"Movies and the Catholic Imagination: The Sequel," a Living Theology Workshop to take place on February 13 | Press Releases

Rev. Mark Scalese, S.J., will screen scenes from Oscar-winning movies and interpret them in light of how they reflect the Catholic faith, at a Living Theology Workshop to take place at Fairfield University on Saturday, February 13.

Sponsored by Fairfield's Center for Catholic Studies, the event is free and open to the public. Entitled "Movies and the Catholic Imagination: The Sequel," it will take place in the DiMenna-Nyselius Library Multimedia Room from 9:30 a.m. to noon.

Fr. Scalese, assistant professor of New Media at Fairfield, teaches courses in filmmaking. The workshop is a continuation of one he gave a few years ago. "Most of the films I will use this time around do not have an explicit religious subject matter although several of the characters are connected to Christianity in some way," said Fr. Scalese.

For example, "Dead Man Walking," starring Sean Penn and Susan Sarandon in her Oscar-winning performance as Sister Helen Prejean, is about a Catholic nun, who counsels a man on death row. "Babette's Feast," which won an Oscar for best foreign language film, is also among the movies that will be discussed. It is about the intersection of members of a strict Christian sect in Denmark with their French cook, Babette, who happens to be Catholic.

Fr. Scalese said, "What I want to communicate is that one can interpret films using a Catholic sensibility even though they may not feature Catholics or be about the Church in any way."

The Living Theology series intends to help Catholics and other individuals learn about the latest thinking in the Church. Additional workshops are scheduled for Saturday, March 13 ("Sex and the Soul: Juggling Sexuality, Spirituality, Romance and Religion on America's College Campuses," presented by author Dr. Donna Freitas) and Saturday, April 17 ("The Subversive News of the Kingdom: A Look at the Parables of Jesus," presented by Rev. Gerry Blaszcak, S.J., Fairfield University Chaplain). Both workshops will take place in the DiMenna-Nyselius Library Multimedia Room from 9:30 a.m. to noon.

For more information, visit http://www.fairfield.edu/cs/cs_lectures.html or contact the Center for Catholic Studies administrator coordinator at (203) 254-4000, ext. 3415.