Catholic Bible 101
21st Century Catholic Apologetics for Mary's Spiritual Warriors
Tired of watching all of the bad movies on TV? Here are some excellent movies about saints. Check back often, as this page will be updated periodically. Click on the picture for ordering information from Amazon.com. The bookstore is at the end of the webpage.
Here are the stories of:
Fatima, St. Peter, St. Padre Pio, St. John of the Cross, St. Therese, Father Damien of Molokai, St. Anthony, St. Francis, St. Clare, Mother Teresa, Pope John Paul II (2 different versions), St. Rita, St. Vincent de Paul, St. John Bosco, St. Maximilian Kolbe, St. Faustina, St. Bernadette, & St. Maria Goretti, & St. Thomas More, along with a movie about the book of Genesis, & "The Scarlet and the Black", a true story about the role of the Catholic Church fighting the Nazis and saving Jews. The Exorcism of Emily Rose is also included, along with "The Agony and the Ecstasy". The span of these movies covers the entire 2000 years of Catholic Church history!
St. Pio encounters the devil all throughout his life. He is persecuted by his own church for most of his priesthood. His gifts of the stigmata, discernment of spirits, and bilocation are truly awesome. He knew when people were holding back sins in the confessional. GREAT MOVIE !
St. John of the Cross teams up with St.Teresa of Avila to reform the wayward Carmelites. In the process of undergoing his cross, he writes the classic "Dark Night of the Soul".
This very humble young lady decides to become a nun at an age not considered to be old enough. Her father takes her to the Vatican so she can plead her case to enter the religious life before the Pope himself! Not strong enough for great sacrifice or martyrdom, she writes in a diary about the "The Little Way". In other words, doing many small sacrifices daily for Jesus, especially for people you would rather not be around, is her way of sanctity. After her death, the Church read her diary and made her the 33rd doctor of the Church.
Father Damien gives up everything to minister to the lepers in Hawaii. He becomes one of them, while being accused of infidelity. He dies as a leper. He is now Saint Damien of Molokai!
St. Anthony becomes St. Francis' best preacher after giving up the life of a rich knight. Even the fish responded to his preaching! He raised the dead and converted many through his preaching and his miracles. His life was one of self mortification, because of the temptations of lust.
Francesco gives up the free and easy life as the son of a rich cloth merchant to become a Crusader and to go fight the Sultan in the Holy Land. After almost being killed and then thrown in jail as a prisoner of war, he decides to change his life completely, after meeting a group of lepers. Along the way, Clare becomes inspired and starts her Poor Clare order in union with the new Franciscans. Eventually, St. Francis does go to the Holy Land, but this time it's to try to convert the Sultan to Christianity, rather than to kill him. GREAT MOVIE !
Sister Teresa gives up the cushy life of a teacher in an Indian school to start her own order. All of this happened after she finally looked into the eyes of a poor beggar and she saw Jesus. This new order picked up and ministered to the poor dying people in the streets of Calcutta, and she started an orphanage as well. Persecuted by the media, she never gave up. She even lectured the President of the United States on the evils of abortion !
Pope John Paul II - Quite possibly the greatest man of the 20th Century. Persecuted by the Nazi's while becoming a priest, and then by the Soviets who took over Poland, he stood tall, even though the Russians spied on him and had his confessional bugged. Amazing story of how one man totally dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary can change the world. He was almost killed on the anniversary of the first apparition of Fatima. Soviet dictator Josef Stalin once asked the rhetorical question - "The pope? How many divisions does he have?", which meant that he was not afraid of the Vatican. He didn't know that The Church doesn't need "divisions" of military personnel when you have the Blessed Virgin Mary on your side through the thoughts, words and deeds of Pope John Paul II !
Another great movie about the life of Pope John Paul II, starring the great Academy Award winning actor, Jon Voight.
This amazing woman, St. Rita, married into the Mafia of Italy. They treated her very badly, and eventually killed her husband, who wanted to leave the murderous ways of "The Family". When she forgave his murderers in the name of Jesus, she converted them to Christ. All alone after her 2 children died of the plague, she becomes a stigmatized nun. Amazing miraculous ending to this great story.
An ordinary parish priest, Monsignor Vincent de Paul, decides to reach out to the poorest of the poor in France. He lived during a very turbulent time that included the plague, Protestant uprisings against Catholics, and a backdrop of extreme wealth and extreme poverty. His legacy lives on today through the actions of the St. Vincent de Paul Society, still helping the poor 400 years later throughout the world.
