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St Anthony Abbot
2011-01-15 19:24:00
Attributed to Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni (6 March 1475 ? 18 February 1564), commonly known as MichelangeloThe Temptation of St Anthony c. 1487-1488Tempera and oil on panel47 x 35 cmKimbell Art Museum, Fort Worth, Texas The young Michelangelo, whilst a pupil in Domenico Ghirlandaio's workshop, produced a painted, coloured copy after Martin Schongauer's print of The Temptation of Saint Anthony In his biography of Michelangelo (written under Michelangelo`s supervision), Condivi wrote: 'And having been put by Granacci before an engraving, where the story of Saint Anthony is told, when he is beaten by devils, by Martino d'Ollandia [Martin Schongauer], a gifted man for those times, he painted a copy of it on a wooden panel, and given by the same [Granacci] colours and brushes, he did it so well, that anyone who saw it not only marvelled at its beauty but, according to some, Domenico [Ghirlandaio] was also filled with envy... In producing this work, for which there is ...

Blessed Pope John Paul II
2011-01-14 23:20:00
A communiqué from the Congregation for Saints' Causes announced that today the Pope , in an audience with the congregation's prefect, Cardinal Angelo Amato, "authorized the dicastery to promulgate the decree of the miracle attributed to the intercession of Venerable Servant of God John Paul II (Karol Wojtyla)." This was the final step in the process preceding the beatification rite, which will be celebrated on Divine Mercy Sunday, a feast day instituted by John Paul II He died on the night of Saturday, April 2, 2005, precisely the vigil of the Second Sunday of Easter was celebrated, and many observed the unique coincidence, which brought together a Marian dimension -- the first Saturday of the month -- and that of Divine Mercyhttp://feeds.feedburner.com/blogspot /Uocyk
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St Catherine of Genoa (Genova)
2011-01-13 22:17:00
Domenico Piola (1627 ? 8 April 1703)Engraving by Bartolomeo Giuseppe Tasnière ca. 1675-1752Of painting by Domenico Piola (1627 ? 8 April 1703)St Catherine Fieschi Adorno of Genoa with the Crucifix Print engraving 93 by 60 cmBiblioteca Reale, Turin Domenico Piola spent his life mostly in Genoa, except for a working trip to Milan, Piacenza, Bologna and Asti in 1684-5. He and Gregorio de Ferrari, his son-in-law, were the leading artists in Genoa in the second half of the 17th century, and their drawings and paintings had a far-reaching influence on the next generation of Genoese painters He made a number of important paintings of St Catherine of Genoa (1447 - 15 September 1510) which are still in the city. They were commissioned for her beatification in 1675 by Pope Clement X In his recent catechesis on Wednesday 12 January 2011, on St Catherine the Pope explained what the painting above represents - part of her "conversion experience" from 20 to 23 March 1473: "Her conversion began on...
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Saint Hilary of Poitiers
2011-01-11 23:29:00
Jean Fouquet, (b. c. 1415; d. about 1480)Les Suffrages des Saints: Saint Hilaire au concile de Séleucie convoqué par le pape Léon From Le Livre d'Heures d'Etienne Chevalier 1450-60Miniature and illuminated manuscriptMs71-folio36 recto Musée Condé, Chantilly Etienne de Chevalier, (c 1410 - 1470) treasurer to King Charles VII, commissioned Jean Fouquet, one of the greatest artists of the fifteenth century, to create this Book of Hours. The original miniatures exist as fragments of the Livre d?heures d?Etienne Chevalier (1450-60), forty of whose leaves are at the Musée Condé, Chantilly. This page from The Book of Hours ilustrates two events from the Life of St Hilary of Poitiers, (c. 300 ? c. 368) Bishop and Doctor of the Church In the large image, St Hilary turned up at one of the many Councils called to resolve the Arian heresy which took up so much time and energy of the early Church. The Council or Synod  was presided over by a heretic (or Arian) pope.  ...

