The Prayer in the Grotto

Immaculate Mary, pray for us.
St. Bernadette, pray for us.

Bernadette at Massabielle

One hundred fifty three years ago today. From the film Bernadette --

The Immaculate Conception and Healing the Sick

Today is the Feast Day of Our Lady of Lourdes. It was on February 11, 1858, that the Lady in White appeared to the humble Bernadette Soubirous at Massabielle in Lourdes, France.

Later, on March 25 (Solemnity of the Annunciation), the Lady said, "I am the Immaculate Conception." When Bernadette reported this, the particular phraseology confounded some people. They did not have trouble with the "Immaculate Conception" part, but with the "I am . . ." part. They thought that Bernadette must have misstated the message and that the Lady must have instead said something like "I am immaculately conceived" or "I am the Virgin of the Immaculate Conception," reasoning that one cannot be her own conception, she cannot conceive herself.

But is that particular way of identification, "I am the Immaculate Conception," really all that illogical? Being "full of grace," the Blessed Virgin is, by her very nature, both pure and ever-new. The term "Immaculate Conception" describes not merely an event or process, but describes who and what Mary is. She is, in her being, immaculate and pure, and as the holy mother of He who "makes all things new," being now eternally joined with Him in spirit and body, she too is eternally new.

And it is because Mary is the Immaculate Conception, and not merely the product of an immaculate conception, that, through her at Lourdes and elsewhere, combined with the loving prayers of the faithful, the sick might also be made new and healed. There have been 67 cases of miraculous medical cures recognized by the Church and countless other cures that are as yet "unexplained." Here is a list of those 67 people physically healed at Lourdes (pdf file). Of course, there have been many, many more people who have received spiritual healing or been strengthened in the faith due to Our Lady of Lourdes.

"Lourdes should not be reduced to the alternatives - miracle or no a miracle. For the Church, as well as for the believer, a pilgrimage to Mary is more than a journey to a miracle. It is a journey of love, of prayer and of the suffering community."

-- Professor François-Bernard Michel, Co-Chairman of the International Medical Committee of Lourdes

The Virgin's maternal care for the sick and suffering is one of the many messages of Lourdes, messages of faith, hope, and love.

Homily of Pope Benedict XVI
Memorial of Our Lady of Lourdes
18th World Day of the Sick
February 11, 2010

The Gospels, in the synthetic descriptions of the brief but intense public life of Jesus, attest that He proclaimed the Word and healed the sick, a sign par excellence of the closeness of the Kingdom of God. For example, Matthew writes: "And He went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and preaching the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every infirmity among the people" (Matthew 4:23; cf 9:35). The Church, which has been entrusted with the task of prolonging the mission of Christ in space and time, cannot neglect these two essential works: evangelization and care of the sick in body and spirit. God, in fact, wishes to heal the whole man, and in the Gospel the healing of the body is a sign of a more profound healing, which is the remission of sins (cf Mark 2:1-12).

Hence, it is not surprising that Mary, Mother and model of the Church, is invoked and venerated as "salus infirmorum," "health of the sick." As first and perfect disciple of her Son, she has always shown, accompanying the journey of the Church, special solicitude for the suffering. Testimony of this is given by the thousands of people who go to Marian shrines to invoke the Mother of Christ, and find strength and relief.

The Gospel narrative of the Visitation (cf. Luke 1:39-56) shows us how the Virgin, after the evangelical announcement, did not keep to herself the gift received, but left immediately to go to help her elderly cousin Elizabeth, who for six months had been carrying John in her womb. In the support given by Mary to this relative who was, at an advanced age, living a delicate situation such as pregnancy, we see prefigured the whole action of the Church in support of life in need of care. . . .

A most affectionate welcome goes naturally to you, dear sick people. Thank you for coming and above all for your prayer, enriched with the offer of your toil and sufferings. And my greeting goes also to the sick and volunteers joining us today from Lourdes, Fatima, Czestochowa and from other Marian shrines, and to all those following us on radio and television, especially from clinics or from their homes. May the Lord God, who constantly watches over his children, give everyone relief and consolation.

Today's Liturgy of the Word presents two main themes: the first is of a Marian character, and it unites the Gospel and the first reading, taken from the last chapter of the Book of Isaiah, as well as the Responsorial Psalm, taken from Judith's canticle of praise. The other theme, which we find in the passage of the Letter of James, is of the prayer of the Church for the sick and, in particular, of the sacrament reserved for them.

In the memorial of the apparitions of Lourdes, a place chosen by Mary to manifest her maternal solicitude for the sick, the liturgy appropriately makes the Magnificat resonate, the canticle of the Virgin who exalts the wonders of God in the history of salvation: the humble and the indigent, as all those who fear God, experience His mercy, He who reverses earthly fortunes and thus demonstrates the holiness of the Creator and Redeemer. The Magnificat is not the canticle of those on whom fortune smiles, who always "prosper," rather it is the thanksgiving of those who know the tragedies of life, but trust the redeeming work of God. It is a song that expresses the tested faith of generations of men and women who have placed their hope in God and have committed themselves personally, like Mary, to being of help to brothers in need. In the Magnificat, we hear the voice of so many men and women saints of charity, I am thinking in particular of those who consumed their lives among the sick and suffering, such as Camillus of Lellis and John of God, Damien de Veuster and Benito Menni. Whoever spends a long time near persons who suffer, knows anguish and tears, but also the miracle of joy, fruit of love.

The maternity of the Church is a reflection of the solicitous love of God, of which the prophet Isaiah speaks: "As one whom his mother comforts, so I will comfort you; you shall be comforted in Jerusalem" (Isaiah 66:13).

A maternity that speaks without words, which arouses consolation in hearts, a joy that paradoxically co-exists with pain, with suffering. Like Mary, the Church bears within herself the tragedies of man, and the consolation of God, she keeps them together, in the course of her pilgrimage in history. Across the centuries, the Church shows the signs of the love of God, who continues to do great things in humble and simple people.

Suffering that is accepted and offered, a sharing that is sincere and free, are these not, perhaps, miracles of love? The courage to face evils unarmed -- as Judith -- with the sole strength of faith and of hope in the Lord, is this not a miracle that the grace of God arouses continually in so many persons who spend time and energy helping those who suffer?

For all this, we live a joy that does not forget suffering, on the contrary, it includes it. In this way, the sick and all the suffering are in the Church, not only as recipients of attention and care, but first and above all, protagonists of the pilgrimage of faith and hope, witnesses of the prodigies of love, of the paschal joy that flowers from the cross and the resurrection of Christ.

