Latest news with #WhiteRose
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
How a reading group helped young German students defy the Nazis and find their faith
For three weeks in April 2025, my 'Theology of Christian Martyrdom' class studied how a group of German students and professors from Munich and Hamburg formed a resistance movement from 1942 to 1943 known as the 'White Rose.' These individuals defied Nazi tyranny, they were imprisoned, and many were executed. At the movement's center were Hans Scholl, Sophie Scholl, Alexander Schmorell, Christoph Probst and Willi Graf, who were all in their 20s, and Professor Kurt Huber. The Scholl siblings, their friends and their professor were beheaded for urging students at the University of Munich to oppose the Nazi regime. On the surface, the White Rose's 'crime' was the writings, printings and distribution of six anti-Nazi pamphlets urging Germans to resist Adolf Hitler and work to end World War II. However, a closer examination of their pamphlets, along with excerpts from their diaries and letters, reveals that their resistance was rooted in something deeper – a faith anchored in friendship and a humanistic learning. Their time together reading and discussing theological texts deepened their Christian faith. Teaching this class taught me that teachers can inspire students to improve their country's social and political landscape through the study of literature, history and theology. Teachers can help students form their consciences and empower them to act against falsehood and injustice. These young people came from a variety of Christian backgrounds, including Catholic, Lutheran and Orthodox traditions. Some had been members of the Hitler Youth as teenagers, while others had served as medical assistants in the German army. They formed strong bonds and underwent personal transformations as students at the University of Munich, where they were mentored by a couple of philosophers, especially Kurt Huber, who was a devout Catholic. The students met regularly and secretly with their professors to study literature, philosophy and theology from the Catholic intellectual tradition, banned by the Nazi regime as part of Hitler's strategy to first stifle and then strangle the Catholic Church in Germany. Based on the students' correspondence and diaries, their covert engagement with Catholic thought became a cornerstone of the White Rose's rejection of Nazi tyranny. In the works of the fifth-century North African theologian Augustine, the 20th-century novelist and playwright Georges Bernanos, and the 20th-century philosopher Jacques Maritain, these students encountered a Catholic intellectual tradition that was responsive to the urgent questions of their time. From Augustine they learned the importance of cultivating an interior life grounded in prayer. Bernanos stressed the importance of embracing one's humanity to confront evil. Maritain emphasized the need to strive for a free democratic society. The White Rose movement was concerned not only with the present state of humanity but also with its future, and not only with the individual but also with the communal. In their clandestine meetings and correspondence, they wrestled with the relationship between faith and reason, goodness in the face of evil, the meaning of tyranny, the nature of a just state, and the foundations of genuine liberty. Addressing these serious issues not only matured their intellects but also deepened their hearts; it taught them the importance of prayer. 'Better to suffer intolerable pain than to vegetate insensibly. Better to be parched with thirst, better to pray for pain, pain, and more pain, than to feel empty, and to feel so without truly feeling at all. That I mean to resist,' Sophie wrote in her diary in the early summer of 1942. The personal writings of the White Rose reflect a religious passion, akin to the prayers of saints. For example, in his imprisonment, Graf stated: 'I know my Redeemer liveth. This faith alone strengthens and sustains me.' The impact of Christianity on the inner lives of these young people is a crucial part of their narrative and resistance. Their circle of friendship became a haven in a totalitarian state that sought to isolate individuals, instill fear and transform these estranged and fearful people into part of a mass society. 'We negated the many, and built on the few, and believed ourselves strong,' Traute Lafrenz, the last surviving member of the White Rose and a member of the Hamburg circle, later stated. The most significant intellectual influence on the group may have been John Henry Newman, a 19th-century Catholic convert and theologian who emphasized the primacy of a 'well-formed' conscience. His writings helped them recognize what Catholics like myself see as a moral truth that transcended Nazi propaganda – that each person bears within them the voice of the living God. This voice could not be silenced by state power. Newman insisted that conscience is not merely intuitive but is shaped through learning – from conversations, books and lived experience. With their professors' guidance, the White Rose students were able to cultivate their conscience. If Newman were addressing college students today, I like to believe he would emphasize the significance of their conversations with friends on campus, the discussions held with classmates and professors in the classroom, the newspapers they read, the retreats they participated in, the novels they savored during the holidays, their road trips across the country, and their studies abroad. All of these experiences contribute to shaping their conscience. Newman's