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TORONTO - In Mervi Junkkonen鱿鱼视频app After Life: Four Stories of Torture, we are told the plight of four survivors seeking refuge in Finland but never finding complete peace of spirit.

Their story is one of 12 鈥渋nspiring and heartbreaking鈥� films playing this month at the seventh Amnesty International Reel Awareness Human Rights Film Festival, running at Toronto鱿鱼视频app Carlton Cinema Nov. 15-18.

鈥淓ach film was chosen because they focus on a specific Amnesty International concern or priority campaign,鈥� said festival co-ordinator Elena Dumitru.

Amnesty International is a global movement to protect and promote human rights.

The festival kicks off with A Whisper to a Roar, a film shot over three years about democracy activists in five countries 鈥� Egypt, Malaysia, Ukraine, Venezuela and Zimbabwe.

鈥淚t鱿鱼视频app a positive film, it鱿鱼视频app uplifting,鈥� said Dumitru.

Festival organizers say they always try to begin with a film that is not well-known.

鈥淚t鱿鱼视频app a film that looks at activists, at people who are doing the work our volunteers do every day,鈥� she said. 鈥淪o we hope it will be an inspiration to our own members and to the public to take action on human rights issues, get involved, do more.鈥�

The festival鱿鱼视频app two main goals are awareness and engagement. So at the Carlton Cinema there will also be an action centre where festival-goers can find out how to become involved with Amnesty International.

鈥淲e still find that people are surprised when they come and see a film and they find out about the specific human-rights violation,鈥� said Dumitru. 鈥淢any times the reaction is 鈥極h my God, I didn鈥檛 know that this was happening.鈥� 鈥�

But films like After Life demonstrate how it is possible for suffering to go unnoticed and ignored by many.

Loneliness, isolation, depression, anger and helplessness are all expressed in the steady voices of the men featured.

There is Kebi, who is fighting deportation; Serge, whose will to live hinges on seeing his three surviving children again; Musa, who spends less time at home because he fears being rough with his two kids; and Hector, the artist who found it difficult at first to paint anything beautiful.

鈥淧roblems are not like clothes that you can take off and wash,鈥� says Musa.

Their faces are never fully visible, at times blurred, with the only exception being the elderly Hector who has had 40 years to settle in the country.

The film is intentionally often out of focus. It鱿鱼视频app as if the lives the men are living now are mere dreams, as if they are really still imprisoned in their home countries, as if the world around them is in focus while they are not.

As the men speak about the real life nightmares they suffered and the memories that still haunt them at night, the moviegoer will see extreme close ups of eyes, lips and hands. These images make the men鱿鱼视频app existence seem concrete and yet still keeps their identities anonymous. They each could be almost any immigrant walking the cold streets of Finland.

鈥淭his is an outstanding lineup of films that... show deeply compelling personal struggles against difficult odds,鈥� said Dumitru in a press release.

Each man鱿鱼视频app deep, contemplative thoughts and reflections, the real draw of After Life, can be seen on Nov. 18.

For more on the festival, see .

鈥淧ut on the whole armour of God, so that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil鈥� (Ephesians 6:11), he might as well have been talking directly to Covenant House president and CEO Kevin Ryan. Ryan may be a 45-year-old lawyer and former civil servant, but he doesn鈥檛 go to work in the morning. He goes to war.

鈥淭he stakes are very high. This is a street war,鈥� Ryan told The Catholic Register. 鈥淲e鈥檙e fighting against the bullies and the bullets and the predators and the pornographers and the pervs and the guns and the gangs鈥� We lose kids. We lose them to the streets. We lose them to despair. We lose them to suicide. But we win more kids by far.鈥�

Ryan鱿鱼视频app report from the frontlines of Covenant House鱿鱼视频app war for children has been catalogued in Almost Home, Ryan鱿鱼视频app best selling book. Almost Home has hit number five on the Washington Post non-fiction list. It鱿鱼视频app creeping up the Publisher鱿鱼视频app Weekly rankings for trade paperbacks. It鱿鱼视频app number two on Amazon鱿鱼视频app list of Canadian international and world politics titles.

Co-authored with former New York Times staff writer Tina Kelley, Almost Home tells the story of six Covenant House kids, one of them Canadian and another who spent years on the streets of Toronto and Vancouver. They aren鈥檛 Chicken Soup for the Soul stories. Murial meets Covenant House Vancouver as a prostitute who had three different pimps by the time she was 20, an addict who had been getting high from the age of 12 and still living with the effects of fetal alcohol syndrome. Meagan was thrown out of her family home as a teenager because she is gay. Paulie was beaten over and over by his father, but found refuge in drugs.

鈥淭hey don鈥檛 see virtue in their lives. The message they鈥檝e gotten over and over and over is, 鈥榊ou鈥檙e broken, you鈥檙e defective, you鈥檙e unwanted,鈥� 鈥� said Ryan.

There aren鈥檛 necessarily happy endings to such stories. But these are stories people need to hear because lives are at stake, said Ryan.

Between 20 and 40 per cent of homeless youth attempt suicide. It is a leading cause of their deaths. Covenant House Toronto reports that homeless youth are 11 times more likely to die young than the rest of the population.

