John Padberg, S.J., the noted Jesuit historian, died on Christmas Day. He is remembered here by his longtime friend and colleague, John W. O’Malley, S.J.
History
Posted inArts & Culture, Theater
‘To Kill a Mockingbird,’ ‘Assassins’ & ‘The Lehman Trilogy’ — the three ghosts of the 2021 Christmas season
Seeing these shows, I was reminded of Dickens’s famous ghosts, warning us about where we have been, where we are and where, if we’re not careful, we may be headed.
Posted inArts & Culture, Film
Nicole Kidman is fascinating as Lucille Ball, but that’s not enough to save ‘Being the Ricardos’
Aaron Sorkin’s take on the “behind-the-scenes” world of “I Love Lucy” depicts Lucille Ball in a most unsympathetic light.
Posted inFaith, Last Take
Remembering Charles R. Morris, who wrote about everything (including America Magazine)
Charles R. Morris, who died on Dec. 13, was a prolific author with a broad range of interests and expertise. He also wrote a two-part history of America Media for our 100th anniversary.
Posted inFaith, Jesuit School Spotlight
‘It isn’t Latin or Greek I’m teaching, but how to think’: Memories of a formative Jesuit educator
As a young teacher at Canisius High School in Buffalo, N.Y., John W. Donohue, S.J., worked with Thomas J. Jones, the senior member of the lay faculty: “From him I was to learn more about the practice of teaching than from any book or course in education.”
Posted inArts & Culture, Books
Review: A story of Indigenous family, trauma and survival
Diane Wilson’s book ‘The Seed Keeper’ is an immersive, affecting account of family and history, trauma and survival, seeds and gardening, stories and healing.
Posted inArts & Culture, Music
The history of a Christmas classic, ‘O Come, All Ye Faithful’
“O Come, All Ye Faithful” is a song almost everyone knows. But where did it come from, and why is it so popular?
Posted inArts & Culture, Catholic Book Club
Wendell Berry: the cranky farmer, poet and essayist you just can’t ignore
Wendell Berry could be described by many labels. More than anything else, he has been a voice of practical reason and concise cultural commentary in his more than 80 books published over six decades.
Posted inArts & Culture, Film
Think you know what the Beatles’ last days were like? Disney+’s ‘Get Back’ will shatter your assumptions.
Peter Jackson’s “Get Back” is fascinating, tedious and indispensable all at the same time.
Posted inArts & Culture, Catholic Book Club
Baseball is a sport of good vs. evil. But this World Series, maybe the Astros and the Braves both deserve to lose?
With the World Series upon us, a look back at some of America’s finest coverage of baseball.