Variety #161 – Feast of Our Lady of Nazareth, Rome, Italy (14min) >>> Play
Ave Maria!
Here’s a glimpse of the procession that was held on the outskirts of Rome for the feast of “Holy Mary of Nazareth” parish, one of the parishes that our Franciscan Friars have care of here in Italy. We’ve added to the footage a few reflections from the book Devotion to Mary, written by our founder, Father Stefano M. Manelli, to add some depth and reflection to this short, catholic-culture film. Included are also some piano pieces played by Sister Maria Settima Manelli, a hymn or two from our Friars, and also some faint but beautiful hymns taken from the monastery of our contemplative Franciscan Sisters here in Italy at Città di Castello.
Roving Reporter #120 – First Holy Mass of 4 New FI Priests, celebrated at Assisi (13min) >>> Play
Ave Maria!
This is the first Holy Mass celebrated by the newly-ordained FI priests, Fr. Alan Bernardino Wharton (USA), Fr. Vincent Michael Egbu (Nigeria), Fr. Giles Joseph Mary Atherton (Australia), and Fr. Vincent d’Elia (Italy). Our new priests had the privilege of celebrating at the Sanctuary of the Portziuncola in Assisi in the same edifice in which Saint Francis himself entrusted the Order of the Friars Minor into the hands of Our Lady some 800 years ago. The Mass was celebrated on March 26, 2011, the day after their holy ordinations at Tarquinia in Italy, and we ask that you remember these new servants of our Lord in your prayers. (more…)
Immaculate Music #34 – FI Choir at Santa Maria in Aula Regia (07min) >>> Play
Ave Maria!
We hope you enjoy the last of our series of 4 videos of a concert that our friars – primarily those who are studying for the priesthood – performed in the town of Comacchio, Italy, at the shrine of Our Lady of the Royal Hall, or “Santa Maria in Aula Regia” in Italian. Included in the choir are Fra Pio Maximilian, Fra Alan Bernard, and Fra Josemaria Mary.
Immaculate Music #32 – FI Choir at Santa Maria in Aula Regia (08min) >>> Play
Ave Maria!
We hope you enjoy this concert that our friars – primarily those who are studying for the priesthood – recently performed in the town of Comacchio, Italy, at the shrine of Our Lady of the Royal Hall, or “Santa Maria in Aula Regia” in Italian. Included in the choir are Fra Pio Maximilian, Fra Alan Bernard (recently ordained to the diaconate), Fra Josemaria Mary, and our own Fra Terrance behind the camera.
St. Francis of Assisi has always been numbered amongst my favourite saints and continues to be so as a man of the Church who was inspired by the gospels, by the apostolate, by the wonder of God’s creation and by a most literal and heroic poverty, also maintaining his fidelity to the Church of Rome and further understanding the importance of divine worship and that the worship and temple of God should itself not be impoverished.
St. Francis, as with other saints, has much to teach us today. The Holy Father reminded us in an audience earlier this year about St. Francis and his own context:
“Three times the crucified Christ came to life and said to him: “Go, Francis, and repair my Church in ruins.” This simple event of the Word of the Lord heard in the church of San Damiano hides a profound symbolism. Immediately, St. Francis is called to repair this little church, but the ruinous state of this building is a symbol of the tragic and disturbing situation of the Church itself… More at New Liturgical Movement.
Immaculate Music #31 – Friars sing the praises of Mary (07min) >>> Play
Ave Maria!
We hope you enjoy this concert that our friars – primarily those who are studying for the priesthood – recently performed in the town of Comacchio, Italy, at the shrine of Our Lady of the Royal Hall, or “Santa Maria in Aula Regia” in Italian. Included in the choir are Fra Pio Maximilian, Fra Alan Bernardino (recently ordained to the diaconate), Fra Josemaria Mary, and our own Fra Terrance behind the camera (well, seated in the pews, to be exact).
Roving Reporter #111 – Fr. Jerome Pica and Friar Terrance speak on John Duns Scotus (23min) >>> Play
A repost of past video for Scotus Month (Nov 8 to Dec 8).
Ave Maria!
Recently Friar Terrance had the opportunity to chat with Fr. Jerome Pica, F.I., and to talk with him about Bl. John Duns Scotus, a famous Franciscan scholastic philosopher/theologian who is still unknown to most of the world. The Franciscans of the Immaculate in Italy have recently finished a full-length movie on the life of Duns Scotus. We hope you enjoy the interview which we’ve titled “Who is John Duns Scotus…and why is he important?”, and we send our apologies for the setting of the interview…but it’s the best we could do!