Toronto鱿鱼视频app Covenant House, like the 20 other Covenant Houses in North and Central America, does a lot of things for homeless kids. It provides shelter, helps kids finish school, helps them reconnect with family when possible, find housing, find mentors, point the way to jobs. It also helps kids find the mental health care they need.

鈥淭hey are often as traumatized as men who are returning from war,鈥� said Ryan.

If teen suicide is now a national issue, Covenant House is in a position to give Canada some national advice: Kids need love.

鈥淚t requires love,鈥� said Ryan. 鈥淏ut it also requires that we be love in the world in a responsible and effective way. That requires more than a sentimental hug and a warm meal. It means making sure that our kids have the attention and clinical care they need to transcend the darkness that overshadows their lives.鈥�

Ryan claims to be shocked by the success of Almost Home.

鈥淭hese are stories about young people who have pulled themselves up, climbed out of the darkness, in some instances from violence and trafficking and drug abuse, and found hope in their lives.鈥�

TORONTO - The greatest challenge for Christians today is forgiveness, says Fr. Stan Chu Ilo.

鈥淭he more you forgive, the freer you become, and the more you forgive, the healthier you become spiritually, physically and otherwise,鈥� he said.

Ilo鱿鱼视频app healthy habits of spiritual joy not only include forgiveness, but also involve being patient with ourselves, others and God.

Ilo is author of Discover Your Divine Investment: The path to spiritual joy, which he says will surprise readers with the fact that God is not done with them. There are stories in his book that he promises will draw people out of the ordinary human experience.

Ilo has purposely stepped away from the more heavy, speculative and abstract style of his past works to what he calls 鈥渢heology of the marketplace.鈥�

The challenge facing the Church today, said Ilo, is 鈥渃ommunicating God鱿鱼视频app word and communicating the truth about what we believe and what we hope for and what we celebrate (and) how we live. We need to find a good way of communicating God鱿鱼视频app work.鈥�

Ilo says Discover Your Divine Investment, published by Catholic Register Books, is intended to start a conversation with and be more accessible to the average Catholic or Christian. By book鱿鱼视频app end, he hopes readers will walk away happy to be alive, happy God has kept them going and hopeful for the future.

鈥淕od speaks to us within the very ark of our humanity,鈥� said Ilo. 鈥淏eing attuned to this divine harmony is what this book is trying to tell people.鈥�

While some look to palm readings and astrology for answers, Ilo urges readers to be introspective. 鈥淪hakespeare said the fault is not in our stars; the fault is in us,鈥� said Ilo.

He promotes a more 鈥渞eflective practice that attunes our daily actions and choices to the deepest hunger of our souls.鈥� Ilo believes that if people do this on a consistent basis, they will find a pattern to what makes them happiest.

鈥淭hat which makes me happiest and promotes the joy, happiness and fulfilment of people around me, if I do that on a consistent basis, is the purpose of my life,鈥� he said.

For the author, 鈥渓ife is play,鈥� and he would like people 鈥渢o strike a balance between playfulness and seriousness鈥� in their own lives.

鈥淕od invested in the cosmos, invested in every human being,鈥� so Ilo wants each individual reader to grasp that not only does God love him or her, but that everyone鱿鱼视频app life, happiness and self-actualization is important to Him.

鈥淵ou are a treasure of inestimable value, no matter your age, no matter your sex, your sexuality, your race, no matter your history, no matter your past,鈥� he said.

Ilo, originally from the Ebo ethnic group in eastern Nigeria, arrived in Canada 10 years ago after studying in Rome.

He had planned on a temporary stay before heading back to Europe, but three months into his visit, Ellen Mary MacAdam, to whom the book is dedicated, convinced him to stay. Ilo calls MacAdam, 91, his second mother.

鈥淪he said to me, you come from Africa, life must be hard and lonely for you, so I thought to invite you to have a meal and to assure you that there are people like us who will be here for you in case you need someone to talk to.鈥�

He credits her with helping him discover the treasure within himself through Catholic education. MacAdam sponsored his graduate studies in Canada. He went on to doctoral studies and now teaches at the Faculty of Theology at the University of St. Michael鱿鱼视频app College in the University of Toronto.

鈥淪he represents, to some extent, what I consider an ideal way of living, how through love we can cross borders of race, of religion, of creed, of social or economic class.鈥�

To order Discover Your Divine Investment, at $14.99, call (416) 934-3410 or visit www.catholicregister.org.

TORONTO - Victor Micallef, a member of the internationally acclaimed singing group The Tenors, began his successful musical career with a stroke of good fortune.

鈥淚 was always attracted to music,鈥� says Micallef. 鈥淢y sister was taking piano lessons when I was about three or four years old and my family couldn鈥檛 afford both of us taking lessons, so I just watched her take lessons and she hated it. She just couldn鈥檛 stand it,鈥� he laughs.

鈥淥ne day she turned to our parents and said she didn鈥檛 want to take lessons any more鈥� that was victory for me!鈥�

After his fortuitous piano incident, Micallef was led by his late father to the opportunity that would one day become his career and passion: singing.

