Category: movies

  • What good movies are about Saints?

    What good movies are about Saints?

    What good movies are about Saints? When you fall in love with a Saint, there is a spiritual thirst that can’t be quenched, and you want to learn as much as you can about your chosen saint. Some of these movies about things or acts that people have done that would be considered saintly. Some are canonized while others are still waiting like Dorothy Day. Even Saint Hildegard of Bingen (1098 – 17 September 1179) was only just canonized in 2012 into a full-fledged saint based upon the Catholic tradition. Some subjects will be familiar to you while others might be more obscure. There is no order of saintly preference on the list. What good movies about Saints would you recommend?

    Saint Movies

    Please share in the comments below.

    The Passion of Joan of Arc (1927)

    In 1431, Jeanne d’Arc is placed on trial on charges of heresy. The ecclesiastical jurists attempt to force Jeanne to recant her claims of holy visions.

    Entertaining Angels (1996)

    Entertaining Angels – The Dorothy Day Story is a 1996 independent film about the life of Dorothy Day, the journalist turned social activist and founder of the Catholic Worker newspaper. Trailer only.

    Agony and the Ecstasy (1965)

    This film deals with the conflicts of Michelangelo and Pope Julius II during the painting of the Sistine Chapel ceiling.

    Boys Town (1938)

    Boys Town is based on Father Edward J. Flanagan‘s work with a group of underprivileged and delinquent boys in a home that he founded and named “Boys Town”.

    Claire of Assisi

    She founded the Order of Poor Ladies, a monastic religious order for women in the Franciscan tradition, and wrote their Rule of Life — the first set of monastic guidelines known to have been written by a woman.

    Francesco (1989)

    Francesco is a 1989 docu-drama relating in flashback St. Francis of Assisi‘s evolution from rich man’s son to religious humanitarian and finally to full-fledged saint.

    The Hiding Place (1975)

    The Hiding Place is a 1975 film based on the autobiographical book of the same name by Corrie ten Boom that recounts her and her family’s experiences before and during their imprisonment in a Nazi concentration camp during the Holocaust in World War II.

    Hildegard of Bingen (2012)

    In this one-woman film, international mezzo soprano Linn Maxwell embodies the extraordinary life of 12th century German prophetess, healer and composer, Hildegard of Bingen, who was canonized in 2012 and named a Doctor of the Church.

    Jesus Of Nazareth (1977)

    A 1977 British-Italian television miniseries directed by Franco Zeffirelli that dramatizes the birth, life, ministry, crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus.

    Maximilian: Saint Of Auschwitz (Live drama)

    A Polish Catholic priest and Conventual Franciscan friar who volunteered to die in place of a stranger in the German death camp of Auschwitz during World War II.

    Faustina (1995)

    Throughout her life, Faustina Kowalska reported having visions of Jesus and conversations with him, which she noted in her diary, later published as The Diary of Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska: Divine Mercy in My Soul.

    The Night of the Prophet (1996)

    The first full-length drama on the life of Padre Pio, who had such great spiritual gifts as mystical prayer, bilocation, reading souls, and suffered the five wounds of Christ for fifty years.

    The Miracle of Our Lady of Fatima (1952)

    Set in 1917, three shepherd children living just outside Fatima, Portugal have visions of a lovely lady in a cloud.

    John of the Cross (Live drama)

    John of the Cross is known especially for his writings. Both his poetry and his studies on the development of the soul are considered the summit of mystical Spanish literature and among the greatest works of all Spanish literature.

    Miracle of Marcelino (1955)

    Marcelino is an orphan who grows up in a monastery. One day he gives a piece of his bread to an old wooden Jesus figure — and it takes the bread and eats it. His wish granted, Marcelino asks to see his mother.

    Thérèse (Live drama)

    St. Thérèse is best known today for her spiritual memoir, L’histoire d’une âme (The Story of a Soul).

    Saint Patrick – The Irish Legend (2000)

    A young Christian boy is taken captive by invading Irish tribes and enslaved. Enduring many hardships, he finds salvation in his faith, escapes back to England, and ultimately fulfills his greatest desire — to return to Ireland as a missionary.

    The Reluctant Saint (1962)

    In 17th century Italy, a simple and clumsy young man joins a Franciscan order, pursues full priesthood, and performs a miracle that eventually ensures his sainthood.

    A Time for Miracles (1980)

    Miracle at Moreaux (1985)

    A French Catholic boarding school allows three Jewish children to take refuge at Christmas during the Nazi occupation.

    Pope John Paul II (2005)

    Thanks to his unshakable tenacity, Pope John Paul II helps change the course of history, including the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. He remains the voice of Christ even amid the injustices of the modern world.

