“This age is much more influenced by art than by thought.”

                                                                                    — G. K. Chesterton

 

July 31st, the Feast of St. Ignatius Loyola

 

From: Fr. Joseph Fessio, S.J.

Founder and Editor of Ignatius Press

 

Dear Fellow Catholic,

 

            God has blessed Ignatius Press year after year since our founding in 1978. We are grateful that our publications and videos have been a valuable resource for millions of serious Catholics and other Christians.

 

            But our patron, St. Ignatius of Loyola, always strove for the magis, i.e., to do more. You probably know that his motto was Ad majorem Dei gloriam—for the greater glory of God.

 

            I’m writing to announce an exciting new initiative of Ignatius Press, a new “partnership for evangelization” which can multiply the good work that has been accomplished thus far.

 

Theater of the Word Incorporated

 

            Ignatius Press has entered into partnership with Theater of the Word Incorporated, a Catholic theater troupe whose mission is to give flesh to the Word of God through drama, to touch hearts as well as minds, and to reach our visually-oriented culture, especially young people.

 

            We’re off to a great start. TWI will be premiering a 10-part series on EWTN in 2008. And some very talented graduates from Ave Maria University have already had a very successful year’s trial run with youth groups, confirmation retreats, parishes, and high schools.

 

            With a multi-media production that includes music, witnessing, and one-act dramas our actors proclaim God’s grace in a very powerful way. These touring shows focus on the lives of the saints, the gifts of the sacraments, the evils of abortion, and more.

 

            I know firsthand the power of these performances; I was moved to tears when I saw the pro-life drama “Sarah’s Secret” (see enclosed brochure for a description).

 

            One of their most popular performances is—would you believe this?—a modesty fashion show called “Image”. They work with the young people themselves so they can take part. There’s great interest in a fashion show—and this one shows them how to dress attractively while respecting their God-given dignity.

 

            But here’s the best part. Many, if not most, of these kids are not really confirmed in their faith. Once the fashion show is under way and the audience is getting into it, TWI organizers intersperse the acts with personal witnessing. Here’s the sequence: Why is fashion important? Because the body is important. Why is the body important? Because the body is the expression of the soul and a Temple of the Holy Spirit. Why is the soul important? Because it’s created for eternal happiness.

 

            Image has been hugely successful. Every time it’s been put on, TWI receives requests for more performances. Souls are being touched. And lives are being changed.

 

Reaching the Next Generation—and the Muddled Middle

 

            At Ignatius Press, we think this is an important way to broaden our reach. Many of our books are for serious Catholic readers. And all of them are for readers. But many young people don’t read much. And too many under-catechized adults don’t either. We’ve already proven, though, that they will come to entertaining and inspiring performances, whether a modesty fashion show or a mini-drama.

 

            The director of TWI, Kevin O’Brien, is, with his family, a convert to the Catholic faith. For years he has been very successfully directing and acting in his own non-religious troupe, called Upstage Productions.  Now he wants to use that experience not only to entertain, but to bring God’s Word and the teachings of the Catholic Church to audiences nationwide.

 

            Kevin will be able not only to make our performances for young people even better by giving the existing troupe professional guidance, but also to reach adult audiences effectively drawing on his long experience with Upstage Productions.

 

            He already has one man shows on St. Paul, St. Augustine, and Hilaire Belloc.

 

            Some full cast shows have been performed and others are being prepared: G. K. Chesterton’s minor masterpiece “The Surprise”; a beautiful short play by the author of the book, A Right to Be Merry, the genial former prioress of Our Lady of Guadalupe Monastery in Roswell, New Mexico, Mother Mary Francis—called “The Smallest of All”; “A Dramatic Conversion: the Story of St. Genesius”—he’s the patron of actors, who was martyred when, as a pagan, he played a role mocking Christian baptism and realized that what he was mocking as a fraud was real; and more.

 

            Theater of the Word Incorporated will also put on fundraiser shows for parishes and Catholic organizations—but with a difference. They will be entertaining (game shows, dinner theater) while making some serious points and correcting some widespread errors.

