Summer Reading for Catholic Kids

  

    The Loyola Kids Book of Heroes  Amy Welborn









 More saints' lives, organized according to the virtues they expressed through their lives.

I. Faith

1. Introduction: Jesus is Born
2. John the Baptist: A Hero Prepares the Way
3. Early Christian Martyrs: Heroes are Faithful Friends
4. Medieval Mystery Plays: Heroes Make the Bible Come to Life
5. St. Albert the Great: Heroes Study God’s Creation
6. Sister Blandina Segale: Heroes Work in Faith
II. Hope

1. Introduction: Jesus Teaches
2. Pentecost: Heroes on Fire with Hope
3. Paul: A Hero Changes and Finds Hope
4. St. Patrick and St. Columba: Heroes Bring Hope into Darkness
5. St. Jane de Chantal: Heroes Hope through Loss
6. St. Mary Faustina Kowalska: A Hero Finds Hope in Mercy
Charity

1. Introduction: Jesus Works Miracles
2. Peter and John: Heroes are Known by their Love
3. St. Genevieve: A City is Saved by a Hero’s Charity
4. St. Meinrad and St. Edmund Campion: Heroes love their Enemies
5. Venerable Pierre Toussaint: A Hero Lives a Life of Charity
6. Rose Hawthorne Lathrop: A Hero Cares for Those Who Need it Most
7. Blessed Teresa of Calcutta: A Hero Lives Charity with the Dying
Temperance

1. Introduction: Jesus Strikes a Balance
2. Peter and Cornelius: Heroes Love Their Neighbors
3. Charlemagne and Alcuin: Heroes Use their Talents for Good
4. St. Francis: A Hero Appreciates Creation
5. Venerable Matt Talbot: Heroes Can Let Go
6. Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati: A Hero Enjoys the Gift of Life
Prudence

1. Introduction: Jesus Gives Us Leaders to Help us Make Good Choices
2. Paul and Barnabas at Lystra: Heroes See the Good in All Things
3. St. Jean de Brebeuf: A Hero Respects Others
4. Catherine Doherty and Jean Vanier: Heroes Bring New Ideas
5. Venerable Solanus Casey: A Hero Accepts His Life
6. Blessed John XXIII: A Hero Finds a New Way

Amy Welborn Substack

   Amy Welborn has has a Substack publication, focused on the changes in the Church after the Second Vatican Council. 

Confession and penance

So…my experiences? Barely remembered, so sorry about that.

I have no recollection of my First Confession or any confession before high school. Did I go? Was I taken? Probably, but not very often, despite my mother’s faithfulness (complicated, but real).  My only useful memory for this matter is related to the changes in 1976 – the change in the rite itself

and then the change to face-to-face confession.

Filmstrips. During Mass. That’s what I remember. Three Sundays in row at the parish, being shown filmstrips about the new rite. … I think that might have been one of the things that finally drove my mother to stay home on Sundays, leaving me to drive to Mass by myself…..

MORE

Ordinary Time for Kids

 

From The Loyola Kids book of Bible Stories by Amy Welborn arranged with the stories in line with where we hear them in the liturgy - most of the time.

Written by popular Catholic children's author Amy Welborn, this beautifully illustrated collection of warm and engaging Bible stories for children and their families is arranged in a uniquely Catholic way—based on the liturgical year and the order in which they are proclaimed during Mass. Divided into five sections—Advent, Christmas, Ordinary Time, Lent, and Easter—each section is subdivided into Old and New Testament stories.

From the Creation to St. Paul, the charming illustrations in Loyola Kids Book of Bible Stories and Welborn’s friendly writing style turn reading the Bible into an experience that draws families closer together and deeper into the heart of the Church.