In the passage of the Letter of James just proclaimed, the Apostle invites awaiting with constancy the already close coming of the Lord and, in this context, addresses a particular exhortation to the sick. This context is very interesting, because it reflects the action of Jesus, who, curing the sick, showed the closeness of the Kingdom of God.

Sickness is seen in the perspective of the end times, with the realism of hope that is typically Christian. "Is any one among you suffering? Let him pray. Is any cheerful? Let him sing praise" (James 5:13). We seem to hear similar words in St. Paul, when he invites us to live everything in relation to the radical news of Christ, his death and resurrection (cf. 1 Corinthians 7:29-31).

"Is any among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; and the prayer of faith will save the sick man, and the Lord will raise him up; and if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven" (James 5:14-15).

Evident here is the prolongation of Christ in His Church; He is always the one who acts through the presbyters; it is His same Spirit that operates through the sacramental sign of the oil; it is to Him that faith is directed, expressed in prayer; and, as happened with the persons cured by Jesus, one can say to each sick person: Your faith, supported by the faith of brothers and sisters, has saved you.

From this text, which contains the foundation and practice of the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick, is extracted at the same time a vision of the role of the sick in the Church: An active role as it "provokes," so to speak, prayer made with faith.

"Is any among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church." In this Year for Priests, I wish to stress the bond between the sick and priests, a sort of alliance, of evangelical "complicity." Both have a task: The sick person must "call" the presbyters, and they must respond, to bring upon the experience of sickness the presence and action of the Risen One and of his Spirit.

And here we can see all the importance of the pastoral care of the sick, the value of which is truly incalculable, because of the immense good it does in the first place to the sick person and to the priest himself, but also to relatives, to friends, to the community and, through hidden and unknown ways, to the whole Church and to the world. In fact, when the Word of God speaks of healing, of salvation, of the health of the sick, it understands these concepts in an integral sense, never separating soul and body: A sick person cured by Christ's prayer, through the Church, is a joy on earth and in heaven, a first fruit of eternal life.

Dear friends, as I wrote in the encyclical "Spe Salvi," "The true measure of humanity is essentially determined in relationship to suffering and to the sufferer" (No. 38). By instituting a dicastery dedicated to health care ministry, the Church also wished to make her own contribution to promote a world capable of receiving and looking after the sick as persons. In fact, she has wished to help them to live the experience of sickness in a human way, without denying it, but giving it a meaning.

I would like to end these reflections with a thought of the Venerable Pope John Paul II, to which he gave witness with his own life. In the apostolic letter "Salvifici Doloris," he wrote: "At one and the same time, Christ has taught man to do good by His suffering and to do good to those who suffer."

May the Virgin Mary help us to live this mission fully. Amen!

(Relics of St. Bernadette Soubirous were present at the Mass at St. Peter's Basilica.)

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A Travelogue of Lourdes

Here is a fascinating photo montage of a pilgrimage to Lourdes.

The Story of Lourdes (Parts 3 and 4)

See parts one and two of this Italian documentary here.






To be continued (and concluded) . . .

The Story of Lourdes

Here is another documentary in Italiano (with subtitles) on Lourdes and Bernadette, which include clips of the first dramatic film about Bernadette -- from 1909.






To be continued . . .

Bernadette and Suffering

Growing up, Bernadette was often sickly and physically weak due to severe asthma and other maladies, not to mention undernourishment due to poverty. She was able to obtain some relief during those times when her parents sent her to the home of her foster-mother, Marie (Aravant) Laguës, who lived in the country, but Bernadette wanted to come home to Lourdes, especially so that she could make her First Communion. And her health was always worse when she was in Lourdes.

So it was when she went to Massabielle and encountered the Lady she called "Aquéro." The Lady later told Bernadette to dig at a spot in the grotto, and from that spot, a spring of water appeared -- water which later would be used in the miraculous cures of many sick people. But Bernadette was not one of those to be cured. After she entered the convent at Nevers, she was frequently in bed in the infirmary, and she received the Sacrament of Annointing multiple times because she was near death.

In addition to the question of, "Why should the Blessed Virgin appear to one such as Bernadette?" There is also the question of "Why didn't the waters of Lourdes heal Bernadette?"

"O Jesus and Mary, let my entire consolation in this world be to love you and to suffer for sinners."

--Bernadette

Actually, it is not entirely the case that Bernadette is not among the miraculously healed of Lourdes. Although her body failed her in this worldly existence, when she was exhumed several years after her death as part of the beatification and canonization process, Bernadette's body was found to be, like her Lady, preserved from corruption.

Coming Soon - Bernadette

Cinema Catechism will be presenting Bernadette this Thursday, February 10, 2011, together with a discussion on the theme of Faith, Hope, and Love.

Bernadette Soubirous lived in a time of ideological hostility to religion, including the constricted scientism of intellectual elites, who rejected religious faith as superstition and believed instead that "seeing is believing," that if something could not be subjected to measurement and testing, it did not exist. Bernadette, though, was no intellectual elite. Rather, for her, believing was seeing. Because of her faith, her simple modest faith of the heart, an innocent and humble love for the Lord, the lowly Bernadette was able to see what others could not: she who is our life, our sweetness, and our hope.

Surely, one could say that the words of the readings from last Sunday's Mass rightly apply to Bernadette, "Blessed are the pure of heart, for they will see God." (Mt. 5:8) Also from last week --

Consider your own calling, brothers and sisters.
Not many of you were wise by human standards,
not many were powerful,
not many were of noble birth.
Rather, God chose the foolish of the world to shame the wise,
and God chose the weak of the world to shame the strong,
and God chose the lowly and despised of the world,
those who count for nothing,
to reduce to nothing those who are something,
so that no human being might boast before God.

--1 Cor. 1:26-29

These qualities shine through in this touching film. Ignatius Press states that Bernadette is

"Highly recommended and endorsed by the Vatican . . . This two-hour film is the official dramatization of the story of St. Bernadette, and is shown daily at the world-famous Lourdes Shrine in France. Shot entirely on location under the famed French director, Jean Delannoy – one of France’s foremost filmmakers – Bernadette is based solely on recorded, factual history."

Please watch the trailer in the sidebar and read more about this beautiful film, and the real beautiful and remarkable St. Bernadette Soubirous, in the posts below.

From Massabielle the Blessed Virgin speaks to us too

The motto of Pope John Paul II was "totus tuus" (totally yours), reflecting his profoundly personal devotion to the Mary. The phrase is from the book True Devotion to Mary, by Saint Louis de Montfort, and the complete text is, "Totus tuus ego sum, et omnia mea tua sunt" (I am all yours, and all that I have is yours).

