frjack Loc: Boston, MA

Spent ten days during my recent time in Slovenia on Monte Lussari or, in Slovenian, Svete V¡sarje, helping another Jesuit out in a camp for teenagers from four countries. The only language the campers--early teenagers--had in common was English. Besides helping some of the kids individually with English we celebrated Mass in English every evening and, much to my pleasure, I was able to give them some instruction in photography and feedback on some of their work. Approximately five of the guys and one of the girls were keenly interested in photography. Thus there were discussions on composing a photo, choosing a subject, and the fact that one can take decent shots with a cell phone. During the last day of camp there was a kind of scavenger hunt which included each team taking two photos of the church, one exterior and one interior. Several of the kids showed very creative composition as opposed to straight ahead shots. If I am able to return next year there will be a more formal track for photography using their hikes and other summer-camp activities as a source of photos.

Visarje, or Lussari, has been a site of religious pilgrimage for approximately six hundred years. During the winter the place is an active ski resort with only two modes of access: walking uphill for a few hours or a 15 minute gondola ride. Same access in the summer when hundreds of pilgrims come per day, many of whom walk. There are three Masses daily at 10, 11, and 12. The setting is the Julian Alps. While technically in Italy, Slovenia is 13 km in one direction and Austria 9 km in the other. The village is at an elevation of 5700 feet. The elevation made climbing the 55 steps from the rectory to the church at least thrice daily an interesting experience for the first half of the week. The photo opportunities were endless. Will be editing and processing for quite a while.

The church at sunset the last night of camp. There was a cookout up above the church. The red and white flag was raised after the kids made the flagpole and planted it.

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The summit of the mountain during the cookout.

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The alps at sunset.

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The church shot from the loft. It is not a large or particularly ornate structure.

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One of the side altars. Pilgrims light hundreds of candles daily.

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The very small village adjacent to the church. Took the kids for pizza one night. Excellent.

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The cafe across from the church.

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Two of the campers at the cookout. Quite a view to for hotdogs cooked over a fire.

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BassmanBruce Loc: Middle of the Mitten

Spectacular shots and what an incredibly beautiful setting.

frjack Loc: Boston, MA

Thank you. The setting is spectacular. There is no development on the mountain; condos, hotels, restaurants and so on. Completely unspoiled.

Fullframe Loc: Bucks County, Pennsylvania

Beautiful! Nice Shots

blacks2 Loc: SF. Bay area

Outstanding article and photography.

UTMike Loc: South Jordan, UT

Outstanding shots and story, Fr. Jack! The wine glass with the metric markings takes me back to my three years in Europe.

tbell7D Loc: Houston

Excellent set of images. The third one would be my pick for a favorite. I just like landscapes.

danniepolley

Very interesting story and excellent images.

frjack Loc: Boston, MA

Thanks for commenting. Visarje (carat over the 's' to indicate vih shar yeah) is spectacularly beautiful.

frjack Loc: Boston, MA

Thanks for commenting. A 2000-word essay would not have been difficult.

frjack Loc: Boston, MA

Were I to be sent back for an extended period I would not utter a word of complaint. Forgot to hit update on the wine glass. It is an aperitif of Gingerino, a non-alcoholic ginger and herb drink with a splash of prosecco. It always came with a small bowl of potato chips (they were at the other end of the table). Thanks for commenting.

frjack Loc: Boston, MA

Thanks. The landscape shot potential is/was overwhelming in the best sense of the word.

frjack Loc: Boston, MA

Thank you. I'm grateful to Fr. Peter for inviting me to help out. Terrific time. Bonus was that while temps in Boston and Ljubljana were identical in the high 80s to 90s we never cracked 71 during the day and dropped to about 49 at night. A sweatshirt of over-shirt was the order of the day.

Sylvias Loc: North Yorkshire England

Excellent set and very interesting narrative frjack, a beautiful area.

Mister H Loc: Michigan

Wonderful shots and the cheapest way for me to visit there.