Chance encounters, divine providence

Last updated on: March 25, 2016 at 5:13 pm By Father Pablo Migone

The first time I visited Savannah, my family drove from Augusta early on a Saturday morning to attend a Mass at the cathedral. I was twelve years old and I remember very vividly being struck by the beauty of the church. That year my parents celebrated their twenty-fifth wedding anniversary, and Bishop Lessard celebrated a diocesan-wide Mass honoring those celebrating silver and golden jubilees. I recall that during the celebration, Bishop Lessard shared that a new bishop had been recently... Read more

I’ve been to the mountain top: Remembering MLK

Last updated on: March 25, 2016 at 5:13 pm By Father Pablo Migone

Last November, I had the blessing to celebrate Mass at Mount Nebo, the location from where Moses saw the Promised Land before dying. From the valley below Mount Nebo, Joshua led the Israelites across the Jordan River into the Promised Land and conquered Jericho. In the Book of Deuteronomy, God said to Moses as he stood on the very same spot I stood, “This is the land about which I promised an oath to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, ‘I will... Read more

Ireland or the Wild West: A Diary of a Priest

Last updated on: March 25, 2016 at 5:10 pm By Father Pablo Migone

Two days ago, the old Irish monsignor who lives across the hall from me at the rectory shared with me a little piece of history. Not quite as elaborate as George Bernanos’ novel The Diary of a Country Priest, the monsignor shared with me a handwritten copy of the diary of Father Vincent Ryan, the parish priest of Solohead, County Tipperary in Ireland, covering the years 1872 to 1878. Brief and written in short phrases, reading through Father Ryan’s diary... Read more

“Spotlight” at the Golden Globes

Last updated on: March 25, 2016 at 5:13 pm By Father Pablo Migone

Several weeks ago I attended a screening of the movie Spotlight, a movie about the investigative reporting which led to the uncovering of the sex abuse cover up in Boston thirteen years ago. This same movie was a nominee last night for a Golden Globe Award for the best drama motion picture. The movie was painful to watch. It vividly portrayed the unfathomable suffering of the sex abuse victims, the absolute failure of church leaders in dealing with and reporting predator... Read more

Who will milk the cows?

Last updated on: March 25, 2016 at 5:13 pm By Father Pablo Migone

Some time ago I heard a news story on the radio reporting that currently two thirds of cow milkers in the United States are undocumented immigrants. Coming from a four generation dairy family and having spent many hours in a milking parlor, I immediately took interest in the story. Dairy farmers are very attentive to the immigration reform debate since the most basic and most necessary step of their industry is in jeopardy, the milking of the cows. Cows must... Read more

Reto para el Año Nuevo

Last updated on: March 25, 2016 at 5:11 pm By Father Pablo Migone

El ritual anual para dar la bienvenida al año nuevo ya llegó y ya pasó. Hemos recibido el 2016 con renovadas esperanzas y nuevas resoluciones. Para muchos, el celebrar un año nuevo es como empujar el botón de reset, permitiendo así descartar lo viejo y fijar la vista hacia cosas nuevas y mejores. Personalmente, le di la bienvenida al 2016 con una barriga llena. Rodeado por miembros de la comunidad peruana de Savannah, probé una selección completa de platos peruanos... Read more

New Year Challenge

Last updated on: March 25, 2016 at 5:11 pm By Father Pablo Migone

The annual ritual of welcoming a new year has already come and gone. We have welcomed 2016 with renewed hope and several resolutions. For many, welcoming a new year is like pushing a reset button. It allows for the discarding of the old in order to fix our hopes and desires on newer, better things. Personally, I welcomed 2016 by making my belly extremely happy and full. Surrounded by members of the Peruvian community of Savannah, I tasted a complete... Read more

El Exilio: Un encuentro desencontrado

Last updated on: March 25, 2016 at 5:14 pm By Father Pablo Migone

Hace unos diez años leí un artículo breve que me impactó ya que la autora describió en pocas palabras sentimientos que comparten todos aquellos que por alguna razón u otra parten de su patria. Titulado “El Exilio,” contacté a su autora no solo porque el articulo me pareció valioso, pero también porque ella compartía mi mismo apellido. En su artículo, María Christina Migone-Benfield identifica el dilema en el cual todo inmigrante se encuentra: “el sentimiento de ser extranjero en el... Read more

The Lord Bless You: The Oldest Biblical Text

Last updated on: March 25, 2016 at 5:14 pm By Father Pablo Migone

While in Jerusalem last month, I read in a guide that the Israel Museum had an exhibit with the oldest surviving Biblical text in the world. That alone made my visit to the museum worthwhile. The Dead Sea Scrolls, the ossuaries of Herod and Caiaphas, and the only ancient inscription with the name of Pontius Pilate were icing on the cake. The words recorded in the small silver priestly amulets are the same words from the Book of Numbers that... Read more

Thomas Becket and the King

Last updated on: March 25, 2016 at 5:15 pm By Father Pablo Migone

It is told that on December 29th 1170, King Henry II of England exclaimed in a burst of anger and in the presence of four faithful knights, “Will no one rid me of this turbulent priest?” The knights interpreted the King’s words as an order to execute the Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Becket, who had been disturbing the King’s peace by insisting on the primacy of the Archbishop of Canterbury and the independence of the church from the king. By... Read more