Suggested Programming For Ewtn

[Basilisa Marie]

Tu quoque, anyone?

 

Seriously (sorry, Lil Red), I understand why this is an interesting topic to debate, but I think we should all just be happy we have any Catholic TV at all. There are people who don't even get Mass but once a month. Really.

 

I totally understand what you're saying.  But I don't think being grateful for having Catholic TV at all means that we can't want it to get better.  I don't think any of us in this thread want EWTN to be cancelled. :)  We just want it to get better. 

[Gabriela]

I totally understand what you're saying.  But I don't think being grateful for having Catholic TV at all means that we can't want it to get better.  I don't think any of us in this thread want EWTN to be cancelled. :)  We just want it to get better. 

 

I understand. (I also really like you, BM. You're so kind and charitable and polite. :-) Just sayin'.) It just seems people don't agree on what it means for Catholic tv to get "better". Some people think it should look more like a Catholic version of secular programming ideas, while others thing we should shun secular programming ideas entirely just because they're secular.

 

:idontknow:

 

Oh! I know! Let's all shut our "devices" off and pray more! :-P

[CrossCuT]

I totally understand what you're saying.  But I don't think being grateful for having Catholic TV at all means that we can't want it to get better.  I don't think any of us in this thread want EWTN to be cancelled. :)  We just want it to get better. 

  :muffin: 

[tinytherese]

I personally loved Truth in the Heart, We Are Catholic (a cartoon), and another cartoon I can't remember the name of.  But it had a baker and his family and fellow Christians in early Rome, being pursued by the Romans and telling Bible stories to the kids.  One episode in particular was great; the wife asked her husband to tell the story of Jesus feeding the 5,000 with the loaves and fishes.  It was pretty standard a setup for an episode until the end, when the baker goes, "and after witnessing our Lord's miracle with that little bit I handed over, I knew I wanted to become a baker."

 

That show was The Story Keepers. I discovered all 12 episodes of it on youtube years ago, but they might have been taken down since then. They're also on dvd on amazon. That show holds a special place in my heart. As lame is it sounds, that cartoon show converted me when I was 13.

 

The first episode I saw was the third one in the series where the children are so moved by The Parable of the Good Samaritan that they save one of the Roman officers that was persecuting them. Their example and explanation of why they did it converted him. Another part of that episode where one of the story tellers convinces an angry group of Christians not to get revenge for all that they've been put through by the Romans. He related it to another story of Jesus (where St. Peter asks how many times he should forgive someone.)

 

I was so moved by how the Gospel stories could be applied to everyday life and just to what great lengths that they would go to preserve their faith even to the point of death despite being persecution made lasting impressions on my heart.

 

I think that one of the problems at EWTN is that the people working there tend to be older and may be converts from Evangelicalism. More young lively blood needs to get in there.

 

Also, EWTN was established to catechize people on the basics of the faith (which we often don't get from our own parishes and Catholic schools,) so their emphasis has been on education rather than entertainment. Then again, who says that catechesis and entertainment can't go together?

 

More variety is needed in the types of programs offered. Too much of it has lecture shows like we're in school or "talking head" hosts. We need more than talking about the faith. We need to live it too.

[Era Might]

I was so moved by how the Gospel stories could be applied to everyday life and just to what great lengths that they would go to preserve their faith even to the point of death despite being persecution made lasting impressions on my heart.

 

The little talks by Fr. Leo Clifford are my favorites.

[Apotheoun]

Those who don't like EWTN should stop whining and start their own Catholic tv channel.

[Apotheoun]

I think the author isn't necessarily saying that Catholic Ghetto people are the same as Fr. Barron fans, but that Fr. Barron is one of those things that isn't allowed to be disliked by a lot of Catholic Ghetto people.  

I must not belong to the "Catholic ghetto," because I find Fr. Barron boring.

[Basilisa Marie]

I must not belong to the "Catholic ghetto," because I find Fr. Barron boring.

 

It's correlation, not causation. :) 

[Lil Red]

I totally understand what you're saying.  But I don't think being grateful for having Catholic TV at all means that we can't want it to get better.  I don't think any of us in this thread want EWTN to be cancelled. :)  We just want it to get better. 

 

yarp. 

[PhuturePriest]

I must not belong to the "Catholic ghetto," because I find Fr. Barron boring.

 

You're a dirty pagan.

[Seven77]

Yeah, I know what you mean about being strict about certain things but not about others - it's a weird inconsistency that doesn't seem logical.  