Five months before he passed from this world, the Pope journeyed to Lourdes to pray at Massabielle, where the Blessed Virgin had appeared and spoke to Bernadette. At the time, John Paul counted himself among the sick and suffering. About a month after he made his pilgrimmage to Lourdes, I saw the Holy Father in my own pilgrimmage to Rome. His Parkinson's disease pressed down upon him like a heavy cross, making his movements and speech very difficult.

John Paul spent his entire papacy teaching us with words, but in the last few years and months of his life, when the words were difficult to say, he taught us with his very being, with the model of grace and dignity that he presented to the world while in the midst of suffering. He taught us that, with Mary standing there with us, as we suffer on our own personal crosses, we too might have the grace of healing, not merely the physical healing that some have received at Lourdes, but the ultimate healing, eternal life with the Lord.


Homily of the Venerable Servant of God John Paul II
Apostolic Pilgrimage to Lourdes
Solemnity of the Assumption of Mary
August 15, 2004

1. "Que soy era Immaculada Councepciou." The words which Mary spoke to Bernadette on 25 March 1858 have a particular resonance this year, as the Church celebrates the 150th anniversary of the solemn definition of the dogma of the Immaculate Conception by Blessed Pius IX in the Apostolic Constitution Ineffabilis Deus.

I have greatly wished to make this pilgrimage to Lourdes in order to celebrate an event which continues to give glory to the Triune God. Mary’s Immaculate Conception is the sign of the gracious love of the Father, the perfect expression of the redemption accomplished by the Son and the beginning of a life completely open to the working of the Spirit.

2. Beneath the maternal gaze of the Blessed Virgin, I offer a heartfelt greeting to all of you, dear brothers and sisters, as we gather before the Grotto of Massabielle to sing the praises of her whom all generations call blessed (cf. Lk 1:48). . . .

With special affection I greet the sick and all who have come to this holy place to seek consolation and hope. May the Blessed Virgin enable you to sense her presence and give comfort to your hearts!

3. "In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country..." (Lk 1:39). The words of the Gospel story have once more brought before the eyes of our hearts the young maiden of Nazareth as she makes her way to that "city of Judah" where her kinswoman Elizabeth lived, in order to be of help to her.

What strikes us about Mary is above all her loving concern for her elderly relative. Hers is a practical love, one which is not limited to words of understanding but is deeply and personally involved in giving help. The Blessed Virgin does not merely give her cousin something of herself; she gives her whole self, asking nothing in return. Mary understood perfectly that the gift she received from God is more than a privilege; it is a duty which obliges her to serve others with the selflessness proper to love.

4. "My soul magnifies the Lord..." (Lk 1:46). Mary’s sentiments in her meeting with Elizabeth are forcefully expressed in the canticle of the Magnificat. Her words convey the hope-filled expectation of the "poor of the Lord" and at the same time an awareness that God has fulfilled his promises, for He "has remembered His mercy" (cf. Lk 1:54).

This same awareness is the source of that joy of the Virgin Mary which pervades the whole canticle: joy in knowing that she has been "looked upon" by God despite her own "lowliness" (cf. Lk 1:48); joy in the "service" she is able to offer because of the "great things" to which the Almighty has called her (cf. Lk 1:49); joy in her foretaste of the eschatological blessedness promised to "those of low degree" and "the hungry" (cf. Lk 1:52-53).

The Magnificat is followed by silence: nothing is said to us about the three months that Mary stayed with her kinswoman Elizabeth. Yet perhaps we are told the most important thing: that goodness works quietly, the power of love is expressed in the unassuming quietness of daily service.

5. By her words and her silence the Virgin Mary stands before us as a model for our pilgrim way. It is not an easy way: as a result of the fall of our first parents, humanity is marked by the wounds of sin, whose consequences continue to be felt also among the redeemed. But evil and death will not have the last word! Mary confirms this by her whole life, for she is a living witness of the victory of Christ, our Passover.

The faithful have understood this. That is why they throng to this grotto in order to hear the maternal counsels of the Blessed Virgin. In her they acknowledge "the woman clothed in the sun" (Rev 12:1), the Queen resplendent before the throne of God (cf. Responsorial Psalm), ever interceding on their behalf.

6. Today the Church celebrates Mary’s glorious Assumption body and soul into Heaven. The two dogmas of the Immaculate Conception and the Assumption are closely related. Both proclaim the glory of Christ the Redeemer and the holiness of Mary, whose human destiny is even now perfectly and definitively realized in God.

"When I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am, there you may be also" (Jn 14: 3). Mary is the pledge of the fulfilment of Christ’s promise. Her Assumption thus becomes for us "a sign of sure hope and consolation" (cf. Lumen Gentium, 68).

7. Dear brothers and sisters! From this grotto of Massabielle the Blessed Virgin speaks to us too, the Christians of the third millennium. Let us listen to her!

Listen to her, young people who seek an answer capable of giving meaning to your lives. Here you can find that answer. It is a demanding one, yet it is the only answer which is genuinely satisfying. For it contains the secret of true joy and peace.

From this grotto I issue a special call to women. Appearing here, Mary entrusted her message to a young girl, as if to emphasize the special mission of women in our own time, tempted as it is by materialism and secularism: to be in today’s society a witness of those essential values which are seen only with the eyes of the heart. To you, women, falls the task of being sentinels of the Invisible! I appeal urgently to all of you, dear brothers and sisters, to do everything in your power to ensure that life, each and every life, will be respected from conception to its natural end. Life is a sacred gift, and no one can presume to be its master.

Finally, Our Lady of Lourdes has a message for everyone. Be men and women of freedom! But remember: human freedom is a freedom wounded by sin. It is a freedom which itself needs to be set free. Christ is its liberator; He is the one who "for freedom has set us free" (cf. Gal 5:1). Defend that freedom!

Dear friends, in this we know we can count on Mary, who, since she never yielded to sin, is the only creature who is perfectly free. I entrust you to her. Walk beside Mary as you journey towards the complete fulfilment of your humanity!

"Sometimes you just have to trust and believe"

Sydney Penny began her career in acting as a child. Her early roles included parts in the mini-series The Thorn Birds (1983) and the Clint Eastwood western Pale Rider (1985). Before going on to have a big career in soap operas, Ms. Penny was chosen for the lead role in the film Bernadette (1988).

Excerpts of Ignatius Press Interview with Sydney Penny

How old were you when you played in both films as Bernadette? Were they filmed back to back?
Sydney Penny: I was fifteen when we filmed Bernadette and eighteen when we shot the sequel, La Passion de Bernadette.

Why did you agree to play the main character in these two films?
SP: As an actor, it was a marvelous opportunity for me to play such a role and to be directed by one of France's most well respected directors. As a person, I wanted to be part of something that intended to tell a beautiful story honestly - a story of how a young woman, uneducated, unschooled in catechism, poor and sickly, needed only a willing heart to learn the truth. And that truth led her through adversity, loneliness, controversy, illness and even unto the moment of her death.

