Priests 24/7 : A video documentary

Reviewed by Michael Gilchrist

Contents - Aug 2003 - Buy a copy now Editorial: 'Do this in memory of Me' - Peter Westmore Documents: Ecclesia in Europa - Pope challenges Christians to re-evangelise Europe - Michael Gilchrist News: The Church Around the World - AD2000 Bioethics: End-of-life decisions: the moral issues at stake - David Perrin US research survey: younger priests are generally more orthodox - AD2000 Catalyst for Renewal Address: The legacy of Vatican II - Archbishop George Pell Church architecture: overcoming iconoclasts and cult of ugliness - Larry Henderson Is Pope John Paul II canonising too many saints? - Michael Casanova Priesthood: Clerical celibacy 'for the sake of God's Kingdom': the Church's teaching - John Young Letters: Catholic hymns (letter) - Noel Decker Letters: Beautiful hymn (letter) - Therese F. Sellick Letters: Confession (letter) - Joe Slowiak Letters: Papal infallibility (letter) - Fr Brian Harrison OS Letters: Sex education in SA (letter) - Kevin McBride Letters: Martyrdom ignored - Tom King Letters: Orthodoxy? (letter) - Brian Dethridge Letters: Pantheism (letter) - Fr G.H. Duggan Letters: New Mass (letter) - Kevin Beck Letters: Lourdes appeal (letter) - Jenny Davies Books: Will Catholics be Left Behind, by Carl Olson - Envoy Magazine (reviewer) Books: The Divine Primacy: The Bishop of Rome and Modern Eastern Orthodoxy - Fr Peter Knowles OP (reviewer) JESUS: According to the Gospel of Luke (CD-ROM and Book) - Roberta Wilson (reviewer) Priests 24/7 : A video documentary - Michael Gilchrist (reviewer) Books: Great books at the best prices! Reflection: The Apocalypse: proclaiming the final victory of Christ and His Church - Fr G.H. Duggan SM

PRIESTS 24/7 : A video documentary
(Gabriel Communications, 2003, $30.00. Available from Catholic bookshops)

John Santamaria, Executive Producer of a new video documentary on the Catholic priesthood - titled Priests 24/7 - explained that his project was a reaction to the constant adverse media coverage of a few "bad apples" among Australia's thousands of priests. He wanted to present the priesthood in a positive light and to do justice to the vast majority of good and dedicated men going about their essential work.

Using the "reality TV" technique that is so popular these days, Priests 24/7 uses a "fly-on-the-wall" approach, hour-by-hour and day-by-day, to show two priests in a large and busy Australian parish - St Mary's, Geelong (Vic) - going about a typical week's work.

Dedication

The two priests involved - Fathers Kevin Dillon and Max Vodola (now parish priest of North Reservoir in the Melbourne Archdiocese) - are excellent advertisements for the Catholic priesthood and come across as sincere, decent, level-headed human beings, totally dedicated to their vocation.

Their on-camera activities involve a strong emphasis on the spiritual, e.g., personal prayer, homily preparation and celebrating Mass and the sacraments (marriage and baptism). Both emphasise that the Eucharist and a prayer life are at the heart of their priesthood.

They are also involved in visitations to schools, hospitals and local parishioners, where they come across as natural, warm and friendly, while commanding respect.

Father Dillon makes clear that priests should also have some outside interests so as to maintain a proper balance in their lives - in his case, these include a love of country and western music, owning a vintage car and visits to the gym to keep fit.

The documentary is fast-moving, professionally edited and overall very edifying. It would be an ideal resource for Catholic secondary schools' religious education programs to illustrate the many faceted aspects of priestly life, as well as for the general promotion of vocations.

Reprinted from AD2000 Vol 16 No 7 (August 2003), p. 18