 

Honestly, I don't watch a whole lot of EWTN, so maybe it's not fair of me to call for some shows to be chucked out.  Heck, they could keep all the ones they have now, just add new ones.  If a show is reaching people and benefiting them in some way, then there's a good reason to keep it around.  I just get the impression that a lot of their shows are pretty similar.  At the heart of what I'm calling for is more variety, shows that are more than televised prayer or coffee around the table.  It seems like the channel really only caters to a certain kind of Catholic, and they have such a great opportunity to reach all kinds of Catholics because it already has the reputation as THE Catholic TV channel (it already has name-recognition).  Why not show old Catholic movies (are the rights too expensive?)?  Why not have a cooking show, or a home/garden show?  It's just seems to me like they might be squandering an opportunity.   The channel gives lots of people the impression that to be into the rosary and daily mass means that you're boring and serious never get excited about anything, or that you only care about explicitly Catholic things.  Maybe they just don't have the money to do it.  But I know I'd donate if they were asking for money to fund a new, creative, different show that was also solidly Catholic.  
 

 

 

I'm not so sure.  I know a lot of parishes use Fr. Barron's series for adult faith formation.  But I also know a lot of people who definitely advocate for a kind of return to the Catholic Ghetto culture, people who despise anything that has to do with secular society (even if it isn't sinful).  I wouldn't say these people are always the same people as those who like Fr. Barron (it's probably a casual connection, at best).  I think the author isn't necessarily saying that Catholic Ghetto people are the same as Fr. Barron fans, but that Fr. Barron is one of those things that isn't allowed to be disliked by a lot of Catholic Ghetto people.  

 

 

Surprisingly, EWTN actually has two cooking shows: Grace Before Meals with Fr. Leo P, and Feasts and Seasons with British journalist Joanna Bogle. There is a show about caring for the environment and social justice, and another called Saints Alive! featuring different Saints being interviewed speaking before live audiences. I used to watch a fairly entertaining show in which the host went to a different pilgrimage site every week. Two of my favorite shows are the Apostle of Common Sense with Dale Alquist, about GK Chesterton, and an hour-long program featuring plays put on by a variety of different actors. So, while its not perfect by any stretch, EWTN does Indeed have a variety of creative programming. Unfortunately, many people do not know about these particular programs.

 

About Fr. Barron, I would think that people with the  â€œCatholic ghetto mentality” would be put off by him. Why? Because he discusses a lot of secular material, like movies, series on HBO, and music including Bob Dylan to name a few.

[Apotheoun]

Perhaps EWTN should have a program focused upon liturgical dance. 

 

:hehe2:

[Ice_nine]

wtf is with the phrase "catholic ghetto"? Can someone explain. It sounds paradoxically pretentious.

[BG45]

That show was The Story Keepers. I discovered all 12 episodes of it on youtube years ago, but they might have been taken down since then. They're also on dvd on amazon. That show holds a special place in my heart. As lame is it sounds, that cartoon show converted me when I was 13.

 

The first episode I saw was the third one in the series where the children are so moved by The Parable of the Good Samaritan that they save one of the Roman officers that was persecuting them. Their example and explanation of why they did it converted him. Another part of that episode where one of the story tellers convinces an angry group of Christians not to get revenge for all that they've been put through by the Romans. He related it to another story of Jesus (where St. Peter asks how many times he should forgive someone.)

 

I was so moved by how the Gospel stories could be applied to everyday life and just to what great lengths that they would go to preserve their faith even to the point of death despite being persecution made lasting impressions on my heart.

 

I think that one of the problems at EWTN is that the people working there tend to be older and may be converts from Evangelicalism. More young lively blood needs to get in there.

 

Also, EWTN was established to catechize people on the basics of the faith (which we often don't get from our own parishes and Catholic schools,) so their emphasis has been on education rather than entertainment. Then again, who says that catechesis and entertainment can't go together?

 

More variety is needed in the types of programs offered. Too much of it has lecture shows like we're in school or "talking head" hosts. We need more than talking about the faith. We need to live it too.

 

Thank you for the name!!!  I think I never saw the episode you're mentioning, but it sounds great. :)  And hurray for being converted by it at 13 years old!  I watched it in my 20s lol.  I think you're spot on that a number of the employees are former evangelicals and really want to educate.  Love Journey Home and it helped in my conversion, but at the same time, it is very structured and "talking head". 

 

Wouldn't mind seeing something along the lines of Life On The Rock, but maybe out amongst various parishes.
 

[Era Might]

what tha' fa fa fa fa fonze? is with the phrase "catholic ghetto"? Can someone explain. It sounds paradoxically pretentious.