Was Bernadette shot on a location near Lourdes?
SP: We shot Bernadette in and around Lourdes, France in the dead of winter, 1987. We were unable to film at the actual site of the grotto in Massabielle because it has been so changed since Bernadette's time. Even the river has widened. We found a similar grotto not far away. All of the other locations were in neighboring small villages in the Pyrenees which were absolutely breaktakingly beautiful. We also shot some interiors in studio in Paris.

Describe the exact shooting locales for the film, and what the experience was like.
SP: The film was shot amid gorgeous French scenery. The Pyrenees are so majestic and in the winter covered in snow, it's like being in another world. The shoot was fantastic - quite different than an American shoot especially at lunch when they set up a huge tent no matter where we were, even perched in a cliff or in the middle of a field of sheep, set the tables with linen and china and served a four course meal with wine. Very French!

Have you been to Nevers to see the incorrupt body of Bernadette?
SP: We filmed La Passion de Bernadette in the convent where she lived out her life in Nevers, France. The sisters speak of Bernadette as if she were still among them, and in a way, she is. Bernadette was buried and exhumed three times as part of the canonization process. Each time she was exhumed she was exactly as she had been the last time, uncorrupted. The decision was made to build a glass coffin and leave her lying in state in the sanctuary, which is where she is today. Seeing her was very moving, so tiny and fragile; and it was probably the only time an actor has ever come face to face with the historical figure they were portraying.

Are you aware that Bernadette is the "official" film shown daily at the shrine of Lourdes?
SP: I am aware that Bernadette is the official film shown in Lourdes. Jean Delannoy set out to make a film that was historically accurate, with no distortions in the telling. Obviously the film need to be dramatic, but the story is moving enough without changing it arbitrarily as had been done before. I am pleased to be part of something that endures and hopefully illuminates and inspires those who visit Lourdes.

What do you think of the story of Lourdes and of St. Bernadette?
SP: The story of Bernadette and Lourdes seems almost incredible, living in these modern times. But many magnificent and incredible things happen everyday, we just have developed the habit of analyzing them into insignificance. Bernadette's story is a symbol of hope, an example of the power that one person's faith can have on the world.

How do you think modern audiences would benefit from seeing a film like this about St. Bernadette and the apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary at Lourdes?
SP: The virtue of humility and the value of honesty are timeless. Bernadette spoke of what she saw simply as a lady in white - and faith is that pure, that simple. We sometimes trip ourselves up with intellectual, metaphysical questions. Sometimes you just have to trust and believe.

What does Bernadette have to say to today’s young people?
SP: Bernadette herself probably wouldn't have given any advice since she was convinced she knew nothing! It's good to remember that even as we strive in our lives and in our careers, that our successes are a reflection of the gifts we are divinely given; we ourselves can create nothing.

How did your perception of St. Bernadette change after you finished the two films?
SP: I think I came to know Bernadette the girl, Bernadette the postulant, Bernadette the person who had far more trials and tribulations than most anyone will ever deal with - illness, poverty, being the center of huge controversy - and yet sailed above it all by holding on to her convictions. And discovered a great spiritual treasure in her heart which she imparted to the world in the process.

Why do you think there is a resurgence of interest in films with an overtly spiritual theme?
SP: I simply think that people crave connection with that which is bigger than they are. Our post-modern, secular, humanist world has devalued man's spiritual side, and, in fact, anything that can't be seen through a microscope or quantified. In the world's desire to know more, we have lost the knowledge of who we really are, why we're here - not just how we got here, but why the life we lead and how we lead it matters.

Ignatius Press on Bernadette

Movie Review by Ignatius Press

Highly recommended and endorsed by the Vatican . . . This two-hour film is the official dramatization of the story of St. Bernadette, and is shown daily at the world-famous Lourdes Shrine in France. Shot entirely on location under the famed French director, Jean Delannoy – one of France’s foremost filmmakers – Bernadette is based solely on recorded, factual history. Nothing in the film is embellished or over-dramatized for cinematic appeal. Delannoy wanted it to be historically accurate with no distortions or arbitrary changes – as had been done with other films on her.

[Sydney] Penny says that the opportunity for her to play the main character in the film, St. Bernadette, was truly a rare opportunity.

“Not only was this a marvelous chance to work with one of France’s most respected film directors, but as a person, I wanted to be part of something that intended to tell a beautiful story honestly.” . . .

St. Bernadette – whose body still remains incorrupt and displayed lying-in-state in a glass coffin in The Sisters of Charity Chapel in Nevers, France – was buried and exhumed three times as part of her canonization process. During each exhuming, she looked exactly as she had been the last time … uncorrupted. The incorrupt body of Bernadette is shown at the end of the film. This was particularly moving for Ms. Penny.

“When I actually saw her there, she was so tiny and fragile. It was probably the only time an actor has ever come face to face with the historical figure he was portraying.”

Penny says that although there was great interest by the French press when the film was released originally in the late 1980s, the film world at large has taken little notice of it until now. . . .

“The story of Bernadette seems almost incredible, living in these modern times. But many magnificent and incredible things happen everyday; we just have developed the habit of analyzing them into insignificance,” says Penny. “Bernadette’s story is a symbol of hope, an example of the power that one person’s faith can have on the world. I hope the word gets out that there is a film with a beautiful, simple story to tell that is still relevant to people today, whether one is Catholic or not.”

Documentary on Lourdes

In October, we linked to an Italian documentary on Fatima. Here is that same documentary, but the focus is on Lourdes.

"Every photo of St Bernadette"

Bernadette came from a very poor family. One that certainly could not afford to waste money on extravagences like photographs.

Nevertheless, against her wishes, Bernadette became quite a celebrity, and her superiors prevailed upon her to submit to photograph sessions. Often, the pictures were used on prayer cards that were sold. Thankfully, we have quite a number of these photographs of her.

Bernadette Soubirous - Humility, Innocence, and Grace

Marie Bernarde (Bernadette) Soubirous was a very poor, unsophisticated, peasant girl. She was born January 7, 1844, and baptized the next day.

Bernadette was sensitive, with a pleasant and humble disposition, but, perhaps due to her poverty, she was undersized, and often physically weak due to asthma. Marie (Aravant) Laguës, foster-mother, said, "As a baby, Bernadette was already very loveable, the neighbors loved to see her and to hold her in their arms." Further,

"Bernadette, in spite of the tiredness which was caused by her shortness of breath and difficulty in breathing, always appeared happy and cheerful. She never gave us any trouble, she took what she was given, and appeared happy. We loved her very much as well."

