Madeleine L’Engle

L’Engle, author of A Wrinkle in Time, A Wind in the Door and A Swiftly Tilting Planet, passed away September 6; she is seen (right) in New York’s Cathedral of St. John the Divine, where she was author in residence.

Known primarily for science fiction, she also co-authored three books with Regent College writer in residence Luci Shaw, including A Prayer Book for Spiritual Friends.

L’Engle spoke eloquently of her faith: “What I believe is so magnificent, so glorious, that it is beyond finite comprehension. To believe that the universe was created by a purposeful, benign Creator is one thing. To believe that this Creator took on human vesture, accepted death and mortality, was tempted, betrayed, broken, and all for love of us, defies reason.”.

Margaret Avison

Avison, who died July 31,  won Governor General's Awards for The Winter Sun and No Time. According to her friend, B.C. writer Esther McIlveen, the poet’s faith “profoundly influenced her work.” McIlveen writes:

“To help me grieve her loss, I opened a folder of all of Margaret's many letters, cards and poetry she wrote for us.”

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One letter stated: "To celebrate friendship together this way is a new wonder in the shared Life of Christ. My whackings from extreme to extreme do not unsettle you, apparently; you peacefully just include me in a life interpenetrated by God at al

l points. It has given me new heart, high hopes for more and more and more – all eternity [is] not enough, if it were less than forever."

Emily Carr

A recent Western Catholic Reporter feature on a cross-Canada tour of Carr’s works was entitled ‘Emily Carr’s art captured her path to her beloved God.’

The article quoted a journal entry, in which Carr wrote of an encounter at a cathedral: “I couldn’t help noticing how melancholy everybody seemed to be. I can’t think holiness means being melancholy. I want it to come into my painting, every bit of it, praising nature, praising God.”

Elsewhere, she wrote: “The only thing worth striving for is to express God. Every living thing is God made manifest. All real art is the eternal seeking to express God.”

Emily Carr: New Perspectives on a Canadian Icon (Douglas & McIntyre), by Vancouver Art Gallery curator Ian M. Thom, was released last year, in conjunction with the tour.

October 2007