An exclusive documentary investigation into one of the most fascinating and controversial mysteries of Christianity.  How was the Holy House of the Virgin Mary transported from its original location in Nazareth, Palestine, to the town of Loreto on Italy’s Adriatic coast?

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LENGTH: 52 Minutes
OUR PRICE: $24.95
CATALOG #: 20446
UPC #: 6-4603204469-0
ISBN #: 1-56839-344-X
RELEASE YEAR: 2010
PRODUCER: Studio 3 TV

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What did the House of Mary in Nazareth look like?… Are the walls we find in Loreto truly those of the House of the Annunciation, which took place more than 2,000 years ago? For many centuries, scholars from many disciplines have investigated the authenticity of the three walls venerated in Loreto. Initially, researchers analyzed numerous documents held in archives throughout Italy. The twentieth century also saw archaeological, geological and architectural studies. According to legend and tradition, the house was carried in flight by Angels in the year 1291, first to a town in Croatia where it remained for three years before being carried yet again, across the Adriatic Sea to Italy, and then to its present location in Loreto.  This is known as the Miracle of the Translation.

Modern academics have theorized that it was moved by Christian soldiers fleeing the Holy Land near the end of the Crusades.  The entire journey of the Holy House was re-created for this documentary film, with the help of state-of-the-art 3D computer-generated graphics. The Holy House does not rest upon typical structural foundations, and its presence in Loreto remains a real enigma for contemporary architects.  It is formed of three simple stone walls, dark with smoke and time, only lit by candles. Inside there is an ancient altar, known as the Altar of the Apostles, and an aperture in the western wall, called the Angel’s Window marks the point at which the Archangel Gabriel entered the House and appeared to Mary, in the Annunciation.

Is this sacred structure really the very same House of Mary, transported all the way from Nazareth? Are these simple, unadorned stone walls in Loreto truly those of the House of the Annunciation, which took place more than 2,000 years ago? Loreto: The Mystery of The Holy House gathers all of the available evidence to find the answers.

Reviews

“The production standards are very good, with dynamic photography, reenactments, and 3D computer models to visualize the house and evidence. The narrator speaks quickly, which requires an attentive audience, but more information is packed in as a result. Loreto: The Mystery of the Holy House is an intriguing look at how a religious tradition and historical facts often both contrast and complement one another in the study of a centuries old puzzle.” Recommended – Educational Media Reviews Online

Related Titles:

1. Irish Country House, The
2. Theodore Roosevelt: A Cowboy’s Ride to the White House
3. Homeopathy: Mystery of Healing

“This is the story of a missionary who died alone on a desolate island within sight of the land of his life’s dream, unaware that he had forever changed the face and the race of Christianity.”

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LENGTH: 80 Minutes
MSRP: $24.95
CATALOG #: 20335
UPC #: 6-4603203359-5
ISBN #: 1-56839-235-4
RELEASE YEAR: 2006
PRODUCER: Fourth Week Films

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Visit the official website of the documentary film Xavier at www.xavierfilm.com/

During the Age of Exploration, the world began to shrink as more and more Europeans journeyed far from home where they met the peoples of Africa and the Americas, India and the East. While the history of exploration and globalization tells of murderous mistakes and tragic ignorance, one man’s encounter with the diverse world looms large as one of compassion, invitation, and grace.

Narrated by Academy Award-winner Liam Neeson and filmed on location in the footsteps of the Jesuit missionary, Xavier: Missionary & Saint, features stunning scenery from Rome, Spain, Paris, India, China, and Japan as well as interviews with world-renowned scholars in the fields of history and theology. Through scholarship and image, Xavier commemorates the 500th anniversary of the birth of the most successful missionary since St. Paul.

SPECIAL FEATURES Widescreen 16:9 Version • Behind the Scenes Photo Gallery An Interview with Avery Cardinal Dulles S.J. • Original Trailer • The Making of… Xavier

Watch for the broadcasts of Xavier: Missionary & Saint, on your local PBS station beginning December 3, 2007. Check the program’s up-to-date PBS airdate schedule.

Reviews

“Warm and informative hour-long biography of the saint often regarded as the most effective Christian missionary since the Apostle Paul. Born into the nobility of the small kingdom of Navarre (now mostly in Spain) in 1506, 19-year-old Francis Xavier traveled to Paris to study for the priesthood. As the film makes clear, his interest in becoming a priest at this time had more to do with ambition and the desire to live comfortably than with serious vocation, and his early life in what was then Europe’s largest city was dissolute if not scandalous. Francis, however, gradually came under the influence of his pious roommate, Peter Faber, and their guest, the Basque-warrior-turned-holy-man, Ignatius Loyola. Together with four other “Companions of Jesus,” they formed the Jesuit order in 1534. Ironically, Francis’ original duties kept him deskbound, and it was only because of the illness of another Jesuit that he was allowed to go on mission to India. There he catechized and baptized hundreds, perhaps thousands, of native converts before moving on to Malaya and Japan. His dream of bringing the Gospel to China was never realized and, at the time of his death in 1552, he probably considered himself a failure. Narrated by Liam Neeson, Jesuit novice Jeremy Zipple’s film, shot on location through Europe and Asia, features interviews with academics and relevant 16th Century artwork. Features on the widescreen DVD include a brief “making of” featurette and an interview with Jesuit theologian Avery Cardinal Dulles.” Catholic Film & Broadcasting Office