Pope speaks about plight of Christians in Pakistan
2011-01-10 23:40:00
In Pakistan , last July, two Christian brothers accused under the law of writing a blasphemous letter against Muhammad, the founder of Islam, were gunned down outside a Pakistani court. In 2005, another Christian accused of blasphemy was beaten to death in a prison hospital by a guard wielding a hammer. In November 2010, a Christian mother of four was sentenced to death under the law, a case that has sparked wide international protest. In early December, a pro-Taliban Pakistani cleric offered a reward of $5,800 to anyone who kills the woman in prison, angered by attempts of the local governor to save her life The governor of Punjab, Salman Taseer, spoke out forcefully for clemency for the Christian woman The governor was slain Many Pakistanis have come out in support of the governor's killer since the assassination nearly a week ago. Crowds showered him with rose petals and shouted supportive slogans during court appearances Yesterday tens of thousands of Islamists rallied in Pak...
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The Baptism of the Lord
2011-01-09 22:36:00
Ludovico Carracci 1555 - 1619The Baptism of JesusOil on canvas140 cm x 211 cmMusée des beaux-arts, Lyon The Baptism of the Lord is the first Sunday after the Epiphany. It ends the Christmas season The Catechism says of the event which the Feast celebrates: "1224 Our Lord voluntarily submitted himself to the baptism of St. John, intended for sinners, in order to "fulfill all righteousness."19 Jesus' gesture is a manifestation of his self-emptying.20 The Spirit who had hovered over the waters of the first creation descended then on the Christ as a prelude of the new creation, and the Father revealed Jesus as his "beloved Son."21 Footnotes:17 Cf. Mt 3:13.18 Mt 28:19-20; cf. Mk 16:15-16.19 Mt 3:15.20 Cf. Phil 2:7.21 Mt 3:16-17." It is the beginning of Christ`s public ministry. It was a revelation: a revelation of the Christ being the Son of God; and a revelation of the Trinity. The  booklet for today`s Papal Mass in the Sistine Chapel is available as a .pdf file here.http://...

The Major Elevation of the Host
2011-01-08 21:35:00
Maître de Saint Gilles (active 1490 - 1520)The Mass of Saint Giles, c 1500Oil on panel61.6 x 45.7 cmThe National Gallery, London The panel depicts a miracle. The panel was set before the high altar of the Abbey of Saint-Denis near Paris. Many of the objects shown can be proved to have existed in the church. This is the only surviving representation of the church as it was in about 1500. The mirace depicted is that of Charles Martel (?) (kneeling left) who could not bring himself to confess a sin. He asked Saint Giles to pray for him. While Giles was celebrating Mass, an angel placed on the altar a paper on which was written the king's sin and his pardon, dependent on his repentance. The incident is said to have taken place in Orléans in 719. In some forms of the legend Charlemagne replaces Martel. The central image of the panel is the Major Elevation of the Host by the priest during the Mass. The word "Host" is derived from the Latin hostia meaning "sacrificial victim" After con...
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The Advisors of King Herod the Great
2011-01-08 20:40:00
Alexis Master (active 1121-1146)The Three Wise Men before King Herod 1121-1146Miniature on manuscript made in St AlbansAlbani-Psalter and the Psalter of Christina of Markyate, Saint Albans Dombibliothek, Hildesheim The St Albans Psalter, also known as the Albani Psalter or the Psalter of Christina of Markyate, is an English illuminated manuscript, one of several Psalters known to have been created at or for St Albans Abbey in the 12th century It was probably owned by Christina of Markyate (born circa 1098, died perhaps between 1155 and 1166),anchoress and later prioress of Markyate The University of Aberdeen website has a transcription, translation, commentary, interpretative essays, bibliography, etc. The website has a commentary on the above page The website of the Dombibliothek Hildesheim also has a section on the Psalter The above image from the Albani Manuscript is a conflation of two separate scenes. In the first, Herod consults the prophecy of Micah with the scribes, to lo...
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Herod the Great
2011-01-07 20:41:00
The Visit of the Magi to Herod From SacramentaryIlluminated manuscriptCirca 1020From South east Englandf. 036v ms. 0274 BM Rouen In his Homily for the Feast of the Epiphany, the Pope amongst other things discussed the character of King Herod, whom the Magi visited before going to Bethlehem to worship at the manger He said: "First of all [the Magi] found King Herod. He certainly was interested in the child of whom the Magi spoke; not, however, for the purpose of adoring him, as he, lying, wished to make understood, but to do away with him. Herod was a man of power, who in the other sees only a rival to combat. At bottom, if we reflect well, even God seems a rival to him, in fact a particularly dangerous rival, who wished to deprive men of the vital space, of their autonomy, of their power; a rival who indicates the way to follow in life and thus impedes one's doing whatever one wishes. Herod hears from his experts in the Sacred Scriptures the words of the prophet Micah (5:1), but...
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The Adoration of the Magi
2011-01-06 21:47:00
Emil Nolde 1867 - 1956Die Heiligen Drei Konige (The Three Magi) (Types) 1912Oil on canvas51.5 by 42.5 cmPrivate collection The Feast of the Epiphany was one of several biblical subjects that fascinated Nolde who during the time the painting was executed was breaking with the Berlin Sezession artists and moving towards the Der Blaue Reiter group. The magi ('wise men') were traditionally astrologers of the Persian court and priests of the cult of Mithras, but were later redefined as kings, based on a similar story of royal gift-giving in the Old Testament (Psalms 72:10). In the early Middle Ages (by about 750), they were given names, Caspar, Melchior and Balthasar, and were said to come from the kingdoms of Tarshish, Sheba and Seba (Seba was thought to be an ancient name for Ethiopia). From about the 15th century, Balthazar, the black magus/king associated with Ethiopia became a familiar figure in European images of the Adoration of Christ at his birth. From the fourteenth centu...