Amy Welborn on Pinterest

    You can follow Amy Welborn on Pinterest here

Boards include:

Links related to Wish You Were Here 

Possible future travel destinations

Recipes to try

Recently attempted recipes

Great vacation rentals

St. Anthony of Padua for Kids

      June 13 is the feastday of St. Anthony of Padua.  Here is an excerpt about him from The Loyola Kids Book of Saints by Amy Welborn.

Then one day something happened that was almost as strange as the ship wandering off course. There was a large meeting of Franciscans and Dominicans, but oddly enough, the plans for who would give the sermon at the meeting fell through. There were plenty of fine preachers present, but none of them were prepared.
Those in charge of the meeting went down the line of friars. “Would you care to give the sermon, Brother? No? What about you, Father? No? Well, what about you, Fr. Anthony—is that your name?”
Slowly, Anthony rose, and just as slowly, he began to speak. The other friars sat up to listen. There was something very special about Anthony. He didn't use complicated language, but his holiness and love for God shone through his words. He was one of the best preachers they had ever heard!
From that point on, Anthony's quiet life in the hospital kitchen was over. For the rest of his life, he traveled around Italy and France, preaching sermons in churches and town squares to people who came from miles around.
His listeners heard Anthony speak about how important it is for us to live every day in God's presence. As a result of his words, hundreds of people changed their lives and bad habits, bringing Jesus back into their hearts.

The Loyola Kids' Book of Saints by Amy Welborn

 Over 40 saints' lives,written at a middle-school reading level.

I. Saints are People Who Love Children St. Nicholas,St. John Bosco, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, Blessed Gianna Beretta Molla
  Saints Are People Who Love Their Families St. Monica,St. Cyril and St. Methodius, St. Therese of Lisieux,Blessed Frederic Ozanam,

Saints Are People Who Surprise OthersSt. Simeon Stylites,St. Celestine V,St. Joan of Arc,St. Catherine of Siena

Saints Are People Who Create St. Hildegard of Bingen,Blessed Fra Angelico,St. John of the Cross,Blessed Miguel Pro

Saints Are People Who Teach Us New Ways to Pray St. Benedict,St. Dominic de Guzman,St. Teresa of Avila,St. Louis de Monfort

Saints Are People Who See Beyond the Everyday St. Juan Diego, St. Frances of Rome, St. Bernadette Soubirous, Blessed Padre Pio

Saints Are People Who Travel From Home St. Boniface, St. Peter Claver, St. Francis Xavier, St. Francis Solano, St. Francis Xavier Cabrini

Saints Are People Who Are Strong Leaders St. Helena, St. Leo the Great, St. Wenceslaus, St. John Neumann

Saints Are People Who Tell The Truth St. Polycarp, St. Thomas Becket, St. Thomas More, Blessed Titus Brandsma

Saints Are People Who Help Us Understand God St. Augustine of Hippo, St. Jerome, St. Patrick, St. Thomas Aquinas, St. Edith Stein

Saints Are People Who Change Their Lives for God St. Ambrose, St. Gregory the Great, St. Francis of Assisi, St. Ignatius of Loyola, St. Camillus de Lellis, St. Katharine Drexel

Saints Are People Who Are Brave St. Perpetua and St. Felicity, St. George, St. Margaret Clitherow, St. Isaac Jogues, The Carmelite Nuns of Compiegne, St. Maximilian Kolbe

Saints Are People Who Help the Poor and Sick St. Elizabeth of Hungary, St. Vincent de Paul, St. Martin de Porres, Blessed Joseph de Veuster

Saints Are People Who Help In Ordinary Ways St. Christopher, St. Blaise, St. Anthony of Padua, St. Bernard of Montjoux

Saints Are People Who Come From All Over the World Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha, St. Paul Miki, Blessed Peter To Rot, Blessed Maria Clementine Anuarite Nengapeta

Free Book on Mary Magdalene

     Mary Magdalne: Truth Legends and Lies is available free today

Mary — like Peter, Andrew, and the other apostles — walked away from life as she knew it, abandoned everything to follow Jesus. Why?

