Chesterton and Christmas: A Serious Affair

An homage to Chesterton's love for Christmas through conversations, readings, and choral music

A presentation by Fr. Ian BOYD, President of The G. K. Chesterton Institute for Faith & Culture, Dermot QUINN, Professor of History, Seton Hall University, Mr. Tony HENDRA, writer and actor, reading Chesterton, with the COMMUNION AND LIBERATION CHOIR under the direction of Mr. Christopher VATH

Presented by Crossroads Cultural Center and The G.K. Chesterton Institute for Faith and Culture

Among the many ways in which one can prepare for Christmas, an especially beautiful one is by spending some time with the poems of G.K. Chesterton. Like him, we also live in a time of ideologies in which, as Chesterton says, "the darkness is noisy with systems." Here "systems" could be paraphrased as "abstractions." Our age, like Chesterton's, tries to dominate and shape reality according to a sticky web of prejudices, but stubbornly refuses to experience reality as it is given to us. For this reason, it is always refreshing to go back to Chesterton, who has been perhaps the greatest defender of simple human experience in the English-speaking world. All his work expresses a deeply realistic attitude, a passion for life as it is, not as we we would like to imagine it. This was certainly also at the root of his faith because Chesterton clearly recognized that only the Christian proposal fully values and rescues concrete humanity, with both its great desires and also its deep shortcomings. Chesterton's realistic and intelligent religiosity is well-displayed in his poems, which we have the great fortune of presenting in this unique Christmas celebration.

About this Event

Date: Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Time: 7pm
Location: Fordham University, Pope Auditorium
113 West 60th Street at Columbus Ave., New York

About the Speakers

Fr. Ian Boyd
President, The Chesterton Institute for Faith & Culture

Dr. Dermot Quinn
Professor of History, Seton Hall University

Tony Hendra
Actor and Writer

Christopher Vath
Director, the Communion and Liberation Choir

Invitation

Download the Invitation here

Transcript

Read the transcript here

Photos - click on image below