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Pedro reflects on a new season of In Your Faith

Deacon Pedro

Friday, November 9, 2007

title.JPGI am so happy to share with you that finally we are airing the second season of In Your Faith!
For those of you not familiar with the show, In Your Faith is our very own Salt+Light Television show for high school students. Byron and Rosanna, two wonderful young Catholic actors, host the half hour series that offers insightful questions, meaningful discussion, deep reflections, important teaching, neat facts, inspiring Bible passages, cool witness and great fun. There is really no other show like it in existence!
new-opening.JPGIn Your Faith began almost four years ago, after I met with a group of students and teachers with the goal of finding programs that would suit their needs. One of the things I remember about the meeting was that young people wanted “real kids” on screen. They wanted music and a fast pace. This makes sense because, after all, we have to compete with Much Music. The other thing I remember were some of the questions young people had; things like, “who is God?”, “why do bad things happen?” and “why doesn’t the Church get with the times?” These, of course, ended up being titles for episodes in the first season. This season will be available for purchase very, very soon.
And now we are working hard to get 13 new episodes completed. We continue addressing basic questions of the Faith that young people have: “What is the Bible?”, “what is prayer?” and “who are the Saints?”, which aired last week for the feast of All Saints and is airing again this week.
An upcoming episode also looks at the papacy. This topic came up during the last days of Pope John Paul II’s life, and then after his death and during the conclave that elected Pope Benedict XVI. We thought it would be neat to know how popes are elected and where a lot of these traditions come from. We also address why the Church needs leadership, why it’s structured the way it is and clearly show how this leadership goes right back, not just to Peter, but to Jesus.
singing-a-song-between-takes.JPGFollowing the Pope episode, we delve right into the Sacraments, beginning with a general episode covering all the Sacraments – a helpful reminder to our early days in catechism, and then an episode dedicated to each one of the Sacraments. Personally I loved working on these episodes as they not only reminded me of what I learned so long ago, but actually taught me many things I never learned. Oh that we would all understand what Sacraments really are!
Among the highlights, are the episode on the Eucharist (which will be good preparation for the Eucharistic Congress in Quebec City next June 2008), the Marriage episode, where Byron proposes to Rosanna. (Will she say yes? Is their love total, free, faithful and fruitful as Pope JPII’s Theology of the Body explains?); and finally we dedicate an episode to one of the greatest sacramentals of them all: Friendship. See, if Sacraments make Christ present in our lives and sacramentals point us in the direction of God, then it makes perfect sense that our friends can be (and should be) sacramentals!
In Your Faith includes everything that anyone teaching the Faith needs: important conversation and dialogue, in the form of our two hosts, Byron and Rosanna; real kids from real schools, with real comments and real personal reflections; a segment with a priest, titled Church 101, where we get those parts of the teaching best left to a priest (London, Ontario's Fr. Graham Keep returns for several episodes and we are pleased to have Fr. Edwin Gonsalves, Director of the Office of Catholic Youth for the Archdiocese of Toronto in several episodes as well. But most of all we are very happy to have Toronto's Archbishop Thomas Collins hosting the Church 101 segments for the "Who is a pope?" and "Who is a priest?" episodes.). In Your Faith also includes historical facts; discussions with real students (we are very thankful to the Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board for offering many of their students for this segment); and true witness in the two segments: Saints of the New Millennium and COOL CAThs.
pedro-directing-marriage.JPGSaints” are ordinary young people, in high school or university who are making a difference in the world. This segment gives them the opportunity to witness to our Faith by showing how love can be put to practice. Perhaps they are struggling with their Faith. No matter, that’s part of the journey. COOL CAThs are ordinary practicing Catholic lay people who are older and who do not work for Catholic organizations. These are the people who do not necessarily advertise the fact that they are Catholic, but quietly live their Faith and for whom their Faith makes all the difference in their lives and careers. The segment gives them an opportunity to witness their Faith in the context of their careers or their work. This season we have musicians, a radio broadcaster, a pharmacist and an eye-doctor, to mention a few.
(As an aside, if you know someone who would be a great Saint or COOL CATh, speak to them about it first, and then send us an email to [email protected] with their name and contact information. Make sure you include your name, phone number and where you’re writing from.) We are very happy to be able to include, for this new season, Saints and COOL CAThs from Vancouver, Halifax and Montreal and one from Germany!)
Working on In Your Faith, from the early research stages, to the writing, scripting and production stages, working with the students for the discussion groups, visiting schools to get streeters and meeting all the wonderful Saints and COOL CAThs has definitely been one of the highest points in my time here with S+L TV.
pedro-directing-3.JPGIt's is not just a show for teenagers. In Your Faith is a great show for Catholics of all ages, who would like to understand our Faith better. It would also be a great show for non-Catholics who are not sure why the Church teaches what it teaches. I pray that the show helps you understand what the Church teaches, gives you the tools you need to teach our Faith to others and that it influences your Faith as much as it has influenced mine.
If you have any questions about the Faith, don’t hesitate to write to us: [email protected] and be sure to tune in to In Your Faith, Tuesdays at 8pm and midnight, Wednesdays at 12:30pm, Thursdays at 5:30pm and Fridays at 2pm. There’s a time that’s convenient for everyone (for weekend broadcast times, visit our schedule).
Peace be unto you and unto your home,
PEDRO
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