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Enclosed nuns sign major recording deal
An enclosed order of Benedictine nuns is set to storm the charts after signing a deal with Universal Music, the world's leading record company. The Nuns of the Abbaye de Notre-Dame de l'Annonciation, from a remote region of France near Avignon,
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Acts of Mercy at the National Gallery
Frederick Cayley Robinson (1862–1927) is one of the most distinctive yet elusive British painters of the early 20th century. A new show just opened at the National Gallery is the first exhibition of his work in the United Kingdom for over 30 years. The title ‘Acts of Mercy’ derives from the several Corporal Works (or Acts) of Mercy which are the main principles underlying the historical development of hospitals. Read More ...
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Virgin of the Rocks returns to National Gallery
Leonardo da Vinci’s Virgin of the Rocks is to go back on display in the National Gallery this afternoon after an 18-month restoration project which started in November 2008. The decision to restore the painting came after several years of intensive study of Leonardo’s work and that of his Milanese associates and assistants – the so-called leonardeschi – from within the Gallery’s collection. Read More ...
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London: Parish Players perform Separate Tables
Holy Apostles Parish Players are performing Separate Tables by Terence Rattigan tonight at Holy Apostles Parish Hall in Cumberland Street, Pimlico, at 7.30pm. A period piece set in the mid 1950s, it concerns the lives of the permanent residents of a certain small hotel in Bournemouth . The hotel setting plays host to the intrigues in the residents lives whilst laying bare their deeper personal journeys over eighteen months.
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Jane Lowe |
Brazil: statue of Christ the Redeemer restored
The iconic statue of Christ the Redeemer on Corcovado mountain overlooking Rio de Janeiro's white beaches, is back in full view after being covered in scaffolding for a four month renovation project. On Wednesday night it was bathed in green and yellow light to honour Brazil's national football team playing in the World Cup. Read More ...
Linda da Souza |
Paul McCartney in Hyde Park
It may have been a day of great disappointment at the World Cup, but Sir Paul McCartney and his band gave a storming performance in Hyde Park last night - showing that there are some things England can still do very well indeed. Read More ...
Jo Siedlecka |
Dalit Madonna
Dalit Madonna is a beautiful contemporary painting of Madonna and child by Dalit artist Jyoti Sahi, on show at the Wallspace gallery at All Hallows on the Wall in the city of London until 16 July. Dalits were previously regarded as 'untouchables' in the Indian caste system. The Amos Trust has been supporting work with the Dalit community in Southern India for
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Rome: oldest images of Apostles found in Catacombs
The oldest icons of the Apostles Peter, Paul, John and Andrew have been discovered in on the ceiling of a catacomb under an eight-storey modern office block in Rome, Vatican officials said yesterday. The images, which date from the second half of the 4th century, were uncovered using a new laser technique Read More ...
Claire Bergin |
Play: The Flying Monk
A new play: The Flying Monk, by Soop Productions, opened this week at the Lion and Unicorn Theatre, in Kentish Town, north London. Based on the true story of Eilmer of Malmesbury, an eleventh century monk who made himself some wings and tried to fly from the tower at Malmesbury Abbey. As his community prepares for a royal visit, Brother Eilmer dreams of Daedalus and soaring with the jackdaws. Read More ...
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Susan Boyle to sing for Pope Benedict
Scottish singing discovery Susan Boyle is likely to sing for Pope Benedict during his tour of England and Scotland in September. A church spokesman said on Thursday that negotiations were still underway, but Ms Boyle was expected to sing at the open-air Papal Mass in Glasgow's Bellahouston Park. Read More ...
Claire Bergin |
New Mass by Nicholas Lane at Corpus Christi, Covent Garden
A new Mass setting, by the organist and composer Nicholas Lane, was performed for the first time in its entirety at Corpus Christi church in Covent Garden, London, on Sunday, the Feast of Corpus Christi. Written in a soaring Renaissance style, reminiscent of Gabrieli or Monteverdi, the Mass was sung by Anna Sandstrom, soprano, Kathleen Garner, alto,
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Elvis Costello cancels Israeli concerts
Singer-songwriter Elvis Costello has withdrawn from two concerts he was planning to give in Israel. He has written the following public letter explaining his decision.....It Is After Considerable Contemplation.... Read More ...
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Rare Raphael tapestries coming to V&A
Four of the ten tapestries designed by Raphael for the Sistine Chapel will go on show at the Victoria and Albert Museum in September. These are the original tapestries from the only series designed by Raphael of which examples survive, and are comparable with Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel Ceiling as masterpieces of High Renaissance art.