“. . . from whom seven demons had gone out.”

Exorcism is an aspect of Jesus’ ministry that many of us either forget about or ignore, but the Gospels make clear how important it is: Mark, in fact, describes an exorcism as Jesus’ first mighty deed, in the midst of his preaching (1:25). Some modern com-mentators might declare that what the ancients referred to as pos-session was nothing more than mental illness, but there is really no reason to assume that is true. The “demons,” or unclean or evil spirits, we see mentioned sixty-three times in the Gospels were understood as forces that indeed possessed people, inhabiting them, bringing on what we would describe as mental problems, emotional disturbances, and even physical illness. The symptoms, however, were, to the ancient mind, only that: symptoms. The deeper problem was the alienation from the rest of the human family and from God produced by this mysterious force of evil.

In the world in which Jesus lived, seven was a number that symbolized completion, from the seven days of creation (Genesis 1:1-2:3) to the seven seals on God’s book in Revelation (5:1) and the seven horns and eyes of the Lamb in the same vision (5:6). Mary’s possession by seven demons (also explicitly mentioned in Mark 16:9) indicates to us that her possession was serious and overwhelming — total, in fact. She was wholly in the grip of these evil spirits, and Jesus freed her — totally.

So of course, she left everything and followed him.

MORE

St. Barnabas - June 11

    “Consequently, it is not the fact that we have never erred but our capacity for reconciliation and forgiveness which makes us saints”

Back in the day, Pope Benedict used his General Audience talks to teach us about various figures in church history, beginning with the apostles. At the time, Catholic publishers gathered these talks into bound volumes. When OSV did this, they asked me to do a couple of study guides.

This particular book isn’t in print any more, but of course, all the talks are available for free online.

I maintain that these talks on both the Apostles and the Latin and Greek Fathers would be great parish adult religious education resources – if you agree, feel free to download and reprint the study guide.

Below are the two pages from the guide with suggested study and reflection questions for the unit that includes the talk on St. Barnabas.

The study guide on The Fathers by Amy Welborn is available through this link.

Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, from his 2007 General Audience on St. Barnabas

 

Together with Paul, he then went to the so-called Council of Jerusalem where after a profound examination of the question, the Apostles with the Elders decided to discontinue the practice of circumcision so that it was no longer a feature of the Christian identity (cf. Acts 15: 1-35). It was only in this way that, in the end, they officially made possible the Church of the Gentiles, a Church without circumcision; we are children of Abraham simply through faith in Christ.

The two, Paul and Barnabas, disagreed at the beginning of the second missionary journey because Barnabas was determined to take with them as a companion John called Mark, whereas Paul was against it, since the young man had deserted them during their previous journey (cf. Acts 13: 13; 15: 36-40).

Hence there are also disputes, disagreements and controversies among saints. And I find this very comforting, because we see that the saints have not “fallen from Heaven”. They are people like us, who also have complicated problems.

Holiness does not consist in never having erred or sinned. Holiness increases the capacity for conversion, for repentance, for willingness to start again and, especially, for reconciliation and forgiveness.

So it was that Paul, who had been somewhat harsh and bitter with regard to Mark, in the end found himself with him once again. In St Paul’s last Letters, to Philemon and in his Second Letter to Timothy, Mark actually appears as one of his “fellow workers”.

Consequently, it is not the fact that we have never erred but our capacity for reconciliation and forgiveness which makes us saints. And we can all learn this way of holiness.

Free Book on Mary Magdalene

       Mary Magdalne: Truth Legends and Lies is available free today, January 12. 

Are you interested in an objective examination of the life and lore of Mary Magdalene, a narrative that isn't agenda-driven or saturated with ideology?

Do you just want to learn more about Mary Magdalene's identity and role in Christian spirituality, literature and art?

There's a great deal of material out there on Mary Magdalene, it's true. Some of the scholarly material is really fine, but too many of the books for popular audiences are informed by one ideology or another, or fall completely into fantasy.

