Richard Cross Home Page
Kathleen and Richard Cross
The Marquis de Lafayette, French hero of the American Revolution, had
as his
motto the Latin phrase: "Cur non?"
"Why not?" In this site you will find
some provocative essays on music, religion, culture, and efforts for
justice
and peace in the
Two other mottos of my favorite friends inspire me:
1. Erasmus of
2 Franz Liszt: “Génie
oblige” Genius
has its obligations
or as Christ would say: “To
whom
much is given much shall be demanded”
Personal
interests: Now that I am
retired I can
devote more of my efforts to causes dear to me:
* music
and the
arts: emphasis on the life and times of Franz Liszt and associates in
the 19th
century
* issues of
peace and justice with special emphasis on the Middle East
Support for Israeli Peace activists
(Gush
Shalom, Brit Tzedek v' Shalom, Pax
Christi) "As the years passed, my revulsion against violence
increased
until the movement for peace became one of the principle purposes of my
life." (Bishop Paul Moore, 1997)
* care
of the teminally ill as a Hospice worker
* ecumenism:
among
Christians and dialog with the local Muslim community
*
music and the arts: emphasis on the life and times of Franz Liszt
and
associates during the 19th century
* church
history,
liturgy, reform and controversy
* "God has
many sould that the visitble
church
does not have. The visible church has many souls
that God does not have."
(Augustine)
To listen to a
sampling of
our music (Put your sound on for this and click on the
following two links)
1.
Kathleen sings
"Danny Boy" with Richard at the piano:
Click here: Kathleen
and
Richard perform "Danny Boy"
2. Richard at
the
piano - recorded in Brittany (
Click here: An improvisation on a traditional Breton tune
My
personal
history, resume, family photos, and a couple of "sins of my youth":
click on: Richard's
story
Richard
Cross
Kathleen Stanton Cross- lyric
soprano
Personal Affiliations:
- Center for Jewish-Christian-Muslim Understanding
- Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP)
- Holy Land Christian Ecumenical Foundation
- Pax Christi
- The Other Israel
- Gush Shalom
- Brit Tzedek v' Shalom
- WESPAC
- United Palestinian Appeal
- Olive Tree Foundation for Peace
- Fellowship of Reconciliation (FOR)
- Network
- Amnesty International
- Arab-American Anti-discriminaton Committee (ADC)
- CORPUS
- Call to Action
- The American Liszt Society
- Hospice of Westchester (volunteer)
- Sons of the American Revolution
Essays:
J.S.
Bach's beloved "red-headed priest" had a revolutionary approach to
music threapy for underprivileged and
unwanted girls
in 18th century
Have
we forgotten how to be civil to one
another?
Erasmus of
How
a young Jewish virtuoso and protégé of Franz Liszt got
into trouble with his
master and ended his life as a Carmelite monk in a German prison camp.
Stoning the Prophets: How the Abbé Lamennais,
reformer and
artists' hero in the mid-1800s made waves in the church, meriting two
encyclicals of condemnation along the way. Would he be vindicated by the Second
How
the faithful are denied access to the sacraments and ministry for the
sake of a
purely disciplinary and human law.
Are
Brahms, Mendelssohn and the Schumanns
still at war
with Liszt and Wagner? I did a little survey..
A few thoughts on my life with music.
Was
the John-Paul II's
appeal
for "amnesty" and "reconciliation" applied to his own
church or was it a lost opportunity and simply a message for others?
Since
the Middle Ages one town in
- on Lola Montez
- How this Irish-born dancer about whom evertything was false expect perhaps her unambiguous bosom spanned three continents in conquest, toppling the King of Bavaria and embarrassing Franz Liszt along the way. What a surprise ending to her story! Read her essay on "Romanism," her spiritual diary and the testimony of someone at her bedside in her last hours.
- On "If I Forget You, Jerusalem"
A discussion of the plight of our
Christian brothers
and sisters in the
- on the Magnificent Magnificat
- Every line of Mary's Canticle is derived from the Old Testament.
Some
have heard of it. Most have never seen it. I found one.
Examine
this all-too-soon forgotten and unhappy chapter of church history.
Look
who's in it..
The
early Dutch settlers in
Which is the more appropriate posture for the
liturgy?