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Play: Love Bites - Summer Wedding
This series of five one-act plays follow the stories of people attending a wedding reception. The plays, by different writers, are held on a stage set for two, flanked by wooden shelves in the Calder Bookshop Theatre in Waterloo, by London's South Bank - yes, it's a theatre in a bookshop, and the table by the till acts as a bar. Read More ...
Christy Lawrance |
Seminar: How Art Saved the Roman Church
How Art Saved the Roman Church: the archaeology of the Catacombs from the sixteenth to the twentieth centuries, is the subject of a research seminar lead by Geri Parlby, at Digby Stuart Research Centre for Catholic Studies, Read More ...
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Unheard women of the Bible
There's a chance to see talented performer Abby Guinness, as she gives voice to the charming and alarmingly frank unheard women in the Bible in her brilliant new show: Words of the Wives, at the Christian Resources Exhibition in Sandowne Park, Esher, this Friday at 12.30. Read More ...
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New hymn for Pope Benedict XVI
When Pope Benedict XVI was elected in 2005, two journalists (Joanna Bogle and Fiorella Nash) felt it was wrong that there was no special hymn that could be sung. "The Wiseman hymn: 'Full in the panting heart of Rome' is stirring stuff in its way", said Joanna, Read More ...
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Gospel of Matthew by Candlelight
Award-winning actor George Dillon is bringing his widely acclaimed, highly intense, very human and occasionally humorous performance of The Gospel of Matthew to London for the first time, when he will perform by candle-light in three of the most beautiful churches in London's West End as a part of the Pentecost Festival in May. Read More ...
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Review: Cracking Up
"Cracking up!" is showing at the Soho Theatre Studio, in London's West End on 19th and 27th April to coincide with the National Depression Awareness Week. A few days later it would also have coincided with the general election. Boy, those guys sure missed a trick there! Read More ...
Mike Gross |
Catholic band just one step away from the O²
Catholic band FÜSE has made it through the Regional Finals of the national band search competition Live and Unsigned. They are now just one step away from the Grand Final at the O². After initially auditioning against thousands of other acts across the UK Read More ...
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Passion play in Trafalgar Square
Roman soldiers dressed in authentic styled armour of the 12th Legion, tramped through Trafalgar Square this afternoon, as the story of the Passion of Jesus was re-enacted by a cast of more than 100. The Good Friday production by the Wintershall Estate theatre company, drew an estimated audience of up to 20,000 people, Read More ...
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First new setting of plainsong Mass for fifty years
A new setting of a plainsong Mass is a rarity. The first such setting of note for nearly 50 years, entitled Schola Missa de Angelis, is due for its World Premiere on 7 May at St James’s, Spanish Place. Commissioned by the Schola of the London Oratory School who will give the first performance, Read More ...
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Holy Week Through Art - reflection with Archbishop of Westminster
The Archbishop of Westminster, the Most Reverend Vincent Nichols, has recorded an Easter video reflection on four paintings from the permanent collection of London's National Gallery. The four paintings featured are: 'The Crucifixion' attributed to Jacopo di Cione; 'The Entombment' by Dirk Bouts; 'Noli me Tangere',
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Top recording company seeks singing nuns
Universal Music, home to such international stars as Lady Gaga and Amy Winehouse, is turning to convents to find its next female singing sensations. This week the Decca label embarks upon a global, multi-media search for religious sisters, to record an album of plainsong and chant in preparation for the Pope's historic visit to the UK Read More ...
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Mass of Thanksgiving for two comedy legends
A Mass of Thanksgiving for the life of comedian and singer Danny la Rue, and comedy writer Vincent Powell. will take place at noon in Corpus Christi Church, Maiden Lane, Covent Garden, on Thursday, 29 April. The service is being organised by the Catholic Association of Performing Arts. Read More ...
Jo Siedlecka |
Actor Robert Hardy to perform in Oxford Oratory Hopkins evening
The distinguished actor Robert Hardy is taking part at an evening of music and poetry this Friday, 12 March, at the Oxford Oratory. The event is being organised by Catholic writer and composer Julien Chilcott Monk whose choir, Vox Angelica, will sing to raise funds for the redevelopment campaign and the building of a Newman chapel; Read More ...
Amanda C Dickie |
World premier at St Anne's Cathedral, Leeds
The world premiere of Robert Fokkem's 'Ave Verum Corpus' will take place as part of a special program of classical music from the 16th to the 21st centuries at St Anne's Cathedral, Leeds on Tuesday 30 March. The evening will also include a rare performance of Jean Langlais' 'Caritas Christi' and music by Spanish Renaissance Composer Tomás Luis de Victoria. Read More ...