鈥淚 was a very shy boy鈥� I didn鈥檛 like singing in front of people. One day (my father) went to my parish priest (at St. Paul the Apostle in Toronto) who was Fr. Jimmy Zammit, and he just said: Vic wants to sing. I did a double take! I was petrified,鈥� says Micallef, who soon afterwards began working as a cantor at the church.

鈥淭hat was my early childhood education鈥� Fr. Jim and my father influenced me to sing. It was good because, from a young age, I was singing in front of a large audience.鈥�

Now, Micallef sings with The Tenors (formerly The Canadian Tenors) in front of much larger audiences that have included Celine Dion, Oprah Winfrey and Queen Elizabeth II. Much of his success, attests Micallef, comes from his Toronto upbringing in his Catholic parish and high school, Michael Power-St. Joseph in Etobicoke.

鈥淢PSJ always seemed like an arts school,鈥� says Micallef. 鈥淚t was a great school to be at. The memories that were the fondest for me were the after school and the pre-school things鈥� it was something that I loved to do 鈥� to stick around after school with my friends and make music.鈥�

Micallef credits his experiences and teachers during his high school years as an integral factor in his current success. And the Toronto Catholic District School Board has since honoured Micallef, awarding him the TCDSB Alumni Award last year.

鈥淚 was totally blown away. I was absolutely honoured to be recognized in that way,鈥� says Micallef. 鈥淪inging for the Queen and meeting all of these stars and being in those circles 鈥� it has its drawbacks too. I love my family, but I鈥檓 away a lot. When they came to me and said we recognize you as being a good representative, I was like, really?鈥� he laughs.

鈥淚 do practice going to church and educating my four-year-old son in the same way鈥� even more than that just trying to be a good person鈥� As an alumni winner, you have a responsibility to be a good example,鈥� says Micallef.

鈥淓ven with the other Tenors, they know me as the family guy who goes to church,鈥� he laughs. 鈥淚 try my best to be an example. I鈥檓 still that shy boy 鈥� we鈥檒l be at a big event somewhere鈥� and they鈥檒l be like, 鈥極K, Vic, lead us in prayer, we love when you do that!鈥� 鈥�

Despite his grounding in faith and family, Micallef and the other members of The Tenors are in the midst of a whirlwind tour across North America as they rebrand not only their name, but also seek to create a strong image on which their group is based.

鈥淧art of the rebranding was learning about what we represent as a group, and part of that is inspiring people and trying to give a message,鈥� says Micallef, who also noted that dropping Canadian from the name was not a matter of being unpatriotic, but was done to retain their international appeal.

The Tenors released their newest album on Oct. 30, and that will be followed up with a December DVD release of the group performing live from Las Vegas.

鈥淲e鈥檙e really excited about this album 鈥� it鱿鱼视频app like the next step. We have writing credits on it, and we鈥檝e written with world-class writers,鈥� says Micallef.

Particularly evocative of their image and mantra is the name of the album, Lead With Your Heart, which almost came too late.

鈥淭his one song came to us really late in the game and we already had all of our songs for the CD. It was written with us in mind and it was called 鈥楲ead With Your Heart,鈥� 鈥� says Micallef.

鈥淚t appealed to us right away and the words were just so right鈥� that鱿鱼视频app what we represent. So we called the album that.鈥�

Looking forward, Micallef hopes that the same programs that nurtured his love of music and performance will continue on in high schools and create opportunities for other TCDSB students.

鈥淚鈥檝e been very, very fortunate, because it could have been the exact opposite where people didn鈥檛 care鈥� or if I didn鈥檛 have teachers who persuaded me to go sing in musical theatre,鈥� says Micallef. 鈥淭he people around me, like Fr. Jim and my teachers at school and my father, they all fed me and led me to doing what eventually would become my life.鈥�

For young people and any others hoping to pursue a career in the arts, Micallef offers a simple piece of advice.

鈥淎lways follow your heart鈥� it does tell you a lot. It鱿鱼视频app that instinct. When you鈥檙e singing, or making these choices always try and ask yourself who you are and what do you feel happy doing.鈥�

For more on The Tenors go to .

TORONTO - For an organist, preserving an instrument鱿鱼视频app sound is like maintaining a relationship. It calls for strict attention to atmosphere, communication and a whole lot of listening.

鈥淵ou try as hard as possible to keep the air in the church as consistent as possible,鈥� said John Paul Farahat, organist at St. Basil鱿鱼视频app Church in downtown Toronto. 鈥淲hen you have changes in humidity, when you have changes in temperature, it really affects the pipes because they are all either made of wood or some combina tion of metals.鈥�

In Grade 12, after playing the piano since childhood, Farahat began studying the organ. Now pursuing a masters of music and performance at the University of Toronto, Farahat, 23, has worked with the National Catholic Broadcasting Council鱿鱼视频app Daily Mass since 2007.

Farahat took over as the principal organist at St. Basil鱿鱼视频app in May 2011, meaning his relationship with the church鱿鱼视频app 93-year-old pipe organ had officially become serious.

