Two video interviews and an article about his philosophy of sacred music, recently published in the National Catholic Register
A Thought on How to Beautify Ugly Sacred Spaces when Diocesan and Government Bureaucracy are Opposed And Costs Are High
Commission a limited number of beautiful portable works of art in carved wooden housings. By commissioning and owning their own beautifully crafted but portable pieces such as a rude screen a reredos, and other well-placed images and religious statuary, clergy could reintroduce traditional iconography and sacred artistry elements into these otherwise uninspiring spaces.
Conference and Premiere of Mass in Honor of Blessed Karl of Austria, Washington DC, October 18-20, 2024
Thank you to composer Paul Jernberg of the Magnificat Institute, an old friend of ours at the Scala Foundation, for bringing this to my attention. Paul's newly composed Mass will be premiered this weekend, with the composer conducting the choir.
Blessed Karl of Austria was the last Emporer of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, ascending to the throne in 1916. He died in 1922. His cause for canonization was opened in 1949.
For further information about the event, contact Suzanne Pearson at sdpearson@verizon.netHere is the poster:
Book Recommendation: The Spiritual History of English, by Andrew Thornton-Norris
Is Beauty Worth It? Doesn't it Cost Too Much?
No! Beauty Transforms Us Spritually, Invokes the Principle of Superabundance that Generates Wealth for All, and Inspires Us to Love the Poor.
As St Francis of Assisi understood, beauty is a common-good, beneficial spiritually, to all who encounter it, rich and poor alike. But second, the poor will benefit materially as well. Faith inspires charity and so it will inspire the rich to give to the poor directly.
Become an Apprentice at a Unique Catholic Art School: the Stabat Mater Studio
Two Events in Princeton Within a Week: Concert of New Choral Music and a Conversation With Sir James MacMillan, June 15, 2024
The Manuscript Illumination, Calligraphy and Icons of Nicholas Hughes, an Orthodox monk from West Virginia
Chalice Palls Hand Embroidered by Kathryn Laffrey
Kathryn is currently studying for her Master of Sacred Arts at Pontifex University. She is based in Michigan. You can commission works from her, and I recommend he embroidery, particularly at kl-artstudio.com
Rolling Back the Tide of Post Vatican II Iconoclasm: the Newly Revealed Wall Painting at the Oxford Oratory
Whitewashing over wall paintings has always been a common measure taken by those who wish to remove images from churches. Applying a coat of paint is cheaper and quicker than replastering the surface! Islamic iconoclasts at Hagia Sophia, Protestant Reformers in 16th-century England, and, it seems, Catholic iconoclasts of the 1970s all resorted to this method of obliterating sacred art to hide the beauty of the Church.
