The music we hear at Mass makes a difference. Our son looks forward to church all week long, and the music is the reason why.
Music
Posted inArts & Culture, Catholic Book Club
Remembering Kris Kristofferson, outlaw and pilgrim
Kris Kristofferson was a Rhodes Scholar, a literary wunderkind and the lyricist behind many songs made famous by more prominent voices. Kristofferson was also—hear me out on this—a man for whom religious faith was an important part of his life.
Posted inArts & Culture, Catholic Movie Club
The Ignatian creativity of ‘Singin’ in the Rain’
“Singin’ in the Rain” inspires us to meet pivotal moments with creativity, cooperation and a desire to achieve the greatest possible good.
Posted inArts & Culture, Music
‘R-Rated Taylor Swift’: Why this priest is paying attention (and listening) to Chappell Roan
I’m interested in Chappell Roan because the culture has interest in her and because she’s a very talented, intelligent young artist.
Posted inArts & Culture, Music
A rare Jesuit opera inspired by St. Francis Xavier
The opera ‘San Xavier’ provides a glimpse of how Jesuits evangelized with music—a key dimension of the 1986 film “The Mission.”
Posted inArts & Culture, Ideas
Review: Beth Gibbons makes a triumphant return to music with ‘Lives Outgrown’
Beth Gibbons is singular in many ways, and “Lives Outgrown” is a singular contemplation of the countless changes we experience throughout our lives and the ultimate change to come after we pass away.
Posted inArts & Culture, News
Bill Walton—basketball legend, Deadhead and radical optimist—was a model of a life well-lived
“I wanted to be a basketball player, be a hippie, on tour with The Grateful Dead, be an adventurer. I didn’t spend my life trying to be the richest guy on Earth,” Walton once said about himself.
Posted inArts & Culture, Music
Bronx bluesman and self-proclaimed ‘ferocious Catholic’: Dion DiMucci considers his legacy
Dion a great artist who continues to write and record music even now. But he is also a devoted Catholic, having returned to the faith of his childhood in midlife.
Posted inArts & Culture, Music
Kendrick Lamar is (lyrically) beating up on Drake in ways hip-hop has never seen before. Why are we eating it up?
A beef between two of the biggest rappers in the world, Kendrick Lamar and Drake, has birthed unforgettable songs for both of these artists.
Posted inArts & Culture, Music
Beyoncé’s ‘Cowboy Carter’ embraces country music, Black history and religious imagery
With “Cowboy Carter,” her eighth studio album, Beyoncé not only explores the longed-for and carelessly and/or intentionally erased Black past in country music, but also moves the genre forward into a hopefully more expansive future.