Vatican, in promoting values-based movies, states that young people can learn from
movies "...how dangerous hatred
is, how unacceptable racism is, how destructive religious ignorance
is," and reminded us that the Catholic Church "...is always on
the side of the weak and the forgotten. Movies
have "...been able to give a voice to many who have been
rejected."
Diocese of Orlando [Florida]
The
Catholic Worker celebrated its 75th
anniversary on May 1, 2008.
Beginning July 6 and July 13, Franciscan
University of Steubenville in Steubenville, Ohio, will hold two Catholic
soccer camps for both boys and girls from ages 8 to 17. Details
Pope Benedict XVI will vacation in the
German-speaking alps in the City of Bressanone, in the northern Italian
region of Trentino-Alto Adige in the Diocese of Bolzano-Bressanone from
July 28 to August 11, 2008.
The French newspaper Le Figaro
is reporting that Pope Benedict XVI will visit France from September
12 - 15, 2008, and will celebrate an open-air Mass in Lourdes on September
14, to commemorate the 150th anniversary of Our Lady of
Lourdes' apparition to Saint Bernadette. Le Figaro reported
that Pope Benedict XVI will meet with French bishops, French President
Nicolas Sarkozy, and French cultural leaders while in France.
Catholic convert, Palestinian Economic
Envoy, and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair will teach a Fall,
2008, class in Faith and Globalization at Yale University in New
Haven, Connecticut, as a Howland Distinguished Fellow. Mr. Blair's
son, Euan, is in a Master's program in International Relations at Yale.
The Vatican and Muslims have agreed to
regular dialogue. The first meetings, to be held November 4-6, 2008,
are entitled, Love of God, Love of Neighbor, Theological and
Spiritual Foundation, and Human Dignity and Mutual Respect. Each
side will be represented by 24 religous leaders and scholars.
Joseph
and Chico: The Life of Pope Benedict XVI As Told By A Cat is a
book for elementary school children which tells the story of the life of
Pope Benedict XVI when he was growing up in Bavaria, Germany. The
story is told by Pope Benedict XVI's next-door neighbor in Pentling,
Germany, Chico, the cat, who would visit Pope Benedict XVI often.
Pope Benedict XVI is a cat lover who fed stray cats in Rome and brought
one Roman stray cat home with him when he was a cardinal. The
Vatican doesn't allow animals, but when asked whether Pope
Benedict XVI brought his two cats with him when he moved into the
Vatican, the Vatican had no comment. The Introduction is by
Monsignor Georg Gänswein, Pope Benedict XVI's personal secretary.
Want to perform a Good Work?
Donate a tax-deductibe copy of Joseph and Chico to:
Saint Paul School Library
114 East 118 Street
New York, NY 10035
Priests
The singing group, Priests, has
signed a £1MM contract with Sony BMG's Epic Records. The priests
(from left to right) Father Martin O'Hagan, his brother Father Eugene
O'Hagan, and their school chum, Father David Delargy, are priests in the
Northern Ireland Diocese of Down and Connor. The Priests' debut album is due in November.
Priests
Non-Catholic historian David McCullough
has received the 2008 Christophers' Life Achievement Award. "I
felt very proud, honored and gratified. There's also something about
that 'life achievement' designation that I hope doesn't mean that this is
my curtain call. I have a lot more I intend to do," said the
74-year-old John Adams biographer.
Forced Labor and the Catholic Church
1939 - 1945 is a 703 page book documenting the Church's use of 1,075
prisoners of war and 4,829 civilians as slaves in 800 Catholic hospitals,
cemeteries, and as domestics, and on the farms and gardens of monasteries
during World War II. German Cardinal Karl Lehmann said, "It's a
burden of history that our Church will keep facing up to in the
future. It should not be concealed that the Catholic Church was
blind for too long to the fate and suffering of men, women, and children
from the whole of Europe who were carted off to Germany as forced
laborers." Most slaves were from Poland and the Ukraine. The
main historian on the book, Karl-Joseph Hummel, said the Church used only
a small part of Germany's slave labor and has paid EUR 1.5MM as
compensation to the victims and spent EUR 2.71MM on 200
reconciliation projects in eastern Europe. Volkswagen, Siemens and
Deutsche Bank have also acknowledged using slaves. Karl-Joseph
Hummel said between 1940 and 1942, 300 monasteries and other Catholic
institutions were confiscated by the Nazis and thousands of Catholics were
sent to concentration camps, but the Church, "It should have clearly
said how its interpretation of loyalty, honor and the fatherland was not
the same as the Nazis' view."
