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Elizabeth Tenety

Elizabeth Tenety

Campus Catholic

Elizabeth Tenety is a graduate student at Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism, where she studies Reporting and Writing. She is a graduate of Georgetown University where she majored in Government and Theology and worked for the Berkley Center for Religion, Peace and World Affairs. Her blog, Campus Catholic, will cover her life as a student of religion, a roaming Catholic, and an eyelash-curling, high-heel wearing, wanna-be mystic. Close.

Elizabeth Tenety

Campus Catholic

Elizabeth Tenety is a graduate student at Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism, where she studies Reporting and Writing. more »

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Campus Catholic

Fifth Day: The Spirituality of Kissing Elvis

Five golden rings: The first five books of the Old Testament

On today, the Feast of the Holy Family, the New York Times brings us a story straight out of Bethlehem –Connecticut, that is.


Mother Dolores Hart, 68, is the prioress at the Abbey of Regina Laudis, a Benedictine Community in western Connecticut. Under her leadership, the monastery of contemplative women has embraced various art forms – from theater to song to architecture – that has inspired not only the Benedictines, but also those who are touched by their work.

Hart is no typical nun, if there is such a thing. In her youth, she was a famous actress who, among other accomplishments, once shared an on-screen kiss with Elvis Presley. Apparently not swayed by Elvis’ gyrating hips or Hollywood’s glitz, she entered the monastery in 1963 at the age of 24. But for Hart, the drama did not end there. She has continued to use her interest in the arts to draw people into richer spiritual lives.

“God isn’t a whiskered old man” she said. “He’s alive and can be experienced in things that move us to feel love or beauty. That’s why we use the arts as a form of prayer, and then try to share those prayers with other people.”

“Like the theater, the monastery gives people a different view of life and inspires them to come alive, to fully live their story.”

So on this fifth day of Christmas, mindful of the stories of Adam, Abraham and Moses found in the Pentateuch, I have been remembering one of my first experiences with spiritual art.

My earliest recollection of Moses comes from the 1956 movie The Ten Commandments, which I watched in religious education class. At the time, I was too unsophisticated to understand that I was watching a dramatic re-enactment of the biblical event and not a documentary. And perhaps because I saw it when I was so young, the movie has remained in my memory as a marvelous moment, a larger-than-life story. The depiction of Moses and the Israelites in film did not diminish God’s power; it made God grander than I had ever imagined. That growth was only possible through the creativity of artists who dared to use a new medium (and some cutting-edge special effects) to teach about religion.

Hart said “Music and the arts help people come alive. They lift people’s minds and spirits, and in that enlightened state, help people find God.”

And if along the way, some hunky movie stars need to be kissed, so be it.

Comments (5)

Anonymous:

Hay! remember what the Priest told the Nun?

"NUN of this and None of that Father,"! Ya Ya! <?:+)'

Anonymous:

"The Ten Commandments" was neither a documentary nor a reenactment of history. It's just more of the same ignorance of the real history of ancient Egypt. There was a real history and it's now coming to light.

http://www.hoax-buster.org

Nuns should be happy. It a fact that both Moses and Jesus were women and nuns in their own right. In reality Moses and Jesus were the same person a pretend son of God, Amenophis IV known in higher education circles as "The Heretic King."

Don't you think the time is right to end the male domination of holy "mother" church? Wouldn't a "daughter of God" be as good or better than a "son of God?"

Anonymous:

Forget the morons who posted above. Such comments tell us something about who reads the Post's On Faith column these days. The first was probably from some sort of embittered atheist who feels quite comfortable being snarky. The second one, well, what can we say? "<?:)" to you too.

I checked out the nun's site. It was refreshing to see them in traditional nun's habit. The nuns lite that we see nowadays usually turn out to be crystal wavers and earth worshippers. The old habit denotes seriousness.

You are spot on about the Ten Commandments. In those days, artists used their awesome talents to produce truth and beauty. Now, it seems that all too often, being an artist means having a desire to spit in the eye of society.

Jacob JOZEVZ et al:

JOZEVZ et al:
LIVE! From Coney Island, N.Y. City: note: This recycled from Mr. GANDHi's page, Thanks.

BEHOLD:

WELCOME HUMATE Kind's To Sweet swet Space-Ship Momma poppa Planet Earth! A/k/a

S.S. GAIA, aka S.S. GEOID, aka

S.S. TELLUSng Something! HALLALUJA! Priase the Holy No-Man EPONYMOUS ECALT + "i" = LIFE!


HAPPY EVERY DAY! [New Year, BETTERDAYS]

明けましておめでとう {Japanese]

新年好! [Chinese]

새해 복 많이 받으세요 [Korean] !

ΚΑΛΗ ΧΡΟΝΙΑ! [Greek]

GLÜCKLICHES NEUES JAHR! [Deutch]

NOUVELLE ANNÉE HEUREUSE! [Francais]

NUOVO ANNO FELICE! [Italyon]

ANO NOVO FELIZ [poruges]

FELIZ AÑO NUEVO [Spanglish]

С НОВЫМ ГОДОМ [USSR]

And in Many Tongues 'L*O*V*E'!

Hugggggggggggssss and Kissssssss's to EVERY, ANY & ALL Good ECLATi-On Humates, and never the Off(s)!

May XTRA-PHOTONS shine on Aweet AMERICA & Sweet Sweet Friendly's! Ya Ya! Praise The HOLY COSMIC HEARTBEAT!

WE are TOGETHER FOREVER WITH SOURCE ONE!

Remember: Since ECLATi-ON(s) are AWARE that we was never Created nor can ever be destroyed, and because WE Eclati-On's 'Planet-Hop', from past, and hence now appearing for a TIME [in Temperature] , and that we appear again Eschatologically , in other Future-Bound phenomona via Miracle Phenomonon of O.U.R. Biofinite forms, so just try to be nice nice very nice!

Refrain from Evilizing behaviour & never DIM the "Light" of LOVE of another Humate , having frontal lobes & appears to enjoy the Holy Innate TETRA-NEEDS!

Remember: IF you have ;

1) FOOD,
2) SHELTER,
3) CLOTHES, and
4) LOVE , then ANY-HUMATE has NO-PROBLEM in the World!

Think about your TETRA NEEDS!????? Do not be selfish! Do not be in Denial to self & thus Others of the HOLY COSMIC TRUTH (opposite of MYTH)!


VOTE: )))))))) Peace Love Rock nRoll nRap Mitt_ROMNEY for Prez, 2008, YEA! ))))))))))))


Yes, Mr. Romney is a Mormon, but he is surely NO-MORON!

VOTE: Romney, the LAWYER/BUSINESS MAN, not Huckabee wannabe "PREACHER' MON!

< ?: +)

[ ?: +)

{ ?: + )

. ?: +)

HAPPY EVERY DAY!


It's Brewsky TIME, SLONCHA!

rn:

Oh My God! That's like such a cool story
And you are telling us this because.........

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