Ciao, Amici!

Ciao, Amici!

Saluti dalla citta' eterna! I'm using--fighting with--a borrowed laptop in one of the communications offices at our GHQ in Rome during our post-pranzo recreation/siesta time.

Unfortunately, I can't download photos, at least not yet. The weather has been gorgeous, and the grounds here are gorgeous. They'd certainly enhance this little note. Well, eventually, if not here, then back home.

I arrived Monday morning right on time after a smooth but sleepless flight. After Mass and cleaning up a bit, I greeted some old friends and then set to work in the central archives. I've spent a lot of time since in that quarter, where the staff are very helpful, tho we have a bit of a problem between my poor Italian (speaking it is an entirely different ballgame from reading it) and their non-existent English. It's fascinating to read about the early history of our province in these old letters, reports, and official records--a quite a challenge often with the calligraphy.

My work desk in the archives: dossiers at top left, very old letters at bottom left, my notebook in center, some materials I brought with me at right (including my own book on SDB origins in NYC).

There's another meeting on presently, of the province secretaries from the North Europe Region, 13 of them. They'll finish on Friday, and then on Sunday 2 more groups arrive--perhaps 25 Bulletin editors from around the world, and some new province treasurers who'll be here for a training course. There's a meeting of European Bulletin editors taking place this week in Munich--they wanted a separate meeting.

Only 2 of our general council are in at the moment; my "boss" in the communications department, Fr. Filiberto, is expected this afternoon. The Rector Major will return from Spain on the weekend, and we're going to celebrate his namesday with a big dinner on Sunday evening.

This evening Rita and David are due in from Belgium. Fr. Pete Sella, a former member of our N.R. Province who's now the treasurer of the community here (and who has been a very gracious host--also glad to see an American, I think), will take me to the airport to meet them and bring them to their pensione right outside the Vatican. And we'll make our arrangements for how to meet tomorrow a.m. and start our family sightseeing.

And I'll wind this up and get back to the archives.