MARY MAGDALENE: TRUTH, LEGENDS AND LIES by Amy Welborn  focuses on the facts: what we know about Mary Magdalene from the Gospels, and then how Christian tradition in both East and West continued to meditate on the figure of Mary Magdalene, seeing in her the model disciple - and weaving all kinds of fascinating legends around her as well.

So - come meet Mary Magdalene - as she comes to us in the Gospels, as Christians imagined her through the ages as they contemplated her fidelity and discipleship, and how some contemporary interpreters get her so completely wrong.

Free Book on Mary Magdalene

   Mary Magdalene is very important in the Easter narratives

    Mary Magdalne: Truth Legends and Lies is available free today

Mary — like Peter, Andrew, and the other apostles — walked away from life as she knew it, abandoned everything to follow Jesus. Why?

“. . . from whom seven demons had gone out.”

Exorcism is an aspect of Jesus’ ministry that many of us either forget about or ignore, but the Gospels make clear how important it is: Mark, in fact, describes an exorcism as Jesus’ first mighty deed, in the midst of his preaching (1:25). Some modern com-mentators might declare that what the ancients referred to as pos-session was nothing more than mental illness, but there is really no reason to assume that is true. The “demons,” or unclean or evil spirits, we see mentioned sixty-three times in the Gospels were understood as forces that indeed possessed people, inhabiting them, bringing on what we would describe as mental problems, emotional disturbances, and even physical illness. The symptoms, however, were, to the ancient mind, only that: symptoms. The deeper problem was the alienation from the rest of the human family and from God produced by this mysterious force of evil.

In the world in which Jesus lived, seven was a number that symbolized completion, from the seven days of creation (Genesis 1:1-2:3) to the seven seals on God’s book in Revelation (5:1) and the seven horns and eyes of the Lamb in the same vision (5:6). Mary’s possession by seven demons (also explicitly mentioned in Mark 16:9) indicates to us that her possession was serious and overwhelming — total, in fact. She was wholly in the grip of these evil spirits, and Jesus freed her — totally.

So of course, she left everything and followed him.

MORE

Free Book on Mary Magdalene

    Mary Magdalene is very important in the Easter narratives

  Free today: Mary Magdalene, Truth, Legends and Lies by Amy Welborn

Chapter 1:

No, the Gospels are not straight history or biography in the contemporary sense. They are testaments of faith. But they are testaments of faith rooted in what really happened. The evangelists, and by extension, the early Christians, were not about making up stories for which they would later, oddly, give their lives. They were not cleverly presenting their inner psychological transformations in the form of concrete stories. They were witnesses to the amazing action of God in history, through Jesus. 

 

 

They are testimonies of faith, yes, but faith rooted in the realities of God’s movement in the world.

The evidence seems, at first glance, frustratingly slim: an introduction in Luke, and then Mary’s presence at the cross and at the empty tomb mentioned in all four Gospels. Not much to go on, it seems.

Before the legends, myths, and speculation, and even before the best-selling novels, there was something else: the Gospels.
The figure of Mary Magdalene has inspired a wealth of art, devotion, and charitable works throughout Christian history, but if we want to really understand her, we have to open the Gospels, because all we really know for sure is right there.
But in the context, the situation isn’t as bad as it appears. After all, no one besides Jesus is described in any detail in the Gospels, and even the portrait of Jesus, as evocative as it is, omits details that we moderns are programmed to think are important. Perhaps, given the context, the Gospels tell us more about Mary Magdalene than we think.

Trustworthy?

Before we actually meet the Mary Magdalene of the Gospels, it might be a good idea to remind ourselves of exactly what the Gospels are and how to read them.

 MORE

Corpus Christi - June 7

       

 The feast of Corpus Christi is today  - the Feast of the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ. 

