Blog Archives - ROBERT E DUNN

borgia

5/31/2022

Here is Father Borgia casting out a demon...

St. Francis Borgia Helping a Dying Impenitent
By Francisco de Goya 1746 - 1828
oil on canvas c. 1788

“Francis Borgia, 4th Duke of Gandía S.J. (1510–1572), venerated as Saint Francis Borgia, was a great-grandson of Pope Alexander VI, a Grandee of Spain, a Spanish Jesuit, and third Superior General of the Society of Jesus.

“In 1546 his wife Eleanor died, and Francis then decided to enter the newly formed Society of Jesus, after making adequate provisions for his children. He put his affairs in order, renounced his titles in favor of his eldest son Carlos de Borja-Aragon y de Castro-Melo, and became a Jesuit priest.
…

“After only two years, St. Francis was crowned for missions in the East and West Indies. In 1565, he was elected the third ‘Father General’....”

Source: Wikipedia

The current Father General does not believe in Hell!

good-bye

5/31/2022

Christ taking leave of His Mother, by Piotr Stachiewicz (1858-1938), oil on oak wood, 1900, 22.8 inches by 14 inches, in the National Museum of Warsaw, source photographer cyfrowe.mnw.art.pl

This is Catholic art I can interpret. Notice their positions relative to each other. I know how He feels … no greater woman. Every loving son would take his mother to heaven first, and every dying soldier says, “Tell Mom I love her.”

french rev Carms

5/30/2022

July 17, 1794

Ages youngest to oldest
29, 30, 34, 42, 42, 46, 49, 51
52, 52, 52, 53, 54, 58, 78, 78

One of the nuns executed had five biological sisters in religious life.

Choir Nuns
Mother Teresa of St. Augustine, prioress, 42
Madeleine-Claudine Ledoine
Born Paris 1752
Professed 1775

Only child of an employee of the Paris Observatory, had educational advantages and cultivated artistic and poetic gifts, some of her work has been preserved, her dowry to enter the convent was paid by Marie Antoinette

Mother St. Louis, sub-prioress, 42
Marie-Anne Brideau
Born Belfort 1752
Professed 1771

Father a professional soldier probably stationed at Compiègne (place of execution) at some point in his career

Mother Henriette of Jesus, ex-prioress for two terms, novice mistress
Marie-Françoise Gabrielle de Croissy
Born Paris 1745
Professed 1764

Great-niece of Jean-Baptiste Colbert, King Louis XIV's minister, having spent half her life as a Carmelite at the time of her execution, coming to Compiègne when she was just 16. She was refused entrance at first by the prioress at the time because of her youth. She was sent home for another year and finally made her profession in 1764. According to Mother Teresa, Henriette “won all hearts by her natural gentleness and affection, as might a real mother”, and like Mother Teresa, Henriette wrote verses and was a talented artist; some of her work has been preserved.

Sister Mary of Jesus Crucified
Marie-Anne Piedcourt
Born 1715
Professed 1737

While mounting the scaffold she said, “I forgive you as heartily as I wish God to forgive me.”

Sister Charlotte of the Resurrection, ex-sub-prioress and sacristan
Anne-Marie-Madeleine Thouret
Born Mouy 1715
Professed 1740

The oldest of the martyrs and possessing a very lively mind, naturally inclined toward gaiety. Her father died early in her life. She nursed other sickly nuns despite the toll it took on her own body and was miraculously healed after toxic exposure to lead paint left her seriously cognitively impaired for two years.

Sister Euphrasia of the Immaculate Conception
Marie-Claude Cyprienne
Born Bourth 1736
Professed 1757

Entered in 1756 at age 20, witty, humorous, and “possessed an undeniable exterior charm”, she wrote priests and others in the religious life for spiritual direction and left a voluminous correspondence during her 30 years in the community, letters revealing a strong personality plagued by restlessness, something potentially problematic in a cloistered community.

