Dear Friends of the Kolbe Center,
Christ is risen! Alleluia!
In this newsletter I would like to invite you to watch the video of the play that our young (and old) attendees at last year’s leadership retreat performed on the life of Blessed Leonid Feodorov, the first Exarch of the Russian Catholic Church, who was prepared for that role by St. Pius X shortly before the Bolshevik Revolution in Russia overturned the ancient Christian social, political, cultural and moral order in Russia and replaced it with an evolution-based anti-Christian communist-materialist regime. Before I invite you into the world of Blessed Leonid and his spiritual counterpart in the Republic of Georgia a half-century later, Fr. Gabriel Urgebadze, I would like to tell you about a special project to see if anyone reading this newsletter would be willing and able to help.
Sister Rose Thumitho is a dear friend of the Kolbe Center who belongs to a community of the Little Sisters of St. Francis in Jinja, a city in Uganda very close to the source of the Nile River in Lake Victoria. I have known Sister Rose for about seven years. I met her when we did a seminar for priests, seminarians and religious in Uganda in 2018. Since then, my colleagues and I have stayed in touch with her and visited her in her community in Jinja at the source of the Nile River in Lake Victoria. Sister Rose has been very resourceful in helping the needy in her area to become more self-sufficient through raising chickens and through other enterprises. She also strengthens the faith of everyone she meets, and firmly upholds the true doctrine of creation as the foundation of Holy Marriage, the family, and a culture of life. Sister Rose is coming to the Washington DC area for a conference over the last weekend in May, a conference that focuses on helping entrepreneurs in Africa, but she does not have to return to Uganda until the end of June. We are trying to set up some opportunities for her to speak in various parishes and to raise funds for her works of mercy in Uganda. If you would like some background information about our work in Uganda through which I met Sister Rose, you could read the article at this link.
If you would be willing to help organize a venue for Sister Rose somewhere in the United States between the first and last weekends in June, please contact me directly at howen@shentel.net as soon as possible.
“The Play’s The Thing”
A year ago, a priest friend of mine on the other side of the world wrote to me to say how much he had come to appreciate the link between the traditional liturgy of the Roman Rite and the traditional doctrine of creation. I suggested that he watch the video of the play that my wife and the young people performed at our leadership retreat two years ago, “The World Thou Hast Made Firm,” which begins with St. Jutta and St. Hildegard of Bingen, moves to St. Robert Bellarmine and Galileo, and ends with Sister Wilhelmina and the Benedictines of Mary. He wrote back to me to say how edified he was by the production, and this, in turn, inspired me to encourage readers of this newsletter to recommend our leadership retreat to families with children who would like to have the opportunity to grow in their faith and to participate in Catholic drama that gives glory to God.
One of the young people who has participated in several of our plays over the years is Abigail Grace Adams. If you have not seen her performance of Blessed Anna Maria Taigi at this link, please watch it with your family as soon as possible for a most edifying and enjoyable experience. Abigail was kind enough to write a brief testimonial on the value of the kind of Catholic theater that we offer at our leadership retreats, especially for young people, so I would like to use this week’s newsletter to share it with you:
Catholic Theater from a Young Catholic’s Perspective
“I am not capable of doing big things, but I want to do everything, even the smallest things, for the greater glory of God.” —St. Dominic Savio
Giving glory to God in everything orients oneself upward where the saints reside, as it is a heavenly practice. Whether in the practice of one’s daily duties, or enjoying recreation with family and friends, there are many ways to give glory to God. One such rewarding way is to participate in Catholic Theater.
Fortunately, I have grown up participating in theater productions. From The Life of Blessed Anna Maria Taigi to the Carmelite Martyrs of Compiegne and others, I have always enjoyed putting myself in someone else’s shoes. Being in costume and on stage allows a person to learn a role and play a character that can either challenge oneself more than usual or more easily highlights one’s personal abilities.
Encouraging young people to “come out of their shell” is usually the first hurdle in playing a part as they may think that they cannot do it, as they’re shy. From my acting experience, after the first time or two this concern just went away and has never returned. I remember the first time I performed in one of Mrs. Owen’s plays a few years ago. Her high expectations were evident immediately. That motivated me and others as she built up our confidence, and the cast became ever more determined. A side note: she doesn’t let her actors give up easily!
Playing a saint easily empowers the actor as one wants to show the respect and honor that the saints deserve. Whether the role is more sacrificial, prayerful, or joyful, playing a saint has always been a wonderful experience, not to mention how blessed I have been to learn a thing or two about how they became saints.
Every year at the end of summer the Kolbe Center hosts a conference on creation. I have enjoyed the conference each year I have attended as my family and I have learned much more about creation. Mrs. Owen’s plays are a highlight for me every year. It’s a wonderful week filled with talks on creation, daily Mass, meeting new people and practicing and performing a play. During this week, Mrs. Maria Owen writes and directs a play about a saint, and forms it in-part around creation. Mrs. Owen has many years of professional experience in theater, and she does a wonderful job directing the play in less than a week.
When performing in a play, pray to Our Lady to intercede for you. Ask the Holy Ghost to work and speak through you, as in this way you can truly perform an edifying role and give glory to God. Well-acted plays can inspire people and change lives. Stories connect us to our past, strengthen our faith, and renew our hope for salvation.
Although some may not like participating in plays, as it’s not everyone’s cup of tea, I encourage those somewhat interested to give it a chance. One will discover the beauty of a well-acted play, especially when performing a play with a truly Catholic theme. Performing in such a play will allow you to give God your best, which will bring a smile to Our Lord’s dearest face. Being Catholic is an eternal gift if lived well. God has given us the Church and its many holy saints as examples of how to live well. Catholic plays enable us to continue to build the kingdom. My generation as well as future generations will encounter much hardship. By living as the saints did for many centuries, we can endure all trials by the grace of God.
Although I am not 18 yet, my few years of acting experience have shown me that so much good can come from saying “yes” to acting in a play. I hope that what I’ve shared will inspire others to see the fruits of Catholic drama. I want to thank Mr. and Mrs. Owen for all they do, and I hope the Kolbe Center will continue to flourish in its conferences as well as in the wonderful plays that Mrs. Owen writes and directs.
Lastly, it’s important to remember that just as a good book or movie can change someone for the better, so too can Catholic plays, if you let God work through you. Let us recall the words of St. Rose of Lima “Know that the greatest service man can offer to God is to help convert souls.”
If you know a young adult who would like to help with our August leadership retreat or a family with children who would like to strengthen their faith in the true doctrine of creation and participate in an uplifting play, please encourage them to contact me at howen@shentel.net We do everything on a suggested donation basis, so if a family cannot afford the suggested donation, but want to attend and help to advance the Kolbe mission, we will gladly welcome them for whatever part of the suggested donation they can afford.
Yours in Christ Our Risen Lord, through the Holy Theotokos, in union with St. Joseph,
Hugh Owen
P.S. Today is a First Saturday. Please be sure to answer Our Lady’s appeal for the First Saturday devotions as described by the Fatima Center at this link.
P.P.S. Important Correction: The dates of the Kolbe leadership retreat are July 31st (in the evening) to August 7 (in the morning) for the administrators of the retreat, but everyone else should plan to arrive on the afternoon of August 1 and depart on the morning of August 7. For information about the leadership retreat, please go to the Kolbe Center Events page at this link.
Please also visit the Events page for information about our seminar tomorrow, Sunday May 4, at Sacred Heart Parish in Cullman, Alabama, and on May 23-24 at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Parish in Littleton, Colorado, and spread the word to family and friends in those areas.