鈥淲hat essentially I try to do as the principal organist here is try to maintain it,鈥� said Farahat. 鈥淥ne of the things an organist can do, when you have a pipe organ, is you always make sure, first and foremost, that those expressive pedals are in an open position so that the shutters are opened. Gradual (temperature) changes ... have far less of an effect on how far the instrument goes out of tune.鈥�

This allows air to flow freely around the pipes ensuring that when the temperature inevitably changes in the church it also changes in the boxes that enclose selected pipes.

During the summer months Farahat admits efforts to ensure a constant temperature are often in vain, though it hasn鈥檛 discouraged him from trying.

鈥淚n a church like this where there is no air conditioning, in the summer you are kind of at the mercy of the weather and the most you can do is just open the windows and hope for the best,鈥� said Farahat. 鈥淚n the winter (the University of St. Michael鱿鱼视频app College鱿鱼视频app) heating system is what runs this church and so you have a certain degree of control over the heat.鈥�

But keeping things comfortable is only part of the equation. Like any relationship, the key to preserving an organ鱿鱼视频app sound is communication.

鈥淭he second way to maintain it, really, it鱿鱼视频app the one thing I know a lot of organists have, is a log book (to) record whenever you find something wrong,鈥� said Farahat. 鈥淪o when the maintenance crew comes in the next time, they look at this book. They don鈥檛 look at the organ and say what鱿鱼视频app wrong because they would never get the job done... you essentially point them in the right direction.鈥�

Farahat also goes through every note in every stop regularly 鈥� at least once between the three to four annual maintenance services.

It鱿鱼视频app a practice veteran organ technician Robert Hiller encourages organists to do.

鈥淚t鱿鱼视频app very important to have more detailed instructions (because it takes) less time to find the problem,鈥� said Hiller, of Alan T. Jackson & Company, which has maintenance contracts for more than 200 organs, including St. Basil鱿鱼视频app. 鈥淚f it is only misfiring the odd time it is difficult to find where the problem is until it happens right in front of your eyes. Sometimes it is just a certain combination of stops that makes the problem happen.鈥�

At an average cost of $500 per fourto five-hour visit, keeping troubleshooting short and sweet is the aim of the game. While many parishes, such as St. Basil鱿鱼视频app, hold fixed rate contracts, it is those that try to scrimp and save who often lose out.

鈥淚f we don鈥檛 go regularly then the list of troubles will take more time and you are spending more money,鈥� said Hiller. 鈥淚f you don鈥檛 maintain your organ regularly, if you are someone who calls only the odd time, then you won鈥檛 get that kind of service. We鈥檒l have to bill by the hour.鈥�

St. Peter鱿鱼视频app Church on Bathurst Street is a parish without a maintenance contract and it shows. Built in 1927, the open concept church was acoustically designed to maximize the potential of the organ, which has since taken a turn for the worse.

鈥淭he organ has been here since the church was built in 1927 and the organ has been very much a part of our tradition,鈥� said Fr. Jim Haley.

鈥淲e would love to have it up to par.鈥�

It鱿鱼视频app a matter of dollars and cents which prevents the much needed restoration 鈥� not to mention a tuning.

鈥淚f I had some extra money I would gladly put it into the organ to see if we could build it up,鈥� said Haley. 鈥淩ight now we have some other priorities in the parish that we have to attend to.鈥�

This is the story for many parishes where a once enchantingly booming organ now screeches off key, if it makes any noise at all. Hiller said full restorations of traditional electro-pneumatic organs, which often means converting them to digital-console organs, costs between $50,000 to $150,000.

TORONTO - Those involved with the music ministry at their parish are often faced with a difficulty that comes from the intrinsic duality of their role 鈥� how to maintain a balance between the performance aspect of their craft and the importance of being liturgically sound and engaged with your community.

Fr. Ricky Manalo, CSP, is a highly regarded liturgical musician, Paulist priest, teacher and composer. He will be in Toronto Nov. 3 to host an all-day interactive session, 鈥淪ing to the Lord: Liturgical Music in Today鱿鱼视频app Church,鈥� at downtown Toronto鱿鱼视频app St. Peter鱿鱼视频app Church examining the dual role.

鈥淭he first part of my talk will be focused not on music and not on any pastoral suggestions, but more on the deeper, ecclesial identity of the Church,鈥� said Manalo. 鈥淚n other words, how do we ground ourselves to first understanding that when we celebrate liturgy it鱿鱼视频app a celebration of the whole community.

鈥淔rom there we can go into some official documents, particularly what emerged out of the second Vatican Council, that called for more full, conscious and active participation.鈥�

Manalo, whose 2007 hymn 鈥淭hat All May Be One in Christ鈥� won the national hymn competition sponsored by the National Association of Pastoral Musicians in the United States, feels that the skills and talents of ministers can be used as a way to promote participation during the Mass.

鈥淲hen I studied as a musician at the Manhattan School of Music, the goal there was art for the sake of art: musica pro musica. Whereas, in liturgy, it鱿鱼视频app not art for the sake of art itself, but for the worship of God. All things should point to that,鈥� said Manalo.

鈥淭his also doesn鈥檛 mean that they should pay less attention to the performative skills that they have already; that鱿鱼视频app also important. But, it鱿鱼视频app a difference between a liturgy and, say, performing in Carnegie Hall,鈥� he laughs.