Sister Teresa of the Sacred Heart of Mary
Marie-Antoniette Hanisset
Born Rheims 1740
Professed 1764

Daughter of a saddle maker, Carmel’s interior turn sister, receiving goods for the community from the outside world

Sister Julie Louise of Jesus, widow
Rose-Chrétien de la Neuville
Born Loreau 1741
Professed 1777

Married a cousin despite her calling to the religious life, but after he died prematurely, received help from a cleric associated with her family and recovered her mental health with a new sense of calling, writing five stanzas of verse for her sisters as they prepared for death

Sister Teresa of St. Ignatius
Marie-Gabrielle Trézel
Born Compiègne 1743
Professed 1771

Called a mystic with a sense of the absolute

Sister Mary-Henrietta of Providence
Anne Petras
Born Cajarc 1760
Professed 1786

Before joining, she was a member of the Sisters of Charity of Nevers, where her natural beauty in a congregation that constantly exposed her to the outside world she thought would be harmful, thus, she joined the Carmelites; five of her sisters were also nuns in the Nevers order, and two of her brothers were priests.

Sister Constance of St. Denis, novice
Marie-Geneviève Meunier
Born Saint-Denis 1765

Sister Constance was the youngest member of the community. She was barred from making her final vows as a nun due to the revolutionary laws outlawing it, so she professed them to Mother Teresa before going to her death. When it became obvious to her family that she would not be able to legally profess her vows, they sent her brother to force her to return home. She refused, so he brought in the police, but they were convinced that she was in Compiègne by her own choice and did not force her to leave with her brother. She died age 29.

Lay Sisters
Sister St. Martha
Marie Dufour
Born Beaune, 1742
Entered 1772

Sister Mary of the Holy Spirit
Angélique Roussel
Born Fresnes 1742
Professed 1769

Sister St. Francis Xavier
Julie Vérolot
Born Laignes, 1764
Professed 1789

Externs
Catherine Soiron, born 1742
Thérèse Soiron, born 1748

wyatt earp

5/28/2022

1879
Virgil Edwin Earp was born in Tombstone, AZ, on April 19, the son of Newton Jasper Earp, Wyatt Earp’s half-brother.

Wyatt Earp moved with brothers, James and Virgil, to Tombstone where a silver boom was under way.

1881
The shootout at the O.K. Corral occurred on October 26 in Tombstone. Thereupon, Wyatt Earp left Tombstone and moved to San Francisco.

1890
Louise Perkins, my grandmother, was born in Tombstone, AZ, on June 20. She and her twin sister were delivered by Dr. Goodfellow. He attended the wounded at the O.K. Corral gunfight.

1897
Grandma’s father was working as a mining engineer in Tombstone and was called out to California to build and superintend a stamp mill at the Jamison Mine, a gold mine, in Johnsville, CA.

Virgil was the Sheriff of Paradise Valley, NV.

1909
Virgil moved to Sacramento, CA.

1911
Grandma married George Dunn, and they moved to San Francisco.

1918
Virgil listed on his WWI draft registration card that he worked as a collector and solicitor for the San Francisco Chronicle.

1943
Virgil listed on his WWII draft registration card that he worked at the Sacramento Air Depot, McClellan Field, Sacramento, CA.

1958
The game show where Virgil was a contestant, “The $64,000 Question”, aired. I watched the television show as a young boy.

1959
Virgil died in Sacramento at age 80.

1980
Louise Dunn died in San Francisco at age 90.

2019
I moved from the San Francisco area to the Sacramento area.

gambling

5/25/2022

What is the probability of getting an odd number or a number less than 4?

When a single die is rolled, then the probability of rolling an odd number or a number less than 4 is 2 out of 3, or 2/3, or 67% (.6 repeating).