Abbé Pène, Curate of the Parish of Lourdes in 1858, said that "everything about Bernadette radiated naïveté, simplicity, goodness."

In this sweet innocence and goodness, Bernadette was also widely thought to be backward and slow, including in her ability to learn the faith. By age 14, she still had not made her First Holy Communion. Her teacher, Jean Barbet, reported that

"Bernadette has difficulty to retain the Catechism word by word, because she cannot study, she does not know how to read, but she puts a lot of care into the appropriate meaning of the explanations. Besides, she is very attentive, above all very pious and modest."

Marie Laguës likewise stated,

"It was useless to for me to repeat my lessons; I always had to begin again. Sometimes I was overcome by impatience and I would throw my book aside and say to her, 'Go along, you will never be anything but a little fool.'"

Meanwhile, that era saw the rise of various corrosive secular humanist ideologies, including an exaggerated exultation of science against religion. France, in particular, was rampant with anti-clericalism, with substantial hostility being expressed toward the Catholic Church by the intellectual elite.

Young Bernadette, though, knew nothing of these ideologies and controversies. It was in her simple life that, on February 11, 1858, a Lady in White appeared to the 14-year-old Bernadette at Massabielle, a grotto on the bank of the Gave River near Lourdes, France. The Lady was young and no larger than Bernadette's own diminutive stature. Bernadette later recounted:

"I heard a sound like a gust of wind. . . . As I raised my head to look at the grotto, I saw a Lady dressed in white, wearing a white dress, a blue girdle and a yellow rose on each foot."

On this first apparition, the Lady asked the girl to make the sign of the Cross piously and say the rosary with her. Bernadette saw the Lady, whom she called "Aquéro" (meaning "that" or "the one" in her native Pyrenees dialect), take the rosary that was hanging from her arms into her hands. This was repeated in subsequent apparitions. There were 18 appearances in all, lasting from February 11 to July 16, 1858.

During the visions, the Lady requested prayer and penitence, asked for the construction of a new church and a procession, and led Bernadette to a fresh water spring that is believed to have miraculous healing powers. Despite strong doubt and even opposition from political and church officials, including being detained for a time and questioned by the local police, Bernadette's faith in what she had witnessed remained steadfast and humble.

At first, the Lady did not identify herself, despite being asked. Although others were quick to identify her as the Blessed Virgin Mary, Bernadette expressly did not make that claim, continuing instead to refer to her as "Aquéro" or "the Lady." However, Bernadette reports that, at the 16th appearance,

"The Lady was standing above the rose-tree, in a position very similar to that shown in the miraculous medal. At my third request her face became very serious and she seemed to bow down in an attitude of humility. Then she joined her hands and raised them to her breast . . . She looked up to heaven . . . then slowly opening her hands and leaning forward towards me, she said to me in a voice vibrating with emotion, 'Que soy era Immaculada Concepciou' (I am the Immaculate Conception)."

Before that time, Bernadette had not heard of the words, much less the doctrine of, "Immaculate Conception," which itself is grounded in simple humility and grace. And even when she heard the words, she did not know what they meant.

Some of these happenings took place in the presence of many people, but no one besides Bernadette claimed to see or hear the Lady, and there was no disorder or emotional extravagance. However, reports of miraculous cures occurring at the grotto spread quickly and the more they spread, the greater the number of people who visited Massabielle. These included pious believers, sick people desperate for cures, curiosity seekers, skeptics and scoffers.

The publicity given these miraculous events and the manifest sincerity and innocence of the girl on the one hand, and the compelling need to protect the faith and the faithful from the scandal of fraudulent claims on the other, made it necessary for the Bishop of Tarbes, Bertrand Severe Laurence, to institute a judicial inquiry as to the authenticity, or lack thereof, of the apparitions. This inquiry required Bernadette to submit to intense questioning on multiple occasions. And, during those sessions, as had happened in the interrogation by the local magistrate during the apparitions, the ecclesiastical questioners would occasionally try to trap Bernadette or trick her into contradicting herself or otherwise show that she was lying or delusional. Each time they did this, however, Bernadette only proved herself to be more credible and sincere.

Four years later, he declared the apparitions to be supernatural and worthy of belief, and public veneration of the Immaculate Conception in the grotto was allowed. Bishop Laurence said of Bernadette,

"The testimony of the young girl is in every way as satisfactory as possible. To begin with, her sincerity cannot be doubted. Who that has questioned her can fail to admire the simplicity, the candour, the modesty of this child? Whilst everyone is talking about the wonders which have been revealed to her, she alone keeps silence. She only speaks when she is questioned and then she recounts everything without affectation and with a touching simplicity, and she replies to the numerous questions addressed to her without hesitation, giving answers clear and precise, very much to the point and bearing the stamp of intense conviction. She has been tested most severely but no menaces have ever shaken her; she has responded to the most generous offers by a noble disinterestedness. She never contradicts herself; in all the different examinations which she has undergone, her story never varies; she never adds to it or takes away from it. Bernadettes sincerity cannot then be disputed. we may add that it never has been disputed; even her opponents, when she has had opponents, have paid her that homage."

Soon the requested chapel was erected, and since that time numberless pilgrims come every year to Lourdes to fulfill promises or to beg graces.

For some years after, in addition to her poor health, Bernadette suffered greatly from the suspicious disbelief of some and the tactless enthusiasm, insensitive attentions, and outright harassment by others. Sometimes people would ask her to bless or touch some religious object of theirs, such as a rosary, and when she declined to do so, they would try to trick her into touching the object by feigning to accidentally dropping it on the ground, hoping that she would then pick it up for them. Bernadette bore these trials of her unwanted celebrity with impressive patience and dignity, although there were times when it frustrated her. She was especially uncomfortable with those who treated her as holy,

"They think I'm a saint . . . When I'm dead, they'll come and touch holy pictures and rosaries to me, and all the while I'll be getting broiled on a grill in purgatory. At least promise me you'll pray a lot for the repose of my soul."

Bernadette never sought publicity or name and fame, and she did not enjoy it when these things came, but despite the occasional giving into annoyance, overall, she bore those burdens with great grace. In her private notes, she wrote,

"I must die to myself continually and accept trials without complaining. I work, I suffer and I love with no other witness than his heart. Anyone who is not prepared to suffer all for the Beloved and to do his will in all things is not worthy of the sweet name of Friend, for here below, Love without suffering does not exist. . . .
"I shall spend every moment loving. One who loves does not notice her trials; or perhaps more accurately, she is able to love them."

Besides, the Lady had told Bernadette on the third apparition,"I do not promise to make you happy in this world, but in the next."