Manalo also points to the challenges that come from our secular society, in that we are awash with myriad musical styles and cultural influences. However, these challenges may also yield favourable results.

鈥淭he liturgical theologian Anthony Ruff has pointed out that even during the Baroque era, a lot of the musical styles that were sung and/or performed during Mass came from secular styles that were occurring outside of the Church,鈥� said Manalo.

鈥淭here will always be various musical styles 鈥� whether they be a particular culture, a traditional repertoire that Catholics hold dear or whether they be styles that come from Africa or a generational culture group. What followed after Vatican II was an openness towards various musical styles.鈥�

For more information on Sing to the Lord: Liturgical Music in Today鱿鱼视频app Church, contact sbossi@ paulist.org (tickets are $30).

There鱿鱼视频app more to the liturgy than which words are spoken when and by whom. There鱿鱼视频app more to it than can be captured by any one language, living or dead.

Architect Douglas Cardinal was one of the first to show the post- Vatican II liturgy in a church. As the Second Vatican Council ended, the now world-famous architect of Ottawa鱿鱼视频app Canadian Museum of Civilization began work on his first internationally recognized masterwork 鈥� St. Mary鱿鱼视频app Church in Red Deer, Alta.

The story of St. Mary鱿鱼视频app encapsulates triumphs and tragedies of the Canadian Church against the backdrop of Vatican II ideals. The church was consecrated as a cathedral by the Oblate Archbishop Anthony Jordan of Edmonton in 1968, who attended all four sessions of the ecumenical council in Rome.

Cardinal grew up going to a residential school in the 1940s 鈥� St. Joseph鱿鱼视频app Convent School in Red Deer. His father was Blackfoot and his mother Metis. He was one of the rare success stories 鈥� a smart kid who got top marks, excelled in art and music, studied piano at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto.

He was also the head altar boy at St. Joseph鱿鱼视频app and today as he pushes toward 80 years old he can still remember every word of the Latin Mass and can still sing the chants.

Cardinal鱿鱼视频app brilliant career almost never happened. He was assaulted on the street as a young man in an ugly racial incident. In the Alberta of the late-1950s, it was naturally the native kid who wound up in jail. Jordan got him a lawyer, and helped get him out of jail.

From there, Cardinal travelled Europe 鈥� taking in everything from Antoni Gaudi鱿鱼视频app Sagrada Familia Cathedral in Barcelona to the baroque San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane in Rome by his favourite architect, Francesco Baromini.

That was followed by more architecture studies at the University of Texas and travel through Mexico and the American southwest, where he saw adobe missionary churches that reminded him of one of the great 20th-century masterworks, Le Corbusier鱿鱼视频app Chapelle Notre Dame du Haut in Ronchamp, France.

When German Oblate missionary Fr. Werner Merx tapped the young Cardinal to design a new church the priests didn鈥檛 know of the young architect鱿鱼视频app history with his bishop. Merx stormed off to Edmonton prepared to battle Jordan for the chance to employ this brilliant young architect, not knowing how pleased his fellow Oblate would be to see the young man he saved from jail erect the first post-conciliar church in his diocese.

Merx and Cardinal weren鈥檛 just going to design a big building with some pews and a spire. They were going to invent a church based on the liturgy.

鈥淲e started by saying, what is the reason for the space?鈥� Cardinal told The Catholic Register. 鈥淭he altar.鈥�
Merx insisted on a spare, unadorned sanctuary without even a cross. The pastor wanted the altar to be the sole symbol of the real presence, open and accessible to everyone gathered around it.

Every day at 4 p.m. Merx and Cardinal would meet at the church, play organ music and go over Cardinal鱿鱼视频app designs. Their instruction manual was Sacrosanctum Concilium, Vatican II鱿鱼视频app Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy. It took months to come up with the spare, unpolished altar that would dominate the sanctuary.

Cardinal designed a 鈥渓ight canon鈥� 鈥� essentially a hole in the roof 鈥� over the altar.

鈥淚 wanted divine light coming from the altar,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hat鱿鱼视频app the sacrifice, the table of sacrifice. It should be the symbol of Christ. So light should emanate from the altar.鈥�

The roof itself became a tent-like baldacchino hovering over the altar. Merx鱿鱼视频app last church had burned down, so he wanted this one made of pure masonry and concrete. It was a tall order for a low roof.

鈥淭hey told me it was impossible, with 81,000 simultaneous calculations to be solved. They said it would take 100 years,鈥� recalled Cardinal.

The walls around the altar were laid out in a spiral form for the sake of acoustics.

鈥淚 want the sound of the Church to ring like a cathedral so that when the priest said 鈥楧ominus vobiscum鈥� it would go 鈥楧ominus vobiscum-um-um-um,鈥� 鈥� he said. 鈥淭hose beautiful Gregorian chants, I wanted them to sound properly in the church.鈥�

Cardinal rooted his design in the spirit of baroque architecture, with its moving, dynamic forms.

鈥淚 felt the Church was better expressed by the Jesuit order, which was the baroque order, which was to bring some drama and power to the forms and shapes,鈥� he said.