Teach children about the symbolism of the Eucharist from the Loyola Kids Book of Catholic Signs and Symbols by Amy Welborn

2019 Best Book Awards, Finalist: Children's Religious
2019 Independent Press Awards, Winner: Children's Religious Non-Fiction
2019 Catholic Press Association, First Place: Children's Books and Books for Teens—Children's Books
2019 Moonbeam Children's Books, Gold Medal: Religion/Spirituality
2019 Illumination Book Awards, Gold Medal: Education
2018 Moonbeam Children's Book Awards, Silver Medal: Religion/Spirituality

On the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread,

when they sacrificed the Passover lamb,

Jesus’ disciples said to him,

"Where do you want us to go

and prepare for you to eat the Passover?"

He sent two of his disciples and said to them,

"Go into the city and a man will meet you,

carrying a jar of water.

Follow him.

Wherever he enters, say to the master of the house,

'The Teacher says, "Where is my guest room

where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?"'

Then he will show you a large upper room furnished and ready.

Make the preparations for us there."

The disciples then went off, entered the city,

and found it just as he had told them;

and they prepared the Passover.

St. Boniface - June 5

      

The Loyola Kids' Book of Saints by Amy Welborn

 Over 40 saints' lives,written at a middle-school reading level.

  I. Saints are People Who Love Children St. Nicholas,St. John Bosco, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, Blessed Gianna Beretta Molla

Saints Are People Who Love Their Families St. Monica,St. Cyril and St. Methodius, St. Therese of Lisieux,Blessed Frederic Ozanam,

 Saints Are People Who Surprise OthersSt. Simeon Stylites,St. Celestine V,St. Joan of Arc,St. Catherine of Siena

  Saints Are People Who Create St. Hildegard of Bingen,Blessed Fra Angelico,St. John of the Cross,Blessed Miguel Pro

  Saints Are People Who Teach Us New Ways to Pray St. Benedict,St. Dominic de Guzman,St. Teresa of Avila,St. Louis de Monfort

  Saints Are People Who See Beyond the Everyday St. Juan Diego, St. Frances of Rome, St. Bernadette Soubirous, Blessed Padre Pio

  Saints Are People Who Travel From Home St. Boniface, St. Peter Claver, St. Francis Xavier, St. Francis Solano, St. Francis Xavier Cabrini

  Saints Are People Who Are Strong Leaders St. Helena, St. Leo the Great, St. Wenceslaus, St. John Neumann

  Saints Are People Who Tell The Truth St. Polycarp, St. Thomas Becket, St. Thomas More, Blessed Titus Brandsma

  Saints Are People Who Help Us Understand God St. Augustine of Hippo, St. Jerome, St. Patrick, St. Thomas Aquinas, St. Edith Stein

  Saints Are People Who Change Their Lives for God St. Ambrose, St. Gregory the Great, St. Francis of Assisi, St. Ignatius of Loyola, St. Camillus de Lellis, St. Katharine Drexel

  Saints Are People Who Are Brave St. Perpetua and St. Felicity, St. George, St. Margaret Clitherow, St. Isaac Jogues, The Carmelite Nuns of Compiegne, St. Maximilian Kolbe

  Saints Are People Who Help the Poor and Sick St. Elizabeth of Hungary, St. Vincent de Paul, St. Martin de Porres, Blessed Joseph de Veuster

  Saints Are People Who Help In Ordinary Ways St. Christopher, St. Blaise, St. Anthony of Padua, St. Bernard of Montjoux

  Saints Are People Who Come From All Over the World Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha, St. Paul Miki, Blessed Peter To Rot, Blessed Maria Clementine Anuarite Nengapeta

Amy Welborn Substack

  Amy Welborn has has a Substack publication, focused on the changes in the Church after the Second Vatican Council. 

