Little Alfie Evans is dead. The poor mite had little hope, humanly speaking, in any case; but the determination of the British medical, bureaucratic, and judicial establishment to kill him — in the face of an Italian government that was … Continue reading
Last month we looked at the attempts of believers and non-believers alike to escape the terror and boredom of modern life via quest for enchantment launched through time — the annual observances, secular and religious, of the year. In this … Continue reading
Christmas is at last upon us. I say at last because even the most devout of Catholics, however keen on keeping Advent strictly they may be, are doubtless aware of the Yuletide decorations up in stores since mid-September. Of course … Continue reading
Last night I attended a meeting of the Alhambra Historical Society, at which Joyce Amaro, president of the Alhambra Preservation Group, gave a presentation on the formerly Episcopalian chapel of Ss. Simon and Jude and her organisation’s thus far successful … Continue reading
Autumn is, for me anyway, an acutely nostalgic time. I think of the New England and New York of my childhood, of cool crisp weather and falling coloured leaves — and these memories are all the more vibrant when faced … Continue reading
As everyone save the most hermit-like will know, these United States are extremely divided just at the moment. At the conclusion of an administration whose most iconic moment was — for this writer, anyway — an executive order penalising public … Continue reading
A few months ago, in this space, this writer offered some musings on the 65th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II’s accession to the throne. But this summer marks the Golden Jubilee of an event that has had far more impact … Continue reading
First he was found faultless in his five senses, and then failed never the knight in his five fingers, and all his trust in the field was in the five wounds that Christ caught on the cross, as the creed … Continue reading
Nostalgia is one of the most powerful emotions in the human psyche, not least because change — so often for the worse — is one of the most powerful realities we all face. Some of this change, be it political, … Continue reading
Easter is soon to be upon us, after the emotional roller coaster ride of tragedy and triumph that is Holy Week. As with Christmas, Thanksgiving, Hallowe’en, and the Fourth of July, after a certain age the glimmer of nostalgia leads … Continue reading
I have done a great deal of traveling in the past few months: October saw me in Cleveland, Ohio, and New England; November brought me to the Hudson Valley of my birth and earliest years; and in February and March … Continue reading
As I write these words, it is February 6, 2017 — the Sapphire Jubilee of Her Majesty Elizabeth II, Queen of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and her other Realms and Territories, Lord of Mann, Duke … Continue reading
Christmas, New Year’s, and Epiphany always, I think, make us meditative over our past, present, and future. We are tempted to look at the events and challenges of our lives in isolation — not merely from those of others, but … Continue reading
…I’ve grown a little leaner Grown a little colder Grown a little sadder Grown a little older And I need a little angel Sitting on my shoulder I need a little Christmas now –Jerry Herman, “We Need a Little Christmas” … Continue reading
Mellow-faced, with eyes of faery, wistful clad in tinted leaves, See the brown October tarry by the golden rows of sheaves; Oak & acorn in his garland, fruit & wineskin in his hands, Mystic pilgrim from a far land down … Continue reading
Site development: Bonaventure
