The Dream of Joachim (detail) by Giotto di Bondone (c. 1305)

Giotto painted this great masterpiece, the fresco cycle of scenes from the life of the Virgin and Christ for the private chapel of a wealthy Paduan Enrico Scrovegni between 1303-1311. Although the gospels do not discuss the Virgin’s parents or any other details about her early years, many legends narrate in great detail the story of the early life of Mary. Her parents, Anna and Joachim were said to be a devout couple who unfortunately had no children. The scene known as The Dream of Joachim relates how Joachim, who has been excluded from the temple because of his childless state, receives a vision from God (not shown in this detail). Giotto situates the episode in a stark landscape, where Joachim has found shelter with poor shepherds. Dreams in Jewish and Christian tradition were thought to provide communication between God and men and women. In this case the dream brings a message of great joy to Joachim, in his dream he learns that he and Anna will have a child. He of course could not know that his long awaited daughter Mary would grow up to receive an angel’s tidings that were even more marvellous.

Buy Online a copy of the Columban Art Calendar - http://goo.gl/eLW4TP

St Catherine of Siena (detail) by Carlo Dolci (c. 1665-1670)

This detail from a painting of St Catherine of Siena alludes to this late medieval saint’s legend. In Dolci’s work Catherine appears in the habit of a Dominican tertiary. By honouring one of the saint’s visions, this painting dramatises her affective spirituality which focused on tears and empathy with Christ’s suffering. Catherine’s letters (of which over 300 survive) and other writings reveal her passionate commitment to uniting herself with Christ. Her intense devotion found expression in love and care for the poor as well as in reprimands to corrupt

civic and religious leaders. Throughout her life, she received mystical visions, in which Christ responded to her urgent requests for spiritual assistance. On one such occasion during a period of great difficulty Christ appeared before Catherine and asked her to choose either a precious crown or a crown of thorns. What might the saint’s choice of the latter signify? According to Catherine, her embrace of the crown of thorns declared her unwavering desire to commit herself totally to following the steps of Christ.

Buy Online a copy of the Columban Art Calendar - http://goo.gl/eLW4TP

Pietà (detail) by Annibale Carracci (c. 1603)

At the end of the sixteenth-century the north Italian city of Bologna emerged as a leading centre for the visual arts. Pivotal to the fame of this papal city were three members of the Carracci family, Annibale, his brother Agostino, and their cousin Lodovico. Annibale later moved to Rome, where he established himself as an heir to the masters of the high Renaissance, especially Raphael. This exquisite painting in oil on copper of the subject known as the Pietà depicts the moment after Christ has been taken down from the cross and placed in his mother’s lap. Mary’s exhausted body lies slumped against the side of her son’s tomb. Her face appears drained of all life. Indeed the deathly pallor of both mother and son is heightened by the cool tones of Mary’s intensely blue robes. For a moment the still, almost serene figures of the Virgin and her son appear suspended in a timeless image of grief, where the bloody nails and crown of thorns nevertheless dispel the meditative mood. These brutal symbols of Christ’s suffering remind the viewer of the horror of what has happened. The allusion to pain makes the startling use of blue appeal even more strongly to our emotions.

Buy Online a copy of the Columban Art Calendar - http://goo.gl/eLW4TP

St Patrick (detail) from Butler’s Lives of the Saints by English School (c. 1870)

Throughout the nineteenth century devotion to St Patrick was widespread, not only in Ireland but wherever the Irish had emigrated. Here an unknown artist has chosen to portray the saint in a way that recalls altarpieces of the Italian Renaissance. The saint stands enclosed by an elaborate arch at the centre of the painting. He is dressed in episcopal robes and holds a crook, symbol of a bishop’s office. Patrick is accompanied by St Columba and St Brigid, who occupy niches to either side of him. The majesty of the fictive altarpiece endows Patrick and the accompanying saints with a timeless authority, but with scant regard for historical accuracy. The artist has deployed a grand manner borrowed from the Italian Renaissance in order to exalt Ireland’s saint, who in actuality had repudiated all such grandeur.

Buy Online a copy of the Columban Art Calendar - http://goo.gl/eLW4TP

Chapter 6

Laudato si' (Medieval Central Italian for "Praise Be to You") is the second encyclical of Pope Francis. The encyclical has the subtitle On care for our common home. In it, the pope critiques consumerism and irresponsible development, laments environmental degradation and global warming, and calls all people of the world to take "swift and unified global action".

The encyclical, dated 24 May 2015, was officially published at noon on 18 June 2015.

Columban Online Resources on Laudato Si' are avaliable through goo.gl/Qy6rs6

The audio podcast is narrated by John Doherty.

Chapter 5

Laudato si' (Medieval Central Italian for "Praise Be to You") is the second encyclical of Pope Francis. The encyclical has the subtitle On care for our common home. In it, the pope critiques consumerism and irresponsible development, laments environmental degradation and global warming, and calls all people of the world to take "swift and unified global action".

The encyclical, dated 24 May 2015, was officially published at noon on 18 June 2015.

Columban Online Resources on Laudato Si' are avaliable through goo.gl/Qy6rs6

The audio podcast is narrated by John Doherty.

Chapter 3

Laudato si' (Medieval Central Italian for "Praise Be to You") is the second encyclical of Pope Francis. The encyclical has the subtitle On care for our common home. In it, the pope critiques consumerism and irresponsible development, laments environmental degradation and global warming, and calls all people of the world to take "swift and unified global action".

The encyclical, dated 24 May 2015, was officially published at noon on 18 June 2015.

Columban Online Resources on Laudato Si' are avaliable through goo.gl/Qy6rs6

The audio podcast is narrated by John Doherty.

Chapter 4

Laudato si' (Medieval Central Italian for "Praise Be to You") is the second encyclical of Pope Francis. The encyclical has the subtitle On care for our common home. In it, the pope critiques consumerism and irresponsible development, laments environmental degradation and global warming, and calls all people of the world to take "swift and unified global action".

The encyclical, dated 24 May 2015, was officially published at noon on 18 June 2015.

Columban Online Resources on Laudato Si' are avaliable through goo.gl/Qy6rs6

The audio podcast is narrated by John Doherty.

Laudato si' (Medieval Central Italian for "Praise Be to You") is the second encyclical of Pope Francis. The encyclical has the subtitle On care for our common home. In it, the pope critiques consumerism and irresponsible development, laments environmental degradation and global warming, and calls all people of the world to take "swift and unified global action".

The encyclical, dated 24 May 2015, was officially published at noon on 18 June 2015.

Columban Online Resources on Laudato Si' are avaliable through http://goo.gl/Qy6rs6

The audio podcast is narrated by John Doherty.

Chapter 1

Laudato si' (Medieval Central Italian for "Praise Be to You") is the second encyclical of Pope Francis. The encyclical has the subtitle On care for our common home. In it, the pope critiques consumerism and irresponsible development, laments environmental degradation and global warming, and calls all people of the world to take "swift and unified global action".

The encyclical, dated 24 May 2015, was officially published at noon on 18 June 2015.

Columban Online Resources on Laudato Si' are avaliable through goo.gl/Qy6rs6

The audio podcast is narrated by John Doherty.