Making movies and houses: Apostolic work you should know about

By Dr. Jeff Mirus ( bio - articles - email ) | Jan 10, 2018 | In On the Good

There are many great things that lie beyond the usual scope of CatholicCulture.org. Let me stretch a little to call attention to two of them here.

Making Movies with St. Michael

A request to make the work of St. Michael Movies better known has been in my In Box for far longer than I care to admit publicly. The reason is that CatholicCulture.org is not particularly film-oriented. That could change in the future with new leadership, but those of us in harness now are more likely to take not only knowledge but inspiration from books. And reading is still by far the most efficient way in which to keep abreast of what is going on in the Church.

Nonetheless, many of our readers are interested in movies, and one of our registered users and donors—Michael Mergler—is very active in making Catholic movies through an apostolate called St. Michael Movies. One of these movies, The Tribunal, tells the story of two men in love with the same woman who will have to encounter God through a marriage tribunal in order to win the one they love. Accordingly, these men find themselves called more and more seriously to confront God’s will. The Tribunal is now available on DVD.

A new movie due out early this year, Over the Rhine, recently won Best Picture at the Burbank International Film Festival, and was also nominated for Best Picture, Most Inspirational Picture and Best Musical Score at the 2017 International Christian Film Festival in Orlando. Those who are attuned to the transformative power of good movies should learn more about St. Michael Movies.

Disclaimer: These are serious movies dealing with themes in the interplay of culture, temptation, passion, love and spiritual growth. Know your limits. Discretion is always advisable.

Making Houses with the Fraternity of St. Peter

Perhaps CatholicCulture.org tends also to be all brain and no brawn. But we definitely support the contemporary phenomenon of hands-on mission trips for young people, both within one’s home countries and abroad. This is a great way simultaneously to engage relatively affluent young people and to help those who are materially far less fortunate. Many parishes, dioceses and religious communities sponsor mission trips of one kind or another.

An effective approach to mission has been developed by the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter. As an example, the organization ran a mission to Peru in 2017 in which the participants actually built small houses for people who had lost everything in a flood. In another nod to the power of film, I should mention that the Fraternity has done a fine job of communicating the spirit of their missions in informative and inspiring videos. Visit the website for St. Francis Xavier Mission.

But that’s not all: Well aware of the growing number of Spanish-speaking Catholics in the United States, the Fraternity has developed an immersive Spanish-language program for priests (six or nine weeks) and seminarians (six or eight weeks). There are some other opportunities as well. Check them out at the Fraternity’s St. Junipero Serra Institute.