True and False Epiphanies
2011-01-04 21:55:00
The iconography of the Feast of the Epiphany is many, various and beautiful The visit of the Three Kings to the manger is fixed in the mind. But perhaps its familiarity undermines the importance of the message Perhaps too the word "epiphany" has been undermined by its takeover by the field of literary scholars, who influenced by De Quincey and above all James Joyce have circulated the idea of an "epiphany" as a sudden realisation or comprehension of the essence or meaning of something. An "epiphany" originaly was a meeting of the divine and the secular whereby the human world became illuminated. In literary scholarship, God was removed. The "epiphany" became a "sudden spiritual manifestation, whether in the vulgarity of speech or of gesture or in a memorable phase of the mind itself". Man was and is the source of revelation through his own efforts and capabilities The epiphany became a commonplace rather than a unique or rare event. Everyone even Bart Simpson has epiphanies and the...
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And the Word became flesh
2010-12-22 23:01:00
Maestro de SopetránLa Natividad1470Mixed media on Panel103 cm x 60 cmMuseo Nacional del Prado, Madrid The Prologue of John is one of the Gospel readings for Christmas Day. It is so well known it really does not need repeatiing. Though mystical and rather mysterious it communicates Truth But here it is: "In the beginning was the Word , and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came to be through him, and without him nothing came to be. What came to be through him was life, and this life was the light of the human race; the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. A man named John was sent from God. He came for testimony, to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but came to testify to the light. The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world came to be through him, but the world did not know him. ...

Pope on BBC Radio 4
2010-12-22 22:18:00
His Holiness the Pope will deliver Thought for the Day on BBC Radio 4 on Christmas Eve reports The Telegraph It will go out at 7.45am on Christmas Eve, and will last for three minutes It will be available for download on the BBC Radio 4 website http://feeds.feedburner.com/blogspot/Uocy k

