About Ross Lonergan
Born and raised Catholic, and already a refugee from the seminary at age 13, Ross left the Church in his late teens, returning at the age of 55 with half a lifetime of experiences, attitudes, and beliefs as well as a sexual orientation that did not quite jive with the “teachings of the Church.” The journey back to Catholicism has become a full-time enterprise involving a rather monastic existence of reading books and articles on a wide range of Catholic topics, writing the (unproduced) pilot for a TV series about a Catholic parish, and as of December 2009, blogging on faith, the priesthood, and other “issues Catholic.” In his study, writing, and prayer Ross seeks a balance between being who he really is and finding a place in a Church and parish community that he deeply loves.
Ross has a Master’s degree in contemporary Chinese literature from UBC. He worked for many years in international education (including teaching ESL), taught in the Pacific Rim Program at Langara College, and has lived and traveled extensively in East Asia.
Ross blogs at Confessions of a Liturgy Queen (http://confessionsqueen.blogspot.com)
Intriguing Murder Mystery, Brilliant Character Study: A Review of “12 Angry Men”
This 1957 black-and-white gem, director Sidney Lumet’s cinematic debut (he had worked for some years in television), has lost none of its riveting intensity in the half century since it first appeared on screen. The movie features, along with Henry … Read more →
“This Language-Soaked Life” Part Four
From 1975-77 Maybin, still a “non-professional,” taught English as a volunteer for the Immigrant Services Society (ISS) in Vancouver. His students were South Asian women, many of whom had recently arrived and were illiterate, terrified, and … Read more →
Three Icons of American Cinema in 1967
Two seminal American films were released in 1967; each dealt with the issue of racism and each featured one of the biggest stars in Hollywood at the time. Both were nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture; one of them won the award. The … Read more →
“This Language-Soaked Life” Part Three
Following an unrewarding series of “language” lessons with a Japanese university professor, who, while collecting a fee from the student, spent most of the lesson time talking about “the intricacies of Shakespeare’s plots in English (his … Read more →
Big Ego Chases American Dream: A Review of “The Pursuit of Happyness”
The DVD of this film was given to us as a gift by a departing homestay student; it was one of several movies he gave us, all of which he had seen and loved, and which he thought we would enjoy as well. The very large difference in age and character … Read more →
“This Language-Soaked Life” Part Two
The Language-Soaked Life Part One. At 19 he spent six months in Malaysia, where he lived for a time in an Iban longhouse in Borneo, sleeping under a basket of human skulls; spent a weekend at the mountaintop palace of the Sultan of Kedah; endured … Read more →
Nixon’s Final Humiliation: A Review of “Frost/Nixon”
As with Another Year in 2010, my favourite movie of 2008 was one that was for the most part overlooked, in this case Ron Howard’s Frost/Nixon. In 1977 brash and ambitious British talk-show host David Frost (played by Michael Sheen) managed to … Read more →
“This Language-Soaked Life” Part One
It’s 8:00 AM and Canadian expat Don Maybin has just arrived at Café de Crie, his favourite coffee shop in Fujisawa City south of Tokyo. As soon as the coffee shop staff see the tall Canadian coming through the door they begin preparing his regular … Read more →
The Bloody Road to Boredom: A Review of “Bonnie and Clyde”
Following the release of Bonnie and Clyde in 1967, Bosley Crowther, film critic of the New York Times for 27 years, wrote a short but devastating review. In it he called the movie “a cheap piece of bald-faced slapstick comedy that treats the … Read more →
A Delightful Christmas Chestnut: A Review of “A Christmas Carol”
Perhaps the greatest joy of the Christmas season for a young person lies in the delicious anticipation, in the events, rituals, traditions, and the sounds and smells that contribute to the build-up of excitement that peaks on Christmas morning. For … Read more →
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