Tea at Trianon: Christiada (2011)

John Wilson Croker on Marie-Antoinette

"We have followed the history of Marie Antoinette with the greatest diligence and scrupulosity. We have lived in those times. We have talked with some of her friends and some of her enemies; we have read, certainly not all, but hundreds of the libels written against her; and we have, in short, examined her life with– if we may be allowed to say so of ourselves– something of the accuracy of contemporaries, the diligence of inquirers, and the impartiality of historians, all combined; and we feel it our duty to declare, in as a solemn a manner as literature admits of, our well-matured opinion that every reproach against the morals of the queen was a gross calumny– that she was, as we have said, one of the purest of human beings."

~from History of the Guillotine by John Wilson Croker, 1844

Edmund Burke on Marie-Antoinette

"It is now sixteen or seventeen years since I saw the queen of France, then dauphiness, at Versailles; and surely there never lighted on this orb, which she hardly seemed to touch, a more delightful vision. I saw her just above the horizon, decorating and cheering the elevated sphere she had just begun to move in, glittering like a morning star full of life and splendor and joy. Oh, what a revolution....Little did I dream that I should have lived to see such disasters fall upon her, in a nation of gallant men, in a nation of men of honor and of cavaliers! I thought ten thousand swords must have leaped from their scabbards, to avenge even a look which threatened her with insult. But the age of chivalry is gone; that of sophisters, economists, and calculators has succeeded...."

~Edmund Burke, October 1790

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Christiada (2011)

Now THIS is a film I must see. Some Carmelite Monasteries in America were founded by nuns fleeing the brutal persecution of the Church in Mexico. Share

5 comments:

Julygirl said...: Looks like a few A-list actors starring in it.; April 13, 2011 at 11:51:00 AM EDT
Nancy Reyes said...: the Visitation sisters in Philadelphia also came from Mexico after their hidden convent was found (If I remember correctly, a bunch of houses centered around a courtyard, and you could only get into the convent via the courtyard...but someone spied and found them so they had to flee).

Also, when I worked with the Mescalero Apaches, the founding priest, Father Braun, smuggled papers for the Catholics hiding in Mexico. He was a character: even Volunteered to go with the NMNG to defend Manila, and survived the death march and the POW camps. Wish they would make a movie about him.; April 13, 2011 at 9:35:00 PM EDT
elena maria vidal said...: Thank you for reminding me about the Visitation nuns in Philadelphia, Boinky. They are a beautiful community. I used to go to Mass there when I was in town. And yes, someone should definitely make a movie about Fr. Braun.; April 13, 2011 at 9:53:00 PM EDT
Nancy Reyes said...: Few of the articles on line mention Father Braun's mexican link, but the St Joseph's mission website does:

During the late twenties Father Al found himself embroiled in the Mexican Revolution. When the anti-clerical Obrégon and Calles regimes outlawed all clergy and began confiscating church property, Father Al volunteered to cross the border incognito, carry money and messages to priests driven underground, and “purchase” Franciscan property to save it from seizure. He and Father Dave Kirgan, disguised as businessmen tourists, made three dangerous trips into Mexico, worked covertly, accomplished their mission – and relished every cloak-sans-dagger minute.

I'm happy about the new film on the Mexican revolution, since few Americans even know about that persecution of Catholics.; April 13, 2011 at 10:01:00 PM EDT
elena maria vidal said...: WHAT a hero!! And he was in the Philippines, too! That is fascinating. Thank you very much for the link, Boinky!

Yes, I am really looking forward to the Christiada film.; April 13, 2011 at 10:08:00 PM EDT