    The Jewelers Shop (1988)

    Based on a play written by Pope John Paul II, The Jeweler (Burt Lancaster) sells wedding rings to couples and teaches precious truths about the meaning of love and marriage.

    The Fourth Wise Man (1985)

    The story of Artaban, the fourth Magi, who spends his life searching for Jesus his King.

    Ocean of Mercy (2011)

    Tells the story of Maximilian Kolbe, Sister Faustina, and Pope John Paul II — how they devoted their lives to God and navigated adversity with the conviction that they were never alone.

    Brother Sun – Sister Moon (1972)

    Dramatization of events in the life of St. Francis of Assisi from before his conversion through his audience with the pope, including his friendship with St. Clare.

    Vision – From the Life of Hildegard Von Bingen (2011)

    A visionary in every sense of the word, this famed 12th-century Benedictine nun was a Christian mystic, composer, philosopher, playwright, poet, naturalist, scientist, physician, herbalist, and ecological activist.

    Please let me know in the comments below what other movies about saints or saintly behavior should be listed here. This list is primarily Catholic-leaning, but the saint and mystic tradition is widespread within many other religions.

  • Asking a question is hard in live virtual events

    Asking a question is hard in live virtual events

    As the filmmaker-pilgrim behind The Unruly Mystic Series, I have always found the answers more instructive than the questions. Learning what to ask in the first place — that is the hardest part. Perhaps that instinct comes from my DNA as the son of an astronomer, Peter S. Conti (September 5, 1934 – June 21, 2021). The answers I received through many hours of interviews gave me insight into my own constantly developing spirituality — a luxury I don’t have in live virtual events, where there is no thoughtful editing to fall back on.

    Through the process of making these films and running live virtual events, I gained confidence in my own creative work and in the importance of making something of value for the world. For those who haven’t yet taken that plunge fully — there is someone out there right now looking for something that your future self will be creating.

    Going Live in Virtual Events

    Through the filmmaking process I have encountered many people whose knowledge and personal journeys would have enriched the films — but it is virtually impossible to include everyone in a 120-minute documentary. Each story is unique, each inspirational in its own way.

    Starting in 2020, during the pandemic, I began using a live virtual events format to share those conversations in real time — with breakout rooms that allow for the kind of exchange that can lead to genuine understanding and change. These are the conversations that films can point toward but never fully contain.

    The first experiment was a VMuir Day Panel in 2020, celebrating John Muir’s 182nd birthday on April 21, 2020, during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic. Panelists were asked about death, connecting with nature in isolation, and why John Muir remains relevant today.

    That September, over 150 virtual pilgrims attended the first live Saint Hildegard Pilgrimage — a virtual gathering for her Feast Day on September 17th. The response was extraordinary and confirmed that this format has a life of its own.

    Hildegard Presenter Requirements

    Presenters for the Saint Hildegard virtual events are invited based on the following criteria:

    • A personal connection to Saint Hildegard’s teachings, medicine, art, or music
    • Has done something meaningful around that creative connection — has taken the plunge
    • Is able to share their own process and experience in doing that work

    A Work in Progress

    I see each of us in Saint Hildegard, and Saint Hildegard in each of us. That is a work in progress — and an ongoing invitation.

    Join the conversation as we celebrate the spirituality and creativity of Saint Hildegard, as manifested through her natural medicine, art, writing, and music.

    Saint Hildegard Virtual Pilgrimage — September 2021

    Virtual Pilgrimage with Saint Hildegard — September 17 and 18, 2021, live and pre-recorded events
    Virtual Pilgrimage with Saint Hildegard — sainthildegard.com

    The September 2021 gathering offered a live virtual pilgrimage — both live and pre-recorded — spanning 12 days of recordings alongside two live event days over Saint Hildegard’s Feast Day, September 17 and 18, 2021.

    On September 17th at 1 PM EST, the Feast Day opened with the ringing of bells from Hildegard Haus in Fairport Harbor, Ohio, followed by a sermon from Rev. Dr. Shanon Sterringer. On Saturday, September 18th, Rev. Carol Vaccariello opened the day at 1 PM EST, followed by Rector Susan Springer offering a solemnity for St John’s Episcopal Church in Boulder, Colorado.

    Rev. Dr. Matthew Fox — author of Illuminations of Hildegard of Bingen, Hildegard’s Book of Divine Works with Letters and Songs, and Hildegard of Bingen, a Saint for Our Times: Unleashing Her Power in the 21st Century — shared reflections on spirituality and creativity with the gathered community.