College Students Pursuing Careers in the Arts Highlight John Paul II’s “Letter to Artists”

Writer/producer Brian Bird (Touched By an Angel, Step by Step, When Calls the Heart) shared the video below on his Twitter feed, saying “Absolutely love this from students of John Paul the Great University — Letter to Artists.”

As stated on the school’s Youtube page, “On Easter Sunday, April 4, 1999, Pope John Paul II wrote an open letter to all artists — both Christian and secular — reminding them of their vocation to Beauty. He urged them not to waste their artistic talent but to develop it, and to put it at the service of humanity as an authentic vehicle of culture.”

The video – made up of students who are studying film, gaming and acting – is a three-minute summary of that 6,000 word letter. Not every line is a direct quote, but the students highlight the heart of the soon-to-be saint’s message: “Society needs you artists. The world in which we live needs beauty in order not to sink into despair. Beauty, like truth, brings joy to the human heart.”