On the 100th birthday of Sanctus Joannes Pavlvs PP II, aka St. John Paul II’s letter #31: “In this holy place, the Church gives thanks to the Most Holy Trinity for the mystery of woman, and for every woman, for her eternal dignity and for the wonders God has worked in and through her in the history of humanity.” 

Pope Francis paid tribute to St. John Paul II, illustrating the 3 pillars of his life: prayers, nearness to people and love of justice. He was a model bishop who prayed a lot. He sought people out, travelled around the world to be near his people. He wanted social justice to drive out the war, because he was a man of mercy. Mercy and Justice go together, one does not exist without the other, said the Pope.

Vatican reopens to the public today.

At Fordham university’s baccalaureate mass, 5/17/2020, Fr. James Martin received an honorary doctorate degree and gave the homily, in “chapels in your own homes.” He traced the journey of dejected disciples in the Road to Emmaus, and in their sadness and confusion, Jesus appears to them.  Much like these graduates experiencing confusion, sadness, and panic in this pandemic, there’s calm, peace and hope in God’s voice. 

To be woman and man for others is to love foreever.

Congratulations to Carina Oriel, who made her mark in Fordham.

Photo posted by Cora Oriel: Carina Oriel with fellow college students at Fordham

Haley Williams, one of the commencement speakers, spoke of doing for the sake of giving, rather than receiving, and being present to the suffering of others, to being bothered by the needs of the world, as lessons she learned.

Carina did just that as she organized well- attended conferences on fintech and attracted Venmo to collaborate with Fordham’s Business School. She continues to give back to her high school alma mater, as well. She is one of Archer’s speakers today.

Hubby gives me freshly harvested strawberry, avocado, to go with our natas, a Portugese traditional pastry. He bought us fresh tuna for sashimi dinner and paired with steamed broccoli, green beans and fresh mangoes for dessert.
Our angel/earth friend, Ana Burog, who surprised us with a very essential gift, champagne mangoes!

Context:

Total Confirmed Coronavirus Cases 4,758,937
Total Deaths 316,277
188 countries/regions

Source: John Hopkins’ dashboard, since Jan. 22, 2020.

  • 1,491,547 US (89,666)
  • 290,678 Russia (2,722)
  • 247,706 United Kingdom (34,876)
  • 244,135 Brazil (16,203)
  • 230,698 Spain (27,563)
  • 225,886 Italy (32,007)
  • 179,693 France (28,111)
  • 176,551 Germany (7,988)
  • 149,435 Turkey (4,140)

Commencement speakers addressed graduates, virtually: Barack Obama and Oprah.

“In her virtual #Graduation2020 commencement speech, Oprah told the class of 2020: “Even though there may not be pomp because of our circumstances, never has a graduating class been called to step into the future with more purpose…and hope.” https://t.co/uZT2mM8Oui

More than anything, this pandemic has fully torn back the curtain on the idea that the folks in charge know what they’re doing. A lot of them aren’t even pretending to be in charge.

A message from PRESIDENT #BarackObama