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2018 Literary Colloquium

February 8, 2018 | Media

Yesterday the English and World Languages departments hosted a literary colloquium on literature from the Latin American Boom. Students from numerous area high schools wrote and presented papers on short stories selected for the event.

The Boom was more than a literary movement. Boom writers, inspired by the poetic giants of Latin American “modernismo” and the early 20th century works of storytellers such as Jorge Luis Borges, Alejo Carpentier, and Juan Rulfo, brought “lo real maravilloso” to a worldwide audience in the 1960s and 1970s. Magical realism grew in popularity at a time when the Latin American world was in unprecedented flux, as postcolonial countries wrestled with differing political ideologies, social injustice, national identities, and economic ups and downs.

Hawk Happenings

Colleges on Campus

37 colleges and universities joined us on campus, giving our Upper School students the opportunity to connect with admissions representatives from across the country.

Alumni in Hungary

CPS graduates, now studying in Rome, made a stop in Hungary to explore their Cistercian heritage. Hayden, Nam, and Max (CPS Class of ’24) met up with Fr. John Bayer in Budapest. Max even brought his Cistercian hat.

Confirmation

Fr. Abbot Peter administered the Sacrament of Confirmation to 39 Cistercian boys in the Abbey Church.

Experience Cistercian

Publications

What is happening in the liturgy?

Every morning, monks and nuns — and many lay people — arise early for morning prayer. The Latin name for this prayer, “laudes,” means “praises.” Often the psalms that make up morning prayer are indeed full of expressions of praise. One has inspired in me a reflection on the liturgy.

‘Blessed are you among women…’

Elizabeth’s words to Mary form the bridge from the Annunciation to the Visitation in the Hail Mary prayer: “Blessed are you among women, and blest is the fruit of your womb” (Lk 1:42). After Mary’s hasty journey to her kinswoman, she, carrying Jesus in her womb-ark, receives an exuberant welcome from Elizabeth and John the Baptist. The unborn babies, Jesus and John, meet for the first time as their mothers embrace.

The challenge of truth for Catholics navigating today’s world

We have all surely experienced how difficult it can be to engage socially and politically as Catholics. Our faith pushes us into the uncomfortable position of prophetically challenging all political parties and calling everyone to conversion. Today, it can be especially difficult to exercise this prophetic mission, simply because the situations we should critique — the basic facts of the matter and their context — can be so difficult to ascertain (and contemporary media sadly makes our task even more difficult). This is a serious difficulty, since Jesus commands us not to judge by appearances (cf. Jn 7:24).