Fr. Hesburgh documentary to air Nov. 6 on Hallmark Channel
Premier broadcast of ‘God, Country, Notre Dame’ to follow live, TV Mass from South Bend
September 30, 2005
Family Theater Productions’ latest documentary “God, Country, Notre Dame: The Story of Father Ted Hesburgh, CSC,” will have its premier broadcast at Noon (EST), Sunday, Nov. 6 on The Hallmark Channel as a special presentation of Faith and Values Media. It will follow the live broadcast of the weekly Mass from Notre Dame as part of Faith and Values Media’s “America at Worship.” Father Hesburgh is expected to be a concelebrant and homilist for the televised Mass.
“As Yankee Stadium is ‘The House that Ruth Built’ so the modern Notre Dame is the university that Holy Cross Father Ted Hesburgh built during his 35-year presidency, the longest tenure so far,” said Father Wilfred Raymond, CSC, National Director of Family Theater Productions and the film’s Executive Producer.
“In addition to being an innovative leader in higher education who turned Notre Dame into the premier Catholic university in the world, Father Hesburgh also rendered historic service to the United States through his presidential appointments, including crafting legislation granting civil and equal rights for all citizens and voting rights for 18 year olds. When asked how he wants to be remembered, the octogenarian is quick to answer, ‘priest,’” Father Raymond added.
Family Theater Productions and The Notre Dame Club of Los Angeles presented a special sneak preview of the documentary, at 11 a.m., Saturday, Oct. 8, at the Laemmle Theater, Monica 4-Plex, 1332 2nd Street, Santa Monica, Calif.
“Screening this film at the Laemmle Theater enabled the audience to enjoy the full effect of the exquisite photography shot in true high definition and of the Dolby 5.1 surround sound,” Father Raymond said.
DVDs with 38-minutes of bonus material are now available online at www.hesburgh.org or by calling toll-free 1-800-404-8350.
The documentary’s narrators are TV personality Regis Philbin, Notre Dame's outstanding alumnus; and actors Sean Astin (Sam in "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy and star of “Rudy” about a Notre Dame football walk-on) and Clarence Gilyard (co-star of "Walker Texas Ranger" and "Matlock").
The program looks at Father Hesburgh's life through three lenses:
As the documentary relates, Father Hesburgh, now 88, is still working from his retirement office in the Notre Dame library named in his honor in 1987 and still has his door open to students as he has for the last 60 years as faculty member, executive vice president, president and president emeritus.
Family Theater Productions, which has produced more than 900 radio and TV programs since 1947, produced this documentary with the full cooperation of Father Hesburgh and the late Father Ned Joyce, CSC, the University’s executive vice president during Father Hesburgh’s presidency, as well as Father Monk Malloy, CSC, the outgoing president of the University of Notre Dame. This film contains the only on-camera footage of Father Hesburgh with his successor, Father Malloy and the University’s newly elected president, Father John Jenkins, CSC.
Family Theater Productions is a member of Holy Cross Family Ministries, Easton, Mass., which seeks to promote and support the spiritual well-being of the family. Sponsored by the Congregation of Holy Cross, other member ministries are Family Rosary, which Father Peyton founded in 1942, Family Rosary International with offices in 17 countries, and the Father Peyton Family Institute, in Easton, and in Lima, Peru.
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