defense of broad, active and serious learning offered an appealing counterpoint to Nazi ideology, which sought not only to deprive individuals of their civil rights but also to crush their inner lives and capacity to form meaningful relationships through terror and fear. The power of a well-formed conscience is perhaps best illustrated by Sophie Scholl, who shared Newman's sermons with her boyfriend, Fritz Hartnagel, a Wehrmacht officer who fought for Germany during World War II. In the summer of 1942, horrified by the brutality he witnessed, Hartnagel wrote to Scholl that Newman's words were like 'drops of precious wine.' In another letter, he wrote: 'But we know by whom we are created, and that we stand in a relationship of moral obligation to our Creator. Conscience gives us the capacity to distinguish between good and evil.' After the war, Hartnagel became active in the peace movement and supported conscientious objectors. To the members of the White Rose, conscience was a spiritual stronghold – one the state could not breach. I believe that while my students today face different challenges – a society shaped by what I regard as the nihilistic presence of technological power and populism, rather than full-blown totalitarianism – they also aspire to act with clarity and conviction. Newman's view on the formation of conscience resonated with my students as well. What my students share with those young dissidents from over 80 years ago is a commitment to cultivating an inner life, fostering a community of friends and engaging in a vibrant intellectual tradition. They are drawn to the writings that animated Hans Scholl, who, drawing inspiration from the Catholic playwright Paul Claudel, wrote the following just two days before his arrest. 'Chasms yawn and darkest night envelops my questing heart, but I press on regardless. As Claudel so splendidly puts it: Life is one great adventure into the light.' As a teacher, I believe that young people want to engage with an intellectual tradition that helps them discover their vocation and live with integrity, similar to Scholl. They seek to act with a clear conscience amid the uncertainties of their own times. This approach serves as a powerful contrast to any hollow, anti-intellectual and culturally bankrupt tyranny. This article is republished from The Conversation, a nonprofit, independent news organization bringing you facts and trustworthy analysis to help you make sense of our complex world. It was written by: Peter Nguyen, SJ, College of the Holy Cross Read more: Spider-Man's lessons for us all on the responsibility to use our power, great or small, to do good Genocide resisters, long overlooked by history, step into the spotlight How individual, ordinary Jews fought Nazi persecution − a new view of history Peter Nguyen, SJ does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
CBC
24-04-2025
- Business
- CBC
For sale or lease: one massive Newfoundland fabrication yard with a megaproject history
Two companies with deep roots in Newfoundland and Labrador are competing for the right to either buy or lease the government-owned Bull Arm fabrication site in Trinity Bay. Energy Minister Andrew Parsons says government negotiators are determined to generate maximum value for the province from a potential deal. Otherwise, he says, "we will walk away" from negotiations with DF Barnes Services Limited and NARL Marketing LP. "Best case scenario: we find something that works for the companies and makes sense for the province and sees more work happening out there. Worst case scenario: we continue to hold it as a public asset," said Parsons. DF Barnes and NARL Marketing emerged as the top two proponents following a request for proposals, and now the companies are making their pitches to either buy or lease the 25-square kilometre site, which includes 10 kilometres of paved roadway, 20,600 square metres of enclosed fabrication facilities, and marine infrastructure. The provincial government describes Bull Arm as Atlantic Canada's largest fabrication site, and it has a rich history when it comes to the development of the province's offshore oil industry, beginning with construction of the Hibernia oil project in the early 1990s. It also served as a crucial fabrication and construction site for other oil projects such as Hebron, Terra Nova and White Rose. At various times, the workforce has swelled to several thousand people during peak construction activities, with the province being paid millions annually in lease payments by oil companies such as ExxonMobil Canada. But the site has been underutilized in recent years, and industry players have been showing interest in acquiring the facility. Parsons says negotiations with the two proponents are in the early stages, and he could not give a timeline on when a deal might be reached. But with Premier Andrew Furey set to depart politics, a race underway to select his successor, and a provincial election expected sometime this year, a swift decision on the fate of Bull Arm is unlikely. Parsons would not speculate on a preferred outcome, but says a deal could include a cash sale, or an agreement that guarantees job creation and economic development. "If somebody can secure that, that's something we would look at," he said. Parsons says Bull Arm is a world-class site with great potential in the oil and gas and renewable energy industries. But with the federal government placing an increasing emphasis on Arctic security, he says Bull Arm is also well-positioned for activities such as ship-building and vessel repair. "We really are that gateway to the north," said Parsons.
