Arts and Culture

Sister Wendy’s eye for art created a TV star

January 10, 2019

WASHINGTON – Sr. Wendy Beckett has been widely described as both an unlikely art critic and television star, but that may have been what made her all the more likeable.

In secular Quebec, Christmas Carols remain beloved, sacred music expert says

December 18, 2018

QUEBEC CITY – In the province of Quebec, one of the most secular societies in the world, debates around Christmas carols are not so much about faith and religion as they are about culture. A choir and sacred music specialist believes these carols remain beloved because people especially preserve the emotion associated with them.

Book review: In Broad Daylight uncovers a dark past

December 17, 2018

In Broad Daylight: The Secret Procedures behind the Holocaust by Bullets by Fr. Patrick Desbois (Arcade Publishing, hardcover, 312 pages, $35)

Tiny Catholic publisher thinking big

November 26, 2018

OTTAWA – In a dog-eat-dog book publishing world where many houses fail or get gobbled up by conglomerates, the fact little Justin Press held its 10th annual book launch Nov. 7 is news.

Catholic books look to reflect and create a ‘culture of encounter’

November 26, 2018

In a first for Toronto’s St. Augustine’s Seminary, students, faculty and friends came together recently to celebrate four Catholic authors who happen to also be St. Augustine’s professors. Celebrating Catholic authors, Catholic books and Catholic publishing is important, said Toronto Auxiliary Bishop Wayne Kirkpatrick because books build Catholic culture and add to a legacy of faith.

Stroke marked the start of new life

November 16, 2018

Catholic Register columnist Robert Brehl’s fifth book, Right Hand Man, published by Barlow Books, was released this month. It is a collaboration on the memoirs of businessman and philanthropist Phil Lind, who guided the genius of Rogers Communications founder Ted Rogers for 40 years. In 1998 Lind was felled by a massive stroke at age 54. He had to re-learn how to talk, walk, write with his left hand and more. But with dogged determination, Lind went on to some of his most important career victories — proving there can still be lots of life (and lots of obstacles to overcome) after a debilitating stroke. In this abridged excerpt, Lind and Brehl, who got to know Lind while reporting on business for the Toronto Star and Globe and Mail, describe the immediate days after the stroke.

Book exposes Christian churches' unpleasant statistics

October 23, 2018

Leaving Christianity:Changing Allegiances in Canada since 1945 by Brian Clarke and Stuart Macdonald (McGill-Queen’s University Press, softcover, 304 pages, $35.00)

Jean Vanier offers a life lesson in his memoir

October 10, 2018

At 90, Jean Vanier is something more than an eminent man of great accomplishment, more than a national treasure who belongs to the Order of Canada, the Order of Quebec, France’s Legion of Honour and holds the 2015 Templeton Prize.

Anthropocene at AGO: Exploring the stark reality of man’s footprint on the planet — scars and all

October 9, 2018

Looking at the cathedral-scale art by one of the world’s foremost photographers, theologian Dennis Patrick O’Hara said, “Yes, it’s awesome and it’s awful.”

Randy Boyagoda's new literary venture explores the Catholic faith in school atmosphere

October 8, 2018

Some might say that Randy Boyagoda is a lot like Prin, the protagonist of his third novel. Both are Catholic university professors with a Sri Lankan background and four daughters.