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
Category: Arts and Culture
Artist James Tissot: From the Risqué to the Divine
Catholic Herald, Laura Freeman: Ladies in hammocks,” fumed the art critic for the Spectatorafter an exhibition of James Tissot’s paintings in 1877, “showing a very unnecessary amount of petticoat and stocking, and remarkable for little save their indolence and insolence.” The … Continue reading
Golden Jubilee of the Summer of Love
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
The Art of Stained Glass in the Worship of God
Thank you Mr. Goldman for the suggestion Bottle Store, Jonathan: Since ancient times people have been using colored, cut glass in designs and in windows. Evidence of this is found in both Roman and Egyptian eras. Prior to 313 A.D., colored … Continue reading
Joseph Pearce and the ‘Boromir’ Option
The Imaginative Conservative, Joseph Pearce: In a recent essay for the Imaginative Conservative I wrote about what I called the Mercutio Option, based on the character in Romeo & Juliet who cursed both the warring factions in Verona, the Capulets and the Montagues, suggesting that, … Continue reading
Nostalgia, Revival, and Restoration
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
Poland’s Underground Salt Cathedral
This is truly incredible. A salt mine 600 yards below ground, used for centuries to quarry salt, has been over many years transformed by Polish workers into a cathedral with salt chandeliers and statues. All one can say in viewing … Continue reading
Getting Rid of Rotten Fruit
Question: What do Death Comes for the Archbishop, Ode to Joy and The Night Watch have in common? Answer: 1) They are all works of art. 2) They can all be identified by a person of culture who will also … Continue reading
Plato and Liberal Education
[Note: This article was originally published in From the Housetops in 1946.] I. What is Education Plato conceived education as an art of perfecting man. According to this view, education is possible because man is a perfectible being. Nobody ever … Continue reading
Inside the Filming of a Gifted Director’s Vision of Our Lady of Fatima
National Catholic Register, K.V.Turley: It was a bright summer’s day. I had walked the streets of suburban London through the midday heat. Then I left the glare behind and entered a darkened room. Before me was Our Lady of Fatima; … Continue reading
Some Interesting Facts About St. Jean de Brebeuf’s Huron Carol
New Liturgical Movement, Peter Kwasniewski: Among the most beloved of Christmas pieces is surely the so-called “Huron Carol.” The carol’s text was written by St. Jean de Brebeuf in Quebec in 1642 or 1643 while his father recuperated from a … Continue reading
Advent Hymn of St. Ambrose: Veni Redemptor Gentium
Msgr. Pope: For my money, the best Advent hymn ever is Veni Redemptor Gentium (Come Redeemer of the Nations), written by St. Ambrose in the 4th century. It is more widely known by the title “Come Thou Redeemer of the … Continue reading
A Catholic Artist and His Making of a Statue of Saint Thérèse
Maike Hickson, 1Peter 5: This summer, our little family has been blessed by the generosity of neighbors who also happen to be fellow Catholics. Both of these neighbors – a husband and a wife – are gifted artists. H. Reed Armstrong … Continue reading
Belloc, ‘Hills and the Sea’, a Man Who Could Write About Anything
Crisis, K.V. Turley: These 38 essays are a mix of reflection and philosophy, personal memoir, and travel writing—some with English settings, some foreign. In fact, the geography with which this travel writing is concerned is mostly the Pyrenees and a … Continue reading