The result is something architecture students everywhere study, said Toronto architect Roberto Chiotti.

鈥淐ardinal鱿鱼视频app church in Red Deer always comes up as one of the case studies,鈥� said Chiotti. 鈥淚t鱿鱼视频app very influential on the students and some of their designs.鈥�

But Merx and Cardinal鱿鱼视频app vision suffered in the post-Vatican II era. Merx was transferred to a northern mission almost as soon as the church was completed.

鈥淲hich really broke his heart,鈥� said Cardinal. 鈥淗e wanted to be there, but he was too liberal for the community.鈥�

Subsequent pastors and parishioners found the design too austere and too far off the beaten path of regular Church architecture.

鈥淣o, they don鈥檛 get it. They put all those horrible statues in there. They鈥檝e got... ugh!鈥� Cardinal said.

At one point another architect was brought in to remove the baptistry from the entrance, where it had been a symbol of initiation into the church, and to make things a little more conventional. Cardinal tried to sue for the moral rights to his design, but the courts were reluctant to limit the parish鱿鱼视频app right to dispose of its property.

When the church was built it stood alone on the horizon 鈥� a mysterious and beckoning shape. Today, it鱿鱼视频app surrounded by a suburban subdivision with houses and schools. The bell tower still stands above the entrance, but the parish has never commissioned a peel of bells to occupy the trinity of open spaces left for them in the wall.

Despite all these disappointments and compromises, St. Mary鱿鱼视频app made its mark.

鈥淚t鱿鱼视频app captured in any historical anthology or survey of Canadian architecture. It would likely be in any major anthology of Church architecture because it鱿鱼视频app so unique in its form,鈥� said Chiotti. 鈥淐ardinal came along just at that moment when we were trying to articulate Vatican II and what does it mean. It鱿鱼视频app a major transformation. He was a leader in trying to give tangible, meaningful expression to the documents as they would manifest themselves in Church architecture. It was very courageous and bold.鈥�

TORONTO - St. Hildegard of Bingen was a mystic prophet who challenged the status quo of her medieval society with her vast written legacy of medical and theological texts, musical repertoire and a penchant for challenging her superiors in the Church. One could be tempted to argue that Hildegard was the original feminist.

Now, in addition to her being named a Doctor of the Church on Oct. 7 (only the fourth woman to receive the recognition), she can also add film and theatre star to her impressive resume.

Linn Maxwell, internationally recognized mezzo-soprano, is coming to Toronto on Oct. 23 and 24 with her one-woman show, Hildegard of Bingen and the Living Light, which has also been recently released as a film adaption. The show tells the story of Hildegard and her mystic visions which ultimately led her to leave a profound mark on the history of the Church.

鈥淪he (Hildegard) kind of directed the whole project 鈥� I am convinced that this wonderful saint has been behind this the whole time,鈥� said Maxwell of her show, which has now reached audiences across the globe. 鈥淲hen I was writing it... I always felt like there was this little voice behind me saying, 鈥榥o, just tell my story, be truthful, and be chronological.鈥� 鈥�

In her production, Maxwell has interspersed the life story of St. Hildegard with her original compositions, which she sings and accompanies on traditional medieval instruments.

鈥淚t was a journey... I chose the chronological order of things, and I chose her words as much as possible,鈥� said Maxwell. 鈥淭he first hurdle was choosing the seven songs that I use in the play 鈥� the music should carry the action forward.

鈥淭he next challenge was to do dialogue and then a song, and then dialogue again so that it鱿鱼视频app seamless and organic.鈥�

Born into a noble family in present-day Germany, Hildegard鱿鱼视频app parents had a religious disposition and promised their child to the service of God. Invested with the habit of St. Benedict, according to the Catholic Encyclopedia, she was appointed superior of her order in 1136, eventually moving the order to Bingen on the left bank of the Rhine.

In her journey to capture the spirit of Hildegard鱿鱼视频app story, Maxwell found herself in Bingen, Germany, and eventually Disibodenberg where the ruins of Hildegard鱿鱼视频app first monastery are located.

鈥淚t was just incredibly amazing. I was there all alone 鈥� I think she arranged it so that there would be no one else there. I stayed two or three hours until it got dark and I finally had to leave,鈥� said Maxwell. 鈥淚 just felt her presence... I felt like, 鈥榓h, I鈥檝e gotten in touch with her.鈥� 鈥�

The challenge in performing the show comes not only from Maxwell鱿鱼视频app embodiment of such a powerful and unusual woman, but from the interpretation of musical texts that are devoid of rhythmic notation.

鈥淭he Sequentia recordings were somewhat of an inspiration for me,鈥� said Maxwell, who is a colleague of Ben Bagby, director of the Sequentia Ensemble for Medieval Music. 鈥淵ou go with the flow of the phrase,鈥� Maxwell added of her own interpretations.

Hildegard鱿鱼视频app music holds a certain relevance today, as it defied conventional structures of the time to some extent.

鈥淗ildegard was unusual. She was an extraordinarily learned person at the time,鈥� said John Haines, a professor of history and culture at the University of Toronto and a scholar of medieval music at U of T鱿鱼视频app Centre for Medieval Studies.

