Hello-Hola-Bonjour-Buon Giorno, etc. Do you believe that the U.S. can have a pro-life victory this year (or sooner) and spread the good news throughout the world, through pro-life media reform? I do. The Friars are working for this, too. How do I connect with them? The Franciscans of the Immaculate offer Holy Mass at our Motherhouse (www.sistersofcharity.com) and, as you can see, we still work together. I teach Spanish at our all girls’ high school (www.ahfbaltic.org); “direct” the drama–we will do the musical Oliver! this fall; and–joy of joys–moderate our pro-life club, which the students named T.O.P.-Life Club. They have posted wonderful highway billboards in Southeastern Connecticut in the pro-life fight and we now host Pro-Life Coffee Houses to help fund the billboards. What shall we discuss in this BLOG?…any of these topics, and more–the reform of the media is my favorite, so that the message of pro-family, pro-life will infiltrate our society and transform it, just as the not-so-beneficial influences have influenced us to date. Mary is the reason we have hope, she is the reason I am a Sister, and she is the way and the answer to media reform. I look forward to hearing from you (or y’all, as some of my favorite people say), and I ask Mary to send you powerful prayers, as I hope for yours. God’s causes cannot fail, and through her intercession, they succeed faster!

In the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, Sister Marie-André

The post Sr. Marie-Andre, SCMC – Mary Mother of Life – Pro-Life Victory first appeared on AirMaria.com.

Ave Maria!

This week Friar Roderic Mary interviews Jim Wright, from the Station of the Cross, at the Doers of the Word Conference in Hamburg, New York, who tells of the exploding Catholic radio station story, sighting that anything is possible with determination and … the Holy Spirit.

Ave Maria!

The post Video – Roving Reporter #3 – Jim Wright: Station of the Cross Catholic Radio first appeared on AirMaria.com.

The pro-creationist documentary Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed, focuses not so much on the refutation of Darwinism, but on the suppression of the academic freedom of anyone who dissents from Darwinism. This is a brilliant coup de main, which uses the weapon of the enemy, and another example of how liberal bias really is not interested in diversity and pluralism at all. The Darwinist’s don’t know what to do when academic freedom is used against their secularist dogmas. This is from Jill Stanek of WorldNetDaily:

On March 20, two Darwinian defenders, who accepted payment to talk like buffoons on the film, tried to bust into a private screening in Minnesota.

“PZ” Myers, a University of Minnesota biology professor and proprietor of the popular atheist blog Pharyngula, was quickly expelled, much as he condones expelling professors who deviate from the monkey line, as he wrote on The Panda’s Thumb blog:

The only appropriate responses [to Intelligent Design proponents] should involve some form of righteous fury, much butt-kicking, and the public firing and humiliation of some teachers, many school board members, and vast numbers of sleazy far-right politicians.” ~ Comment #35130, PZ Myers, June 14, 2005

Richard Dawkins, an evolutionary biologist at Oxford who wrote the book “The God Delusion,” gained entry only by foregoing his evolved surname for the formal, Clinton.

Myers then disrupted an “Expelled” conference call with reporters the next day.

These uncivilized spectacles caused a liberal mass meltdown. According to an “Expelled” press release, the “Expelled” controversy held the No. 1 slot in the blogosphere all day March 24, as registered by Nielson’s BlogPulse, and garnered over 800 Technorati results.

If we are seeing this meltdown on the left even before “Expelled” officially opens, expect a Big Bang on April 18.

Hurray!

The post Hit ’em Where It Hurts first appeared on AirMaria.com.

Roving Reporter #72 – Eduardo in Connecticut ( 10min) >>> Play

Ave Maria!

On August 11th Eduardo Verastegui, the lead actor in the award winning pro-life movie Bella, came to the Eastern Connecticut University campus in Willimantic and gave a press conference followed by a talk in front of a packed auditorium. The event was organized by the Sisters of Charity in Baltic, Ct. We captured the press conference and are presenting it in three parts.

Part One:

Eduardo talks about his upcoming movies including one on St Peter with a $160 million budget. Then he discusses his company Metanoia Films and the difficult road of being an independent film producer. He mentions his recently completed world tour for the promotion of the movie Bella. And, finally, about his new non-profit organization Mantle of Guadalupe (Espanol) with which he goes on world missions to give help to the pour and is helping to build a hospital for pregnant mothers in a downtown LA Latino barrio.

Ave Maria!

Audio (MP3)

The post Video – Roving Reporter #72: Eduardo Verastegui Pt1 first appeared on AirMaria.com.

The Franciscan Friars of the Immaculate are producing a feature length dramatic film on the life of Blessed John Duns Scotus, the Franciscan who gave the theological explanation for the Immaculate Conception. The film is called “Duns Scoto”, Italian for Duns Scotus, and is written and directed by Fernando Muraca based on the book by Fr. Stefano Maria Manelli, “Beato Giovanni Duns Scoto” published by the FIs in Italy. Adriano Braidotti plays Blessed John Duns Scotus and is supported by Raffaele Proietti, Sebastiano Colla, Alessandro Chini, Camilla Diana and Emanuele Maria Gamboni in the role of young Duns Scotus along with many others including not a few Franciscans of the Immaculate.