King David : The Ark of the Covenant is brought to Jerusalem
2010-12-19 14:03:00
AnonymousKing David and the Ark of the Covenant:King David dances and plays the harp in front of the Ark of the Covenant which is carried by two Levites in the costume of the High Priest, all outside Jerusalem 17th centuryOil on canvasMusée d'Art et d'Histoire du Judaïsme, Paris Luigi Ademollo 1764-1849King David brings the Ark into Jerusalem 1816FrescoRoom of the Ark, Galleria Palatina, Palazzo Pitti, Florence Psalm 132(131) 1 A song of ascents. LORD, remember David and all his anxious care; 2 How he swore an oath to the LORD, vowed to the Mighty One of Jacob: 3 "I will not enter the house where I live, nor lie on the couch where I sleep; 4 I will give my eyes no sleep, my eyelids no rest, 5 Till I find a home for the LORD, a dwelling for the Mighty One of Jacob." 6 "We have heard of it in Ephrathah; we have found it in the fields of Jaar. 7 Let us enter God's dwelling; let us worship at God's footstool." 8 "Arise, LORD, come to your resting place, you and your majestic ark. 9...

O Clavis David
2010-12-19 12:50:00
Marc Chagall (1887-1985)Le Roi David / King David 1951Oil on canvas1.98 x 1.33 mMusée national d'Art moderne - Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris Marc Chagall (1887-1985)La Tour de David 1968-1971Oil on canvas1.17 x 0.9 mMusée national Message biblique Marc Chagall, Nice As well as the reputed author of many of the Psalms, David was Israel?s first successful king. He united all of the Israelite tribes, became the effective ruler over all, and was the founder of an enduring dynasty His royal line or House became a primary symbol of the bond between God and the nation. The king was the mediator between God and his people. David conquered Jerusalem and made it the city of Israel. Israel?s God was named Y-hw-h. David made this name the supreme name for deity in Jerusalem (previously perhaps ?Salem?), to indicate his conquest of the city. He brought the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem where it became the sign and embodiment of God`s presence among his people. O Clavis David, et sceptrum...

O Radix Jesse
2010-12-19 03:24:00
Jan Mostaert (c.1475 - c.1555)The Tree of Jesse 1485Oil on panel89 x 59 cmRijksmuseum, Amsterdam At the top of the tree, the very crown, is the Virgin Mary with her child on her lap and surrounded by angels The detail shows the prophet Isaiah. He is pointing out a passage from Scripture: Isaiah 11, verse 1 : 'And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots'. Or perhaps it is Isaiah 11:10: "In that day the root of Jesse, who standeth for an ensign of the people, him the Gentiles shall beseech, and his sepulchre shall be glorious" Mary was from the tribe of Jesse O Radix Jesse, qui stas in signum populorum, super quem continebunt reges os suum, quem Gentes deprecabuntur: veni ad liberandum nos, jam noli tardare. O Root of Jesse, standing as a sign among the peoples; before you kings will shut their mouths, to you the nations will make their prayer: Come and deliver us, and delay no longer.http://feeds.feedburner.co...

The Madonna of the Book
2010-12-18 20:20:00
The Poldi Pezzoli Museum in Milan is currently hosting an exhibition on Botticelli entitled Botticelli in the Lombard Collections One of the paintings which it owns and is exhibiting is The Madonna of the Book (below) Sandro Botticelli (1445 circa ? 1510) and Filippino Lippi (1457 circa ? 1504) ?Madonna col Bambino detta ?Madonna del Libro? / Madonna and Child known as The Madonna of the Book1482 -1483 circa Tempera on wood58 × 39,5 cmMuseo Poldi Pezzoli, Milan The scene is lit by the natural light from the window. But the persons depicted seem to illuminate the scene from some inner light The Madonna is with the Child. She is holding open the Book. The Book might be a Book of Hours. It seems to be open at two passages from Isaiah: two prophetic passages dealing with the conception and birth of the Saviour. St Augustine said: "The New Testament is hidden in the Old and the Old is made manifest in the New?, (Quaestiones in Heptateuchum, 2, 73: PL 34, 623) St Gregory the Great wrot...