鈥淚t is chant 鈥� it looks like plain chant in that it鱿鱼视频app just one melody, but, generally speaking, compared to... most of the chants that survive from that time period, it鱿鱼视频app very wide in range,鈥� said Haines. 鈥淗er music is very compelling... it鱿鱼视频app difficult to perform too.鈥�

Haines notes that only about one per cent of the population at the time would have been able to write, so the fact that Hildegard鱿鱼视频app compositions survive, and are written by a woman, is somewhat remarkable.

Additionally, he points out that Hildegard embraced unusual choices in modality and in the textual and musical relationship, where she employs the use of melisma more than her contemporaries may have done.

鈥淗ildegard tended to favour this one mode on E, which features a half-step from the first tone to the second 鈥� it鱿鱼视频app very easy to recognize,鈥� said Haines. 鈥淲hich for us gives a kind of eerie sound to her music, but it鱿鱼视频app a very specific type of sound that makes it even more idiomatic.鈥�

Maxwell said Hildegard鱿鱼视频app message is 鈥渕ore urgent today than ever before,鈥� and perhaps so; her position as Doctor of the Church means that her theological contributions are still teachable and important today.

鈥淪he was a trumpet, proclaiming the word of God,鈥� said Maxwell of her muse and inspiration. 鈥淲hen I鈥檓 done, hopefully the audience will know Hildegard.鈥�

For more on the Toronto dates for Hildegard of Bingen and the Living Light or to purchase the film, go to .

TORONTO - Sister Act, on stage at Toronto鱿鱼视频app Ed Mirvish Theatre, will awaken your urge to boogie like it鱿鱼视频app 1978.

In Philadelphia, we find wannabe star Deloris Van Cartier in thigh-high purple boots and a short leopard print dress. She鱿鱼视频app just seen her married lover murder a man and now, under witness protection, the police have hidden her in the last place anyone would think to look 鈥� a convent.
Whoopi Goldberg, one of the musical鱿鱼视频app producers, who first played Deloris on-screen, made Sister Act the film popular in 1992. And it is with this memory that many theatregoers walked into the performance. But with Ta鈥橰ea Campbell as Deloris on stage, it鱿鱼视频app easy to forget anyone else donned the black and white habit.

Campbell鱿鱼视频app transformation from nightclub diva to divine singer was believable, while never losing the boisterous (in the best sense) personality of her character.

鈥淪he lacks a bit of self-control,鈥� Campbell said about Deloris in an interview with The Catholic Register. 鈥淣ot in a bad way. Just in a way that she only knows how to be one person and that鱿鱼视频app herself. And sometimes, we as adults get to modify our behaviour when we鈥檙e in certain situations, and I don鈥檛 think Deloris Van Cartier is able to do that.鈥�

It鱿鱼视频app this freedom of spirit that comically conflicts with the convent鱿鱼视频app Mother Superior, played by Hollis Resnik.

鈥淚 have to embody this very stern, rigid, pious nun,鈥� said Resnik. 鈥淭here鱿鱼视频app a stoicism about her, there鱿鱼视频app a strong belief system in her.鈥�

An entire musical number is devoted to Mother Superior attempting to put Deloris in her place. Mother is traditional where Deloris likes change, stiff where Deloris is flexible, quiet where Deloris is loud and conservative where Deloris is anything but.

Though the characters are butting heads, the actors are in sync, finishing each other鱿鱼视频app sentences during the interview.

鈥淒eloris Van Cartier would like to take a bedazzler and bedazzle the habit if she could,鈥� said Campbell. 鈥淢aybe I can jazz this outfit up a little bit,鈥� she said mimicking her character鱿鱼视频app attitude.

鈥淚t doesn鈥檛 cry out for accessories,鈥� replied Resnik instantly in Mother Superior-mode.

The cast has great chemistry, but the music remains the main draw. If patrons expect songs from the movie, they will be slightly disappointed. Though productions such as this attract patrons who hope it will be a nostalgia-fest based on the film, the audience will still get value for their dollar because the show includes an original score by Alan Menken with lyrics by Glenn Slater. Hits such as 鈥淢y God鈥� from the film have been replaced with 鈥淭ake Me To Heaven鈥� where the nuns belt out cheeky lines, such as 鈥淚鈥檒l take any vow, just take me now鈥� and 鈥淚鈥檒l get on my knees, just take me please.鈥�

In 鈥淪unday Morning Fever,鈥� the sisters encourage the faithful to 鈥渟hake it like you鈥檙e Mary Magdalene.鈥�

Breakout musical performances also include Kinglsey Leggs as Curtis Jackson, Deloris鱿鱼视频app mobster boyfriend, singing 鈥淲hen I Find My Baby.鈥� Effortlessly switching from a sinister to a sweet tone, he promises to never let his baby go. Jackson鱿鱼视频app clueless henchmen, played by Charles Barksdale, Todd A. Horman and Ernie Pruneda, also deliver a completely satisfying performance when they brainstorm via song ways to tempt the celibate nuns. In 鈥淟ady In The Long Black Dress鈥� they promise to give the sisters something to confess.

