A cultural tour of Krakow
A well-known photographer takes CNN’s Fred Pleitgen on a cultural and pictorial tour of Krakow, Poland.
Lights, camera … Poland
CNN’s Fred Pleitgen visits a Polish film school that has produced some of the world’s greatest filmmakers.
Polish economy going strong
CNN’s Frederik Pleitgen on the state of the Polish economy, which is faring much better than its neighbors.
Polish cuisine comeback
After the collapse of communism, Polish people also opted for fast food restaurants, but they are going back to their roots.
Birthplace of Solidarity
CNN’s Fred Pleitgen visits the town where Poland’s uprising against communism began.
Poland’s free media
Poland’s media has flourished since the fall of communism. CNN’s Fionnuala Sweeney reports.
Catholic Poland
Fred Pleitgen reports on the power and influence of the Roman Catholic Church in Poland.
Thomas Smith, who Twitters here, points to an interview with Armenian author, poet, theologian, and gardener Vigen Guroian from American Public Radio’s Speaking of the Faith.
The interview with Mr. Guroian, entitled Restoring the Senses, explores Easter as “a call to our senses.” Mr. Guroian discusses “his Eastern Orthodox sensibility that is at once more mystical and more earthy than the Christianity dominant in Western culture….”
Other features include a beautiful picture of the Pascha liturgy of the Armenian Orthodox Church from the Church of St. Hripsime in Echmiadzin, Armenia, a selection of hymns and chants on the SOF Playlist, and a series of short videos on life in the Orthodox faith at the time of Pascha: Easter in Sarajevo; Cyclical Time on Mount Athos; and Images of Eastern Orthodoxy — iconography and church architecture with Russian chanting.
Premiering Sunday, April 19 (9:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network
Based up the true story of Irena Sendler, a Polish Catholic social worker in the early 1940s who is credited with saving the lives of 2,500 Jewish children during World War II.
During the war Irena Sendler was able to move women in and out of the Warsaw Jewish Ghetto disguised as nurses working for the Warsaw’s Health Department. With the ruse of containing the spread of Typhus and Spotted Fever, Ms. Sendler and her fellow “nurses” were actually sneaking children out (with the consent of the Jewish parents) of the Ghetto by sedating them and hiding them inside boxes, suitcases and coffins as a way of saving them from deportation to German death camps. Once the children were snuck out they were given new identities and placed with Polish families or in convents to protect them. Ms. Sendler kept a record of all the children’s birth names and where they were placed hidden so once the war was over the children could be reunited with their families.
Unfortunately in 1943 Ms. Sendler’s deception was discovered and she was arrested and tortured by the Gestapo resulting with her feet being broken. She was scheduled to be executed but on the day of her execution she was rescued by “Zegota,” the same underground network she worked with to save the Jewish children. By the end of the war all of the 2,500 children she smuggled out were never betrayed or discovered by the Nazi German occupation forces.
Please don’t miss the world premiere telecast on the CBS Television Network, Sunday, April 19, 2009 at 9pm.
The Hallmark Hall of Fame film by renowned TV director and producer John Kent Harrison is based on the true story of 2007 Nobel Peace Prize nominee Irena Sendler, a Polish Catholic social worker, who was part of the Polish underground during World War II and was arrested and brutally tortured by the Nazi’s for saving the lives of nearly 2,500 Jewish children by smuggling them out of the Warsaw ghetto.
On the day of her scheduled execution she was rescued by “Żegota—, the underground network with which she worked to save the Jewish children. She lived in Poland to the age of 98.
Canadian-born actress Anna Paquin, who plays Irena Sendler won an Oscar as a child for her work in “The Piano” and more recently a Golden Globe Award.
From the Kennebec Journal: Celibate priests: boon or bane?
I won’t go on to quote from the article. It’s the usual set of arguments and some of the typical confusion between man-made laws like celibacy and other teachings that people would like to change even though they are immutable. I cite the article only because it contains a reference to the PNCC.
Personally, I think that the media would be just as disenchanted with the Catholic teaching of the PNCC as they are with the Roman Church’s teachings on secular culture’s hot-button issues.
If a writer were to set aside those big red arguments and develop some sort of columnar list of agreed points and differences I think they would be able to develop a compelling piece on Churches’ varied approaches to the human condition and Their understanding of God’s relationship to mankind. Of course it would take time and a lot of research. Anyone out there?
The social commentary of Andrzej Mleczko: At most a few percent are working. The rest, consultants.
Two things I wanted to mention.
Everyone Prays at Holy Etchmiadzin
During the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity our local ecumenical group held its meeting at St. Peter’s Armenian Apostolic Church. Fr. Bedros was the gracious host as always, providing for our needs, both spiritual and material.
Those who read my posts rather regularly might note that I have a great deal of love and admiration for St. Peter’s and its people and pastors (past and present — currently Fr. Bedros, and previously Fr. Stepanos, and Fr. Garen). The parish staff at St. Peter’s generously support our little ecumenical organization by looking after mailing lists and other administrative duties. In addition to all that – they always prepare a wonderful meal.
Fr. Bedros was good enough to provide for a viewing of Everyone Prays at Holy Etchmiadzin. The production was slated for viewing on ABC affiliates across the country. Unfortunately, our local ABC affiliate, WTEN, declined to air the film noting that they ‘don’t do religious programming,’ or words to that affect. The Capital Region lost because of that attitude.
I highly recommend the firm. It has a distinctly ecumenical overtone, and shows the Church as one with its faithful and its communities. One of the most moving parts was the descrioption of the Holy Muron and the visit of His Holiness Karekin II, Catholicos of All Armenians, to the United States. Imagine the Bishop of Rome visiting New Orleans, rolling up his cassock sleeves, and painting homes being built by Habitat for Humanity and you’ll get the picture. The film is available from St. Vartan’s Bookstore for only $20.
The Hours on your iPhone or iPod Touch
As you may have noted, I link to the Universalis site which provides the Liturgy of the Hours. I was pleased to learn that Universalis has published Universalis on the iPhone. The application is rather expensive, but well worth it (as opposed to buying the four volume set of the Hours) and it is reasonable in terms of the convenience the application provides.
It should be noted that a few of the readings for the Office of Readings are still missing, and the application is currently being updated so as to include all the antiphons. The updates are free. The other nice thing about Universalis is that you do not need 3G or Wi-Fi to access any of it, it sits right on your iPhone or iPod Touch.
Universalis for the iPhone and iPod Touch (available at the iTunes store) has enhanced my ability to pray the hours wherever I may happen to be. It is convenient, easy to use, and works seamlessly with the accelerometer. If you have an iPhoe or iPod Touch I highly recommend this app.