BBC News
19-04-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Nottingham students strut as fashion project marks milestone
A project to cut down on clothing waste and save students money is hoping to expand after a "fantastic" first Trent University (NTU) said it launched the Professional Student Wardrobe project with charity White Rose to offer students free access to professional clothing for interviews and recruitment said the scheme has stopped 3,023kg of clothing from going into landfill, saving 11,711.52kg of carbon dioxide emissions, and distributed 2,850 items of clothing to students, saving them about £34, first anniversary of the scheme was marked by a celebratory display on 3 April. Donation boxes for clothes have been placed on all NTU campuses, with the university also working with other organisations receiving surplus clothing across the city, such as the Nottingham Women's Rose collected and prepared donations for display in the Wardrobe Shop on NTU's city than 100 students have been employed over the past year, the university said, with their work including co-ordinating donations, social media and "running the day-to-day operations".Debra Easter, NTU's director of employability services, said the university was proud of the project's success."In the last year, we've given hundreds of students access to professional clothing, used to further opportunities through training and skills development, as well as leading to employment," she said."We're excited about what comes next – more collaborations and plans to help even more students. This is a fantastic initiative that is just at the beginning of its journey."
CBC
16-04-2025
- Business
- CBC
Cenovus celebrates final stages of construction of West White Rose gravity-based structure
The once-stalled West White Rose offshore oil project caught a new wind this week, with a self-congratulatory press conference attended by Andrew Furey, the outgoing Newfoundland and Labrador premier who championed it. Jon McKenzie, CEO of Calgary-based energy company Cenovus, said the event in Argentia Tuesday celebrated a "milestone in the progress of the West White Rose project." The gravity-based concrete drilling rig for the West White Rose oil extension is nearly complete, and McKenzie says it'll be floated out to the oil field in the Grand Banks next month. The topside of the structure will be brought in from Texas so the full rig can be assembled in July. The overall size of the structure measures in at 146 metres and 201,000 tonnes, according to Cenovus. The company plans to start drilling this fall and get to first oil a few months into 2026, with an expected production of 80,000 barrels of oil per day by 2028. It hasn't been a smooth ride getting to this point. The White Rose project was stalled due to the pandemic in 2020, but N.L. Premier Andrew Furey has since doubled down on oil production despite the general shift towards green energy. In that same year, the province gave Cenovus-owned Husky Energy a lifeline in the form of $41.5 million— half the total cost. "Environmental ideology in our way? No problem," Furey boasted in a speech to media and business executives Tuesday. "This is the product Newfoundland and Labrador needs to celebrate... That's why my government just recently announced in our budget more support for oil and gas." Furey said the province's $90 million over three years will "encourage offshore exploration so we can find that next big reserve." According to Furey, the completed extension will create 250 permanent jobs, and other "spin-off" jobs. WATCH | The CBC's Abby Cole reports from Argentia: Officials celebrate completion of oil field extension in N.L. 14 minutes ago Duration 2:20 Newfoundland and Labrador government officials and Cenovus company representatives gathered in Agrentia, to celebrate the completion of the West White Rose extension. As Abby Cole reports, leaders are hopeful this will prolong the life of the oil field by more than a decade. Two-hundred skilled trades workers are onsite in Argentia currently, says Trades N.L. labour relations director Corey Pearson, and he's proud of that. "I came here three years ago when the project resumed after the shut-down," Pearson said in an interview. "It's one of the proudest things I've done in my life, [to] come see first-hand the men and women that show up wearing work boots." "The quality of it… the safety record here, that's something Newfoundland and Labrador trade workers are known for around the world," said Pearson.
BBC News
13-04-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Brook and Root to play for Yorkshire in May
Yorkshire head coach Anthony McGrath has confirmed that England batters Harry Brook and Joe Root should both be available to play in the County Championship match against Warwickshire next White Rose claimed their first win since being promoted back to Division One with a comprehensive victory over Worcestershire at Headingley on now travel to Durham on Friday before welcoming the Edgbaston side on 2 May."As it stands, I think they're only going to be available for one game, which is the Warwickshire game," McGrath told the club website., external"Joe's still away on holiday, Harry was in last week. I believe that's all they're going to play. I don't think that's going to change, but as we know it could do."That was a conversation with [England's lead selector] Luke Wright I had."They're centrally contracted, that's the directive from ECB."Any time we have them is a bonus."You know how passionate both Harry and Joe are to play, and it will be brilliant to have them. Hopefully they can contribute like the boys have done this week."Brook, 26, who was named England's white-ball captain last week, scored 388 runs in five County Championship games last season, while 34-year-old Root hit 442 in the same number of appearances.