St. John Bosco, former circus performer, rescues street urchins from a life of poverty and provides them a home. Some became saints in their own right later on. Persecuted by the government as well as by the church (false accusations), he kept his humility and his faith the whole time. A truly great saint who, like Daniel and Joseph, had the gift of dreams. Although not highlighted so much in the movie, the book "The 40 Dreams of St. John Bosco, the Apostle of Youth" is well worth the read, if you are interested in what heaven, hell, and the future of earth are like. Mother Angelica of EWTN read from it one night on her show.
Father Kolbe was always in love with the Immaculata, Mary. He published a magazine in Poland that converted many souls. When the Nazis condemned him to Auschwitz, he maintained his ministry to all of the poor souls there. He even took the place of a condemned prisoner who had a wife and children. He was eventually starved and given carbolic acid to induce death, on, of all days, the feast of the Assumption. Great movie !
Sr. Faustina, a Polish nun who was a contemporary of Pope John Paul II, receives visions of Jesus Christ. She writes it all down in her diary, as well as helping to create a portrait of the Divine Mercy of Jesus. She struggles and then finally dies of tuberculosis. Decades later, Pope John Paul II initiates the Feast of Divine Mercy on the Sunday after Easter as a result of her visions and diary.
The 150th anniversary of the apparition of the the Blessed Virgin Mary to Bernadette at Lourdes was the inspiration for this movie. A simple girl, the daughter of a miller, she becomes a saint through her humility and obedience. When Mary tells Bernadette that she is The Immaculate Conception, that creates a huge controversy. Bernadette didn't even know what it meant ! After miraculous healings occur through the hidden spring found by Bernadette, she enters the convent to become a nun.
This little Italian farm girl, Maria, is loved by all who know her. One day, an older teen boy acquaintance decides to rape her. She refuses, and is killed as a result. Before she is killed, she forgives her murderer. Years later, the murderer converts and is saved. Truly a story of how we all need to forgive our enemies if we want to call ourselves a Christian.
St. Thomas More stands against the lusty Henry VIII when Henry wants everyone in England to recognize his new marriage to Ann Boleyn. Since the Pope would not grant him an annulment from Catherine of Aragon, Henry VIII decides to start his own new religion (The Anglicans) and do away with everyone who disagrees with him. Robert Shaw plays the new head of the Anglican Church in a great performance. Paul Scofield plays the saintly Sir Thomas More who decides that his eternal salvation is more important than going with the flow of the current times in which he lived. He was subsequently tortured in the Tower of London, and then beheaded by Henry VIII for standing up for The Church.
Director John Huston made this movie which covers the first 22 Chapters of Genesis, from Adam and Eve to Nimrod and the building of the Tower of Babel. John Huston also steals the show as Noah. The scene where the animals are going into the Ark is classic. A must have movie for all people who love the Bible.
And for all of the people who believe that the Catholic Church sat on the sidelines during WWII and didn't try to save the Jews, this movie will come as a big shock. Gregory Peck plays Monsignor Hugh O'Flaherty, an Irish priest bureaucrat in the Vatican. A true story, he assumes many disguises to save Americans, Englishmen, and Jews from the evil Nazi Colonel Kapler, played by Christopher Plummer, in a startling role reversal from the Sound of Music ! It's a cat and mouse game the whole movie, as Monsignor O'Flaherty outwits the smug Colonel Kappler with great regularity, making the angry Nazi even angrier. A truly surprise ending to this movie is stunning.
THIS IS ONE GREAT MOVIE !
This movie, based on a true story in Germany, was moved to America. Emily Rose, a young Catholic girl, is possessed by the devil, and dies during an exorcism performed by Father Moore. Father Moore is hauled into jail and put on trial for murder. The protestant prosecutor, who really doesn't believe in exorcism, and Father Moore battle it out on the witness stand. Flashbacks to the actual exorcism take place throughout the movie, including a tape recording of it played in court. You just don't see many movies these days where the Blessed Virgin Mary appears to discuss the value of suffering, but she does in this movie. Not as graphic as "The Exorcist", but still plenty scary. Great Catholic morality is on display in this movie. GREAT MOVIE !
Pope Julius II commissions Michelangelo to paint the Sistine Chapel ceiling during a Papal war. If you've ever wondered just how the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel was painted, this movie shows you how. Two massive egos collide during this monumental effort. Great performances by all as well as great videography make this a must see movie.
