In an early episode of the popular teen musical show “Glee” (November 26, 2009), Puck tries to find out who the father of Quinn’s baby is. Quinn is known to have been a virgin, and when she refuses to say, Puck yells out, “Well, call the Vatican! We’ve got ourselves another immaculate conception!” Though at least one of the creators of “Glee” is Catholic, it seems they, like so many Catholics, are confused about what the real meaning of the... Read more
Back in March (2024) I had the privilege of interviewing Frank and Mary Frost of Frank Frost Productions about their highly anticipated new documentary “Teilhard: Visionary Scientist.” The film, which promises to be a captivating exploration of Pierre Teilhard de Chardin’s life and work, will be available on PBS Maryland on May 19, 2024. From May 20, 2024 – May 2026, you can also catch it on the PBS App. For the latest updates, be sure to visit the Teilhard... Read more
In “Teilhard: Visionary Scientist,” a new documentary to be broadcast on PBS, four key ideas emerge from the life and mind of Jesuit Fr. Pierre Teilhard de Chardin (1881-1955): evolution, integration, fire and passion. The fascinating visionary, paleontologist, theologian, geologist, philosopher, evolutionary theorist and mystic provides ample subject matter for a two-hour documentary. In an exclusive interview for NCR, producer Mary Frost told me the film had taken 13 years to accomplish — shot in four countries on three continents... Read more
When Germany and the Soviet Union invaded Poland in September 1939 and divided the country into west and east, the lives of all Polish people, Gentile and Jew, were changed forever, and so many were destroyed. Irene Gut (Sophie Nélisse) is a very capable 19-year-old Catholic young nurse from eastern Poland who is forced to work for Nazi officers, not knowing what happened to her mother and four sisters. After working in a munitions factory for a year, she attracts... Read more
In 1889, a group of young Catholic sisters from Italy called the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart of Jesus disembarked in New York. Led by their determined 39-year-old superior, Mother Francis Xavier Cabrini (Cristina Dell’Anna), these sisters, inspired by their mission to spread devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus by living the spiritual and corporal works of mercy (Matthew 25), were met with disdain and prejudice by both church and civil authorities in the persons of Archbishop Michael Corrigan... Read more
A nun-friend asked me to write a brief reflection on each of the Joyful Mysteries of the Rosary. Time being short, I asked A.I. (GoatChat) to write the reflections. After sharing these on Facebook, a friend asked me for A.I. reflections on the other mysteries. I am pleased to post them here (with some slight edits here and there). The reflections on the Joyful, Sorrowful, and Glorious Mysteries are taken from the writings of our Founder, Blessed James Alberione, SSP... Read more
In Russell Crowe’s second role as a Roman superhero, he moves from the 2nd century as Maximus, a gladiator who does battle for the emperor’s entertainment (“The Gladiator” 2000), to the 21st century as the Catholic priest Fr Gabriel Amorth, who fights the devil with a bit of help in the newly released “The Pope’s Exorcist.” (To be fair, Crowe also played Superman’s father, Jor-El, in 2013 in “Man of Steel,” but he didn’t quite reach superhero status... Read more
If you’ve followed my reviews over the years, you will know that I have soft spot for films about the Camino de Santiago de Compostella in Spain. A new film will be in theatres one night only, Tuesday, March 28, 2023. Click HERE for ticket information. (Compostella means field of stars.) What makes this film about the Camino slightly different from the others is its pacing, giving silent space for us, audiences making the Camino from a theater seat... Read more
This moving new documentary “In Solidarity with Ukraine” from the Knights of Columbus is a look at the Catholic organization’s incredibly swift response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine during the first few months after the invasion in 2022. It will begin airing on ABC affiliate stations across the USA for six weeks beginning today, March 26, 2023. Please check local listings. It seems to me that the highly produced film has many purposes: to show how its members... Read more
2022 was a great year at the movies – to the point that it is really hard to choose, never mind guess what the Academy voters might do. And because this is my ballot, I get to have second and sometimes third choices! These films have great themes that offer lots to talk about (and reasons to see more than once!), including some not nominated. My Film of the Year is “The Banshees of Inisherin.” My review sheds light... Read more
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