Saints and Scripture
2010-12-18 15:45:00
Fray Juan Bautista Maíno (1581-1649). Paisaje con San Juan Evangelista / Landscape with St John the Evangelist1612 - 1614Oil on canvas74 cm x 163 cmMuseo Nacional del Prado, Madrid After traveling through Italy, and perhaps through northern Europe, Maíno was commissioned by the Dominican Monks to paint the main altarpiece at the Convent of San Pedro Mártir in Toledo. The chosen subject was the Four Pascal Feasts: Christmas, Epiphany, Resurrection and Pentecost. He also painted a number of saints in various landscapes of which the above of St John the Evangelist is but one. It is one of the under estimated and least known works. But perhaps one of his more significant works. Before finishing this commission, the painter entered the Dominican Order. After entering the Order he became the teacher of drawing to the King. However his artistic output diminished to almost nothing In his recent Apostolic Exhortation Verbum Dei Pope Benedict XVI said of the Prologue to St John`s Gospel: "I ...
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St Veronica Giuliani
2010-12-18 00:38:00
Pietro Tedeschi (circa 1750-died after 1805)Coronazione di spine di S.Veronica / Crowning of Thorns of St VeronicaOil on canvasChiesa delle Cappuccine, Mercatello sul MetauroProvince of Pesaro and Urbino Tedeschi was born in Pesaro. In 1777 he went to Rome and remained there until his death. He painted a large number of religious works for churches, monasteries, convents and the like and they can be seen in Bologna, Macerata, Ascoli PIceno, Viterbo, Pesaro and Imola as well as many other places Many of his commissions came through the good offices of his patron Cardinal Alessandro Albani who was a patron of many artists from The Marche The subject of the painting above was the subject of the Pope`s latest address on Wednesday last about great woman mystics: St Veronica Giuliani (Veronica de Julianis) (1660 ? July 9, 1727) She has been described as one of the greatest of the Catholic mystical writers. All the bishops of Umbria in Italy have petitioned the Pope to have her declared ...

St John of the Cross 2
2010-12-16 21:29:00
The exhibition The Sacred Made Real: Spanish Painting and Sculpture, 1600?1700 was shown in The National Gallery, London and The National Gallery of Art in Washington DC It was acclaimed and introduced many people to the Spanish Baroque. One of the most interesting sculptures was of St John of the Cross by Francisco Antonio Gijón (1653?c. 1721) and unknown painter (possibly Domingo Mejías) Francisco Antonio Gijón (1653?c. 1721) and unknown painter (possibly Domingo Mejías) Saint John of the Cross c. 1675 Painted and gilded wood 168 cm (66 1/8 in.) National Gallery of Art, Washington, Patrons' Permanent Fund After the beatification of St John of the Cross on January 25, 1675, the Carmelite convent of Nuestra Señora de los Remedios near Seville commissioned this life-sized statue from the young Sevillian sculptor, Francisco Antonio Gijón, then only 21 The figure of the saint holds a quill pen in his right hand and, in the left, a book with a model of a mountain surmounted by a cr...
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Saint John of the Cross
2010-12-14 23:07:00
Baldassare Franceschini, il Volterrano 1611 - 1690The vision of St John of the Cross , with a pentimento putto; kneeling saint, with two studies of Christ bearing the Cross at l, putti aboveRed chalk, with some pen and brown ink, with piece overlaid187 millimetres x 265 millimetresThe British Museum, London Baldassare Franceschini, il Volterrano 1611 - 1690Vision of St John of the Cross, with a pentimento; a church interior with the saint kneeling on the ground, Christ with a cross in a niche at l, putti aboveInscription Content: Inscribed: "IOANIDIS [QVIS?] PRO LABORIBUS?"Red chalk, with piece overlaid328 millimetres x 255 millimetresThe British Museum, London In order to arrive there, to arrive where you are, to get from where you are not, you must go by a way wherein there is no ecstasy. In order to arrive at what you do not know you must go by the way which is the way of ignorance. In order to possess what you do not possess you must go by the way of dispossession. In order to a...
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Beauty in the Liturgy
2010-10-27 20:57:00
Fra Lippo Lippi (1406- 1469)Fresco cycle Life of the Virgin 1467-69FrescoThe Apse of the Cathedral in Spoleto, Umbria This is the last work of Fra Lippo Lippi. He died and was buried in Spoleto. His pupils, especially his friend Fra Diamante and Pier Matteo d?Amelia, finished the remainder of the work (an Annunciation and a Nativity) after his death His Wall tomb memorial in Spoleto cathedral, was completed c. 1492 by Andrea di Cristoforo Bregno (1418?1506) His frescoes of Prato and Spoleto were inspirations for Ghirlandaio and Botticelli. As they have been and are for congregations of the Cathedral at Spoleto, past present and no doubt in the future. The website of the Archdiocese of Spoleto-Norcia has beautiful images of the works and some interesting commentary. It appears to be an archdiocese where the bishops and clergy are very responsive to the great cultural history of their area and are properly appreciative of it. It is in their bones and it suffuses their activities in ...
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Diocesan Museums ("Musei Diocesani")
2010-10-25 22:42:00
The use of Sacred Art as an Instrument of Evangelisation and Catechesis has led to an increase in the creation of Diocesan Museums in the Catholic world. It was one of the many initiatives recognised by the Plenary Assembly on The Via Pulchritudinis,Privileged Pathway for Evangelisation and Dialogue in the use of Sacred Art as an Instrument of Evangelisation and Catechesis was the formation of Diocesan museums. The Concluding Document of the Plenary Assembly recommended: "- Local publications in the guise of tourist guides, webpages, or specialised journals on patrimony, with the pedagogical aim of highlighting the soul, inspiration and message of works, scientific analysis is thereby put at the service of a deeper understanding of the work. - Make pastoral agents, catechists, and religion teachers, seminarians and clergy aware of this issue through formation courses, seminars, thematic meetings, guided tours. Diocesan museums and Catholic Cultural Centres can play an important rol...

