Ahh, the wonders of technology! Saint Maximilian Maria Kolbe would, I hope, approve our use of it. I’m writing this in the car on the way from Phoenix, Arizona to San Diego, California — on Interstate 8 to be precise. Since arriving here in the nation’s Southwest, we’ve had three talks (Duarte, CA — near Los Angeles; Sacramento, CA, and Phoenix, AZ). The crowds have been small (30-40), but very responsive to the message. Our next talk will be in Lakeside, CA, which is close to San Diego.
Brother Maximilian and I saw the beautiful statue of Father Kino that faces the AZ State Capitol. You can see it, too, on Wikipedia. Father Kino is the Father of Arizona, the great apostle who not only mapped the upper Pima lands (Pimeria Alta, i.e., Southern Arizona up to Phoenix and the Northwestern Mexican state of Sonora), but also evangelized about 30,000 Indians. You can read about him in a short article by Brian Kelly. The crowd that I spoke to here in Phoenix was quite responsive to what I said of him, and of our obligation as American Catholics to follow in his footsteps, continuing his vision of a Catholic America.
Now we’re headed back to Blessed Junipero Serra Land. I recently brushed up my knowledge and appreciation of this great Spanish (Majorcan) Apostle by re-reading Sister Maria Philomena’s article on him. (I wrote that just at the right time… Brother Maximilian Maria informs me we just crossed the Colorado River… we’re in California now.) I highly recommend that article, if you’ve not read it. It’s long, so you may want to print it to read at your leisure.
Because we’re on the road, I do not know when the next Ad Rem will be published. Nor do I have a regular publishing schedule for postings in From the Laptops. I’ll do my best to put worthwhile things up as I can. Meantime, those of you into “microblogging” can tell us if our new Twitter Feed is working (yes, this too was done in the car!). You can also follow some of our activity via my Facebook Wall.
Which brings me back to where we started: Ahh, the wonders of technology! Please pray that we use it well, and please continue to pray for the success of the Southwestern Catholic America Tour! All our beloved friends and benefactors are gratefully remembered in our prayers.
One last note: The Catholic America Tour is beginning to take a life of its own, and people are talking about a “next time” in many of the places I have spoken. Should you like to participate in this apostolate of ours, please look at our Questions and Answers on the Catholic America Tour. God bless you and may Our Lady watch over you!