 

            And here’s an added blessing for TWI: the courageous and intrepid Archbishop Raymond Burke of St. Louis, where Kevin lives, is so enthusiastic about Theater of the Word Incarnate that he has not only made available for use his John Paul II Theater, but has personally contributed to the effort and offered to promote TWI vigorously in his archdiocese. But to accomplish what Archbishop Burke and we are hoping for, we need your help. Why?

 

We Need Your Help

 

            First, we are just getting started. We need help in getting the word out. Please read the enclosed brochure which gives a sampling of what TWI offers. If your parish, youth group, school, or other organization would possibly be interested in hosting a performance, please call, write, or contact us through email.

 

            Secondly, we need patrons. While Upstage Productions has been putting on over 200 performances per year—and supporting itself—we know that youth groups and schools will not have the resources that dinner theaters or country clubs have. And if we are performing for young people, we can’t expect that passing the hat will be much of a source of revenue.

 

            Even community theaters are considered successful when 50% of their revenue comes from ticket sales. They depend on patrons to survive. TWI is not just entertaining. It is changing lives and awakening young people to the joys and riches of our Catholic faith. Look at some of the testimonials of young people:

 

“They did a fantastic presentation … We’d love to have the troupe come and visit us again next year.”

— P.J. Winn, Director of Resurrection Catholic Church      

           Block Party, Riverview, Florida

“The students still talk about it.”

— Tim Maag, Theology Professor, St. Mary’s Catholic High School, Monroe, Michigan

 

“The message was very powerful. The presentation was very lively and well dramatized.”

— Mary Lynch, Fort Lauderdale, Florida

 

            Those are only a few of the many comments of praise that TWI’s work is receiving from Catholics around the country.  You can imagine how excited TWI is at the prospect of expanding its work of reaching people with God’s Word through drama!

 

            Please consider being a patron in these important foundational years. Even a small contribution on a monthly basis can make our effort a self-sustaining apostolic success.  

 

            For a commitment of $10 a month, Ignatius Press would like to send you a copy of Pope Benedict XVI’s new book, An Invitation to Faith.  This quality hardcover book is a sort of “A to Z Primer on the Thought of Pope Benedict XVI”, providing alphabetically arranged excerpts of his writings and talks on a wide range of spiritual topics.

 

            For a pledge of $20 a month, Ignatius Press will send you the stunning photo biography, Pope Benedict XVI: Servant of the Truth.  Edited by the journalist Peter Seewald, this beautiful, lavishly illustrated hardcover work tells the life story of Joseph Ratzinger in pictures and words.

 

            For a monthly donation of $30, Ignatius Press will send you the outstanding DVD, Pope John Paul II, starring Jon Voight, Cary Elwes, Ben Gazzara, James Cromwell, and Christopher Lee.  Voight and Elwes give stellar performances as Karol Wojtyla/Pope John Paul II in this inspirational, epic film.

 

            We understand that not everyone can afford to commit to a monthly donation. Whatever you can give for this important work will be appreciated.  And most importantly, please remember TWI in your prayers and sacrifices.

 

            Finally, we have an ambitious dream. We want to establish a small community theater in Ave Maria town in Florida as the base for nationwide evangelization. Why Ave Maria town? Because I have found that the students at Ave Maria University, where I am Theologian in Residence, have extraordinary talent in acting, singing, and performing. They have a vibrant, zealous faith. And they have come to Ave Maria to deepen their understanding of the faith to be able to evangelize our culture. It’s a natural “farm system” or “feeder system” for Theater of the Word Incorporated.

 

            Your generous donations will not only help us to support and expand this apostolic initiative. They can help us establish a permanent center where we can prepare future media apostles and engage our culture, especially our youth who are yearning for much more than this world can offer.

Sincerely yours in Christ,

 

 

 

Fr. Joseph Fessio, S.J.

Ignatius Press

 

P.S.  Chesterton was right when he said that our age is influenced more by art than thought. Theater of the Word influences the minds and hearts of people through both art and thought.  Please help us reach our world with these powerful, faith-building and pro-life dramas.  Become a patron of Theater of the Word Incorporated today!