Tenor Juan Diego Florez, called the
successor to Luciano Pavarotti, married Julia Trappe in his hometown
cathedral in Lima, Peru, The last wedding performed in the cathedral
was in 1949. The newlyweds were previously married in a civil
ceremony in Vienna. Mrs. Florez was raised in Australia. In
attendance were Peruvian President Alan Garcia, First Lady Pilar Nores,
and writer Mario Vargas Llosa.
Angelita Loturco/Museum of Sacred Art
Two mummies were recently discovered in
the basement of the Mosteiro da Luz Catholic Church in São Paulo, Brazil
Danielle Steel, best-selling author with
72 published books, had thoughts of becoming a nun when she was
growing up. "I wanted to be a nun when I was young.
Religion is what keeps me going. I would be utterly lost without
it. I was brought up a rabid Catholic, and there have been times I
went to Mass twice a day just to hang on. It's a very present
support system for me."
Padre Marcelo Rossi is the most popular
pop recording singer in Brazil. Father Rossi donates his earnings to
charity.
Angel
Festival in Ripon, England
Father
Peter Malone reviews the movie Son of Man: "It is a contemporary
rendering of the Gospel story spoken and sung in Xhosa and English. With
this film, African audiences have the opportunity to appreciate the
relevance of the Gospel to their own situations. Those from outside the
African tradition are offered a chance to look at familiar stories with
new eyes, with different perspectives."
Beyond the
Color of Skin: Encounters with Relgion and Racial Injustice in America
is a book by Nigerian Holy Ghost Father Cajetan Ihewulezi. Father
Ihewulezi argues that America's religious leaders are simply not fully
addressing the problem of racism, along with its effects, and that their
continued silence in the face of increasing prejudice is cataclysmic to
humanity. Coming from another country, Father Ihewulezi is shocked at the
level of racial prejudice that is still going on in America. As a
sacramental on-call chaplain to various American hospitals, Father
Ihewulezi discovered that about 70 percent of his psychiatric patients
were poor African Americans, many of whom were dependents of African
American veterans of World War II and the Korean War, who were denied
their GI rights simply because of their skin color. To understand
the problem in order to offer solutions, Father Ihewulezi traces the
history of this quandary from the religious or pastoral point of view, and
the memoir is packed with personal stories and recommendations.
Father Ihewulezi's email address:
cajet2001@yahoo.co.uk
Actor Martin Sheen has won the 2008
University of Notre Dame Laetare Medal, an award begun in 1883 to honor a
Catholic "whose genius has ennobled the arts and sciences,
illustrated the ideals of the Church, and enriched the heritage of
humanity." Father John I. Jenkins, President of the University
of Notre Dame, said of Martin Sheen, "He has used that celebrity to
draw the attention of his fellow citizens to issues that cry out for
redress such as the plight of immigrant workers and homeless people, the
waging of unjust war, the killing of the unborn, and capital
punishment."
Father Tim Dean's review of Dreams
From My Father by Barak Obama.
A retrospective of 400 Picasso paintings
is on display at the Reina Sofía Museum in Madrid, Spain, next to
Picasso's Guernica, from February 5 until May
5 on loan from the Musée National Picasso in Paris, France, which
is undergoing renovation.
The movie
The Jammed won 2007 Film of the Year by the Australian Catholic
Film Office. Jury Chair Jesuit Father Richard Leonard said,
"The jury felt that The Jammed was a singularly courageous
piece of cinema. Even though the extremely violent world this film
portrays means many people would not want to see it, that does not allow
us to ignore the sex trade in women and children occurring in our nation.
This uncompromising and confronting film illuminates a dark, tragic side
of Australian society and thus makes a significant contribution to
increasing people’s awareness of an under recognised but important issue
of faith and justice. The Jammed plays the role of raising
our consciousness on this issue."
During 2008 Turkish bishops are
celebrating the 2,000 anniversary of the birth of Saint Paul in Tarsus,
Turkey: "This event is for all Christian communities since Paul is a
teacher for all the disciples of Christ. However, the anniversary is
of particular importance for us living in Turkey. The apostle of the
gentiles is a son of this land, and it is here he exercised most of his
ministry."