The probability of an event happening will not be less than zero: something will happen. However, the probability of an event happening will not be more than one: something will not happen more than 100% of the time.

sweet authority

5/25/2022

This is what Catholic nuns ought look like. They commanded; they had authority. Do you think you could fool around in their presence? Do you think you could talk back? I have a forward-looking view of how authority is established. Dress is key. Certainty.

pelosi took communion

5/24/2022

At Sunday Mass on 5-22-22, Nancy Pelosi received communion at Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Washington DC despite being told not to present herself. Several sources confirmed, and she can be seen on the church’s own live stream. She wore something that gave her away. Canon 915 is not political. Pelosi, a public figure, knows what’s up.

earth is flat

5/24/2022

We get this proof that the earth is not flat from Chris Harrington, Bachelor of Fine Arts, Academy of Art University, 2011, Actor, Writer, Audio Imagineer at Doctor Geek's Laboratory of Applied Geekdom, 2011-present.

I quote: "Edit: before we look at the photos, I just want to clarify what this image actually shows, since there seems to be some confusion from both sides of the issue. At any altitude above the surface of a sphere, you are looking *down* at the horizon. Even when you are standing with your eyes six feet above the surface.

"People say “the horizon is flat and level,” and yes, that’s true, but it’s a flat, level *circle,* and that circle is NOT centered around your eyes, it’s centered roughly two feet below the surface you’re standing on. If you are looking at the horizon from a viewer height above sea level of six feet, then the horizon is 24 inches within the sphere under you, so you are eight feet ABOVE the center of the circle, and you SHOULD see curvature at the edge.

"Not curvature “down,” but the curvature at the edge of the circular horizon centered two feet below your shoes. And THAT’S what these two photos show!"

repeating decimals

5/24/2022

british politician

5/24/2022

Jacob Rees-Mogg, born 1969, Conservative Member of Parliament for North East Somerset since 2010, cabinet member, prays the rosary frequently and attends the Latin Mass.

Jacob is one of five children of William Rees-Mogg. His father was Editor of The Times from 1967-1981 and signed a petition sent to Pope Paul VI for the continued use of the Latin Mass.

Jacob joked that he should be called “the member for the early eighteenth century”.

star trek

5/23/2022

olympias

5/23/2022

Alexander the Great was born in 356 BC, the son of King Philip II of Macedonia on the Greek peninsula. His mother, Olympias, told her son that she had been impregnated by a lightning bolt shot into her womb by Zeus – a legend Alexander polished the rest of this life. Story sound like a foreshadowing of the Blessed Virgin Mary?

napoleon

5/22/2022

The beautiful altar above is located at Josef Ketzer’s Austrian secondary school, a Jesuit institution for boys ages 10-18 when he attended. The significance of the altar is that it was in Napoleon’s home on St. Helena, a tiny island in the middle of the Atlantic.

On June 18, 1815, Napoleon was defeated by the British at the Battle of Waterloo (Belgium). On July 31, he learned that he would be exiled to St. Helena. He embarked on August 7 and arrived on October 15.

“After his mother sent two priests to St Helena, the dining room was transformed into a chapel. At first, Napoleon attended Sunday mass inside the room; later, he watched from his adjoining study. He said it was proper for him at his death to return to the Catholic Church since he had been born within it. Years before, when questioned on his faith, he had replied that he ‘took on the religion of whatever country he was in, because that was the best policy.’”

https://mrodenberg.com/2011/07/06/longwood-house-part-5/#:~:text=After%20his%20mother%20sent%20two,had%20been%20born%20within%20it.

On May 5, 1821, he died on St. Helena. He was 51.

pelosi banned

5/21/2022

Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone of San Francisco explained his decision to deny Nancy Pelosi communion -

“After numerous attempts to speak with Speaker Pelosi to help her understand the grave evil she is perpetrating, the scandal she is causing, and the danger to her own soul she is risking, I have determined that she is not to be admitted to Holy Communion.”

Cordileone wrote a letter to Pelosi -

“As you have not publicly repudiated your position on abortion, and continue to refer to your Catholic faith in justifying your position and to receive Holy Communion, that time has now come,” … “I am hereby notifying you that you are not to present yourself for Holy Communion and, should you do so, you are not to be admitted to Holy Communion, until such time as you publicly repudiate your advocacy for the legitimacy of abortion and confess and receive absolution of this grave sin in the sacrament of Penance,” -Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone of San Francisco, May 19, 2022

Because her residency is in the San Francisco Archdiocese, Cordileone has authority over her.