Opening night was filled with plenty of laughs, including from the nuns in the audience. But there is a take home message in Deloris鱿鱼视频app unexpected journey from sin to redemption, from loneliness to discovering the joy of sisterhood.

鈥淛ust be good to each other, no matter what the circumstances are,鈥� said Resnik. 鈥淭here鱿鱼视频app always something to be learned and found in every relationship.鈥�

No matter your religious beliefs, said Campbell, 鈥淚t鱿鱼视频app important to be good hearted, it鱿鱼视频app important to respect other people, respect their journey, respect their path (and) respect their soul.鈥� Amen, sister.

TORONTO - The idea to capture the voice of 鈥渢he weeping prophet鈥� Jeremiah came to composer Peter Togni back when he was 19 and listening to Jeremiah鱿鱼视频app lamentations as composed by Orlando di Lasso.

鈥淚t just blew me away, and I had this idea tucked way in the back of my brain that maybe one day I would end up writing that,鈥� said Togni.

鈥淣o matter what religion you are or aren鈥檛, the message of Jeremiah, to me, is a universal one. It鱿鱼视频app really about somebody who tells the truth, and is disregarded. That鱿鱼视频app the whole piece, in a way.鈥�

In his work Lamentatio Jeremiae Prophetae, Togni, who was recently the recipient of the Queen Elizabeth medal, has charted the journey of the prophet in a four-movement concerto for bass clarinet and choir, the third of which will be showcased during Toronto鱿鱼视频app Nuit Blanche art festival on Sept. 29-30.

鈥淚t鱿鱼视频app the personal journey of Jeremiah through various stages of his experience of being a prophet. Imagine waking up one day and discovering that you鈥檙e called by God to be a prophet; it鱿鱼视频app a rather difficult thing to have to assume,鈥� said Jeff Reilly, renowned bass clarinetist, who is on both the original recording with the Elmer Iseler Singers and will be performing with the Nathaniel Dett Chorale during Nuit Blanche.

The composition has a profound effect on Reilly, as Togni (a long-time personal friend and musical collaborator) wrote the piece for Reilly specifically.

鈥淔or him to write something for me was probably a very natural extension for him of our working relationship, and, for me, probably the greatest gift I鈥檝e ever received from any human being in my entire life was that piece,鈥� said Reilly.

鈥淚 still look at it as an act of grace 鈥� that that piece exists.鈥�

The four movements of the concerto act as a vehicle for Jeremiah鱿鱼视频app suffering, contemplation and eventual acceptance of the task set before him. Togni deftly weaves the Latin text of the choir with the bass clarinet as the voice of Jeremiah 鈥� both areas work as a counterpart to the other to advance the plot and emphasize the prophet鱿鱼视频app journey.

鈥淚n one way, it鱿鱼视频app a virtuosic concerto鈥� it stems from the early meanings of the word concerto which means to play together,鈥� said Togni. 鈥淪ometimes the choir is kind of like a Greek chorus, like an architect of the space. The bass clarinet is Jeremiah, speaking in that space.鈥�

Togni also notes that the concerto is reflective of a 21st-century paradigm, wherein he is able to allow Reilly a great element of creative control in his own right.

鈥淭he piece is 75 per cent composed, and 25 per cent improvised. Jeff is 25 per cent improvised, so he feels things in the moment. It鱿鱼视频app kind of as if I would write a concerto for Miles Davis,鈥� said Togni. 鈥淭here鱿鱼视频app an awful lot of trust.鈥�

鈥淭hat鱿鱼视频app a hard thing to do,鈥� said Reilly of the juxtaposition of sung phrase, to the instrumental evocation of Jeremiah. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e singing words鈥� and they have a certain way of working and thinking as an ensemble. There is a real challenge there.

鈥淚t鱿鱼视频app an extraordinary piece of music, and it鱿鱼视频app an amazing performance piece.鈥�

The original recording of Lamentatio was on the renowned ECM label, and was the first work by a Canadian composer to appear there. At Nuit Blanche, the Nathaniel Dett Chorale (which was founded by Brainerd Blyden-Taylor, artistic director) is working the movement into their set titled Oblivion, which is an exploration of silence.

鈥淭he third movement is Silentio, the one that I鈥檓 playing this weekend, and that鱿鱼视频app his acceptance of grace,鈥� said Reilly. 鈥淚t鱿鱼视频app a very powerful and a very beautiful movement. He takes refuge in the silence of the Lord.鈥�

Lamentatio will also be featured at the opening gala of the Winnipeg New Music Festival in January, where it will be performed again by the Elmer Iseler Singers.

鈥淭he truth of the matter is that we鈥檙e all called upon to certain roles in our life that we don鈥檛 necessarily want to take on. But, by the grace of things beyond yourself, you have found yourself in a position to take on responsibilities, and assume a part of yourself that is bigger than the way you looked at yourself before,鈥� said Reilly.

鈥淚t鱿鱼视频app a beautiful story and it鱿鱼视频app something that I think we can all relate to in a personal way. We all have to take on roles that we don鈥檛 particularly want to.鈥�

For more information on the Nuit Blanche performance, see www.scotiabanknuitblanche.ca.