In 1866, she was admitted to the convent of the Sisters of Charity at Nevers, France. Here, Sister Marie-Bernarde was more sheltered from trying publicity, but not from the “stuffiness” of the convent superiors nor from the tightening grip of asthma.

“I am getting on with my job,” she would say. “What is that?” someone asked. “Being ill,” was the reply. Thus she lived out her self-effacing life, dying at the age of 35.

The events of 1858 resulted in Lourdes becoming one of the greatest pilgrim shrines in the history of Christendom. But St. Bernadette took no part in these developments; nor was it for her visions that she was canonized, but for the humble simplicity and religious trusting that characterized her whole life.
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"Lourdes" by Jessica Hausner

Preparing for the February 10 presentation of Jean Delannoy's beautiful film Bernadette (1988), I came across a trailer for Lourdes (2009), directed by Jessica Hausner. The tag line says, "In order to escape her isolation, wheelchair-bound Christine makes a life changing journey to Lourdes, the iconic site of pilgrimage in the Pyrenees Mountains."

It looks quite interesting. Unfortunately, I'm having trouble finding it on regular DVD.

The Grotto at Massabielle Today

Bernadette and Our Lady of Lourdes

A World Without Babies . . .

. . . is a world without hope.

What would it be like if there were no more babies? What if every woman in the world were infertile and could no longer get pregnant? What if it had been over 18 years since the last baby was born?

That is not too fantastic or preposterous a question to ask in this post-Roe, anti-child age of abortion, which has claimed the lives of 50 million innocents in the last 38 years in the United States alone. What if the abortion mentality and contraceptive mentality were realized to the fullest degree? What if there were no more babies?

(spoiler warning)


Theo (played by Clive Owen): I can't really remember when I last had any hope, and I certainly can't remember when anyone else did either. Because really, since women stopped being able to have babies, what's left to hope for?

Miriam (Pam Ferris*): As the sound of the playgrounds faded, the despair set in. Very odd, what happens in a world without children's voices.

The truth is -- it is a baby who is the savior of the world.

____________________

* I saw Children of Men a few years ago and never realized that this is the same woman who played the ghastly Miss Trunchbull in Matilda. I recognized Clare-Hope Ashitey immediately though when she was in Beyond the Gates.
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Venerable Servant of God John Paul II to be Beatified

With news of the upcoming beatification of Pope John Paul the Great, if you have a chance, this would be a good time to watch the film Pope John Paul II, starring Cary Elwes and Jon Voight. It is very well done.



Also, here is the Litany of Saints from the funeral of our beloved Papa --



Venerable Karol Wojtyla, Pope John Paul II, pray for us.
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The Power to do the Impossible

The film Beyond the Gates is about one of the great atrocities and horrors of the 20th century, the Rwandan genocide of 1994, during which an estimated 800,000 people were butchered to death (see further descriptions in the movie reviews posted below). The film is very disturbing, with its graphic depictions of violence, but in the end, it is just a film, and it pales in comparison to the evil of the real thing. If it is difficult for the viewer of the movie to watch it, how much worse was it to live through it -- or die in it.

Some hardships are simply so great, some calamities and evils cause so much suffering and anguish, that it is impossible for us to carry on, it is impossible for us to persevere through them. And some crimes are simply too awful, some hurts are simply too large, some injuries are just too great (or sometimes we allow ourselves to get so self-centered that even little injuries seem great) that it is impossible for us to move beyond it once it is over, it is impossible for us to do that which Jesus asks of us, to forgive the wrong-doers. How could one forgive such evil?

Or, perhaps, what we should say is that is it impossible for us to endure on our own, it is impossible for us to forgive by ourselves. But with God, all things are possible, and by His grace, we can do that which is “impossible” too.

The theme of Cinema Catechism for Winter/Spring 2011 is the theological virtues of faith, hope, and love (charity). The Greek word “Theo” means “God,” so these virtues relate directly to God. (CCC 1812-1829, 2087-94) They are intended to lead us to Him, and we should always strive to live these virtues.

But in leading a virtuous life, God does not leave us to struggle to do this on our own; being related to God, the theological virtues of faith, hope, and love open us up to grace. At the same time, in conferring such grace, God does not simply wipe out our humanity; He does not treat us as puppets or impose Himself upon us against our will. Rather, grace builds on our nature and works within it to heal, perfect, elevate, and transform that nature. Thus, it is necessary that we do what we can, as much as we can, ourselves, but then we must ask God for help to do the rest.

The theological virtues involve especially sanctifying grace, which adapts our faculties for participation in the divine nature, that is, it helps us to be more like Christ. They are the foundation and energizing force of the Christian’s moral activity, and they give life to the human virtues, including prudence, justice, fortitude, and temperance. They are the pledge of the presence and action of the Holy Spirit in the faculties of the human being.

Fortified by grace, the power of God Himself, the virtues of faith, hope, and love provide the disposition to not only do that which is good and avoid evil, but they allow us to do things that otherwise would be unthinkable. With grace-infused faith, hope, and love, the weak and terrified Apostles, who had gone into hiding after the arrest and crucifixion of Jesus, were empowered to go out and bravely and loudly proclaim the Gospel; the persecuted, such as Saints Lawrence and Polycarp and Perpetua and Felicity and Isaac Jogues, were able to gladly endure the suffering of martyrdom, sometimes in gruesome ways.

The theological virtues, which combine the will and effort of the person with the power of the Holy Spirit, allows us to what we otherwise could not humanly do, including that which is perhaps the most impossible thing to do at times — endure with fortitude in the face of horrific evil, love our enemy, and forgive the unforgiveable, forgive the debt that can never be paid.

An excellent example of this is described in the book Left to Tell, by Immaculée Ilibagiza, who survived the Rwandan genocide while the rest of her family was hacked to death, along with hundreds of thousands of others. Eventually, the man who had led the group that killed members of her family was caught, and the jailer who held him allowed Immaculée to confront him (and take her revenge).

She writes in her book that, as the murderer knelt before her, she

"wept at the sight of his suffering. Felicien had let the devil enter his heart, and the evil had ruined his life like cancer in his soul. He was now the victim of his victims, destined to live in torment and regret. I was overwhelmed with pity for the man."

And when the jailer shouted at the killer and hauled him to his feet, Immaculée touched his hands lightly and quietly said, "I forgive you."

The jailer was stunned and furious. After the killer was dragged out, he said,

"What was that all about, Immaculée? That was the man who murdered your family. I brought him to you to question . . . to spit on if you wanted to. But you forgave him! How could you do that? Why did you forgive him?"

She says that she "answered him with the truth: 'Forgiveness is all I have to offer.'"

But the forgiveness she gave did not come entirely from Immaculée. As she says in the Introduction, her book "is the story of how I discovered God during one of history's bloodiest holocausts." And this discovery, this lesson, forever changed her.

