Ignatius Press is well-known for having a broad selection of faith-filled, appealing, family friendly movies. Four new films have recently been added to their collection: The Miracle of Fr. Kapaun, Edith Stein: The Seventh Chamber, The Nun: The Story of a Carmelite Vocation, and Paul VI: The Pope in the Tempest.
The Miracle of Fr. Kapaun
Servant of God Fr. Emil Kapaun may not be well-known - but he should be. The son of Czech immigrants, Fr. Kapaun grew up on a small Kansas farm. This seemingly ordinary farm boy became one of the most inspiring heroes of the Korean War - but unlike many war heroes, this military chaplain is also on the road to sainthood. His cause for canonization has been opened by the Diocese of Wichita, and two medical miracles attributed to him are being investigated by the Vatican. He has also been nominated for the highest military medal, the Medal of Honor.
In this powerful documentary, learn his inspiring life story, his heroic work as a chaplain during battle, and his leadership and comfort of fellow American prisoners after capture and torture by the Communists. This imprisonment under incredibly harsh conditions that ultimately led to his death at 35 years of age in 1951. The film features interviews with the soldiers who were imprisoned with Kapaun in Korea, as well as with church officials, military historians and the Kansas family who is convinced Kapaun’s miraculous intercession saved their son’s life. This full color DVD comes with a prayer card.
Edith Stein: The Seventh Chamber
This is a moving, artistic portrayal of the life of Jewish philosopher, Catholic convert and Carmelite martyr, Edith Stein, capturing the interior struggles of this extraordinary woman, as well as the great conflicts from her decision to convert to Catholicism. Deeply influenced by the writings of St. Teresa of Avila, she joined the Carmelites and took the name of Teresa Benedicta of the Cross. She was put to death in Auschwitz in 1942, and canonized by John Paul II in 1998. This film shows how two worlds were united within her, the Jew and the Christian, in absolute coherence in her search for truth.
Edith Stein has become one of the most beautiful symbols in a horrifying period of history. She sought to transform her sufferings under the Nazis into a journey through the “interior castle” as the way to mystical union with God. One phrase, “Love Conquers Fear” embodies her philosophy of life. Shot in a kind of a rich expressionist realism, it is backed by poignant chant music that makes every frame haunting and alive. Actress Maia Morgenstern (The Passion of the Christ) stars in a powerful performance as Stein.
This DVD includes a 16 page collector's booklet by Steven Greydanus and Carl Olson. Greydanus, a film critic for Decent Films and the National Catholic Register, says, “A challenging, often fascinating film, The Seventh Chamber is a gratifying tribute to a great saint. It shows that for Edith Stein it is only by knowing God that we know ourselves; only through Jesus that we know God; and only through the cross that we can know Jesus.”
The Nun: The Story of a Carmelite Vocation
This is an award-winning documentary that tells the beautiful story of Marta, a young Catholic woman in Sweden and her counter-cultural choice to follow a calling to become a cloistered Carmelite nun, and to live her life for God alone. Documentary filmmaker Maud Nycander followed Marta and her family for ten years to tell the story of her vocation, and the Carmelite convent made a unique exception to its strict regulations by allowing the filmmaker to meet with and interview Marta both before and after her five-year postulant period. The Carmelite convent in Glumslöv in the south of Sweden is normally closed to outsiders.
Marta comes from a large Catholic family, one of nine children, a close-knit family who live on a farm in Sweden. Marta lived a very happy family life, and had an active social life with many friends in school, but yet felt the call to leave all that for the challenging life of a cloistered contemplative Carmelite nun. This film explores that decision that is seen as a radical one in the eyes of the world, and follows Marta and her family during that period of her life before and after her becoming a Carmelite.
Pope Paul VI: The Pope in the Tempest
Pope Paul VI was a leader in the Catholic Church as a priest, bishop, cardinal and pope through one of the most difficult periods in its history—from the Fascist regime and World War II to the constitution of the Italian Republic, from the Second Vatican Council to the protests and the terrorist attacks of the 1960s and 1970s. His papacy ran from 1963 to 1978, during which he wrote the prophetic, controversial document Humane Vitae that strongly proclaimed the Church’s teaching on the sacredness of married love and human life, and the evil of contraception which the Pontiff said would open the door to abortion if allowed. He was the first travelling Pope who began to visit the dioceses of the 5 continents like no pope had ever done before.
This exciting and insightful film covers fifty years of history that changed the Catholic Church and the world. Paul VI: The Pope in the Tempest is a story that draws emotion and lessons from history itself, dramatically mixing stunning reconstructions and real film footage. Special features include a documentary on Pope Paul VI featuring interviews with historian James Hitchcock and Fr. Joseph Fessio, SJ and a16 page Collector’s Booklet written by Carl Olson.
