Views from the Choir Loft

St. Catherine of Alexandria, November 25th

Gwyneth Holston · November 18, 2013

have always loved this portrait of St. Catherine of Alexandria by Lorenzo Lotto, painted in 1522. Her intelligent gaze is in keeping with her reputation for theological brilliance. Lotto managed to communicate her enigmatic confidence by placing her centrally in the composition and cocking her head to one side. The red dress flames at us against the dark backgroundreminding us of her martyrdom.

Notice how her hands are demurely placed so as to reveal a mystical wedding ring on one hand and the martyr’s palm held like a scholar’s quill pen in the other. The mantle about her shoulders delicately drapes the spiked wheel on which she was condemned to be tortured.

My favorite detail of this painting is the strand of pearls loops on the points of her crown. Although her works in this life were as so many pearls before swine, she was happy to cast them from her in order to obtain the pearl of great price.

Opinions by blog authors do not necessarily represent the views of Corpus Christi Watershed.

About Gwyneth Holston

Gwyneth Holston is a sacred artist who works to provide and promote good quality Catholic art. Her website is gwynethholston.com. Read more.

6 January 2021 • Anglicans on Plainsong

A book published by Anglicans in 1965 has this to say about Abbat Pothier’s Editio Vaticana, the musical edition reproduced by books such as the LIBER USUALIS (Solesmes Abbey): “No performing edition of the music of the Eucharistic Psalmody can afford to ignore the evidence of the current official edition of the Latin Graduale, which is no mere reproduction of a local or partial tradition, but a CENTO resulting from an extended study and comparison of a host of manuscripts gathered from many places. Thus the musical text of the Graduale possesses a measure of authority which cannot lightly be disregarded.” They are absolutely correct.

—Jeff Ostrowski

2 January 2021 • Temptation

When I see idiotic statements made on the internet, I go nuts. When I see heretics promoted by people who should know better, I get angry. Learning to ignore such items is difficult—very difficult. I try to remember the words of Fr. Valentine Young: “Do what God places in front of you each day.” When I am honest, I don’t believe God wants me to dwell on errors and idiocy; there’s nothing I can do about that. During 2021, I will strive to do a better job following the advice of Fr. Valentine.

—Jeff Ostrowski

31 December 2020 • “COMITES CHRISTI”

The feasts for Saint Stephen Proto-Martyr (26 December), Saint John the Evangelist The Disciple Whom Jesus Loved (27 December), and the Feast of the Holy Innocents (28 December) seem untouched by any liturgical reforms. These are very powerful feasts—I believe they once possessed octaves—and I believe they could sometimes “overpower” a Sunday feast. The rules for octaves in the olden days are extremely complex. These feasts are sometimes referred to as a single entity as: Comites Christi (“Companions of Christ”). This is just a guess, but there seems to be a triple significance: STEPHEN martyred after Christ lived, JOHN was a martyr who knew Christ personally, and the HOLY INNOCENTS were martyred before Christ’s birth.

—Jeff Ostrowski