A Jesuit reflects on coronavirus quarantine in Milan

In early March, Patrick Gilger, S.J., boarded a plane in New York
en route to Milan. He was on a research trip and going to study
Italian in the historic cosmopolitan city located in Italy’s
northern Lombardy region. The cross-Atlantic flight had only 12
passengers on it. When he arrived, the city had just been
shuttered. Italy was on the verge of a brutal month of suffering
and death at the hands of Covid-19. Outside of his window, in the
otherwise empty piazza below, a group of teenagers sat casually,
drinking and singing. “It feels different here,” he wrote in
America, “It is as if Milan, under quarantine, has asked me to
renounce the particular version of our American response to fear
that I have made my own: the unceasing effort to control, to
master, to define and thereby dictate what is really real and truly
true. And thereby be secure.” In this bonus episode, “Father Paddy”
as he’s known on the popular YouTube series “Jesuit Autocomplete,”
reflects on his experience living in an epicenter of the
coronavirus pandemic, the humiliations (and humility!) that come
with learning a new language and how his isolation has connected
him to God and others. We treasure the community you all have
helped to build on Jesuitical’s Facebook page. Don’t hesitate to
share both the joys and challenges you experience during this
difficult moment in the life of our church and the world. We cannot
make this show or grow this community without your support. Please
consider giving through Patreon. And thank you. Learn more about
your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices