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About The Georgia bulletin (Atlanta) 1963-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 8, 1987)
Mother Angelica: PAGE 9 — The Georgia Bulletin, October 8,1987 Coverage Of Papal Visit Has Significant Impact BY SISTER MARY ANN WALSH WASHINGTON (NC) - The live coverage on cable television of the visit of Pope John Paul II to the United States was a signifi cant milestone for church use of the media, said of ficials involved in the broadcast. Richard Hirsch, secre tary of the U.S. Catholic Conference Department of Communication, called the broadcast the “most signif icant electronic media ac tivity that the church in this country has ever en gaged in.” The 10-day broadcast was sponsored by the USCC and was co-produced by the Eternal Word Television Network, which is dis tributed to cable outlets na tionwide, and by the U.S. bishops’ Catholic Telecom munications Network of America, which broadcasts to U.S. dioceses who then are responsible for local distribution. Called “Papal Visit ’87,” the broadcast was carried by about 700 cable TV outlets in 44 states and had a potential audience of 20 million homes. It was fun ded by the annual Catholic Communication Cam paign. Hirsch, in a telephone in terview Sept. 30 from New York, said a “more signifi cant index” of the impact of the coverage than cable outlets and potential au dience was the telephone calls to the anchor desk dur ing the telecast. “The phone rang off the hook and continued for an hour afterwards each time,” Hirsch said. The calls were taken on a toll- free 800 number during the frequent periods when there was no papal event to cover. Mother Angelica, the Alabama nun who started the Eternal Word Televi sion Network in 1981, said the coverage was ‘‘ex tremely profitable for the church” both spiritually and in a business sense. In a telephone interview she said her network picked up about a dozen new cable outlets immediately after the venture. People also called to say they had returned to the sacraments, she said. The broadcast “allowed Americans to see the Holy Father for just what he is” without interpretation by journalists, Mother Angel ica said. People were im pressed by the “tremen dous pageantry, the in spirational liturgies,” she said. Father Bernard R. Bon not, president of the bishops’ network and a co anchor of the broadcast with Mother Angelica, said the endeavor was ‘‘a positive experience for the church in the United States and Catholic communica tions in general” because it showed that the church can “use telecommunications effectively.” The project involved “multidimensional col laboration” between the USCC, the two Catholic net works, television station WRAL in Raleigh, N.C., which provided technical facilities for the ongoing broadcast, and numerous Catholic laypersons, he said. From the bishops' net work's perspective, Father Bonnot said, “people were able to see the capabilities that we have.” It also spurred diocesan affiliates of the network to contact local cable stations to carry the program. Hirsch said the program showed a potential for cooperation between the bishops’ and Mother Angelica’s networks. Dominican Father Ger ald Burr, programming director at the Catholic Telecommunications Net work of America, said it became clear during the broadcast that the two net works are “very similar.” Mass On TV SUNDAY, OCTOBER 11 THE CATHOLIC MASS - The Mass will be celebrated at the following times: 8:30 a.m. on WOR-TV (Channel 47 on Prime Cable). 9 a.m. on WGN-TV (Channel 42 on Prime Cable). 10 a.m. on WVEU-TV (Channel 69). BUSINESSWOMAN Diane Keaton chooses the transforming love of motherhood and the ego boost of self-employment when she inherits a baby whose parents have died tragically. “Baby Boom’’ is a wry and insightful comedy that has the good sense to affirm that new life is more important than new clients. Rating: A-II (PG) (NC photo) "The Rosary Murders" A Mature Perspective Needed BY TONY ZAZA NEW YORK (NC) - A priest is challeng ed by a reporter and a serial killer of priests and nuns in “The Rosary Murders” (New Line). Contemporary life continues to be tough and complex for priests and nuns as evidenced by Catholic newspaper editor Father Bob Koesler (Donald Sutherland), who learns clues to the identity of a psychopathic murderer while listening to the killer in the confessional. Unable to reveal the facts but agonizing over the systematic killing of nuns and priests in his Detroit parish, he tries to stop the fiend himself. Director Fred Walter turns church grounds into arenas for coldblooded killing. But he contrasts the bloody events of his crime melodrama with Sutherland’s masterful performance as a clergyman whose faith is tested, first in the preserva tion of the seal of the confessional and then in befriending but gracefully distancing himself from an attractive, affectionate female investigative reporter (Belinda Bauer). The better-than-average murder mystery adapted from the novel by former priest William Kienzle slowly develops a mood of paranoia using the quiet and solitude of church interiors to build up ex pectations of deadly deeds. Although the narrative is punctuated by moments of violence, the film demonstrates the serious matters of conscience people of the cloth face in meeting the commitments of their vocation. Contrasted also are the attitudes of the astute but unconventional Father Koesler and the staunch traditionalist Father Nabors (Charles Durning), who turns in a blustery characterization befitting the role of an aging, often contentious pastor who unwittingly influences the murderer. Some rough language, a shot of a naked corpse of a novice and the implications about absolution as a motivating factor in the killings suggests a mature perspective. The U.S. Catholic Conference classification is A-III — adults. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is R — restricted. Father Peter A. Dora Catholic Images We Don't Get It Around Here All over the country viewers are enjoying a form of religious television which actually respects the intelligence of the audience. We don’t get it around here. The Eternal Word Television Network (EWTN) ad dresses a broad spectrum of viewers interested in Catholic belief, thought and devotion in such a way as to reinforce Church teaching while presenting the diversity of Catholic expression in our own age. It employs state-of-the-art pro duction equipment in the hands of communications profes sionals to address both Catholics and non-Catholics. We don’t get it around here. This 24-hour service is provided free of charge by satellite to any local cable company willing to present its subscribers with a network unlike any other; but we don’t get it because local cable operators have yet to see signifi cant demand for Catholic television in this predominantly Protestant region of the country. A cable television company exists to serve its customers by providing the kind of television programming they want; and the only way the companies in our area will carry EWTN is if they hear from a sufficient number of present and potential subscribers. Proceeding from the assumption that most Catholics and many non-Catholics in this part of Georgia would be interested in receiving this kind of quality, family-oriented television, the archdiocese of Atlanta is coordinating efforts to demonstrate such a need to cable operators. The general plan is to alert Catholics to the existence of this worthwhile service and to invite them to let their cable operators know in a firm but respectful manner that they would like to receive the Catholic network in their homes. Those interested in working to get EWTN on their cable systems can begin in several ways depending on their level of enthusiasm. First of ail it is important to think about the overall effect that television has on persons and families. Prayer and reflection surely will prompt us to re-evaluate the way we employ this powerful and sometimes dangerous medium in our homes. Catholic television can counter some of the abuses of commercial broadcast programming as well as provide an alternative to Protestant networks currently saturating local cable systems. As a second step present cable subscribers can include a note with their monthly cable bill, or simply write on the bill itself a short message such as “we want EWTN.” Non subscribers can write to or telephone the local cable operator to express interest in a service that might induce them to become cable TV subscribers. Those with additional interest in the project are en couraged to contact the Communications Office of the archdiocese at 888-7832 for information on further involve ment. Finally a coordinating committee will be formed to work-through parishes and existing archdiocesan organiza tions in obtaining a type of television beneficial to Catholics and non-Catholics alike. (Father Dora is director of communications for the archdiocese of Atlanta.)
