Artwork of Stephen B. Whatley displayed at St. Thomas More Catholic Church in England

Archbishop Vincent Nichols and Stephen B. Whatley

The following excerpt from the website of Stephen B. Whatley:

On Sunday May 6, 2012, artist Stephen B. Whatley was invited by Fr. John Deehan of St. Thomas More RC Church, Eastcote, to a concelebrated Mass with Archbishop Vincent Nichols, Head of the Catholic Church in England and Wales; followed by the blessing by the Archbishop of the new church hall.

The Glory of Christ by Stephen B. Whatley

The church hall was adorned with new prints of Stephen's paintings purchased by St. Thomas More Church; at which the artist gave a lecture about his art and faith in July 2009.

On loan at the church is Stephen B Whatley's original painting, "The Glory of Christ" - pictured here with the Archbishop and the artist, after the blessing ceremony - in a photograph kindly taken by Parish secretary, Helen Howley.

Archbishop Vincent Nichols is a kind man who showed much interest in Stephen's work; humbly asking to take his own personal photograph of the painting on his mobile phone camera - which impressed the artist who is not so adept at using his own cell phone!

View more of Stephen B. Whatley's work at the following link: Christian Tributes

What the Arab Spring can learn from the history of the Catholic Church and democracy

What the Arab Spring can learn from the history of the Catholic Church and democracy

The following excerpt is from RomeReports.com:

In the long history of the Church, its embrace of democracy is still relatively new. David Forte is a historian and a professor of law, he says the Church's support of democracy helped to create many of Europe's modern political parties.

David Forte
Professor of Law, Cleveland State University (USA)

“One of the things that I've been researching is how Catholicism moved from an initial position against liberal democracy in the 19th century because of persecutions by Napoleon and the French Revolution to as not only embracing it but becoming one of it's great sponsors in Christian Democracy.”

Professor Forte met with members of Rome's Acton Institute, a conservative think tank that promotes individual freedoms with religious principles.

They say the Church's support of democracy can serve as an example to countries that are transitioning from autocratic regimes to a representative government. In Egypt, where elections have boosted the Muslim Brotherhood, observers say this could tension relations with neighboring Israel.

David Forte
Professor of Law, Cleveland State University (USA)

“So far as I know, all the presidential candidates have been supporters of Hamas, against Israel in the past. So the continuation of peace with Israel looks very iffy with the development of the Muslim Brotherhood's strength.”

Egypt is also home to a large population of Coptic Christians, that make up around 9% of Egypt's 80 million people. The protection of religious freedom and maintaining good relations with neighbors are two prescriptions that Professor Forte and other observers hope to see carried out in these emerging democracies.

Rock and Roll Priests get ready to perform in Latin America

Rock and Roll Priests

From RomeReports.com: After taking part in several World Youth Day concerts in Madrid, now a group of priests is getting ready to perform in Latin America. The group is called “La Voz del Desierto” which translates to “The Voice of the Desert.”

This coming August the group will perform in the Rock' n Rieles Festival in Costa Rica and Guatemala. The group was formed in Madrid, Spain. It consists of three priests and four lay people whose main purpose is to evangelize through music.

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day from ROME REPORTS

From RomeReports.com:

Every year, during the month of May, millions of people celebrate Mother's Day. In some countries the celebration takes place on the first weekend of May, in others the second. Regardless of the specific day, ROME REPORTS wants to congratulate all mothers on their special day!

Apparitions of Our Lady of Fatima started 95 years ago

Apparitions of Fatima started 95 years ago

The following excerpt is from RomeReports.com:

On May 13, 1917, the Virgin Mary appeared at the Cova da Iria in Fatima to the three shepherds Jacinta, Francisco and Lucia. It was an apparition that was repeated on the 13th of every month, for six consecutive months.

The Virgin asked them to pray the rosary for the conversion of sinners and revealed three messages.
In the first message she showed hell to them. In the second, the Virgin Mary said that Russia would be converted to Christianity which would bring peace.

The third message was the secret of Fatima, which was revealed by the pope in 2000. There they saw a bishop dressed in white that at the top of a mountain knelt at the foot of a cross where soldiers shot him. They also saw the death of bishops, priests, religious and laity.

Many say that the vision led toward the persecution of Christians, throughout the twentieth century, causing an estimated 45 million victims because due to their faith.

John Paul II was also the victim of an assassination attempt that took place in St. Peter's Square on May 13, 1981. He said he survived the shooting thanks to the intercession of the Virgin Mary. One year later, he even traveled to Fatima and placed in the crown the bullet that had struck him.

Today, Fatima is one of the most important pilgrimage sites in the world. The shepherd seers Francisco and Jacinta were declared blessed on May 13th in 2000. Lucia died in 2005 and a study on her life is under way that could lead to a possible beatification.

Benedict XVI officially declares Hildegard of Bingen a Saint

Benedict XVI officially declares Hildegard of Bingen a Saint

Commentary by Loci B. Lenar

In 2011 a DVD about the life of Hildegard von Bingen was released in the USA. Produced in Germany by Zeitgeist Films, Vision was originally released in 2009, but is available to purchase in a DVD format with English subtitles for the U.S. market.

My review of the film can be read at the the following link, Vision: From the Life of Hildegard von Bingen

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The following excerpt is from Rome Reports.com:

Even though Hildegard of Bingen was already on the list of Catholic saints, she had not been officially canonized. So to remove all doubt, Benedict XVI extended the liturgical cult of St. Hildegard of Bingen, to the Universal Church, which automatically inscribes her in the catalogue of saints.

Hildegard of Bingen was from Germany. She's mostly known for her religious visions and prophecies. She lived in the XI and XII century, but even so, her message is still quite alive. The Pope has talked about her and her message in two general audiences.

Also, in coming months, the Pope is considering declaring her a Doctor of the Church for her high intelligence and feminine sensibility.

St. Hildegard was one of the most active women of her time. She wrote about theology and morals, but also about medicine and science. She even found the time to compose 78 musical pieces.