[Click on the picture above or here to open the magazine]
In this issue:
Editorial: Woodcarving As Worship
Reflecting on the importance of sacred architecture as a medium of evangelisation that touches even non-believers (as the fire of Notre-Dame showed), Fr de Malleray rejoices at the new altarpiece commissioned by a traditional Dominican community in France.
A Queen For All Seasons
Aidan Harvey-Craig praises Queen Catherine of Aragon’s courageous witness to the inviolability of marriage and to the Catholic faith as a timely example for our times of matrimonial breakdown and religious relativism. Could she be declared a heavenly intercessor?
Coercion and Belief: Compelle Intrare
Fr Brendan Gerard, FSSP (who holds a licence in Sacred Scripture from the Pontifical Biblical Institute in Rome) examines whether the use of coercion to bring people into the Church is authorised by Christ’s mandate to “make disciples of all nations.”
Tintin and the Secret of the Elusive Priests
Despite being a cradle Catholic, world-famous author Hergé included almost no priest characters in his numerous comic strips; and yet, multiple priestly influences have inspired or guided the creator of Tintin―finds Fr de Malleray (Head of Tintinology at St Alban House in Bedford).
Why the Film Nefarious Is Atheists’ Nightmare
Avoiding any gory or horrible display, the supernatural thriller Nefarious cleverly depicts an atheistic doctor trying to persuade a possessed inmate that God and Satan are not real. Fr de Malleray praises this battle of wits that can prompt non-believers to ask salutary questions.
Spoiler Alert: Life Wins In The End
Young adult Sophia Rumpus took part in the joyful and peaceful March for Life, the largest event in the UK every year to celebrate the sacredness of human life, particularly in its unborn stage: an initiative worthy of support as the “legal” termination of the elderly and sick looms ahead.
Minors involved in activities at the Shrine must have parental consent. Parents whose children are new to our groups, or who have not yet submitted a parental consent form, must do so preferably in advance.
Forms can be downloaded below. To submit them, please hand a hard copy to one of the priests or email a scanned copy to Fr Homolya.
Despite bleak times, small signs of revival give hope, especially among young people undertaking pilgrimages, founding families, and entering consecrated life, comments Fr Armand de Malleray, FSSP.
Traffic Island Becomes Treasure Island
A participant reflects on her day of vocational discernment spent in London last Aprilamong twenty-three young ladies, based at Tyburn Convent where the relics of many English martyrs are displayed.
Chaste Sleuths Win By Popular Acclaim
Seldom promiscuous, some popular fiction detectives are often single, when not in sacred vows: an unwitting homage paid by secular culture to the Christian religion, Fr Armand de Malleray, FSSP observes.
Challenges to Married Life in Secular Society
In this spontaneous contribution, a Catholic married septuagenarian looks back at the challenges inherent to married life in our time of faith demise, and forward to eternity as the goal of matrimony.
How Abbot Suger Invented the Gothic Style
Art historian Leslie Anne Hamel tells about the royal Basilica of St-Denis in Paris where, long before A.W.N. Pugin revived it, the Gothic style was invented as an architectural manifesto of transcendent faith.
Vermeer’s Woman Holding a Balance
Painted c. 1664, Johannes Vermeer’s picture displays Catholic hints about Judgement, the Blessed Virgin Mary and clandestine holy Masses, finds the author of the novel Vermeer’s Angel Fr Armand de Malleray
Tolkien and the Green Knight
Tolkien scholar Prof. Robert Lazu Kmita explains how the Arthurian legend of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight honouring chastity influenced the author of Lord of the Rings.
