Arts & Beauty

Back in March, protests erupted over a painting displayed at the New York City Whitney Museum’s biennial. Some activists stood in front of the picture, trying to block others from viewing it. Others called for it to be taken down, and some even called for the work to be destroyed. But it... Read more

I’m in the dance band on the Titanic Sing “Nearer, my God, to Thee” The iceberg’s on the starboard bow Won’t you dance with me.                   ∼ Harry Chapin, 1977 Back in the late 1970s, when I was an impressionable young lad, I was introduced to the songwriting of... Read more

Today is a good day to join more than 1,000 priests and an even greater number of the faithful in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass in remembrance of Venerable Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen and with the intention of moving forward his beatification cause. May 8 marks the archbishop’s 122nd... Read more

In 1754, an event took place in Colombia that continues to baffle geologists and other scientists. This event was the miraculous appearance of the image of Our Lady of Las Lajas (Our Lady of the Rocks). Have you heard of it?  Most Catholics outside of Colombia are completely unaware of its... Read more

Do you know this performance of the St. John Passion conducted by Karl Richter?” a friend wrote. “Good for Lenten reflection, I think.” The message arrived on March 5, the one-year anniversary of the death of Nikolaus Harnoncourt—the Austrian conductor whom I had long favored over... Read more

So Disney is going to have an “exclusively gay moment” in the live-action film version of Beauty and the Beast. It’s not going to be a big thing, just a moment in the action of LeFou the manservant. Something “nice.” Something very feelings-oriented. That news follows close upon... Read more

  We are a people now illiterate in a way that is unprecedented for the human race. We can decipher linguistic signs on a page, but we have no songs and immemorial stories in our hearts. In February 1893, shortly after the death of Lord Alfred Tennyson, Henry van Dyke... Read more

Cloaked in a cloud, with a face as bright as the sun and feet of fire, he saw the angel descending from heaven. The voice of the angel was as a roaring lion. He was so large that one foot rested on the sea while the other touched the land. In his hand was a small scroll: Then the voice that I... Read more

A Vatican conference  called “Sport at the Service of Humanity” in October was a heady experience. Just at the opening ceremony itself, Pope Francis, UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon, and International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach all spoke. Artists from several cultures gave... Read more

One of the best summations of God's promises to Israel and mankind is as close as your nearest hymnal. I want you to imagine yourself in a monastery in the eighth century. It is December 17th and you've gathered with your brothers for Vespers, the sunset prayer service. As with all... Read more