Released in 1937 and directed by Jean Renoir, the talented son of a great French painter, La Grande Illusion set itself deliberately against the trend toward jingoism present in 1930s Europe. Set during WWI, it tells the story of French prisoners of war who continually try to escape from German camps; and about the German…
Scholars say German professor-pope stands the test of time writes Maria Wiering Beginning well before he was elected pope in 2005, Pope Benedict XVI made substantial contributions to theology and Catholic thought through his prolific writing, academic lectures and long-form interviews, say scholars who study his work. In the wake of his death, Benedict has been…
Pope Francis thought it a good idea to hone in on the life of St Francis de Sales on the 400th anniversary of his death and so should we, writes Jason Osborne On December 28 Pope Francis released an apostolic letter Totum Amoris Est (‘Everything Pertains to Love’), to mark the fourth centenary of the…
Starring Catholic convert Alec Guinness as a mild-mannered bank attendant who happens to be in charge of shipments of gold, The Lavender Hill Mob is a whimsical 1951 comedy made by Ealing studios. It gets onto the Vatican’s great films list from 1995 under the ‘art’ section. It is an odd choice for the Vatican’s…
Saint of the Week A mother of five who went on to become a religious sister and the United States’ first saint is one of the examples the Church pays tribute to January 4. St Elizabeth Ann Seton was born Elizabeth Ann Bayley, into a prosperous Protestant family from New York in 1774 – a…
Silence plays a mysterious and important role in a healthy spirituality, writes Jason Osborne “There’s nothing so much like God in all the world as silence,” 14th Century German mystic and theologian Meister Eckhart is reported as saying. Whether he said it or not, it certainly sums up a certain vein of the Church’s spiritual tradition,…
Faith in film The Christmas and New Year’s period is a great time to sit down as a family and watch a film. But it’s not always easy to agree on what to watch, or to know what is suitable for younger children and what isn’t. So here’s a suggestion, a lovely animated film which…
Saint of the week One of the most famous poets in history, Dante, in his masterwork, the Divine Comedy, glimpses a moving scene: the stoning of a young man, who, while dying, asks forgiveness for those casting the stones at him. Dante chose to commemorate the unparalleled charity of the man often held up as…
Spiritual programme Exodus 90 challenges men to become better through prayer, asceticism and fraternity, writes Jason Osborne Exodus 90 is touted as a “roadmap” to a more fulfilling life for an increasing number of men year on year. Started in a seminary in the US in order to help seminarians grow spiritually and to overcome…
Faith in film The undisputed Christmas classic is It’s A Wonderful Life. The 1946 drama tells the story of an upright businessman, George Bailey, who needs the intercession of an angel to understand the true meaning of his life. It’s a decidedly Christian story from an era that was unashamed to be so. Through his…
Ruadhán Jones