Greta Garbo in Camille – famous 1936 film based on the Alexandre Dumas story of the Parisan courtesan “La Dame aux Camilles.”

“Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not, for of such is the kingdom of God” Mark 10:14

Hindenburg – German aircraft zeppelin destroyed by fire while landing in New Jersey in 1937, an accident widely reported by film, photographic and radio media.

Extreme Unction – traditional Catholic rite of the Anointing of the Sick, also called the last rites

ascetics – those (in any religious faith) who ascribe to a life characterized by self-denial and abstinence from worldly pleasures

vespers – evening prayer service in the Christian church, one of the seven so-called Canonical Hours, ancient divisions of time which mark the prayer events of the day.

Saints and their cigarettes – In the last scene before Act II, the Mother and the Doctor have a conversation about certain saints and what brand of cigarette each was likely to smoke.

St. Thomas More (1478-1535) – a lawyer and judge, born in London, admitted to the bar and entered Parliament in 1505. He became one of the leading intellectual figures of the time, one of England’s leading humanists and an outstanding poet and scholar (his Utopia is a classic) and an influential figure in the court of Henry VIII. Because of his refusal to support the king’s break with the Pope and his Act of Succession, he was beheaded.

St. Ignatius (of Loyola, 1491-1556) – founder of the Jesuits, was originally a soldier, and after an illness, decided to dedicate his life to God. He traveled as a beggar on many pilgrimages and established the missionary work of the church.

St. Peter, the Apostle (d. 64 or 67 C.E.) – the first Bishop of Rome, important figure in the founding of the church. As one of the apostles, much of his life is legend and closely linked to that of Jesus. He was crucified under one of Nero’s anti-Christian persecutions.

Mary Magdalene – history’s most famous reformed prostitute (in the Catholic tradition), she is venerated as the most ardent and loyal of Christ’s followers (and never mind about Dan Brown’s theories…), one of the women disciples with him when he died and traditionally the first witness to his resurrection. The line “you’ve come a long way, baby,” refers to an ad for a brand of cigarettes marketed to women, called Virginia Slims.

St. Joan of Arc (1412-1431) – the pious French woman, whose voices told her to save her country by leading her young king to victory. Following the fulfillment of some of her prophecies, the Dauphin became convinced of her mission and she enjoyed a brief time of glory. When her army began to fail, she was eventually charged with heresy and witchcraft and famously burned. She was declared innocent by Pope Callistus III in 1456 and canonized in 1920.