Masterpieces of Easter Music
The original Gregorian chant of the traditional Easter sequence, Victimae paschali laudes, which goes back to the 11th century, perhaps to Wipo of Burgundy, but... Read more.
The Quiet Man
Call me a sentimentalist, but it’s one of my favourite short stories, evoking an Ireland that no longer is, but may be again: https://gutenberg.ca/ebooks/walshm-quietman/walshm-quietman-00-h.html... Read more.
Vivaldi’s Magnificat
Monsignor Antonio Vivaldi was not only one of the greatest of Baroque composers, but also a Catholic priest, who directed a girls’ orphanage, for whose residents... Read more.
Signs in the Sky
Signs can be ambiguous, or they can be very certain. There are the ‘signs’ of the sacraments fall into the latter category, given to us to ensure we... Read more.
Napoleon and ABBA’s Waterloo
In one of those odd confluences of history, today marks the day in 1793 when the Committee of Public Safety – a modern ring, that – was formed during... Read more.
Miss Rowling’s Stand
I was never a big fan of the Harry Potter books, for various reasons. I tried to read one – I was not their target audience, in age or proclivity – and... Read more.
Saint Richard of Sussex
Saint Richard of Chichester (+1253) was a mediaeval bishop in Sussex – now the patron saint of that bucolic region in the south of England, whence hailed Hilaire... Read more.
It’s Official: John Paul II Day in Canada
Our parish priest reminded us this morning that by statutory law in Canada, today is officially ‘John Paul II Day’. I must confess that I did not know,... Read more.
The Last Easter Homily of Pope Benedict XVI
(Last words are always – or almost always – indicative, and one could reach much into these words of Pope Benedict XVI on his last Easter Vigil as Pope.... Read more.
Good Friday Musical Meditations
Popule Meus, by Tomas Luis de Victoria, Christ’s lament from the Cross, ‘My People, what have I done to you, or in how have I offended you? Answer me!’... Read more.