterday) with friends of many years and making a lot of new friends along the way! Bishop Daniel Thomas and I have been friends since 1991 when we both worked in Rome at the Vatican, along with other American priests whom Pope John Paul had called to Rome, a number of whom, like Fr. Thomas, have since become bishops, names you’d know such as Archbishops Bernard Hebda and Salvatore Cordileone. We talk about how we all met in the early 90s, and there’s some delightful stories in our conversation. You’ll enjoy how we reminisce! My oh my, the stories and laughs we shared over the years at my dinner table!! Obviously, I also take a good look at the diocese that Bishop Thomas shepherds, so stay tuned for Part I of our conversation after Vatican Insider’s News segment.

My guest on Vatican Insider this weekend so let me remind you that my guest in the interview segment is again Bishop Emmanuel Badejo of Oyo, Nigeria. A friend of many years, we spoke when he was in Rome with fellow bishops of Nigeria for their ad limina visit. He is a positive, hopeful person as we speak more about the situation in the country – the persecution of Christians, the economic situation, how the bishops work with the government and other religions, and his work with the young people whom he defines as the hope of Nigeria.

As you know, in recent weeks, for your travel and vacation time edification, I have been providing special reports on what is normally the interview segment of VI on what to see and do in and around Rome. This week is no different! In fact, I’m going to bring you to some of the most celebrated landmarks of Rome visited by millions of tourists – the amazing, mysterious, historical and yes, inspiring Catacombs. In Part I last weekend I present an overview of the catacombs – their history, where they are, how many there were in ancient times, and particularly how they were built – fascinating engineering skills! In Part II this week, I look at the specific catacombs open today to visitors. So stay tuned for that Special after the news summary.

As you know, in recent weeks, for your travel and vacation time edification, I have been providing special reports on what is normally the interview segment of VI on what to see and do in and around Rome. This week is no different! In fact, I’m going to bring you to some of the most celebrated landmarks of Rome visited by millions of tourists – the amazing, mysterious, historical and yes, inspiring Catacombs. In Part I this weekend I present an overview of the catacombs – their history, where they are, how many there were in ancient times, and particularly how they were built – fascinating engineering skills! In Part II next week, I’ll look at the specific catacombs open today to visitors.So stay tuned for that Special after the news summary and a Q&A.

It’s summer and vacation time, of course, and in recent weeks, on what is normally the interview segment of VI, I’ve been providing glimpses into what one should see and how to visit various places in and around Rome: Castelgandolfo, the Vatican Observatory and look at how Italians celebrate the lazy, hazy days of August! Join us for this edition of Vatican Insider.

It’s summer and vacation time, of course, and in recent weeks, on what is normally the interview segment of VI, I’ve been providing glimpses into what one should see and how to visit various places in and around Rome: Castelgandolfo, the Vatican Observatory and look at how Italians celebrate the lazy, hazy days of August! Join us for this edition of Vatican Insider.

Welcome to Vatican Insider on a weekend of scorching temperatures in much of the northern hemisphere of the world, with big time heatwaves in Europe and the United States! And welcome to a special I’ve prepared for what is normally the interview segment of VI – I call it the lazy, hazy summer days of ferragosto – life in Italy in August which, of course, starts this weekend. You learn the origin of the name August and the meaning of a very important word in the Italian language – Ferragosto! August is not just a month in Italy. It is THE month and life in Italy in August is very different from so many other countries from stores, offices, pharmacies, movie theatres, cafes and restaurants, and many more spots closing for a holiday period – chiuso per ferie. If that’s not enough, doctors and other medical personnel can take weeks, maybe even a month, off at ferragosto…situations we’d never think of finding in the US, for example. Not to mention the annual snowfall in Rome on August 5! It’s a fun special so stay tuned after the news segment.

Welcome to Vatican insider on a special weekend – special for me as I’m spending it in Castelgandolfo where, among other things, I intend to be at the Angelus on Sunday with Pope Leo who will be spending his last full day of vacation in the Apostolic Palace. He returns to Rome on Monday, July 27. For the past several weeks, as you know, in the interview segment of VI, I’ve been offering specials on the history of the Apostolic palace in Castelgandolfo as well as the very celebrated Vatican observatory, although the observatory officially in use now is on mount Graham in Tucson, Arizona. This weekend, especially for those of you currently visiting Rome or who will be here in coming months, I offer another special I’ve prepared on the scavi, the excavations in the Vatican that bring you to the tomb of Saint Peter which, as it happens, in a magnificent architectural calculation, is directly under the center of the papal altar in Saint Peter’s Basilica which, if one were to drop a plumb line, is directly under the very center of the basilica’s dome!

I have been personally filled with joy since learning that Pope Leo will be spending some vacation time in the historic Apostolic Palace of Castelgandolfo, the beautiful building constructed many centuries ago that overlooks Lake Albano and the town’s main square, Piazza de la Liberta, Liberty Square. During Pope Leo’s weekly visits to Castelgandolfo over year the past year, he has actually been residing in an adjacent papal property called Villa Barberini. However, the palace in which popes have resided for many centuries is the one the Pope moved to over the weekend. I so love the town and its history linked to popes and the papacy for centuries. In fact, this weekend on my EWTN radio show, Vatican Insider, I offer a special I’ve prepared on the history of this wonderful Apostolic residence, a residence that Pope John Paul called Vatican Two.

Today, we revisit a piece Joan did on the Vatican Observatory. Enjoy the show!

Welcome to Vatican Insider on another scorcher of a weekend in Italy and throughout Europe with temps in many places hitting triple digits. Yesterday on my blog, Joan’s Rome, I posted some links to some pretty amazing stories about the heatwave as well as something that might make you laugh – HUMOR DURING A HEATWAVE. I want to tell you about the Special I’ve prepared for what is normally the interview segment of Vatican Insider.. There are some delightful traditions in the Vatican that come to a head at this time of year as we near the June 29th solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul. I’ve called this special ST AGNES, BABY LAMBS AND PALLIUMS. Sounds like a mystery but it is a great story woven with those 3 threads, a saint, baby lambs and woolen palliums. So stay tuned for that after the news.