Bishop Vasa, in whose diocese Pelosi has a winery/vacation home, said, “I have visited with the pastor at (Pelosi’s parish) [not revealed] and informed him that if the Archbishop prohibited someone from receiving Holy Communion, then that restriction followed the person and the pastor was not free to ignore it.”

bible

5/21/2022

When was the Douay-Rheims published?

New Testament 1582, Old Testament 1609 – translations from the Latin Vulgate, which are translations from all the Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek texts largely due to the efforts of St. Jerome (345-420) and declared to be the authentic Latin version of the Bible by the Council of Trent (1545-1563).

When was the King James published?

New and Old Testaments 1610 – translations of the New Testament from Greek, the Old Testament from Hebrew and Aramaic, the Apocrypha from Greek and Latin.

What are the Apocrypha? (Not the Apocalypse)

Many of these texts are considered canonical Old Testament books by the Catholic Church, affirmed by the Council of Rome (382) and later reaffirmed by the Council of Trent. Apocrypha are well attested in surviving manuscripts of the Bible. See Codex Vaticanus, Codex Sinaiticus, Codex Alexandrinus, Vulgate, and Peshitta.

Both the King James and the Douay-Rheims are eloquent from a literary point of view. The D-R is approved.

veiled lady

5/21/2022

By Raffaele Monti (1818-1881), photo creator Minneapolis Institute of Art. The following explanation is provided by Collectionsartsmia.org: “We can’t see through stone, but through tricks of light and polish, Raffaele Monti created the illusion that we can. On his Veiled Lady, the top of the head and shoulders are polished smooth to reflect light. But where the veil falls across the face, the marble is less polished. It reflects less light, suggesting the texture of fabric… .” **the veil technique**

writing assignment

5/20/2022

Assignment – write a short story in 10 minutes.

Here is what I wrote and what Alexander (8) wrote. He decided location: Nevada; point of view, 1st person; and tense, past. Alexander gave me permission to post his story in my blog.

Me –
I parachuted into a swarm of locusts over the Nevada training base. It was in the flattest desert in the whole United States so that no one would get snagged on a mountain top. It was also in the driest place so that no one would drown in ten feet of water.

I heard the distant sound of crackling gun shots. The parachute drop was three miles from the CIA practice range.

“Alexander, over here,” I shouted to my parachute partner. He was tough as nails, a toughness gained from mining gold in the harsh environment of Mars.

I sank into a hole as deep as my disappointment over the failed promotion. Alexander got it. Yet, he was my partner.

How do I regulate my emotions? Do I pretend I have none or do I say something?

…

Alexander –
I infiltrated the Death Star over the main room. I smiled at my luck. It seemed that finally I would steal the plans.

Suddenly, someone shouted, “Hey you.”

Turning around, I saw a security guard. He sounded the alarm. I ran quickly to the exit.

My contact radioed me, but I could not check it, because someone tased me. My vision turned black, but not before my partner, Bob, flashed a cocky smile.

We wrote our stories independently!

cancelled priests

5/19/2022

https://www.canceledpriests.org/

Father Altman makes a clear distinction between politics and religion. They are not the same. However, the Catholic faith guides us on how to exercise our civic responsibility. Politics and religion intersect there.

His statement is quite strong, but Catholics who accept the Catechism in its entirety are thinking what he says. His YouTube video has 1.37 million views. I do not look for perfection in anyone. People with different views are in my affections, but truth must be told.

bots

5/18/2022

Twitter and Facebook are filled with bots. What are they?

Ben Lutkevich, Technical Writer, and Alexander S. Gillis, Technical Writer and Editor, from techtarget.com explain: “A bot -- short for robot and also called an internet bot -- is a computer program that operates as an agent for a user or other program or to simulate a human activity. Bots are normally used to automate certain tasks, meaning they can run without specific instructions from humans.”

