Posted: November 13

Painting and other birthday celebrations

(Rome) Saturday was my birthday, and it was wonderful in a quiet way. The day started promptly because I had to attend a briefing with Father General and the other Jesuits who hold parallel positions in education, spirituality, etc. as I do in communications. Four of the men were away so that left just Eddie Mercieca and myself with Father Kolvenbach who is in very fine spirits as he sees the light at the end of a tunnel of 25 years heading the Society of Jesus. We talked about the upcoming general congregation which starts January 7, but the mood was informal and relaxed. And then I went up to my studio to paint.

The studio is in a free-standing room up on the terrazzo with a great view of St. Peter’s through a very large window that lets in lots of light even on dull winter days. Saturday was a brilliant Fall day, however, and light filled the studio. I began a new painting of a city-scape in Nemi, in the hills just outside of Rome. The challenge on this one was to play with the colors of the houses as well as the tonal range of lights and darks. There are so many details in a typical Italian town that it is easy to get lost in them. I used to just avoid even trying to handle the problems, but I felt good on Saturday and fell into deep concentration on the challenges of the subject.

Pranzo at mid-day was nice with lots of birthday wishes from the other Jesuits in the community. Our community at the Curia is very friendly even though it is big, sixty-some members normally. After coffee I slipped back up to the studio and did not quite finish the painting. After cleaning up the brushes, I cleaned myself up and walked over to the other side of the center of town where a group of English-speaking Jesuits celebrate Mass every Saturday. Fortunately, I was the celebrant so I made sure that everyone knew we were celebrating me—it is one way to get attention. If you cannot promote yourself, who can you promote? Actually, I said that I was grateful for being alive, for all the years of love and graces. We prayed well together and then had the usual reception afterwards. Finally, Bill Oulvey, another Jesuit from my same province, and I went out to a restaurant to celebrate my birthday and his anniversary of one year of working in the Curia Generalizia. By the time we arrived back home, I felt like my birthday had been well and truly celebrated. And I am still grateful.