Author: Charles Dittmeier

Another anniversary

Two weekends ago I went to Maryknoll, NY for the 50th anniversary of the Maryknoll Lay Missioners. Today is the third anniversary of Fr. Roy Stiles moving to Nazareth Home Clifton and he decide to celebrate a little.

Roy is partial to watermelon and decided to have a small watermelon party this evening for the guys here in Nazareth Home Clifton with him.

Receiving mail again!

Since I moved into Nazareth Home Clifton two weeks ago, I have received three letters–the first mail I have received in more than ten years. Cambodia had no mail pickup or delivery before Covid. Mail could be received only in a post office box. Then with Covid, there was NO mail in either direction.

It’s strange to receive mail now. In past years if I wanted to send something to the United States, I had to use FedEx or DHL or another courier–at $40 per letter!

Visit to Cincy

The last sister I hadn’t seen after my return is Martha in Cincinnati so yesterday two other sisters, Mary and Jane, and Jane’s daughter Emily, drove to Cincy to see Martha. It was a great reunion for me and a wonderful visit for us all.

The four siblings, Jane and Charlie (front), and Mary and Martha.
Enjoying the porch after a wonderful lunch together.

Theme for Day of Peace

January 1st each year is celebrated as an international day for peace. Today Pope Leo announced the theme for this year’s celebration.

The theme for the January 1, 2026 Day of Peace is:“Peace be with you all: Towards an ‘unarmed and disarming’ peace.” The theme “invites humanity to reject the logic of violence and war, and to embrace an authentic peace based on love and justice.”

It was interesting that at the 50th anniversary of the Maryknoll Lay Missioners last weekend, Marie Dennis announced a new peace initiative from Pax Christi.  Marie was previously the director of the Maryknoll peace and justice office, and then was national head of Pax Christi, and then international head of Pax Christi.  She now directs the international Pax Christi’s Catholic Non-violence Initiative.  It is an attempt to put non-violence at the center of Catholic theology.  They are meeting with Vatican officials about that in October.

The pope has also written a book on peace, with the title “And let there be peace.”

Bicycle Surprise

Today I got the surprise of my life! Because of macular degeneration in my eyes, I am not going to drive any more and was looking for an e-bike to get me around Louisville. I had borrowed my cousin Julie’s bike and today she asked if I could bring it back. I rode it over to her house and when I got there she announced that my cousins had collaborated to buy me a new e-bike! I was stunned–and most appreciative of their caring and generosity!

Nazareth Home Clifton

Office/Living Room
At Nazareth Home Clifton, this is my office and living room. I posted an earlier photo and it looked much neater but that was because I hadn’t unpacked anything. Now a lot of things, especially papers, are waiting to be sorted and a place found for them. One addition in this picture is the large monitor connected to my laptop. Previously I used two monitors but this one is wide enough to accommodate two pages side by side so I can still copy and paste.
This is a view from the window toward the door that leads to the hallway. The white folding doors on the left are a large walk-in closet. There is a similar closet in my bedroom so I have plenty of hanging space and some shelves in them.

Nazareth Home Clifton

Kitchen
This is a little common kitchen for the twelve priest rooms on the first floor of Nazareth Home Clifton. We eat meals in a larger dining room for those of us in the independent living section but this kitchen gets used for breakfasts and pick-up food.
It’s a quite small room but is perfect for us. I always eat breakfast here–we eat breakfast at different times–and occasionally grab a peanut butter and jelly sandwich or a Coke Zero.

Now, tasks at home….

Now that I am at Nazareth Home Clifton, my permanent home, i am starting on my list of things to do. One immediate task was to provide some transportation for myself and I borrowed my cousin’s e-bike to get around the neighborhood. Fr. Roy Stiles rides a bike almost every day. That’s his bike in the rear.
My borrowed e-bike is an assisted e-bike, i.e., the motor only kicks in if your are pedaling. That is great because I can still get some exercise while I am also able to increase the distance I travel and lessen the travel time. Roy and I keep our bikes inside our residence, in an unoccupied room.