The Via Pulchritudinis: The Privileged Pathway for Evangelisation and Dialo
2010-10-24 20:17:00
Juan Martín Cabezalero, 1634 -1673Comunión de Santa Teresa, / The Communion of St Teresa ca. 1670. Oil on canvas .248 x 217,5 cm Col. Fundación Lázaro Galdiano, Museo Lázaro Galdiano, Madrid Juan Martín Cabezalero, 1634 -1673Asunción de la Virgen / The Assumption of Mary c. 1670Oil on canvas237 cm x 169 cmMuseo Nacional del Prado, Madrid Juan Martín Cabezalero, 1634 -1673Pasaje de la vida de San Francisco/ Part of the Life of St FrancisOil on canvas 232 x 195 cm Museo Nacional del Prado, Madrid Few works by Cabezalero survive but his paintings are of a very high quality. He is one of the little known great Spanish Baroque painters of the seventeenth century. He is overshadowed by Diego Velázquez He was influenced by Anthony van Dyck As can be seen from the above paintings, it is unfortunate that he died young. In 2006, the Pontifical Council for Culture held a plenary assembly on the theme of the Via Pulchritudinis (The Way of Beauty). As the Concluding Document of the Assembl...
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The Akathistos Hymn
2010-10-23 21:07:00
Akathist Hymn to the Theotokos iconThe Holy Transfiguration Monastery (Brookline, Massachusetts) Icon of the Mother of God "of the Akathist" The Vatican Directory on Popular Piety and the Liturgy (December 2001) lists many approved "popular pieties" and devotions outside the Liturgy. One of them is The Akathistos Hymn This seems to have been a particular favourite of the late Pope, Pope John Paul II Here is an extract of the Hymn sung by the Choir of Convent of the Annunciation, Ormylia (Chalkidiki Greece) Here is another extract of the Hymn: Title: "?? ???????? ????????" (Unto the Defender General) The akathistos is a hymn or an Office in the Greek Liturgy in honour of the Mother of God. It is so called because it is performed with all standing It was traditionally said or sung on or around the Saturday of the fifth week of Lent or on special occasions On 8th December 2000, Pope John Paul II presided at a celebration of the Hymn in the Basilica of St Mary Major in Rome. ...