“Narrated by Liam Neeson, Xavier: Missionary & Saint, produced by the Jesuits, is an earnest, handsome-looking effort, visiting key locales from Xavier’s life (including Rome, Spain, Paris, and China) and making solid use of artwork, interviews with scholars and students, and modest dramatic recreations. At the same time, this film—commemorating the 500th anniversary of Xavier’s birth—has a reverential tone that makes it seem more a work of hagiography than of history. DVD extras include a “making-of” featurette, and a brief interview with theologian Avery Cardinal Dulles, himself a Jesuit. Recommended, overall.” Three Stars – Video Librarian

“Shot on location in Europe and Asia, featuring lovely reenactment footage, and smoothly narrated by Liam Neeson, this is an enlightening portrait of an important saint.” Booklist

“Lushly filmed vistas give a sense of place, as do the filmed exterior and interior of buildings. The visuals are top-notch, and are supplemented with maps, illustrations, paintings, and sculpture depicting Xavier and the places he lived. Actor Liam Neeson narrates the film, which also includes actors reenacting key scenes in Xavier’s life. Scholars as “talking heads” provide needed historical information. Visuals, sound, and editing are all excellent. Produced by Jesuits, the entire film has a very professional feel. This DVD would be of interest to anyone who enjoys history, especially the history of the Catholic Church and the Age of Exploration. Catholic high schools and colleges should consider purchase, as well as other public or academic libraries where there may be demand. Recommended.” – Educational Media Reviews Online

“… a vivid and brilliant re-creation of his life and times.”
California Bookwatch

Related Titles:

1. St. Patrick: Apostle Of Ireland
2. Assisi: Home of St. Francis

Who was Saint Patrick?

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LENGTH: 46 Minutes
MSRP: $24.95
CATALOG #: 20301
UPC #: 6-4603203019-8
ISBN #: 1-56839-252-4
RELEASE YEAR: 2004
PRODUCER: Canamedia

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Download from iTunes – St. Patrick: Apostle of Ireland

This new documentary film delves beneath the myth of Ireland’s patron saint to reveal that the patron saint of Ireland was an ordinary man who accomplished the extraordinary by placing his faith in God. Precious few historical facts are known of this man who walked through pre-Christian 5th century Ireland. Two documents written by Patrick, the Confession and his Letter to Coroticus, an Irish warlord, are all that remain. Yet these brief writings captured his emotional state, his innermost feelings and aspirations.

Exquisitely filmed on location in Ireland, and using dramatic wide-screen black and white re-creations, Saint Patrick Apostle of Ireland, visually traces the great saint’s footsteps. Patrick’s actual confessions are read in voice-over, and evocative music further carries viewers back in time to re-live the experience of walking side by side with Patrick.

From his birth to his death, viewers are able to witness Patrick’s physical struggles and to participate fully in his transformation and spiritual mission. St. Patrick was born in Roman Britain during the last days of the Roman Empire, at a time when order and authority had fallen into disarray and Britain’s west coast lay vulnerable to frequent plundering raids by the pagan Irish. At 14 years of age, Patrick was taken captive by pirates and sold into slavery in Ireland. He spent the next six years enslaved and immersed in the pre-Christian Druid culture of the Celtic people – the same people he one day returned to convert. When he returned as a bishop to lead the Irish faithful, he chose instead to bring Christianity to those Irish not yet converted, and he did so without bloodshed, over a span of four decades. Considering the fact that the Irish to whom he sought to bring the gospel were a barbaric, warlike people who still practiced slave trading and human sacrifice, Patrick was without doubt a man of great strength of character, physical toughness, and bravery. As a result of his life and work, there emerged a uniquely Celtic form of Christianity, a religion firmly Christian in belief yet not far removed from the ancient traditions of the Irish people.

As author Thomas Cahill writes, this new form of Irish Christianity exhibits a sense of the natural world “as a healing mystery, fraught with divine messages. The early Irish Christianity planted in Ireland by Patrick is joyful and celebratory in the way it approaches the natural world. It is really not a theology of sin but of the goodness of creation, and it really is intensely incarnational.” Structured in three parts to correspond to three phases of St. Patrick’s life, Saint Patrick Apostle of Ireland, a production of Insight Film & Video Productions of Canada, was directed by David Tennant. In addition to Patrick’s own words, the film features on-camera interviews with two noted experts on Irish history, Father Frank Fahey of Ballintubber Abbey, and Michael Slavin, author of The Book of Tara. The film stars Nicholas McCarthy as Saint Patrick.

Reviews

“Combining breathtaking camera work and St. Patrick’s ardent confessions to evoke his life and times, this poetic portrait of Ireland’s patron saint recreates what little is known of St. Patrick… the essence of the film is found in the moody black and white footage used for a dramatic reenactment of key points in Patrick’s life. An entrancing bit of filmmaking.”- Video Librarian

“This lovely program, shot on location in Ireland and containing reenactments of St. Patrick’s life, delves into the myth and legend of Ireland’s patron saint.. evocative background music.. an artfully produced title.”- Booklist

Related Titles:

1. Pilgrimages Of Europe Vol 1 – Croagh Patrick & Iona
2. Island, The: Ireland from the Air
3. Travel With Kids: Ireland