While St. Thérèse of Lisieux is most well-known for her autobiography, Story of a Soul, she also wrote many poems, songs and plays. She had a very creative mind, one that was informed by her deep love of God. On January 21, 1894, in honor of her sister, Mother Agnes of Jesus, Thérèse wrote her first […]
St. Thérèse wrote this play about St. Joan of Arc, featuring St. Michael the Archangel Read More »
Shazam! is the most Catholic super-hero movie I’ve seen in a long time – if not ever. And it’s not the tortured, brooding, penitential Catholicism of Daredevil or the heavy-handed Super-Jesus imagery of Man of Steel. It’s more subtle (okay, the demonic incarnations of the Seven Deadly Sins aren’t all that subtle, but hear me
‘Shazam!’ might be the most Catholic super-hero movie of all time Read More »
The newest addition to the DC cinematic universe combined humor, action, and family fun in a coming-of-age origin story surrounding the superhero Shazam. Not quite as well known as the iconic Superman or Batman, I came into this film not quite knowing what to expect. The uniqueness of Shazam stems from the juxtaposition that the
‘Shazam!’ is a must-see movie with great humor, action, and family fun Read More »
Recently I had the chance to speak with Julianne Miles for her new Catholic podcast, Mystery through Manners. It is described as, “a storytelling podcast which explores the living expressions of the Catholic faith from the perspective of everyday Catholic Americans.” She asked me about the motivations behind Finnian and the Seven Mountains and how I started
Finnian and the Seven Mountains featured on the “Mystery through Manners” podcast Read More »
You are a pilgrim Did you know that the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) uses the words “pilgrim” and “pilgrimage” 25 times to describe Mary and the Church and their activities on earth? Dictionary.com says a “pilgrim” is “a person who journeys, especially a long distance, to some sacred place as an act of
Tom Bombadil, the Divine Office and the pilgrim’s need for rest Read More »
This past weekend at WonderCon there was a panel featuring director Dome Karukoski, and cast members Anthony Boyle, Patrick Gibson, Tom Glynn-Carney, and Nicholas Hoult, from the upcoming bio-pic Tolkien on the early life of Catholic author J.R.R. Tolkien. The film will primarily focus on the friendships Tolkien established prior to World War I and
‘Tolkien’ director praises Father Francis Morgan as model priest Read More »
*Author’s Note: This is a retrospective post on Guillermo Del Toro’s Hellboy (2004). It is not to be confused with Neil Marshall’s upcoming reboot of the same name. About a year ago, I attended a talk in Cleveland by the famous Canadian clinical psychologist Dr. Jordan B. Peterson, who was there to speak about his
Hellboy, true manhood and the power of the Rosary Read More »
Catholic Social Teaching is the Church’s instruction manual on how to live a Christ-centered life. It guides us in being the light of the world, the salt of the earth, the leaven which helps our society grow toward bringing about the Kingdom of God. In this seven-part series, we’ll examine the Seven Themes of Catholic
What Superman can teach us about loving and caring for the poor Read More »
In superhero comics, the resurrection of major characters after a dramatic death has become such a recurring trope that when a superhero dies, fans openly wonder how and when the character will be brought back. In the DC and Marvel lines, significant characters who have died and been resurrected include Captain America, Superman, Oliver Queen
How superhero deaths and resurrections are echoes of the greatest story of all time Read More »
There is an important aspect of narrative fiction which J.R.R. Tolkien called “eucatastrophe”, which he described as “The sudden happy turn in a story which pierces you with a joy that brings tears,” making the brilliant observation that “the Resurrection was the greatest ‘eucatastrophe’ possible.” Everyone who has encountered a good narrative has probably encountered
How ‘Into the Spider-Verse’ is a perfect example of Tolkien’s “eucatastrophe” Read More »