Immaculate Music #30 – Friars sing the praises of Mary (08min) >>> Play
Ave Maria!
We hope you enjoy this concert that our friars – primarily those who are studying for the priesthood – recently performed in the town of Comacchio, Italy, at the shrine of Our Lady of the Royal Hall, or “Santa Maria in Aula Regia” in Italian. Included in the choir are Fra Pio Maximilian, Fra Alan Bernardino (recently ordained to the diaconate), Fra Josemaria Mary, and our own Fra Terrance behind the camera (well, seated in the pews, to be exact).
Fi News – Fr Ignatius Manfredonia Celebrating in the Extraordinary Form
Ave Maria!
After three years of being guardian at Our Lady of Guadalupe Friary in Griswold, CT, USA (which is headquarters for AirMaria) Fr. Ignatius will be leaving for Italy on October 13th to continue his studies for his doctorate in Moral Theology at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross in Rome. Fr. Dominic Murphy, who has been transferred from New Bedford, MA where he was guardian, has already assumed the role of guardian at the friary and you can see his first homily on AirMaria here.
We will definitely miss you, Fr. Ignatius, and we will pray for the success of your studies and for every grace from God. Arrivederci!
Roving Reporter #116 – The Feast of the Covo (11min) >>> Play
Ave Maria!
Every August here in the countryside of Campocavallo, Italy, the first Sunday of the month is set aside to honor the Queen of the town, the Madonna of Campocavallo. The residents of this town- located in the “campagnia”, or countryside – gather together, fashion with their own hands, and present a unique offering to the Queen, whose sanctuary (Beata Virgine Addolorata) is the heart of the town and houses the miraculous image of the Sorrowful Mother. The offering, roughly the size of a Hummer automobile or larger, is church or religious structure constructed of steel, wood, and, most importantly, the grain of the local fields. The members of a group called “The Covo” and comprised of lay people (Italians, obviously) male and female, young and old. This year the offering was a replica of the lovely Basilica of Pompei, located in the southern part of Italy.
I had the privilege of observing and filming, over a period of 5 or 6 months, the work of the Covo, and I present to you my own offering, albeit hastily done and always incomplete, to the same Queen of Campocavallo, whose feast day happens to be the day of my birth.
Roving Reporter #112 – A Special Offering for the Madonna in Italy (04min) >>> Play
Ave Maria!
Every year in the town of Campocavallo, Italy, there’s a festival on the first Sunday in August called “The Festival of the Covo.” For the past 70 years, a group of dedicated lay people have constructed a religious sculpture to honor the miraculous image of the Madonna of Campocavallo, and have processed the sculptures through the streets of the town with much festivity. The sculptures are very unique: they’re often larger than the size of a large automobile, and they’re constructed out of steel and wood and the grain from the local fields.
The sculptures from the past few years have been particularly beautiful. They’re replicas of famous churches from around the world. Recently, Friar Terrance had the opportunity to visit the Museum of the Covo and film some of these artistic treasures.
Roving Reporter #111 – Fr. Jerome Pica and Friar Terrance speak on John Duns Scotus (23min) >>> Play
Ave Maria!
Recently Friar Terrance had the opportunity to chat with Fr. Jerome Pica, F.I., and to talk with him about Bl. John Duns Scotus, a famous Franciscan scholastic philosopher/theologian who is still unknown to most of the world. The Franciscans of the Immaculate in Italy have recently finished a full-length movie on the life of Duns Scotus. We hope you enjoy the interview which we’ve titled “Who is John Duns Scotus…and why is he important?”, and we send our apologies for the setting of the interview…but it’s the best we could do!
Roving Reporter #109 – Climbing the Mount with Fra Giles M. (11min) >>> Play
Ave Maria!
Recently, the friars at our house of theological studies made an “opera di amore” (an act of love) by erecting a new cross in the mountains of Cassino, Italy. We hope you enjoy this photo collage of their journey and we expect that some of you will see some familiar faces along the way.
Rome Reports covers the soon to be released film Duns Scoto by the Franciscans of the Immaculate in Italy on the life of Bl. John Duns Scotus. He was the Franciscan theologian who gave the Church the theological basis for the Immaculate Conception of Mary which ensured the solemn proclamation of the dogma centuries later. You can see the behind-the-scenes trailer here.
14min) >>> 
Audio (MP3)
