Many people wonder about the secret to living a long, healthy life. According to this video that former “Today” show contributor and Christopher Award-winning producer Mike Leonard put together of his 91-year-old mom Marge, the answer is a sense of humor and plenty of physical activity. And there might also be some vodka involved. Read more
In Florence, Italy, July 1944, Tour de France champion Gino Bartali faced possible torture and death at the hands of the ironically-named Major Mario Carita. Though the military officer’s last name meant “charity,” his idol was a brutal killer: Heinrich Himmler, the Nazi leader in charge of Hitler’s Gestapo and SS. Why was Bartali, a major Italian celebrity, being interrogated? As revealed in Aili and Andres McConnon’s Christopher Award-winning biography “Road to Valor,” the devoted Catholic led a secret life... Read more
NEW YORK, April 9, 2013 — A world-renowned singer/songwriter explores the role music played in raising awareness about apartheid. A Tour de France winner joins forces with a Catholic cardinal to save Jewish lives in World War II Italy. An ex-convict in 19th-century France discovers that “to love another person is to see the face of God.” These stories and more are told in the 19 feature films, TV/Cable programs, and books for adults and young people being honored with... Read more
The following column was written by The Christophers’ Jerry Costello: You’ve heard about the heroes of baseball who put the game aside to join America’s armed forces during World War II: Bob Feller, Ted Williams, Joe DiMaggio and the rest. Some enlisted, others were drafted; some saw combat, others were spared. All of them, though, gave up one priceless commodity that their country had no way of replacing: the years that the war took from their playing careers. No one... Read more
Famous tenor Andrea Bocelli decided to attend Mass on Easter Sunday at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church in Miami Beach, Florida. Not only did he attend, he asked if he could sing “Panis Angelicus” during communion. The church happily obliged him. To the congregation’s credit, they largely stay focused on receiving the Eucharist instead of the fact that a superstar was in their midst. Of course, some people used their cameras to record the song. One of those videos is embedded... Read more
On this Easter Sunday when we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ – the ultimate sign of God’s love for humanity, the people of Newtown, CT devastated by the school shootings at Sandy Hook a few months ago have every reason to doubt the goodness of God, even the existence of God. But according to a column by Denis Hamill in today’s Daily News, God’s presence remains strong and, in some cases, has grown even stronger. Here are some excerpts:... Read more
Following the ratings success of “The Bible” miniseries, hopes are high that a new minseries already in production, called “Jesus of Nazareth,” will soon find a U.S. network to air it. The new film is not a remake of the classic Franco Zeffirelli miniseries (the best Jesus film ever made, in my opinion), but will be its own entity. It’s being written and produced by Michael Landon Jr. and Brian Bird. The role of Jesus has not yet been cast.... Read more
Today is World Down Syndrome Day, a day to acknowledge and promote the good, loving, and inherently valuable lives of men and women who were born with an extra chromosome. It’s the perfect time to share this story from the Today Show about Tim Harris from Albuquerque, New Mexico, who may be the U.S.’ first restaurateur with Down Syndrome. Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy Read more
(“Les Miserables” comes out on DVD March 22.) I generally roll my eyes at grand generalizations about movies, like “So-and-so is the greatest actor of his generation!” Those kinds of sentiments are a matter of subjective opinion, especially when they apply to actors who are barely in their twenties. Yet today, I’m going to make that kind of grand generalization myself by declaring the ending of Tom Hooper’s Christopher Award-winning film “Les Miserables” the greatest ending in movie history. Why?... Read more
Singer/songwriter Audrey Assad, who I’ve written about in the past, just launched a new independent music project through Kickstarter.com that would fund an album she wants to record of Church worship songs. Fans supported the idea in droves, so it got funded in 50 hours. Additional funds will now be used to make the project even better. I loved what Audrey wrote about her goal with the project and her music in general: I have long believed that true Beauty... Read more
Christopher Closeup
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