by Isla Huffadine

Chapel Matters

With the launch of Library Week and it also being Pride Month, I thought for chapel this week I would read a story by Oscar Wilde. He was from Ireland, and is considered one of the greatest writers of the Victorian era. He wrote nine plays (eg. “The Importance of Being Earnest”), a novel (“The Picture of Dorian Gray”), and many poems and short stories, many of which are still produced and performed and published today. He was also famous for his sharp wit – his quotes are still all over the internet! And there have been movies made of his life, most notably starring Stephen Fry in the 1997 movie “Wilde.”

But Wilde was also famous because he was gay at a time when it was illegal, and he was put on trial in London for having a scandalous relationship with a young man. He was found guilty and punished by being sentenced to two years hard labour in prison, and died soon after his release, as a result of the terrible conditions and harsh treatment, impoverished and in exile (he is buried in Paris). In 2017 he was posthumously pardoned by the British Government (with others such as Alan Turing), and there are many statues and plaques of him in London, Ireland, and around the world, including a special spot on the Rainbow Honour Walk in San Francisco.

The story of The Happy Prince was recorded for radio by Orson Welles, Bing Crosby and Lurene Tuttle on Christmas Eve, 1944. It was so popular, that is was then recorded as a record and subsequently heard on the radio – some of us “older” ones might remember the story times on the radio in the weekend and hearing this one (and others, such as The Selfish Giant)! This is a link to the Orson Welles' Christmas Eve version mentioned above – you might like to indulge in some nostalgia, but also listen to a story about what is truly precious to God, and what kind of life we are called to live. 

Image by: Isla Huffadine