The first time I ever set foot inside the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, DC, I must have been about 15 years old. Having traveled through the night, we arrived in time for the morning Mass that would kick off the day’s events, culminating with the annual March for…
“I could compare my music to white light which contains all colours. Only a prism can divide the colours and make them appear; this prism could be the spirit of the listener.” -Arvo Pärt Every person intent on a joyous eternity beyond time and space is bound by the question of what to do –…
The following is a lecture given by artist Daniel Mitsui on 14 September 2015, to open an exhibit of his artwork at Franciscan University of Steubenville. INVENTION and EXALTATION I wish you a very happy feast. This is a special day dedicated to the Holy Cross, one of two in Catholic tradition. The names of…
“He hath made every thing beautiful in His time: also He hath set the world in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end.” –Ecclesiastes 3:11 In the hyper-connected age of social media, many have taken to using the Internet as a pseudo-confessional booth,…
Part 3 of a 3-part Series. You may read the other parts here: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 Now for something really practical: How should we sing the chant? An experienced choir director will have plenty of advice and know-how, but it requires persistent and persevering effort to educate a congregation to the point where the people…
Part 2 of a 3-part Series. You may read the other parts here: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 Some readers might be wondering why the Church places such an emphasis on singing Gregorian chant in particular. Why this style and repertoire of music, in preference to others? And is it really true that the Church expects…
Part 1 of a 3-part Series. You may read the other parts here: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 In his First Epistle to Saint Timothy, Saint Paul says that he is not sure when he can come to visit Timothy, but meanwhile he is giving him instructions “so that … you may know how one ought to…
Ever wonder why we call alcohol “spirits”? After all, “spirit” can refer to: the human soul, either in whole or in part; an intelligent creature with no material body (angels and demons, or if you are getting fanciful, sprites, nymphs, and so forth); the Third Person in the Holy Trinity; courage or gumption; a defining…
There’s a very peculiar thing happening at The Church of Our Savior in Midtown Manhattan. Beautiful sacred art — icons commissioned in 2004 by Fr. George Rutler, the parish’s erudite and well-loved former pastor — have been disappearing from the columns surrounding the sanctuary – quite literally under the cover of night. This clandestine desecration of the holy of holies —…
There are times where an important spiritual concept is lost in the marketplace of religious ideas, subdued and modified by pop psychologists and religionists seeking simple solutions rather than lasting challenges. The concept of “acedia,” if mentioned at all, is often grouped with negative emotions, depressive states, and feelings of underachievement. Jean-Charles Nault’s (O.S.B.) The…
Most Catholics in our world seem to take a flippant attitude towards liturgical music. It is all-too-frequently deemed something suitable for competent amateurs, of lesser concern and of secondary importance – until, of course, it isn’t. The news this week of the unexpected and noteworthy resignation of Johh Romeri as head of Liturgical Music in…
