Nice evening, despite small annoyances

Last night we went to see a movie being screened at St. Luke on the original painting of Divine Mercy, which the artist was commissioned to paint under the direction of St. Faustina. I was so pleased that my bride agreed to go see this, and afterward that she seemed to have enjoyed it despite her usual dislike for movies she has to read: significant sections which were in Polish, Lithuanian, or heavily accented English were subtitled. I didn't realize that St. Faustina had died so young, nor that the image which I have seen previously was (definitely, I know now) not from a photo of the original, which has a fascinating history. It turns out that I am most familiar with Kathleen Weber's rendition based on the Hyla image. Interestingly, I don't think I'd claim any of them as my "favorite," and I agree wholeheartedly with the last statement on this page from The Divine Mercy website: Whichever you prefer, just remember to be respectful of all the approved versions of the image, for they are all imperfect renditions of our infinitely perfect and radiant Savior! And we must always remember not to turn any image into an idol.

Oh, about those annoyances (first world problems): the air conditioner was blasting for all but the last 5 minutes of the movie. This had two negative effects: it made the room uncomfortably cool, and the air flow blew the ceiling-mounted projection screens, causing them to sway back to front and rotate slightly, adding a slight element of motion sickness to the viewing experience.

Observations about the film itself:  There was at least one observation by Jim Gaffigan - whose participation in the film and devotion to the image I greatly appreciate - that clearly reflects a lack of familiarity with the painting's early history, and should probably have been cut from the film: the painter couldn't have lamented not repeating his success, because he died long before this devotion caught on. (Harry Connick Jr. also provided some "modern culture" presence.) Finally, there was no more than a passing reference to the restoration of this original image.  :(  However, the discussions of the original painting's history, including of the key participants' roles and lives; the explanation of the proliferation of other images; and the participation of a wide number of people with such extensive familiarity with this image's history and this devotion made for a fascinating narrative.