Prayer:

In terms of personal prayer, my formation was scant. My mother, as I said, was observant, but the only prayers I learned were the basics: Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be.  I was given a rosary for my First Communion and knew how to pray it – but in a very basic form. When I returned to the rosary in my 30’s and people were doing all those pray for us o holy Mother of God that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ and even Hail Holy Queen – it was all brand-new to me.

And that’s it. I was not taught any other prayers at home, in CCD or – and here’s the meat of this post – in Catholic school.

Before we talk about the Catholic school experience, let’s talk about home. I don’t suggest that my experience was typical at all. I don’t know how much of mine - the fact that I learned no prayers and that prayer wasn’t a part of daily life in the home - was due to my mother’s personality or the way she was raised. I know that others, raised in different environments and perhaps even in different ethnic contexts, had far different experiences. But that’s mine. Observant, believing mother who taught me the basics and then let me on my own.

More

The Psalms for Children by Amy Welborn

      

A Child's Book of Psalms by Amy Welborn  is a hardcover introduction to the Psalms.  It includes many of the Psalms themselves, and an introduction - written by me - explaining what the Psalms are and how they have been prayed by Jewish and Christian people over the centuries, and still are today.

(Illustrated selections from 22 of the Bible s best-loved Psalms. Author Amy Welborn explains the history, background, and types of Psalms in an introduction and two supplemental chapters. Includes a map and visual history of the Holy Land from Abraham through Solomon. Author: Amy Welborn Format: 61 pages, Hardcover Publisher: C. D. Stampley Enterprises (September 2007))

. Summer Bible Study

      

Looking for a parish Bible study for this fall...or perhaps even this summer?


Through the Bible parables, Jesus reveals who he is and how we are to follow him. Learn how to relate the parables of Jesus to life today in Parables: Stories of the Kingdom by Amy Welborn.

It is a part of Loyola Press' Six Weeks With the Bible series, which provides individuals or groups plans for concise but thorough 90-minute sessions to learn about and discuss the pertinent Scriptural passages.  

Trinity Sunday

       

Symbols related to the Trinity from The Loyola Kids Book of Catholic Signs and Symbols. by Amy Welborn 

For centuries people learned about the Christian faith through paintings, sculptures, objects, and gestures. Simple images still convey deep messages if we learn how to see and understand them. Award-winning children’s author Amy Welborn has created a friendly and fascinating sourcebook on the signs and symbols of the Catholic faith. The exquisite illustrations throughout will inspire conversation and prayerful reflection for readers of all ages. Each image appears with a brief, child-friendly explanation coupled with a more detailed description on the opposite page.

From the sign of the fish to the Stations of the Cross, from the palm branch to Our Lady of Guadalupe, Loyola Kids Book of Catholic Signs and Symbols by Amy Welborn will enable children and adults to experience faith with curiosity and wonder.​

2018 Moonbeam Award, SILVER: Religion/Spirituality
2019 Illumination Book Awards, Gold in Education
2019 Independent Press Awards, Winner in Children's Religious Non-Fiction
2019 Catholic Press Association Book Awards, First Place in Children's Book and Books for Teens: Children's Books​

Joan of Arc - May 30

   Today's the memorial of St. Joan of Arc.  Here are the first and last pages from the entry on her  from The Loyola Kids Book of Saints by Amy Welborn. 

Who are the saints, why are the lives of saints important for children, and what can children learn from the saints? In Loyola Kids Book of Saints, the first in the Loyola Kids series, best-selling author Amy Welborn answers these questions with exciting and inspiring stories, real-life applications, and important information about these heroes of the church. The more than 60 stories of saints for children in this book are divided thematically and cover saints throughout history from all over the world.

Amy Welborn Podcast

   

After a bit of a break, we are back with our penultimate choices for the “Most Spiritually Significant Films of all time.”

Our choices?

Me: Robert Duvall’s (in every sense) The Apostle

Chris: The Coen brothers’ A Serious Man.

A bit more on The Apostle – I offer background in the podcast, but here are a few links that might interest you.

