Saint Maurus and Saint Placidus

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On the calendar of saints, this is the memorial of Saint Maurus and of Saint Placidus, followers of Saint Benedict, and monks in his monastery. There is a wonderful story about them, told over at VultusChristi. Here are stained glass windows of the two saints, from Saint Benedict in Richmond, Virginia. They are not large windows. Saint Maurus is in the narthex, and Saint Placidus is by the stairs going to the choir loft. I love the peace the artist shows on their faces. Saints Maurus and Placidus, pray for us!

Saint Maurus

Saint Maurus

Saint Placidus

Saint Placidus

Photo Friday – Cameras in the Hands of Yazidi Women

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From the Yazidi people who fled the approach of ISIS, some got the chance to take a UNICEF workshop, apparently connected with a school there, on photography, and proceeded to make pictures of their lives as they are now, with family and friends, with their suffering and hope. One girl said:

And I’ve learned so much. I’ve learned to communicate with people. But most importantly how to communicate with people – what is the right approach.
Until this, there have been no services where I feel like I’m part of something bigger, part of society. So with this program it feels like a breath of fresh air – to be a part of something again.

See the rest, with a lot of photos by the workshop participants and of them, at the Guardian.

A Fine Series of (Analog) Portraits

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Richmond Times-Dispatch photographer Dean Hoffmeyer has done a fine series of portraits of World War II veterans, and he has used WWII-era equipment:

All of these portraits were made on a 4×5 Speed Graphic film camera from the period, fronted with a 1943 Kodak lens designed for use in military aircraft. The camera is old and sturdy, like the men standing in front of it.

By all means go see the images and read the article that goes with it . (The details of the equipment are in a box on the left side of the article).  Fine faces, well-captured, and you can’t beat the gorgeous range of tones in that film and paper. Let us thank these men for serving.