New York, New York . . .

. . . it’s a wonderful town!

Secular highlights of the recent trip: spending time with my better half’s family (they’re terrific!); seeing 42nd Street (at a theater on, of all things, 42nd Street); finally getting to Zabar’s (I used to think that LA’s Farmer’s Market on Fairfax was Disneyland for foodies – nope, this is it); going to Monday’s Letterman taping.

Since we slept in on Sunday, we couldn’t get to St. Pat’s. Instead we went to Mass at a parish near the hotel (Holy Trinity on west 82nd). When we got there, we saw about 80 firemen in uniform. Turns out that a fireman who died on 9/11 was a parishioner and this week would have been his birthday. His colleagues and family were there in special memory of him, as was a fire truck with his name and the following: “Some gave all, all gave some”.

If ever you get the chance to attend Mass at Holy Trinity on west 82nd, I recommend it. The entire space is deeply prayerful. Music was good too.

On Monday after lunch we happened in to Church of Our Saviour on Park Avenue at 38th Street, based on an article we saw in the NY diocesan paper that we had picked up on Sunday. Great place to stop and pray in Midtown.

Was saddened to learn (very late) of the untimely death last year of Msgr. Anthony Dalla Villa, who had been rector of St. Patrick’s. Had heard him preach twice – two of the best sermons I’ve yet heard.

And so, after a very strange span of four weeks during which my father died, we celebrated the mystery of the Incarnation, I marked another year of my life, we entered the new year, I went to northern California, came home, went to New York and returned home for a good long while, things start to settle down. One week from tonight, the spring semester starts. May I learn as much from it as I have from these last few weeks.