Arts News

Jason Taylor logged on to Facebook one June afternoon and found a post that triggered an idea he long carried in his mind.

OTTAWA – In very dramatic fashion, the Vancouver-based Boys Club Network has taken its case for mentoring programs to Parliament Hill.

WASHINGTON – Anna Schalk finds herself weeping each time she enters an Orthodox church and gazes at the flat, colorful icons of Jesus and the Virgin Mary.

When Elisa Lollino performs, it’s not just a play. It’s also a form of prayer.

Two recent films, Deepwater Horizon starring Mark Wahlberg and Sully starring Tom Hanks, represent something of a breath of fresh air. Both movies feature men who are intelligent, virtuous and quietly heroic. If this strikes you as a banal observation, that just means you haven’t been following much of the popular culture for the past 20 years.

VATICAN CITY – His toes curl in pain, his veins bulge from exertion, his bony chest heaves in the last throes of death.

Four years ago, the co-curators of the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s mind-bending new show, “Jerusalem 1000-1400: Every People Under Heaven,” visited Theophilos III, that city’s Orthodox patriarch, and solicited his community’s cooperation.

I realize it isn’t everybody’s ticket to dreamland. Indeed, I can think of many for whom it would constitute unmitigated boredom and misery. But if you’ve got some sort of semblance of faith or an interest in early Canadian history or an aesthetic love for religious architecture and art (or a galloping case of all three), then a pilgrimage to the Catholic shrines of Quebec can make for a wonderfully stimulating holiday.

Most people would know the story of Eric Liddell from the 1981 film Chariots of Fire, where his character was featured along with his Olympic “rival” Harold Abrahams. No less compelling than the Oscar-winning movie — though taking less creative licence — For the Glory portrays a more comprehensive and historically accurate Liddell by exploring the role his faith played throughout his life.

Ever wonder what the Bible has to say about praise hands and tears of joy? Now you can search the Bible using emoji on Bible Gateway.