The only thing left to finish on the film is the sound track for which they are currently in negotiations. The film is due to premiere in May 2010 on DVD and in some theaters as was done with the highly successful pro-life film “Bella” and negotiations are underway for putting it on Italian TV and entering it in film festivals. It will be in Italian, but there may be an English version.  We will be posting the trailer on AirMaria when it becomes available toward the end of April. So practice your Italian and stay tuned.

On the site of the filming with camera dolly on tracks, microphone boom, and high definition cameras. The high tech equipment makes a sharp contrast with the medieval monastery and period costumes. The director of photography was Massimo Lupi, famous for his creative cinematography in the Italian TV series Il Commissario Rex (Inspector Rex) about the adventures of Rex the police dog.

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The Abbey at Montelabate in Perugia where parts of the movie was filmed. Other locations were a nearby estate and also on the coast near Anconia.

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Adriano Braidotti as John Duns Scotus who is here praying for guidance from Mary as he is about to defend her prerogative of being immaculately conceived.  There are two goals of the film. One is to spread knowledge about Duns Scotus in view of his canonization, and then eventually to him being declared a Doctor of of the Church. The other is to help Christianize our important mass media culture that has sadly become so secular and even dehumanized.

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Padre Alfonso Bruno, head of FI media, is in the center with the clapper board and is Director of Production for the film. To the right is Fra Pasquale, FI who is playing a Dominican and Fra Ivo, FI on the left looks like he’s playing a Cistercian Monk.

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Emanuele Maria Gamboni as young John Duns Scotus. His early life is covered in a flashback after the opening scene when Scotus is exiled from the Sorbonne in Paris after he refused to sign a bill by Phillip the Fair, King of France, against Pope Boniface VIII.

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Lights, … Camera, … Action!

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Well, not much action in this scene, but it is very beautiful with professional lighting.

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Some rather scruffy looking friars. Fra Giles, FI is second from the left.

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The final scene of the movie is the rejoicing after Blessed John Duns Scotus successfully defends the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception at the Sorbonne in Paris. The victory is recognized by papal legates who attended the theological disputes. The large cast and colorful costumes make for a truly grand finale. There seems to be a tint of blue in many of the Franciscan’s habits. I wonder why…

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Preparing the camera and dolly.

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Working into the night hours. There’s no business like show business.

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Camilla Diana who plays the role of a young, pius girl named Mary who with Luis (Sebastiano Colla), a student at the Sorbonne, provide a means to control the plot and relate it to every day human life and drama.

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Director Fernando Muraca on the set.

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Alessandro Chini plays the young William of Occam who expresses his doubts and heterodox ideas to Scotus who then lovingly but promptly corrects him.

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Sebastiano Colla getting ready for his role as Luis.

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Angelo Poretti and Monica Sarracchini where in charge of the costumes.

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The large collection of costumes looks like a story in itself. Throughout the film as many as one hundred extras were used. Note the big wine barrels behind the racks from the monks wine making business.

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Fr. Alfonso reviewing some footage.

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It looks like an exciting and grand project. Certainly the Italian friars are learning quite a bit about film production and is a great addition to their extensive media efforts which include printing, radio, internet and TV. Hopefully this film will be a success both in regard to promoting the Christian faith and in regard to having enough financial success to at least be able to do another film like this. Please keep this in your prayers.

Ave Maria!

The post FiNews – FIs Producing John Duns Scotus Film first appeared on AirMaria.com.

Rome Reports covers the soon to be released film Duns Scoto by the Franciscans of the Immaculate in Italy on the life of Bl. John Duns Scotus. He was the Franciscan theologian who gave the Church the theological basis for the Immaculate Conception of Mary which ensured the solemn proclamation of the dogma centuries later. You can see the behind-the-scenes trailer here.

The post FiNews – Rome Reports Covers FI Scotus Film first appeared on AirMaria.com.

Ave Maria!

There is a special preview for Christian audiences at Catholic Media Review of the third Narnia movie. Check it out! Hat tip to Leticia V.

The post Catholic Media Review: The Chronicles of Narnia, Voyage of the Dawn Treader official trailer first appeared on AirMaria.com.

Vatican City, Nov 16, 2010 / 07:22 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- The Vatican has unveiled a new tool for evangelization in the form of a van equipped with 17 high-definition cameras for live and outdoor broadcasting.

The Holy See’s Vatican Television Center received the state-of-the-art van from Sony on Nov. 16.

Fr. Federico Lombardi, head of the Vatican Press Office, said the new mobile broadcasting unit was a much-needed upgrade. He noted that it has previously taken three smaller trucks to carry the same number of cameras, without the benefit of high-definition technology.

He also noted the increasing use of high-definition video for documentaries and television programs. Thus, the Vatican spokesman explained, a switch to high-definition was “a necessary step” to ensure the Church’s media presence.

via Vatican TV makes high-definition move with new broadcast van :: Catholic News Agency (CNA).

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