Fondazione pro Musica e Arte Sacra
2010-10-23 13:27:00
Past festival event at St Peters Basilica, Rome Past Festival event at the Basilica of St Mary Major The Foundation promotes an annual festival in Rome of Sacred Art and Music From 23rd to 26th October 2010 it has an exciting programme dedicated to Pope Benedict XVI in the 5th Year of his Pontificate For the programme see herehttp://feeds.feedburner.com/blogspot/ Uocyk
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The Cardinal Manning Society
2010-10-23 12:52:00
The Tomb of Cardinal Manning in Westminster Cathedral, London Much attention has been devoted naturally to the Life and Works of Blessed John Henry Newman created a Cardinal by Pope Leo XIII and now beatified by Pope Benedict XVI The attention has overshadowed the life and works of the other great Catholic Cardinal in Victorian England: Henry Edward Cardinal Manning (1808-1892) Manning was unfortunate in the choice of his first authorised biographer: Edmund Sheridan Purcell who wrote a rather biased and negative life of the Cardinal after his death. This was followed by an extremely unattractive mischaracterisation by Lytton Strachey in his "Eminent Victorians" During his lifetime he was regarded as one of the most important Catholic theologian in the English speaking world. He was highly regarded by Blessed Pius IX as well as Pope Leo XIII. Leo XIII`s famous social encyclical Rerum Novarum owes much to the Cardinal. To remedy the lack of knowledge about Manning, a Societ...
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British Overseas Aid: A Deeply Regrettable Turn of Events
2010-10-22 23:07:00
A midwife in Ethiopia who received additional training in an effort to reduce the number of women who die giving birth Many foreign investors have bought land to cultivate flowers, cereal for export and crops for the production of biofuels. In 2009, President Robaer Mugabe of Zimbabwe threw a lavish celebration for himself on the occasion of his 85th birthday. Some 8,000 lobster were eaten and 2,000 bottles of champagne drunk -- despite the country being home to 7 million undernourished people. Photographs and captions from Photo Gallery: Who Does African Aid Really Help? (Der Spiegel International) The Catholic Herald has reported on the reaction of the Bishops of England and Wales to new Government proposals on overseas development aid The Government has proposed that in future it will "?hard-wire? abortion and contraceptive services into overseas development programmes The Government has said that the key focus of its new policy: "will be to combat unsafe abortion. It claime...
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Popular Pieties
2010-10-21 22:20:00
Jean Hey known as The Master of Moulins , French, active c. 1475?c. 1505.The Annunciation (detail) 1490-95The Art Institute of Chicago, Illinois In his recent Letter to Seminarians (18 October 2010, the Feast of Saint Luke the Evangelist), Pope Benedict XVI touched on many subjects. One subject was the need to respect "popular pieties": He said: "I urge you to retain an appreciation for popular piety, which is different in every culture yet always remains very similar, for the human heart is ultimately one and the same. Certainly, popular piety tends towards the irrational, and can at times be somewhat superficial. Yet it would be quite wrong to dismiss it. Through that piety, the faith has entered human hearts and become part of the common patrimony of sentiments and customs, shaping the life and emotions of the community. Popular piety is thus one of the Church?s great treasures. The faith has taken on flesh and blood. Certainly popular piety always needs to be purified and refoc...

St Elizabeth of Hungary
2010-10-21 20:13:00
Wilhelm List (1864 - 1918)The Offering or The Miracle of the Roses c. 1905Oil on canvas160 x 78 cmMusée des Beaux-Arts, Quimper, France Wilhelm List (1864 - 1918)The Transfiguration of St Elizabeth of Hungary c. 1905Oil on canvas161 x 79 cmMusée des Beaux-Arts, Quimper, France The cult of St Elizabeth of Hungary held a fascination for Austrian artists in the 19th century. The Austrian Symbolist artist Wilhelm List (1864 - 1918) had a particular fascination with the saint He was part of the Secessionist movement which included Gustav Klimt although he left it in 1905. He was a great disciple of Klimt. He was appointed as a professor at the Viennese School of Applied Arts and commissioned for the interior design at the World Fair in Paris in 1900 From 1900-07 List painted a Triptych of the Saint Two parts of the Triptych - the left and the right - are in the Museum at Quimper. In The Offering, the white roses traditionally symbolise monastic wisdom. The woman making the offering ap...