“Francis and the Sultan” documentary released with great timing

March 20, 2013 By 1 Comment
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  When it was announced March 13 that the church had a new pope who had taken the name Francis, the first thing that popped into my head was, "St. Francis was the first one to reach out to Islam." This fact had just recently had been reinforced when I screened a new documentary from Franciscan Media, "In the Footprints of Francis and the Sultan: a Model for Peacemaking." Talk about great timing for the release of this two-part DVD written and produced by Franciscan Sr. Kathleen A. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Adult Faith Formation, art, Catechesis, Faith and film, Faith formation, Film Reviews, pope francis, religion, Spirituality and Media Tagged With: , , , , , , , , 1 Comment

Les Miserables: a conversation about what the movie means

February 2, 2013 By Leave a Comment
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      Here's is a conversation that I had with radio host Sharon DiCicca of Toronto's Radio Maria. Sharon is a wonderful host and producer and I think you will enjoy this show.  HMWN Radio Maria is a Canadian Catholic Radio Station based in Toronto. This is a link to the HMWN Radio Maria Audio Archives: Click here for the audio file: In conversation about the 2012 film"Les Miserables". -- Sharon DiCecco says:  -- -- To love another person is to see the face … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Adult Faith Formation, art, Catechesis, Catholics in Media, Commerntary, Drama, Faith and film, Faith formation, Film Reviews, Grace, Musical, On Faith and Media, Popular Culture, religion, Sacraments, Social justice, Spirituality and Media, Sr Rose Faith and Media Tagged With: , , , , , Leave a Comment

Catholic Christian criteria for awarding films

January 13, 2013 By Leave a Comment
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  SIGNIS and INTERFILM Criteria for Juries  I have had the privilege of serving on Catholic and Ecumenical Juries at Berlin (2004), Venice (2000, 2010), and Locarno (2006). Here are the criteria that SIGNIS, the World Catholic Organization for Communication, and INTERFILM (the International Interchurch Film Organization), have developed to inform and guide jury members as they discern winning films: The Ecumenical Jury makes awards to films and to filmmakers according to the … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Adult Faith Formation, Analysis, art, Awards, Film Festivals, Film History, Film Retreat, Film Reviews, Spirituality and Media Tagged With: , , , , , , , , Leave a Comment

Pianist brings mother’s Holocaust experiences to life

November 17, 2012 By Leave a Comment
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Live theater is always fresh even when the story breaks your heart. The actors pour themselves into the feat of becoming another and convincing us that their pain, joy, dilemmas, tragedy and triumph are real. Through the kindness of friends, Daughter of St. Paul Sr. Marie Hunt and I were able to experience "The Pianist of Willesden Lane" at the Geffen Playhouse at UCLA. The Audrey Skirball Kenis Theater within the playhouse is intimate at only 115 seats, or parlor armchairs, arranged on … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Adult Faith Formation, art, Drama, Education: Access and Empowerment, Faith formation, Grace, Social justice, Spirituality and Media, Sr Rose Faith and Media, Stage & Theater, Theater, Theology Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , Leave a Comment

Listening to Flannery O’Connor

July 1, 2012 By Leave a Comment

I was chatting with an acquaintance recently about Flannery O’Connor (1925 – 1964) when he told me about a recent find and that it is available on the Internet. In January 2012 “Deep South” online magazine  editor Erin Z. Bass wrote: “Professor of English with a focus on Southern lit and women’s studies at UL Lafayette, Dr. Mary Ann Wilson was cleaning out her office and came across an old audio reel labeled ‘Flannery O’Connor.’ It turned out to be a recording of the … [Read more...]

Filed Under: art, Authors, Comedy, Commerntary, Lectures, Literature, Resources, Spirituality and Media, Theology Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , Leave a Comment

The Cinema of Adoption

October 22, 2011 By Leave a Comment

  To go along with National Adoption Month in the US, here is a link to my column On Faith and Media in St. Anthony Messenger magazine. Some of the movies I talk about are Secrets and Lies, Juno, Heaven on Earth, Daughter of Danang, Superman, etc.       … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Adult Faith Formation, art, Film Reviews, Grace, Media analysis, On Faith and Media, Popular Culture, Resources, Sr Rose Faith and Media, Sr. Rose movies, St. Anthony Messenger, story Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , Leave a Comment

Religious Education Congress 2011: A vibrant human mosaic

March 27, 2011 By Leave a Comment

The labyrinth   ANAHEIM, CALIF. -- Ask anyone who participated in the Religious Education Congress March 17-20 how they would describe the event in terms of art, and they will tell you: It’s the people. Ask author/speaker Jesuit Fr. James Martin and he will tell you that the congress -- not Disneyland across the street -- is the happiest place on earth. Charity Sr. Edith Prendergast, who heads the Los Angeles archdiocese’s Office for Religious Education, told me that she loves the … [Read more...]

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The Labyrinth: Freedom & Forgiveness Retreat October 30 in SoCAL

September 7, 2010 By 1 Comment

For more information about the film The Labyrinth and an interview with producer Jason Smith The Labyrinth Interview Ron Schmidt, SJ … [Read more...]

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Singers, Architects, Painters to Gather in Sistine Chapel with Pope

November 7, 2009 By Leave a Comment

On the 10th Anniversary of Pope John Paul II's Letter to Artists, Pope Benedict is meeting with artists: Singers, Architects, Painters to Gather in Sistine Chapel   Pianist Pope to Meet With Artists  I look forward to reading what transpires!     … [Read more...]

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United Breaks Guitars or How to find justice through non-violence and art

July 25, 2009 By Leave a Comment

This YouTube video is the hottest since Susan Boyle. I used it in my media literacy education class to show how people can achieve justice through non-violence and art. Dave Carroll, whose guitar United broke, made this statement after United Air Lines reached out to him to rectify the situation (after 2 days and over 150,000 hits on YouTube, now over 3 million in about 3 weeks). … [Read more...]

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