Is
When
the bishop who confirmed my son dies of AIDS
I
was moved to reflect on the present crisis in the clergy in the light
of my
20-year seminary experience. (This was written before the
scandals
erupted).
In
July of 1958 Idelivered my first sermon in
French to
the good people of Quiberon, a town at the
tip on the
Quiberon peninsula on the southern coast of
Read
about my six years as a student at the
A
detailed reserach of the geographical,
political,
ethnic and religious divisions in the
on our son's wedding to Milagros Menendez and my
toast to
the couple
See some photos of our son's
marriage to
Milagros and read the toast I offered at the reception.
on a Florilegium
Franz Liszt
An anthology of quotations from
the over 30
books I have read on the life and times of Franz Liszt. Wonderful
drawings of some of Liszt's associates by William D. Bramhall,
jr. Also a letter
of Liszt's
in my posession (May 16, 1881).
on the thoughts of the great Hanan
Ashrawi
This eloquent Palestinian
Christian woman
challenges
on Letters from the Heart
I have had over 70 letters
published in the
press on various topics such as the
on Love and Friendship
An anthology of quotations taken
from my
readings over the years on the subject of love and friendship. Some are
naughty.
on God & Co. and the human condition
An anthology of quotations taken
from my
readings over the years on the subject of God and the human condition..
on the
War with
Iraq
A position paper before the recent
Iraq War
as to why it was unjustified, unnecessary, and fraught with danger.
I
participated in the giant Feb. 15, 2003 demonstration in
on What America's Critics are Saying
An opinion as to why the rest of the
world is
dubious about our foreign policy goals.
on The Party of Lincoln Hijacked
Read about my patriotic credentials
dating back
before the American Revolution and see why I feel the Republican Party
has been
captured by a neo-conservative cabal that has betrayed our republic and
the
spirit of our Founding Fathers with their imperial agenda.
on French-Bashing
The recent anti-French
sentiment
calls for an historical overview together with my own observations on
the
"gratitude" that is called into question. Is this the real issue at
the heart of the matter or is there not something else that deserves
our
consideration? Photographic evidence bears out my experience and
opinion in
this matter.
on Rachel Corrie
How did a young American college student end up killed by the Isareli army using an American-made bulldozer in
on a Love Letter from the Grave
Among my collection of old letters there is one moving 1869 letter (see
a
photo) that still has the violets that Will pinned to his letter
written at a
gravesite to his beloved
on recollections of the controversial
papal
encyclical "Humanae Vitae"
Read the 1958 statement that 18 priests of the Diocese of Saginaw,
including
myself, signed and sent to our local paper concerning this encyclical
on birth
control. It got us into real hot water with our bishop and became an
eventual
milestone in my life.
Paris
Journal
A musician revisits
The
Cost of
War beyond Dollars
(English
version and French translation)
In response to an article in The Journal News about
the
effects of war on some veterans I sent in this commentary- also
translated into
French
Mel
Gibson's
Jesus
There are some serious reasons why I do not
want to
view Mel Gibson's film "The Passion."
My memorable experience as a Hospice
volunteer
With the
permission
of the patient's family our local Hospice asked me to write about my
ten and a
half months working with Bill. This narrative was published in the Fall 2005 Hospice Newsletter.
Ravel
and Me
My early experiences exploring the life and
works of
Maurice Ravel. Visits to his home and gravesite.
Photos. An
unsettling
experience while attempting to purchase a portrait of the composer.
Take
me
back to Guadeloupe
Visit the
The
Bishops' Misguided
War
Some extremists bishops diminish their credibility with their mypoic
focus on abortion.
A cultural view of the French attitude toward death via obituataries found in Le Monde and Le Figaro.
My presentation at a local mosque
Asked by Muslim friends to describe my experiences in writing letters to the newspaper.
To acquire our new CD. click on: a description
Contact
author:
fliszt@cloud9.net
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Links:
for the
1. For a moderate and scholarly Christian Arab assessment
of the present crisis in the
2. For an Israeli women's Peace Movement which works with Palestinian women for justice and peace and other interesting Israeli sites consult the following:
http://www.gush-shalom.org/english/index.html
http://members.tripod.com/~other_Israel/
3. For many interesting sites about religion, theology, and culture:
Christus Rex: (excellent sites)
Virtual
Religion Index
(Rutgers University)