"It is a lesson that, in the midst of mass murder, taught me how to love those who hated and hunted me -- and how to forgive those who slaughtered my family."

Forgiveness is sometimes easy for us, but sometimes it is impossible for us. Some crimes are simply too great. But God gives us the power to do the impossible. With faith, hope, and love, the graces of the Holy Spirit allow us to endure and withstand hardship and carry those crosses which are far too heavy for humans to carry.

These graces allow us to do the impossible of accepting suffering, the power to do the impossible of forgiving the "unforgiveable," of loving our enemy, of reconciling with those who have done great evil to us. In this way, by the transformative power of the Cross, we are redeemed from such pain and suffering and hardship, not merely in some far off life in the next world, but here and now. We are able to move on, we are able to heal. We are saved.

Evil and Suffering in Beyond the Gates

When evil triumphs
Movie Review
by Abigail Coleman
culturewatch.org

Shooting Dogs (entitled Beyond the Gates in the United States), set in Kigali, depicts vivid and historically accurate images of the traumatic events that took place all over Rwanda in 1994. Although the characters are fictional, the experiences of BBC news reporter David Belton were used to enrich the film’s relaying of the real events. We learn of the suffering and pain inflicted upon the Tutsis by the Hutu extremists, and of the delayed response by the UN, which led to over 800,000 deaths in 100 days of oppression. The film is based around the Ecole Technique Officiale where Father Christopher (John Hurt), an English Catholic Priest, and gap year teacher Joe (Hugh Dancy) attempt to shelter Tutsis with the ‘help’ of the Belgian UN troops.

Survivors of the atrocities were involved in the production of the film, with some being co-producers in order to ensure good accuracy. The title of the film alludes to the frustration which Christopher and Joe face as they witness the UN troops’ lack of involvement in the events. The UN soldiers have a mandate not to shoot the rebels, and so do nothing to prevent the Tutsi from suffering. However, they do decide to shoot the dogs that are eating the dead bodies beyond the gates of the school because ‘they are becoming a health problem.’ It is this tension between the inactivity of the UN soldiers and Christopher and Joe’s desperate need to help the Tutsis which highlights the struggles of the war. . . .

The film follows the events of the genocide, starting with the shooting down of President Habyarimana’s plane by Tutsis, which triggered the mass killings by the Hutu rebels. . . .

The United Nations initially viewed these events in relation to cultural identities, and took a culturally relativist stance. It saw Rwanda’s crisis as a cultural problem, and not something the West should have to deal with since it was part of a different culture. It also failed to see the need to aid Rwanda in a crisis which it did not recognise as being genocide. Shooting Dogs highlights the frustration that this caused many Westerners and Tutsis. . . . Through this tension, the film raises questions of how people can commit such evil acts, how humanity deals with such suffering, why innocent people suffer, and why God allows suffering at all.

The relationship between Christopher and Joe shows the contrasting responses people have when faced with suffering. Father Christopher, whose worldview is based around his Christian belief, constantly refers to his faith in God to try to explain how they should deal with the crisis. Joe, however, refers to his inner sense of justice and knowledge of morality, believing that practical help for the Tutsis is what is needed. A prime example of their differences is when Christopher prepares for mass shortly after the Tutsis start to shelter in the Ecole. Joe questions if this is the best thing to do in time of crisis stating, ‘I think maybe they’d prefer some food. Water. A spot of reassurance.’ Christopher replies, ‘Well, come to Mass. Get all three on the same ticket.’ Here we see how Christopher’s faith motivates his actions to help the Tutsi, and suggests that what Joe thinks the Tutsis need can be provided by God. . . .

Joe especially struggles with [the question of why there is suffering if God loves us]. As he witnesses more and more atrocities whilst attempting to save those he cares for, he comes to realise that he will not be able to save them himself. He therefore starts to question Christopher as to where God is in the crisis. . . . [Christopher responds], ‘You asked me, Joe, where is God in everything that is happening here, in all this suffering? I know exactly where he is. He’s right here. With these people. Suffering. His love is here. More intense and profound than I have ever felt.’ Once again, here we see the Christian understanding that God is not the cause of the evil and suffering; rather that it is the work of humanity’s sinful nature. But because God loves those he created, he is with them in their time of trouble, as someone they can turn to for peace. God is present in his followers, such as Father Christopher, as they provide comfort to people in their time of struggle. As Christopher conducts his final Mass before the UN soldiers leave the school, the Rwandans are aware of God’s love for them and they feel a sense of peace.

As today’s situation in Darfur, Sudan, continues, mirroring in some ways what took place in Rwanda, we can question why lessons were not learnt from this previous genocide. We can once again ask why the UN is not providing more aid to the people of Darfur, preventing more deaths. And we can again question why more people are being allowed to suffer unnecessarily. The creators of Shooting Dogs obviously felt that the Christian worldview, which is so prominent within the film, is a valuable one to consider in such times of crisis. In recreating the events on screen, and paralleling them with the questions many of us find ourselves asking God in times of crisis, we can be challenged to seek God for ourselves.

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Beyond the Gates Preview

Beyond the Gates Movie Reviews

Variety Movie Review
by Scott Foundas

Eleven years [after it happened], the Rwandan genocide continues to intrigue filmmakers, even if the full horror of the bloody events seems too demanding for many of them to confront. Although in many respects a more stylish, authentic, tougher-minded film than "Hotel Rwanda," director Michael Caton-Jones' respectable and well-intentioned "Shooting Dogs" (Beyond the Gates in the U.S.) still falls into the trap of filtering an inherently African story through the eyes of a noble white protagonist -- in this case, two of them. . . .

Like the Hotel des Mille Collines that provided the inspiration for "Hotel Rwanda," the Ecole Technique Officielle was a real place -- a secondary school located in the capital city of Kigali that similarly came to serve as a makeshift shelter for Tutsis and moderate Hutus at the height of the killings. The school, which also served as base camp for a company of Belgian UN peacekeepers, came to harbor some 2,500 refugees until, some five days after the start of the genocide, the UN pulled its troops out of the school, consigning those left behind to the knowledge they would soon be killed.

Slightly fictionalized screenplay by David Wolstencroft unfolds through the eyes of Joe Connor (Hugh Dancy), a young British schoolteacher spending a year at the Ecole. There, he is taken under the wing of the avuncular Father Christopher (John Hurt), whose weary face fails to conceal the ethnic violence he has witnessed during his long African sojourn.