You can read Duvall’s script here. It’s pretty close to what made it onscreen.

There are many good interviews with Duvall on the film – here’s one.

Duvall (who is still alive, btw) made another spiritually significant film, which I did consider for my list – Tender Mercies. I wrote about it here, and yes, you should watch it. Watch them both!

As I mention in the podcast, my backgrounder on The Apostle was much simpler than it had been for my previous choice, On The Waterfront, which had to take in Elia Kazan, Budd Schulberg, Marlon Brando, the Actors’ Studio and the priest on which Karl Malden’s character was based, Father John Corridan. This time it was just Duvall, who conceived the project, nurtured it over decades, wrote the script, directed and starred in it. But you should still go back and learn about Fr. Corridan at least – here’s my blog post on that.

Amy Welborn Podcast

   New podcast episode 

…still working through our list of “Top 20 Spiritually Significant films…”  this week, we’ve got:

Lilies of the Field (me)

And

The Shawshank Redemption 

You’ll have to listen to get

1. My take on Lilies

And

• My rather stupendous – and maybe even stupid –  misperception about Shawshank which (I admit) I had never seen until last week.

Spotify

Apple

Podcast website

But I do want to take some time to share a bit about the book on which Lilies is based. I touched on it in the podcast, but here I’m going to dig a little deeper into that aspect.

Lilies of the Field was a novella before it was film. Written by William Barrett, It’s very short – 127 small-format pages, which you can read here if you like. It won’t take you long. I actually owned the paperback that’s preserved at Internet Archive, but it’s either long gone or in a box somewhere. I read it a few times as a preteen and teen.

It’s not the gooiest light mid century Catholic literature you could imagine, by far,  but still probably gooey enough to make Flannery find some choice words if it were one of the books she’d reviewed it for the Georgia Bulletin. I don’t think it was – however, as David King notes in his article on Lilies for the Georgia Bulletin, Barrett reviewed O’Connor (positively) for the Atlantic, which is interesting.

Barrett was Catholic and wrote several Catholic-themed novels, including a sequel to Lilies in which Homer Smith wanders into a tent-meeting in the midwest and replaces the preacher, I think (not to be confused with the 1979 made-for-television sequel called Christmas Lilies of the Field, starring Billy Dee Williams….) One of Barrett’s novels was The Left Hand of God – about a man masquerading as a priest in post-war China – and was adapted into a movie starring Humphrey Bogart.)

As I prepared for the podcast, I not only rewatched the film, but I re-read the book as well. The major difference is that the point of view is more intimately that of Homer Smith’s, so we’re privy to some of his interior growth in a way that we’re not in the film.

Amy Welborn Podcast

    Amy Welborn participates in a podcast hosted by Chris Barnett on faith and culture. The first season, we looked at film. 

 

Here's a partial list of the films we discussed and links to the podcast. 

Amy’s List to Date (go to his blog to see his choices).

I’m going to add notes here to other occasions I’ve written about these films, as well as my son’s takes, when applicable.

(20) The Best Years of Our Lives (William Wyler, 1946)

I thought – in fact, I would have sworn – that I had written about this somewhere, but I don’t see it. Anyway, here is Movie Guy Son’s take, with the very apt description of “noted plank of wood Dana Andrews.”

(19) The Third Man (Carol Reed, 1949)

(18) The Exorcist (William Friedkin, 1973)

I wrote about the reaction to the film at the other place – in the context of those post-Vatican II years.

(17) O Brother, Where Art Thou? (Joel and Ethan Coen, 2000)

(16) Dead Man Walking (Tim Robbins, 1995)

(15) Joe Versus the Volcano (John Patrick Shanley, 1990)

(14) Amadeus (Miloš Forman, 1984)

Me – a quick mention in the context of the latest David Copperfield adaptation. Another recent post mentioning the film. Movie Guy Son.

(13) Lilies of the Field (Ralph Nelson, 1963)