Catholic
Chicago, an exhibition at the Chicago History Museum, opens
Saturday, March 8, 2008, and closes Sunday, January 4, 2009. Catholics are
the largest religious group in Chicago with 2MM faithful. Chicago
History Museum, 1601 N. Clark Street, Chicago, IL 60614 Telephone:
(312) 642-4600
Journey to the East: The Jesuit
Mission to China, 1579-1724 by Liam Matthew Brockey received the John
Gilmary Shea Prize from the American Catholic Historical Association for
the best Catholic historical book in 2007.
Brokers of Culture: Italian Jesuits
in the American West, 1848-1919 by Jesuit Father Gerald McKevitt won
the American Catholic Historical Association's, Howard R. Marraro Prize
for 2007.
Catholic movie
actor George Clooney received a bronze statue sculptured by Italian
sculptor Oliviero Rainaldo for "...efforts in favor of pacifying the
tormented region of Darfur and for helping save lives," by former
Soviet Union President Mikhail Gorbachev's foundation.
The Australian Catholic Church will be
advertising at movie theaters during
Jerry Seinfeld's The Bee Movie and the period drama Atonement during
the Christmas holidays. "We know that our churches fill up over
the Christmas period with people who haven't been to Mass for some time
and even with some people who've never been to a Catholic Mass before. The
Christmas season is an important time for people to take time out and
remember that the birth of Jesus Christ is the cause of all the
celebrations. Perhaps in the quiet darkness of a movie theater they
will be prompted to find out more about how the Catholic faith can help
them find the peace they are searching for," said Archbishop John
Bathersby, Chairman of the Bishops Commission for Mission and Faith
Formation.
Backstreet Boy Howie D/Howie Dorough
married Leigh Boniello at Saint James Cathedral in Orlando, Florida, on
Saturday, December 8, 2007,with all of the Backstreet Boys in
attendance. Howie D proposed to Leigh Boniello last New
Year's. "She wasn't expecting it, and I was quite nervous, more
nervous about proposing to her in front of 40 family and friends than
about performing in front of 40,000 people onstage," said Howie D.
Catholic filmmaker Martin Scorsese on
his movies: "I am much more
interested by the character than by the plot. There is no plot in Taxi Driver, not in The Last Temptation of Christ and in Gangs of New York there is not a lot of
plot. I was very close to my mother. She was one of seven children,
and all her family had a sense of humor. I find that the humor in my films
is from that side of the family, from my mother's side whose name was
Capa." Asked about the violence in his films, Martin Scorsese
said the violence reflected the world in which he grew up, "a very
small group of people in a certain part of Manhattan island with Italian
descendance. The people I knew, the ones from Sicily who emigrated
to America in 1910, 1912, they were still very much involved in a way of
life which was very tribal. What I am saying is that the nature of
violence in the world I grew up in was not pointless violence, it was very
serious violence. The violence was something that I experienced. I try to
make it look the way I think I saw it on the block."
The World Catholic Association for
Communication (SIGNIS) and the World Association for Christian
Communication (WACC) has awarded Nick Higgins of Scotland the 2007 Human
Rights Award for the Best Documentary Film for A
Massacre Foretold. The movie
is about the massacre of indigenous Mexicans. Said Mr. Higgins,
"It is extremely gratifying to be recognized in this way by two such
prestigious international organizations so active in the world of
cinema."
Father Fortescuer,
founder of Saint Hugh of Lincoln in England, held three doctorates and was
fluent in 11 languages. Father
Adrian Fortescuer exhibit
is at the First Garden City Heritage Museum in Letchworth Garden City
until January 26, 2008.
What Every Parent Should Know About "The
Golden Compass"
Vatican's critique of The Golden Compass
Father Peter Malone's review of the movie, Ratatouille.
TV comedy series Ugly
Betty was honored by Catholics in Media Associates at
its 15th annual luncheon. Executive Producer Ben
Silverman said the show "tackles issues unapologetically," and
celebrates the "goodness in all of us, wherever you come from,
whatever you're about."
Ugly Betty
television star America Ferrera addressed Los Angles Catholic high school
students: "Every opportunity that faces you is really defined
by how you accept that opportunity."
Ugly Betty
will be broadcast in China with the title Invincible Ugly Woman.
Catholic actor and comedian Dick Van
Dyke was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award from Catholics in Media
Associates at its 15th annual luncheon.
Father Peter Malone's review of the movie, Eastern
Promises.