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CD review: Fr Stan Fortuna CFR - Sacro Song 3
Sacro Song 3 was one of the more striking releases of 2009 and it’s a crying shame, if not altogether surprising, that this remarkable culmination of a remarkable trilogy did not get more publicity. Rap is not a genre always associated with affirmative messages and it is especially startling to hear it being used as a means of spreading the gospel. Read More ...
Stephen Portlock |
Gregorian Chant Network launched
A new organisation – The Gregorian Chant Network - has been launched to organise training in Gregorian Chant and to link singers and choirs singing Gregorian Chant for the Catholic liturgy, with the support of the Latin Mass Society, Una Voce Scotland, the Association for Latin Liturgy, and the Schola Gregoriana of Cambridge. Read More ...
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Poet Duncan McGibbon in Cardiff
There is a rare chance to see Catholic poet Duncan McGibbon when he visits Cardiff this Sunday to perform some of his work at Poetry on Tap, upstairs at The Promised Land, McGibbon has recently published two new books: At Lanwit Major - A Meditation in Time and Happiness,
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Satan comes to Yorkshire
Hull has a date with the Devil in a very few days. 'The fiend of Hell', aka Titivillus, is the arch-villain of the celebrated, but rarely performed, medieval morality play Mankind which will be staged at Hull University’s Gulbenkian Theatre this week. Read More ...
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The Priests sing with London Oratory Schola
With the fastest selling classical debut album of all time, The Priests have enjoyed huge international success. On 12 February, The Priests will be joined by the London Oratory School Schola, in a performance of Karl Jenkins' The Armed Man: A Mass for Peace, and favourites from their recently released album Harmony.
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Exhibition: The Real Van Gogh: the Artist and his Letters
The first major exhibition of Vincent van Gogh's work to be shown in Britain for more than 40 years, opens at the Royal Academy on Saturday. The Real Van Gogh: the Artist and his Letters, features about 65 paintings, 40 drawings and letters, that offer a wealth of new insights into the life of this great artist.
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Jo Siedlecka |
Birmingham: Archbishop Longley meets New English Orchestra
Archbishop Bernard Longley, the new Archbishop of Birmingham, and Mgr Mark Crisp, Rector of St Mary’s College, Oscott, were special guests of the New English Orchestra and Singers when they performed a two-hour Recreatio, described in the programme as “a kaleidoscope of music to refresh and inspire”, Read More ...
Peter Jennings |
Washington DC: Jesuit world map on display
A rare map of the world, compiled in 1602 by a Jesuit missionary to China, Fr Matteo Ricci, has gone on display at the Library of Congress in Washington, DC. The 400-year-old map identifies Florida as 'the Land of Flowers' and put China at the centre of the world. Read More ...
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The Passion of Jesus in Trafalgar Square
The Passion of Christ is to be re-enacted in the heart of London on Good Friday, by a cast of more than 100 actors. The trial of Jesus will take place on the steps of the National Gallery. The Crucifixion will be under the shadow of Nelson’s Column. Read More ...
Jo Siedlecka |
Archbishop Bernard Longley meets The Soldiers
During a meeting with military singing trio 'The Soldiers' , Archbishop Bernard Longley assured them that Catholics throughout Birmingham were praying for British soldiers serving in Afghanistan and Iraq over Christmas and the new year. Read More ...
Peter Jennings |
Vatican praises The Simpsons
Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano, has commended The Simpsons on the 20th anniversary of the show, saying that despite the regrettable crude language and occasions of violence, "serious analysts praise the realism and intelligence of its scripts".
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Dan Bergin |
Did Shakespeare visit the Venerable English College?
For the first time ever, the Venerable English College in Rome, is running an exhibition that explores the history of the College, from its foundation as a hospice in the 1300s to its transformation into a seminary in 1579: Non Angli sed Angeli. Among the exhibits are copies of three mysterious signatures Read More ...
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Wintershall Nativity
This wonderful production takes place both inside and around the Holly Barn Theatre at Wintershall, in Surrey, complete with shepherds and sheep, oxen, donkeys and the three wise men on horseback. The true story of the birth of our Lord Jesus brings to life the real meaning of Christmas, Read More ...
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Rare medieval stained glass in new V&A gallery
The new Medieval and Renaissance Galleries at the Victoria and Albert Museum has recently opened. Among the exhibits is a stunning collection of stained glass from Mariawald Abbey in Germany. Set in a rural wooded area of the Rhineland just south-west of Cologne the Abbey has its origins in the mid 15th century, Read More ...
