Spectacular Spring

Travels With Heart By Annie Bowler, June 1, 2025 Volume 25

The weather’s been perfect this spring. It’s rained almost every week, followed by days of

sunshine, which is a recipe for happy plants. Everything is has grown like crazy, including weeds. We moved into our current house in 2018 and enjoyed planting mostly low water, bird, bee, and butterfly attracting California natives which are now all beginning to mature. This fine springweather has made them, and me, quite happy.

By the way, we bought almost all our plants at the UC Davis Arboretum, which had plant sales only in the spring and fall. The Arboretum has an amazing demonstration garden with native plants from around the world. The spring is the best time to walk their three+ miles of gardens but fall is the best time to plant.

Yosemite is truly majestic.

John and I spent time in Yosemite recently. We've mostly visited Yosemite with children or as school group chaperons, so this trip was extra special. It was awesome watching climbers scale El Capitan at dusk, hiking at the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir and to Mirror Lake in the shadow of Half Dome, watching the raging Tuolumne River, seeing so many butterflies and native plants in bloom and enjoying a drink at Curry Village with other happy campers, but the pounding waterfalls were the highlight. Our time there, revived me!

I was born and raised a Catholic. In fact, my family never missed Sunday Mass and my siblings, and I all attended Catholic schools through high school. I feel lucky to have attended Villanova Prep, which is an Augustinian High School.

During my high school years, Augustinian priests and others taught me to think for myself while encouraging me to consider the effect my decisions would have on others. I will be forever grateful to two Augustinians, Father John Keller, and Father Walter Vogel, for their mentorship

and lifelong friendships.

Villanova Villanova prep has a beautiful campus

Father Keller was a funny and Father Keller reading in his office

engaging man who made any

subject interesting

This is Father Vogel, who was my There were many priests of Villanova in those days. Often on Fridays, we

my religion teacher. He also married went to mass in Villanova's beautiful grotto

John and I

And so, it isn’t surprising that I’ve been delighted with the news that Robert Francis Prevost, the first American and the first Augustinian, was named pope. I’ve been fascinated to learn more about this remarkable man.

Born in Chicago in 1955 to parents of Spanish and Franco-Italian descent, Pope Leo was always a devout Catholic. Robert served as an altar boy and was ordained in 1982.

Pope Leo was the youngest of three boys

In 1975, Robert Prevost made a shocking decision; he rejected his acceptance to Harvard Law School to serve Peru's poorest villages. He joined a missionary group and moved to Peru. He didn’t visit tourism spots, rather he built shelters, taught math to barefoot kids, feed the poor and helped the sick.

Slowly, Robert’s legend grew. They called him back to lead his entire Augustinian order where he oversaw 2,800 brothers in over 40 countries. But Rome wanted him closer. In 2020 he was appointed Archbishop and assigned to govern other bishops globally.

Robert wasn’t just fluent in Latin or Canon Law, he was fluent in five languages. More

importantly perhaps, Robert was equally fluent in compassion, humility, and the art of listening. Pope Francis saw all these traits and named him Cardinal. And then, on their first vote, Catholic Cardinals from around the world elevated Robert Francis Prevost to be the next Pope.

The Ojai Valley News posted this picture of one of my all-time favorite priests, Father John

Keller, OSA, greeting Pope Francis, with the now Pope Leo XIV looking on. Apparently, Pope Leo visited my high school Villanova prep many times. Villanova is run by the Augustinian order; with its huge campus and many dorms, the order often hold summer retreats and meetings there.

With the American/Peruvian Pope Leo XIV as the new leader of the Catholic church, I am

hopeful that this prayerful and thoughtful man can use his influence to encourage peace and justice here in America and around the world.

Peace!