Vatican condems the movie, Elizabeth:
The Golden Age as a "distorted anti-papal
travesty." King Philip II of Spain is depicted as a “ferocious,
fanatical Catholic, swinging his rosary like a weapon and roaming the
Escorial Palace like a madman, full of impotent fury, dreaming of
subjugating the world to the Catholic faith.”
Dominican Father Cayet Mangiaracina,
parochial vicar of Holy Ghost Church in Hammond, Louisiana, co-composed
the 1950s hit, Hello Mary Lou, Goodbye Heart,
made famous by Rickey Nelson. "The embarrassing
thing about the song, which I wrote as Merry, Merry Lou, is that it
sounds like I got jilted." Before Father Mangiaracina entered
the seminary, he was the piano player for the rock and roll band, Sparks.
Father Mangiaracina sent royalties from Hello Mary Lou, Goodbye Heart
to his mother until her death in 1988, and now royalties are given to the
Dominicans. "Last year it was $35,000. About three or
four years ago, I got a check for $90,000," said Father Mangiaracina.
Romanian
Father Antoniu Petrescu is a priest in Sorbo, Italy, and an
Elvis Presley impersonator.
Movie
review by Father Peter Malone: When
Did You Last See Your Father
Stations of the Cross
Aboriginal artist Shirley Purdie won the
2007 $15,000 Blake Prize for Religious Art with this traditional ochre
painting of the Stations of the Cross. Blake Society Chair Father
Rod Pattenden said the painting also reflects the massacre of Aboriginees
by European settlers in the 1920s and 1930s. "Within living
memory, these people have a very visceral, connected experience of
suffering," said Father Pattenden.
New England Cable News in Newton,
Massachusetts, received the 2007 Gabriel Award as TV Station of the Year,
and KNOM Radio in Nome, Alaska, received the 2007 Gabriel Award as Radio
Station of the Year by the Catholic Academy for Communication Arts
Professionals. The Gabriel Award is awarded for station programming which
maintains human dignity and values.
Sinead O'Connor sings Psalms from the
Old Testament on this CD
Documentary film Father G and the Homeboys is a movie about Jesuit Father Gregory Boyle and
his anti-gang program, Homeboy Industries, in gang-ridden East Los
Angeles, California. Former gang enemies landscape, answer phones,
make T-shirts, and knead bread in the bakery. The movie is narrated by Martin Sheen.
Review of Spider Man-3
Al-Fikr Al-Masihi, an Iraqi
monthly, received the 2007 Gold Medal from the International Catholic
Union of the Press. "Al-Fikr Al-Masihi, published in Arabic,
survived the worst of crises in the history of Iraq, and it did so by
becoming a reference point for all peoples: Muslims, Christians, and other
religions; and all types of ethnic and language groups," said the
International Catholic Press Union.
Synopsis of the movie
Pope John Paul II
starring Jon Voight
Following the premature death of his
mother, Karol Wojtyla is brought up by his father in the Polish city of
Krakow during the first half of the 20th century. An
outstanding student with a magnetic personality, he dreams of becoming an
actor.
When his homeland is invaded by the
Nazis in 1939, he and his friends secretly oppose the systematic
persecution of their Polish culture. But, with the death of his father and
the lacerating solitude which accompanies this loss, Karol’s personal
“resistance” takes on a new form, and he decides to follow a priestly
vocation. At the end of the war, Poland falls into the grip of Soviet
totalitarianism.
The newly ordained Karol is constantly
surrounded by young people whom he teaches to safeguard and defend human
dignity. He could be considered a serious threat to the regime, but the
Communist authorities merely see him as an innocuous intellectual and even
encourage his nomination for the position of bishop. Karol Wojtyla is the
youngest bishop in the history of Poland. When he is appointed Cardinal,
Karol is more intransigent in the spiritual guidance of his homeland,
becoming a real and proper thorn in the side of the Communist government.
And the whole Catholic world begins to wonder who he is. On the
death of Pope John Paul I in 1978, the cardinals of the Conclave decide
that Wojtyla is the right man to lead the Church into the new millennium.
Thus Karol leaves his beloved Poland to
become Pope John Paul II. His free, unconventional attitude alarms several
prelates, but immediately wins the hearts of the people. In an age
paralyzed by fear and ideology, the new pope shows everybody again the
overwhelming fascination of Christianity.
Pope John Paul II miraculously survives
an attempt on his life in 1981, and not even this event curbs his mission.