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Record-breaking Priests compose song for new album 'Harmony'
The Priests, who broke the record for the fastest selling classical debut album of all time, spoke about their new album 'Harmony' released today, in an interview for ICN with Mary Wang. Fathers Martin and Eugene O'Hagan and Father David Delargy have sung together for years. They recently composed music for the song 'King of Kings' on the new album. Read More ...
Mary Wang |
Crux Vaticana unveiled
One of the most important treasures of the Vatican's priceless religious art collection — a 6th century reliquary said to contain fragments of the cross on which Jesus was crucified — has been restored to its former glory. Today, (Thursday) the Holy See unveiled the foot-high Crux Vaticana, which was given to the people of Rome by the Byzantine Emperor Justin II. Read More ...
Claire Bergin |
Westminster: Ten Ten Theatre presents Degree of Change
Ten Ten Theatre presents Degree of Change at Westminster Cathedral Hall on Wednesday, 11 November. The play is a powerful and thought-provoking story about a group of sixth formers from the UK who are confronted with a tragedy on a volunteer trip to Kenya. Returning home, they are faced with their own personal conflicts, Read More ...
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Preview: The Sacred Made Real
‘The Sacred Made Real’, just opened at the National Gallery, presents a landmark reappraisal of religious art from the Spanish Golden Age with works created to shock the senses and stir the soul. Paintings, including masterpieces by Diego Velázquez and Francisco de Zurbarán Read More ...
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The Priests announce new charity at their second album launch
Next month, 'The Priests' release their second album: Harmony. The three priests from Northern Ireland broke records last year with the fastest selling debut classical album, selling more than 1.5 million copies in more than 40 countries. Unlike other stars, they won't be keeping all the profits.
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Mary Wang |
Oxford prepares for Relics visit with play at Oxford Oratory
The relics of St Therese will be welcomed to Oxford on Wednesday with a peal of bells from the Anglican church of St Giles..
Therese of Lisieux wrote eight plays and took the lead in five of these performed as recreation in the Carmel so it was apt that Oxford parishioners decided to stage a theatrical extravaganza in preparation for the visit of her relics Read More ...
Amanda C Dickie |
The Poor Clare's Reliquary
The Poor Clare's Reliquary is a precious vessel that has been lent to the V&A by the Monastery of Poor Clares in Hereford. The curators are still unearthing its exciting history and debating its changing use over time. Scholars are divided over whether it was made as a reliquary Read More ...
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Pride and Prejudice in Pimlico
Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice was brought vividly to life over the weekend in an upbeat production by the Parish Players at Holy Apostles Hall in Pimlico, central London. Simon Duffy and Claudia Penas (pictured left) as Elizabeth and Darcy. Read More ...
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Five Minutes of Heaven on DVD
Five minutes of Heaven, the award-winning BBC docu-drama starring Liam Neeson and James Nesbitt, will be available on DVD from 21 September. The film is inspired by the story of Alistair Little, a member of the Ulster Volunteer Force who comitted murder at the age of 17. Read More ...
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London premier of musical about Archbishop Romero
The London premier of a musical on the life of Archbishop Oscar Romero takes place on 27 September, at the Jerwood Vanbrugh Theatre in Malet Street, W1. Written by Liam Bauress and George Daly, the show tells the story of the Archbishop who was killed for daring to speak out for human rights. Read More ...
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Sing to save historic churches across England
Some of the most spectacular and historic churches in England, no longer used for regular services, will be alive with music and song over the weekend of 3 -4 October. Called 'Birthday Song', the weekend will see 40 choirs perform in 40 of the most significant historic churches cared for by the Churches Conservation Trust, Read More ...
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The Sacred Made Real: religious art from Spain's Golden Age
Created to shock the senses and stir the soul, The Sacred Made Real exhibition coming to the National Gallery, presents a landmark reappraisal of religious art from the Spanish Golden Age. Paintings including masterpieces by Diego Velázquez and Franciscomde Zurbarán are displayed for the very first time alongside Spain's remarkable 'polychrome' (painted) sculptures. Read More ...
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Henry VIII's Defence of the Sacraments - twice!
Just when St Francis Xavier's (SFX) Church in Liverpool was preparing to display important artefacts related to Henry VIII's reign - including St Thomas More's gold cross, St John Fisher's signet ring and a 1521 first edition of Henry's Defence of the Seven Sacraments - along came another first edition of the same book. Read More ...
