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Way of Beauty
John the Baptist prepares the way for Christ
John the Baptist may be one of the most important figures to appear before Christ’s actual ministry. In the Gospels, it is John who presages the ministry of Christ. He is in his very essence a fulfillment of the prophecy in the Book of…
St. James, lead us to Christ
St. James holds an important role in the Catholic faith. Not only was he one of Jesus’ original Twelve Apostles who was present at the Transfiguration, he is believed to have carried out Jesus’ ministry to the far reaches of Europe,…
Restout’s ‘dramatic’ Pentecost painting
Pentecost is one of the most important feast days in the liturgical year. It is the day where, 50 days after Easter and 10 days after Jesus’ ascension, the Holy Spirit descended upon the Twelve Apostles and the Virgin Mary, appearing as…
Way of Beauty: Blessed is She
by Gina Loehr Elizabeth filled with the holy Spirit” (Luke 1:41). So Luke tells us in his Gospel account of the Visitation. As her cousin Mary greets her, the elderly woman, who is nonetheless great with child, speaks through the power of…
The best of the Annunciation paintings
The painting, Annunciazione di Cestello by Sandro Botticelli, or the Cestello Annunciation, has always struck me. I first saw it in 2014 at the Uffizi Galleries in Florence, Italy, as a sophomore in college spending my spring semester…
The Christmas Child
BY GINA LOEHR The joy of Christmas is best understood by children. Excused from the stress of planning, blissfully unaware of the expenses of gift-giving and the labor of holiday preparations, little ones are free to simply relish the glory…
The Mystery of the Last Judgment
BY DANIEL MITSUI In theology, a mystery is defined as a truth that exceeds the natural power of knowing. Nothing so profound can be explained fully in either words or pictures. But the Catholic response is not to give up talking about it or…
Hail Mary, full of grace
by Fr. Anthony Giambrone, OP For Maurice Denis (1870–1943), the vocation to create sacred art was clear from his youth. At the age of 15, with a sense of destined conviction, he wrote the following words in his journal: “I have to be a…
Embracing Easter
(ABOVE) Noli Me Tangere (Touch Me Not), Fritz von Uhde (1848–1911)
Life Reigns over Death
by Fr. Anthony Giambrone, OP Around the turn of the 20th century, a burst of creative energy was transforming the artistic landscape of western civilization in revolutionary ways. In countries such as France and Poland, where both the…