Thanks to his unshakable tenacity, Pope John Paul II helps to change the
course of history: The fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 decrees the
collapse of Communism.
In the following years, however, Pope
Wojtyla goes through a period of both physical and psychological
sufferings. On the one hand, his physical infirmity and Parkinson disease
hinder his travels and prevent him from carrying his apostolic mission
through; on the other, his constant appeals to peace and defense of human
dignity are disillusioned by a series of wars and international conflicts.
But the tireless Pope goes on witnessing
faith and hope. With the Great Jubilee of 2000, Pope John Paul II
accomplishes his promise of taking the Church into the New Millennium.
With his journey to Israel, he tries to fill the gap between the Christian
and the Jewish, and he conquers the world with his decision not to hide
his physical weakness and bear his cross as Jesus did.
The day he dies, on the first Saturday
after Easter 2005, a large crowd of young people in love with the Pope
gather in Rome under the Pope’s window. Pope John Paul II was the first
who went searching for them, and now they’ve come to him.
Life is
Beautiful
Pope John Paul II's favorite movie
Original movie
poster
The movie
The Nativity Story premiered at
the Vatican in Pope Paul VI Hall on November 24, 2006, although Pope
Benedct XVI was not in attendance so as not to apppear to endorse a
film. Keisha Castle-Hughes stars as Mary, Elizabeth is portrayed by
Shohreh Aghdashloo, and Joseph by Oscar Isaac. The Nativity Story was
filmed partly in Matera, Italy, the same location as the filming of Mel
Gibson's The Passion of the Christ, and in Morocco. Regarding
consultants for the movie, said Oscar
Isaac, "Keisha had one who taught her how to milk goats. I had one
who taught me how to use first-century tools. I was actually building that
stone house in the film. So when you saw all those cuts and scrapes and
bruises on my hands, that wasn't acting." USCCB rating A-1,
General Audience, 93 minutes.
Into Real
Silence/Die Grosse
Stille
The movie Die Grosse
Stille/Into Real Silence,
set in the Grande Chartreuse in Grenoble, France, was named best 2006
documentary film by the European Film Academy: "Philip Gröning's
thoughtful film touches on the mystic quality of belief and our need for
stillness and silence in contrast to modern life. It appears that the
director, with a lot of patience, gained the trust of this enclosed
community and returned with amazing images and sounds. Die Grosse Stille/Into Real Silence, is a great film about
humanity and our shared European background." The movie is 162 minutes and documents the daily
life of monks. The director, Philip Gröning, spent six months
living at the Carthusian monastery.
Commonweal Review of Into Real Silence
Into Great Silence: A Film and Study
Guide which includes questions for reflection and conversation, prayer
and reflection suggestions for retreats or days of reconciliation, and
references and helpful resources for personal or group use, can be ordered
for $4.95 from Pauline Books & Media at 1-800-876-4463.
Turtles Can Fly
The
movie Turtles Can Fly won the Catholic
SIGNIS award at the International Film Festival in Hong Kong. The
theme of the movie Turtles Can Fly is the ways humans respond
to unspeakable circumstances. Turtles
Can Fly is set in an Iraqi-Kurdish refugee camp on the
Turkish-Iranian border. A Bahman Ghobadi movie.
Tom White
The movie Tom White starring Colin Friels was
named 2004 Film of the Year by the Australian Catholic Film Office.
The theme of the movie Tom White is how mid-life crisis can
lead to mental illness and homelessness.
The movie Look Both Ways,
the 2005 Australian Catholic Film of the Year, is the story of a
50-year-old bachelor diagnosed with cancer who meets a woman at the scene
of an automobile accident returning from her father's funeral. Jury
Chair Father Richard Leonard said the movie Look Both Ways is "...a meditation on
how we should love our neighbors as we love ourselves."
Ahla Al Awqat/Best of Times
Tunisian Hind Sabri won Best Leading
Actress award for the film Ahla Al Awqat/Best of Times at the 53rd
Catholic Egyptian Cinema Festival. The movie
also won for Best Film, Best Production and Best Direction. The
theme of the movie Ahla Al Awqat is overcoming society's
obstacles.
Olivia Newton-John
The Passion of the Christ
Vatican Top 45 Movie List
USCCB Top Movies from 1965-2005
Catholic News Service Current Movie Reviews
Soul Food Cinema
Discussion of movies
from a Catholic perspective