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Romero the Musical
The London premier of a musical on the life of Archbishop Oscar Romero takes place on 27 September, at the Jerwood Vanbrugh Theatre in Malet Street, W1. Written by Liam Bauress and George Daly, with orchestral arrangements by Richard Benbow, Read More ...
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Vatican praises Oscar Wilde 
Oscar Wilde, whose flamboyant behaviour scandalised Britain in the 19th century, has won an endorsement from the Vatican. L'Osservatore Romano, the Vatican’s official newspaper, yesterday declared that the author of The Importance of Being Earnest was more than "an aesthete and a lover of the ephemeral". Read More ...
Claire Bergin - 1 opinion posted |
London: Elizabeth Wang exhibition
'The Mystery of Faith': An exhibition of new and rarely seen pictures by Catholic artist Elizabeth Wang runs from today, 15 July - 31 October 2009 at the Church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel and St Simon Stock, 41 Kensington Church St, London W8 4BB. Read More ...
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Glasgow: exhibition recalls the Irish Famine
The exhibition Famine: New Works by Peter Howson, commissioned by the Archdiocese to recall the Great Irish Famine is underway at St Mungo’s Museum of Religious Life and Art in Glasgow. Some of the proceeds of the sales of paintings will be donated to St Mary’s Parish in the Calton area of Glasgow, the spiritual home of Irish emigres who arrived in Scotland in the mid 19th century. Read More ...
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Mary Colwell |
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Clifton Diocese Radio wins 'radio Oscar'
For 52 years the New York Festivals Radio Awards has recognised the world's best work in radio broadcasting. On 6 July it was announced in New York that a World Gold Medal has been awarded to 'The Budgerigar and the Prisoner' Read More ...
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Vatican: Michelangelo self-portrait discovered
A self-portrait by Michelangelo has been discovered by Vatican restorers working on his last painting, the Crucifixion of Saint Peter in the Pauline Chapel. The figure identified as the artist, is one of three horsemen, in the top left hand corner of the picture. Read More ...
Claire Bergin |
London: concert for CAFOD
The Schola Assumptionis and Consort present Music for a Summer Night at 7pm this Sunday, at the Church of Our Lady of the Assumption & St Gregory, Warwick Street, Soho, London W1B 5NB. Read More ...
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Play: The Girl Next Door
Thirteen-year-old Esther’s life has just been turned upside down. Her parents tell her one day that they are getting divorced and that she is to live with her grandfather in a new area and start at a new school. Read More ...
Damian Arnold |
Play: The Girl Next Door
Tenten Theatre theatre company present The Girl Next Door, by Marc Norris and Martin O'Brien, at Westminster Cathedral Hall, in Ambrosden Avenue, Westminster, this Wednesday, 10 June, at 7.30pm. Read More ...
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Music: London premiere of 'Deo Omnis Gloria’
The London premiere of Christopher Langdown’s sacred piano piece, Deo Omnis Gloria, takes place at the Wigmore Hall next Tuesday. Deo Omnis Gloria has three movements: the first, Hymn, is inspired by the Mass. The second piece, Lake of Gennesaret, is based on Read More ...
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DVD Competition: win The Priests at Armagh Cathedral
Three priests from Northern Ireland - brothers Father Martin and Father Eugene O'Hagan, with school friend Father David Delargy - gave an extraordinary debut concert last November in Armagh Cathedral, performing with flutist James Galway and singer Moya Brennan. Read More ...
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Anniversary concert at Worth Abbey
A concert in celebration of the 75th anniversary of the foundation of Worth Abbey in Sussex promises to raise the spirits with an uplifting programme of popular and newly-commissioned work on 26 March at 7.30pm. Read More ...
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London: evening of carols with a difference
St James's Church, Piccadilly plays host to an evening of traditional carols with untraditional lyrics, interspersed with poetry and prose readings, to highlight the current reality in the Holy Land next Wednesday, 26 November. Read More ...
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Byzantium 330-1453
Exhibition at the Royal Academy 25 October - 2008 - 22 March 2009, This magnificent exhibition charts the history of the Byzantine Empire from its foundation around 330 by the Roman emperor Constantine, to its final destruction by the Crusaders in 1204 and conquest by the Ottomans in 1453. Read More ...
Jo Siedlecka |
New Catholic multi-media resource
A very useful and innovative new website has been launched called Catholic Media House to support everyone involved in catechesis, youth workers, and teachers, by providing multimedia resources. Read More ...
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Play: Massabielle
The story of Our Lady of Lourdes and Saint Bernadette is brought vividly to life in this excellent production from the Parish Players at Holy Apostles Hall in Pimlico, central London. Read More ...
Jo Siedlecka |
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