Pope St. JP2 Film by K of C to Be Shown Next Month in Parish Gym…

A new DVD-film was just released by the Knights of Columbus (K of C) entitled, Liberating A Continent: John Paul II and The Fall of Communism. How blessed many of us were to have lived through the years of Pope John Paul II’s papacy, 1978-2005. What a treasure it will be for this new generation of young people to learn more about him. Also, how blessed we are now to live under the papacy and shepherd of mercy, Pope Francis. This film will be set up similar to the film about Purgatory that was played over this past year. It will play in the parish gym on Tuesday, July 12th and will start @ 7pm. In seeing this film about a week after the 4th of July in which we celebrate our independence from England, I believe this will be a timely film that will help us value our freedom even more after watching what the Polish and other Europeans battled against over this past century. Prior to the film, two terms will need to be defined. They are “communism” and “solidarity.” Also, be aware that parts of the film will contain English subtitles. After the conclusion of the film, we will take time to field some questions and comments. The following is a thorough quote from the Knights of Columbus about the description of the film:

“St. John Paul II’s role as a driving force in the fall of communist rule in Central and Eastern Europe is the focus of a new documentary illustrating how the late pope insured a ‘revolution of conscience’ that was pivotal in the collapse of the Iron Curtain in 1989…

Narrated by actor Jim Caviezel and featuring original music by renowned composer Joe Kraemer (Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation, Jack Reacher), Liberating a Continent: John Paul II and the Fall of Communism tells this story using rare archival footage and exclusive interviews with several heads of state, historians, foreign policy experts, church leaders and close personal acquaintances of the late pontiff, including Supreme Knight Carl Anderson; papal biographer George Weigel; John Paul’s longtime assistant Cardinal Stanisław Dziwisz of Kraków;  and Richard Allen, Ronald Reagan’s National Security Advisor.

The 90-minute film recounts Karol Wojtyła’s growth from an underground seminarian to his appointment as archbishop of Kraków  and to his election to the papacy in 1978. As archbishop, Wojtyła developed tools for resistance to communist rule that were grounded in defense of human rights and the reclaiming of Poland’s Catholic identity. This documentary, through interviews with historians and journalists who had access to recently declassified KGB documents, illustrates the vast Soviet campaign to counteract John Paul II’s moral crusade. The film follows the wave of free thought that seized the Soviet bloc following the pope’s epic nine-day pilgrimage to Poland in June 1979.

‘By his actions and his words, John Paul II inspired a thirst for freedom that would evolve into the Solidarity movement,’ said Anderson. ‘Without his spiritual support, Solidarity’s success would not have been possible, and without Solidarity, the fall of the Berlin Wall and the Revolution of ’89 would never have happened.’”

For more information about this important, new film, or to obtain a DVD, please visit jp2film.com. Having already seen the film once, it is well done, and I highly recommend it. Hope to see you at the showing of the film, Liberating A Continent: John Paul II and The Fall of Communism on Tuesday, July 12th at 7pm in the parish gym.

Pope St. John Paul II, pray for us!

Fr. Jeff