Abbess Victoria Murray, the elected leader of the nuns of Santa Rita Abbey, in an image from the documentary film "Final Vows", produced & directed by Victoria Westover.
courtesy A Street Productions
July 3rd, 2025
Featured on the July 3rd, 2025 edition of ARIZONA SPOTLIGHT with host Mark McLemore:
- There are 8 billion people on planet Earth, but only point-zero-one percent will reach the milestone age of 100. That's less than one million people. But in March of 2025, a new centenarian joined the ranks, as Tucson architect Paula Holmes celebrated her 100th birthday. AZPM Contributing Producer Laura Markowitz sat down with Holmes to hear about her remarkable life, from the jazz age to the digital age and beyond.
VIEW LARGER Architect Paula Holmes celebrated her 100th birthday on March 24th. AZPM / Laura Markowitz
Paula Holmes has been using this pencil sharpener since 1940. She was a draftsman during World War II and went on to become an architect.AZPM / Laura Markowitz
Paula Holmes (right) with her brother and sister.AZPM / Laura Markowitz
- A locally-produced documentary called “Final Vows” tells the story of a small order of cloistered nuns who live at Santa Rita Abbey, in the high desert of Arizona. Dwindling recruitment and old age threaten the order’s long-term survival, and the monastery stands in the path of mining projects being dug south of the Grand Canyon. Mark talks with “Final Vows” director Victoria Westover about how this unusual film came to be, and film essayist Chris Dashiell shares what he thinks are some of the film’s hidden strengths. You can watch the film on Amazon, Vimeo, or Docuseek.
Santa Rita Abbey, a Cistercian monastery located in the high desert of Arizona.
courtesy A Street Productions
A meeting of the nuns of Santa Rita Abbey, in an image from the documentary film "Final Vows", produced & directed by Victoria Westover.
courtesy A Street Productions
VIEW LARGER Chris Dashiell is a regular contributor to Arizona Spotlight.
- And, the first Spotlight of the month always brings with it a new tale from “Stories That Soar!”. Jump in the pond to hear Rainbow Frog, a charming tale of connection and affection written by Kimberli, a fifth grader at Robison Magnet School. (Go Roadrunners!) It was produced by the Stories that Soar! creative team at Literacy Connects. They help young writers realize the power and potential of bringing their stories to life, for the stage, video, and radio. Aspiring student-age writers can submit their stories to The Magic Box Story Portal now!
VIEW LARGER Rainbow Frog, written by Robison Elementary 5th grader Kymberli.
Literacy Connects presents “Stories That Soar!”, a program where the Tucson non-profit empowers students of all ages by bringing their stories to life with professional actors and musicians.
Arizona Spotlight airs every Thursday at 8:30 am and 6:00 pm and every Friday at 8:00 pm on NPR 89.1 FM / 1550 AM. You can subscribe to our podcast on Apple Music, Spotify, Amazon Music, or the NPR App. See more from Arizona Spotlight.
Webpage by Zoe Juliano.
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