Bots can be fake accounts. www.mcafee.com/blogs/family-safety/spot-fake-facebook-account/

What is a bot account on YouTube? It is designed to make money for the owner simply by redirecting traffic from YouTube to a website with whom the owner has a relationship. Bots spread affiliate links and that is why, when anybody clicks on the link and performs the desired action, the bot’s creator gets a commission.

coolness

5/17/2022

Verbum Vincet - The Word Will Conquer

convention of the states

5/17/2022

My sister alerted me to fiscal responsibility efforts: https://conventionofstates.com/
Now others are criticizing the government. Bezos: “In fact, the administration tried hard to inject even more stimulus into an already over-heated, inflationary economy and only Manchin saved them from themselves. Inflation is a regressive tax that most hurts the least affluent. Misdirection doesn’t help the country.” - CBS News

geometric sequence

5/17/2022

9 Latin loan words: bone fide, caveat emptor, ad nauseum, modus operandi, prima donna, quantum, quorum, quid pro quo, status quo

6 French loan words: carte blanche, faux pas, bon voyage, fait accompli, deja-vu, facade

4 German loan words: kindergarten, angst, uber, Volkswagen

Find the next term in 9, 6, 4. This is a geometric sequence because there is a common ratio between each term. In this case, multiplying the previous term in the sequence by 2/3, which is the ratio, gives the next term. The next term is a repeating decimal, 2.66666667. That is how far my calculator will calculate the solution.

china censorship

5/17/2022

Today, I received a message from a friend born in China and now living in the US. She is a widely known and read writer for a publication in the West. She submitted a column to a publication based in China. Following is the online conversation she had with the editor of the publication based in China.

Editor: “I loved it!”

Shortly after a staff meeting …

Editor: “We’ll we need more adaptations. We will hide your life experience in the US because it would make the audience feel bad.

“We will delete the part that you made an assumption that a food which is popular in China could have been inspired by Mexican Concha because nothing could be greater than Chinese culture.

“We will also delete the part you depicted the life in Hong Kong because this word is forbidden.”

My friend: “As you wish. I am done. It is what it is, whatever you’d like to modify.”

Editor-in-chief: “Please add love to your words to make Chinese culture great. Don’t forget to dig out the pessimistic part of the overseas life to indicate China is great. Emmm, make China great again.”

That was the message the editor-in-chief sent to my friend after publication in anticipation of any other columns she might submit in the future.

Deus vult libertatem indu Hongcongum. God wills freedom for Hong Kong.

blue danube

5/17/2022

This is the first classical piece I played, age 12, all the way to the end, but it was shorter. Chris has the whole thing memorized, and how much fun it would be to teach him! I tutor very gifted Alexander, 8, in reading and writing, and he just joined an orchestra. He is learning a stringed instrument. Josef Ketzer will tutor younger reading and writing students than I. Alexander is the exception.

A Steinway has 15 layers of lacquer.

southwest airlines

5/16/2022

Charlene Carter was a Southwest Airlines flight attendant.

She joined the Transportation Workers Union of America (TWU) Local 556.

She quit the union in 2013 upon learning that her union dues were being spent to promote social causes that violated her conscience and religious beliefs.

She was still required to pay fees in lieu of union dues as a condition of her employment.

The federal Railway Labor Act (RLA) permits union officials to have a worker fired for refusing to pay union dues or fees, but she kept paying. The RLA protects the rights of employees to remain nonmembers of the union, to criticize the union and its leadership, and to advocate for changing the union’s current leadership.

When Charlene discovered in 2017 that TWU local President Audrey Stone and other union officials used union dues to attend a pro-abortion event in the nation’s capital and that the company had accommodated local members wishing to attend by rearranging their work schedules, she took to social media to challenge Stone’s leadership.

The airline demanded a meeting with Charlene and informed her that Stone felt ‘harassed’ by Charlene’s activism.

A week later, the airline fired Charlene.

Charlene has sued.

[summary of a story from Michael Vadum of The Epoch Times, dated May 15, 2022]

I have a friend who works for United Airlines. He was furloughed without pay for something similar but is back to work.