“Midnight Mass” is a Netflix original series set in the small Catholic community of Crockett Island. The story begins with the arrival of a new priest, Father Paul, following the mysterious disappearance of the island’s previous priest during his trip to Jerusalem. As Father Paul integrates himself into the town and addresses its various struggles,…
Eve’s Bayou: Women as Current for Spirituality
“Like others before me, I have the gift of sight” Synopsis Set in Louisiana during the 1960s, Eve’s Bayou follows a 10-year-old girl named Eve Batiste as she navigates her father’s infidelity, a sibling rivalry with her sister, Cisely, and a pervasive fascination with Haitian vodou. At the heart of Eve’s interactions and revelations are…
Nuns of Netflix: Feminine Divinity in Warrior Nuns
Isaiah 30:20-21: Although the Lord gives you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, your teachers will be hidden no more; with your own eyes you will see them. The Netflix show titled “Warrior Nuns” is a two-season action-packed religious take on an undercover ancient order of nuns known as the Order of…
Catholicism in The Irishman
In Martin Scorsese’s 2019 film The Irishman, there is a significant amount of Catholic imagery and representation. The male characters in this film are particularly devout, and illustrate the ethnic differences at the time, with both Italian Catholic and Irish Catholics being portrayed.The film is centered on the life of former truck driver turned mafia…
The Da Vinci Code
The Da Vinci Code: A Catholic conspiracy rooted in truth By: Joshua Nichols “Skepticism has become a virtue. Cynicism and demand for proof has become enlightened thought. Is it any wonder that humans now feel more depressed and defeated than they have at any point in human history?” – Dan Brown Summary The Da Vinci…
“Nuns with a Twist: How Sister Act Redefines the Convent Narrative”
The film Sister Act (1992) is a comedy about lounge singer Deloris Van Cartier’s journey as she is forced into a Catholic convent of nuns. Deloris, played by Whoopi Goldberg, is introduced as a witty, talented singer in a relationship with casino owner, Vince. One night Deloris uncovers Vince’s true identity as a shady businessman…
Untethered Lady Bird
“I hate California, I want to go to the east coast.” “I want to go where culture is like, New York, or Connecticut or New Hampshire.”- “Lady Bird”. These words from the film “Lady Bird” reflect the aspirant personality that is emitted throughout the film. This coming-of-age film highlights the catholic youth’s mindset behind their…
The Little Hours: Queer Comedy in Medieval Times
Set in a mid-14th century convent in Garfagnana, Italy, The Little Hours subverts modern viewers’ expectations of Catholic convent life in order to create an absurd comedy. The film follows three young nuns, Sisters Alessandra, Fernanda, and Genevra, and is based on stories from The Decameron, a collection written in the 1300s. One of the major themes explored is the…
“That’s our hell. It’s an Irish bar where its St. Patrick’s Day everyday forever.”: Three Paths Of Moral Reckoning Through Purgatorial Visions in The Sopranos
The Ripple Effects of Chrissy’s Visions: An Introduction Season two episode nine of mafia classic The Sopranos, From Where To Eternity, grapples with the implications of the mobster lifestyle through a Catholic imagination of hell, purgatory, and morality when one of the crew’s own, Christopher Moltisanti, is shot and critically wounded. While in a coma,…
A Goth Nun? More Plausible Than You Think
Introduction Little Sister is a 2016 indie film directed by Zach Clark. The movie follows a girl named Colleen, who is on the path to becoming a nun in New York when she gets an email from her mother in North Carolina. Colleen has not spoken to her family in many years, but the email…
Catholics in the Americas 