A statue of Mary giving birth to Jesus was beheaded by an anonymous group of vandals, garnering support from traditionalist Catholics who have criticized the statue’s depictions.
Art
Posted inArts & Culture, Catholic Book Club
Fooling Hitler: Illustrator John Hapgood and the ‘Ghost Army’ of WW2
The longtime ‘America’ illustrator John Hapgood served in World War II in the “Ghost Army,” a unit dedicated to deception and trickery that ran 21 different ersatz military campaigns between D-Day and the surrender of Germany in May 1945.
Posted inFaith, Faith in Focus
What the church owes the victims of disgraced former Jesuit Marko Rupnik
Rupnik’s art was an expression of the abuse he perpetrated. And so, the message to Rupnik’s victims, intentional or not, is clear: Your feelings are wrong and less important than your abuser’s art.
Posted inArts & Culture, Ideas
From the Black Madonna to Our Lady of Lourdes, we see Mary in our own image
Whether in the Middle Ages or a modern Marian renaissance, how Mary looks can reflect and affirm the people she appears to.
Posted inFaith, Jesuit School Spotlight
An inspiring teacher leads a student renaissance at Creighton Prep
“The arts are crucial to Jesuit education. Our arts programs are a home for students at Creighton Prep, but they also inspire the expansion of heart and imagination—elements that are indispensable to Ignatian practice.”
Posted inArts & Culture, Ideas
The Met Gala, fast fashion and Pope Francis’ ‘Laudato Si’’
This year’s Met Gala (mostly) failed to push fashion boundaries—or imagine a more environmentally conscious future.
Posted inFaith, Faith in Focus
Renowned artist Father Bill McNichols on icons, saints and contemplation
A conversation between theologian Christopher Pramuk and iconographer Father William Hart McNichols.
Posted inArts & Culture, Explainer
Controversial artistic depictions of Jesus are nothing new
A Holy Week poster depicting a young, fresh-faced Jesus in a loincloth, has sparked controversy in Seville, Spain, with many conservatives and Christians calling the work “homoerotic” and “inappropriate.”
Posted inFaith, Faith and Reason
The History of Hell
Where did our modern conception of hell and its torments come from?
Posted inFaith, News
Street artist of ‘Super Pope’ fame gets official Vatican stamp of approval
Mauro Pallotta, the Italian graffiti artist known as Maupal, has designed cartoon-like images of Pope Francis around the Vatican for a decade. On Thursday, he sat the podium at the Vatican news conference.