Category Archives: Catholic Culture

Tintoretto’s Enlightenment

Posted on June 3, 2019 by Catholicism Pure & Simple

Fr. Robert P. Imbelli at The Catholic Thing: Exactly forty years ago I had the wondrous experience of discovering the Scuola Grande di San Rocco in Venice. The Scuola di San Rocco (“School of St. Rocco”) is one of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Catholic Culture, Living Catholic lives, Spiritual Life | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Chinese pilgrims overwhelmed

Posted on March 16, 2017 by GC

Just yesterday in Rome. Listening to what is audible, I didn’t hear any of these Chinese mainland pilgrims thanking the Bishop of Rome for AL. I heard things like the grandfather telling the little boy to kneel down and the … Continue reading →

Posted in Catholic Church in China Chinese Catholics, Catholic Culture, Martyrs, Pope Francis, The Persecuted Church | 5 Comments

Christ, You are the King of Glory

Posted on November 20, 2016 by GC

We don’t get to hear many Te Deums these days, even after the reform of the reform. This is the last Sunday, the Solemnity of Christ the King,  that we can hear a Te Deum before Advent commences, when a … Continue reading →

Posted in Catholic Culture, Catholic Music, Catholic Prayers, Dominicans, Hymns, Latin, Music, sacred music, Te Deum | 18 Comments

Ave Maria

Posted on October 23, 2016 by GC

Time is running out on us for the Month of the Holy Rosary. Offered by some of the gents of the young Catholic Australian liturgical singers, Prima Luce. From memory it’s Jacques Arcadelt’s quite ‘umble and merciful Ave Maria, if … Continue reading →

Posted in Catholic Culture, Devotion, Hymns, Latin, Music, Rosary, sacred music | 14 Comments

The Brisbane Oratory in Formation

Posted on July 4, 2016 by GC

  And now for something slightly different. Some may be surprised that the Congregation of the Oratory of St Philip Neri never made it to the Botany Bay penal settlement ever since that day when Captain (later Governor, later Admiral) … Continue reading →

Posted in Catholic Culture, Catholic Music, Catholic Orders and Congregations, Oratorians | 6 Comments

Making of an Icon

Posted on June 7, 2016 by Catholicism Pure & Simple

Our post for Trinity was illustrated with a beautiful icon of the Holy Trinity by Ann Chapin. On her own website, the artist has a description of the process of painting the icon, which can be found here.  She also … Continue reading →

Posted in Catholic Culture, Uncategorized | 1 Comment

The speech of angels is song

Posted on March 17, 2016 by GC

Christianity has always understood that the speech of angels is actually song, in which all the glory of the great joy that they proclaim becomes tangibly present. And so, from that moment, the angels’ song of praise has never gone … Continue reading →

Posted in Catholic Culture, Catholic Music, Catholic Prayers, Devotion, Hymns, Latin, Liturgy, Marian, Pope Benedict, Uncategorized | 8 Comments

Philip Jenkins on dissident Catholics

Posted on February 24, 2016 by GC

  Professor Philip Jenkins, Welsh-born Distinguished Professor of History at Baylor University in the United States, may be quite well known to many for his contributions to research in Christian history and criminology (no pun intended!). Long, long ago in … Continue reading →

Posted in Apologetics, Catholic Culture, Church History, Church Politics, Interreligious relationship, Mission, Pope Francis, Saints | 22 Comments

Rorate Sunday

Posted on December 21, 2015 by GC

Desert dew  A little study on my part has revealed that yesterday, the Fourth Sunday of Advent, has been sometimes called Rorate Sunday in times past and even present. This is to be distinguished from Rorate Masses, which refer to Votive Masses of … Continue reading →

Posted in Advent, Biblical Reflection, Catholic Culture, Catholic Music, Catholic Prayers, Devotion, Hymns, Latin, Liturgy, Music, Sacred Scripture, Spiritual Life | 8 Comments

The Church is Holy

Posted on August 2, 2015 by GC

A little vid which might cheer some of us up a bit, with some help from Gustav Holst. It did me, just a moment ago. The church, of Our Lady of Lourdes, is that built in 1928 by French priests … Continue reading →

Posted in Catholic Culture, Church Teachings, Living Catholic lives, Rosary, Sacraments | 28 Comments

Honouring Our Lady of Fatima

Posted on May 13, 2014 by mmvc

Last Sunday was Fatima Day at “The Dome of Home” on the Wirral. The day began with a sung Tridentine Mass after which a beautiful statue of Our Lady was crowned. In a moving ceremony the faithful who had each … Continue reading →

Posted in Catholic Culture, Devotion, Hymns, Latin, Liturgy, Marian, Our Lady of Fatima | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Hymns of Lent 5

Posted on April 4, 2014 by GC

  And from Thy cross embrace me with arms outstretched to save.  (From the translation by Monsignor R.A. Knox of words attributed to St Bernard) The Epistle of the Mass of Passion Sunday, 5th Sunday of Lent, in the 1962 … Continue reading →

Posted in Catholic Culture, Catholic Music, Catholic Orders and Congregations, Catholic Prayers, Church History, Devotion, Hymns, Latin, Music, Saints, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Hymns of Lent 4

Posted on March 28, 2014 by GC

“There is joy for all the members in the sorrows of the Head.” This coming Fourth Sunday of Lent is still often referred to as Laetare Sunday, “Rejoice Sunday”, after the first word in the traditional introit of Mass on that day – Laetare, Jerusalem: … Continue reading →

Posted in Catholic Culture, Catholic Music, Devotion, Divine Mercy devotion, Hymns, Music, Uncategorized | Tagged , | 7 Comments

New Personal Parish of Blessed John Henry Newman, Melbourne

Posted on March 27, 2014 by GC

Tomorrow, 28 March 2014, will mark the canonical establishing of the Personal Parish of Blessed John Henry Newman in the Archdiocese of Melbourne, Australia. The parish will serve all those in the Archdiocese, which is Australia’s largest, wishing to worship in the … Continue reading →

Posted in Catholic Culture, Catholic Eastern Churches, Eastertide, Latin, Liturgy, Mass, Traditional Mass | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

A symbol of our times

Posted on February 14, 2014 by The Raven

Franz von Rohden – Crucifixion The Herald reports that a work of art, hailed as a masterpiece by experts, was hung in a chapel at Ushaw until the 1970s, when it was put in cupboard (no doubt replaced by something … Continue reading →

Posted in Catholic Culture, Church History, Church Politics | Tagged , , | 7 Comments