Pic's early sections do an accomplished job of mapping out the simmering tensions between Rwanda's Hutu and Tutsi factions: The bright Tutsi pupil, Marie (Claire-Hope Ashitey), to whom Joe has taken a particular liking, is teased and pelted by Hutu classmates, while the school's Hutu custodian (David Gyasi) is shown to be one of the many Rwandans whose sensibilities have been corrupted by the incessant hate propaganda of the infamous RTLM radio station. Location shooting in Kigali is also a major plus.

In many respects, the character of Joe seems a surrogate for "Shooting Dogs" producer and co-story writer David Belton, who was himself a BBC news cameraman on location in Rwanda in 1994 and who, in the pic's press notes, expresses a feeling of guilt over the speed with which he -- like nearly all other Americans and Europeans -- evacuated the country as soon as the going got tough. . . .

"Shooting Dogs" is unquestionably at its most compelling in its depiction of Father Christopher's steadfast reliance on spirituality, even when confronted with such a startling display of inhumanity. Even as the violence reaches its zenith, he continues to perform Mass and seems more concerned with making sure each child receives Communion than in formulating a possible exit strategy. . . .

With a drawn, harrowed face like a relief map of suffering, Hurt proves one of the pic's chief assets, as does newcomer Ashitey, though Dancy's performance rarely advances beyond one-note outrage. Despite its many shortcomings, pic benefits immeasurably from the fluidity of Caton-Jones' direction and the depth, texture and immediacy of d.p. Ivan Strasburg's lensing.

National Catholic Register Movie Review
by Steven D. Greydanus

Beyond the Gates focuses on a Catholic priest named Father Christopher (John Hurt) and an idealistic young teacher Joe Connor (Hugh Dancy) who offer sanctuary to Tutsi refugees at a Christian school near Kigali.

Fr. Christopher and Joe, along with BBC reporter Rachel (Nicola Walker), are fictional composites, but the school is real, along with the substance of the events portrayed in the film. In fact, the film was shot on location at the actual school, the École Technique Officielle, with the active involvement of survivors of the genocide among the cast and crew.

Beyond the Gates played abroad in many markets last year under the title Shooting Dogs, a bitterly ironic reference to the wild dogs shot in the street by Belgian U.N. forces near the school, where the U.N. has set up a base of operations.

The dogs are attracted by Tutsi corpses lying at the feet of the Hutu mob surrounding the school, and the U.N. forces decide that the animals constitute a “health risk.” Fr. Christopher is beside himself over the mendacity of the U.N. forces, which won’t do anything about the murderous mob itself unless directly attacked. “I suppose,” the priest says in a voice dripping caustic fury, “that the dogs were firing on your men.” . . .

Although Michael Caton-Jones’s film focuses on its European protagonists, some of its most haunting moments involve the African characters, particularly a young student named Marie (Claire-Hope Ashitey, Children of Men) and a doomed Tutsi father whose chillingly fatalistic acceptance recalls the title of the book that inspired Hotel Rwanda: We Wish to Inform You That Tomorrow We Will be Killed With Our Families. . . .

Essentially, Fr. Christopher is the voice of Western conscience, and Joe is the embodiment of Western guilt. . . .

Refreshingly, Fr. Christopher is equally concerned with the spiritual and temporal well-being of his flock. He insists on the importance of celebrating Mass, and baptizes a newborn baby, but furiously upbraids the Belgian U.N. commanding officer (Dominique Horwitz) for his refusal to take action. . . .

Perhaps his best lines come toward the end, as he offers a familiar but worthwhile answer to the perennial question “Where is God in the midst of tragedy?” . . .

Beyond the Gates is most worth seeing for its uncompromising portrait of an episode more representative of the Rwandan genocide than the events depicted in Hotel Rwanda.

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Coming Soon: Beyond the Gates

Beyond the Gates (originally titled Shooting Dogs)
Based on true events and filmed in Rwanda at the Ecole Technique Officielle and other actual locations.


Movie Review
Catholic News Service

"Beyond the Gates" (IFC) towers above most current films, with even the more worthy ones seeming like fluff in comparison. It's a gripping film about one of recent history's most regrettable episodes: the international community's failure to come to the aid of the thousands of men, women and children who lost their lives during the Rwandan genocide.

This dramatization focuses specifically on the 1994 siege of a secondary school there. Father Christopher (John Hurt), a dedicated Catholic priest who runs the Ecole Technique Officielle and Joe Connor (Hugh Dancy), an idealistic young British teacher who hopes to "make a difference" -- both fictional characters -- view with growing alarm the escalating violence just outside their gates by the Hutu majority against their Tutsi brethren whom they regard as mere "cockroaches."

Father Christopher is inspired by an actual Bosnian priest named Father Vjeko Curic who sheltered Tutsis during the genocide.

The school grounds -- guarded by Belgian security forces on the behest of the United Nations (but only to maintain the peace, not enforce it) -- become a sanctuary against the violence just outside its gates. Among the students is a sensitive young Tutsi girl, Marie (Clare-Hope Ashitey), to whom the priest and Joe form a paternal attachment.

When the violence reaches a critical stage, Father Christopher finds hundreds more Tutsis begging for shelter. The U.N. security forces are inclined to refuse entry, but Father Christopher insists they be let in.

Some 2,500 Tutsi citizens ultimately found refuge there, but it would only be temporary.

Even with machete-wielding Hutus hovering with deadly intent, the U.N. -- which refused to label the Rwandan atrocities "genocide" as it would oblige them to intervene (a stance echoed by the United States and the United Kingdom) -- would recall its troops, leading to a hasty evacuation, but shamefully, of only the white people. The decisions made by Father Christopher and young Joe at this point are pivotal to the film's theme of personal choice.

The Catholic element here is strong. Father Christopher believes in saying Mass no matter what the outside danger, and throughout, is shown carefully explaining the significance of Catholic doctrine and rituals. Despite a short-lived despair, stemming from his helplessness at the violence he's powerless to alleviate, his character is one of the most positive cinematic depictions of a priest in recent memory.

Hurt -- in real life, a clergyman's son and monk's brother -- gives a wonderfully committed and believable performance, and Dancy -- currently winning raves on Broadway for his terrific performance in the classic World War I drama "Journey's End" -- convincingly conveys the growing horror and disillusionment of his character.

Director Michael Caton-Jones has shot the film (from a compelling script by David Wolstencroft) at the actual locations of the horrific events with survivors among the cast and crew, some of whom are poignantly showcased in the closing credit sequence.

This important film -- with its cautionary reminder of worldwide indifference that must not be allowed to happen again -- is acceptable for mature teens, despite the primarily adult classification.

The film contains much disturbing if discreetly handled violence, description of atrocities, images of dead and wounded, some rough language and mild profanity uttered under duress, and a childbirth scene. The USCCB Office for Film & Broadcasting classification is A-III -- adults. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is R -- restricted. Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian.