Benedictine College’s Catholic Hall of Fame wants to know your favorite “Proudly Catholic” movies.
Think Les Miserables, For Greater Glory and The Rite: The Gregorian Institute promotes Catholic identity in public life, and so we are looking for movies that do that. In my classes, I like to show movies that thoughtfully critique Catholic identity. Those movies (Doubt and Breach, for instance) are great, but not what we’re looking for here.
When I was first brought into the fold of practicing Catholicism by friends in college, movies were a big part of my informal instruction. I was given Chesterton to read, a Rosary to pray, mortal sins to confess … and movies to watch.
My new Catholic crowd could quote lines from Beckett and A Man for All Seasons. Their favorite Hitchcock was I Confess. Watching these movies helped me understand (and enter) the culture of Catholicism in America.
Now, as a father raising children, I reinforce Catholic identity with my own children through movies. The Trouble With Angels for vocations, The Scarlet and the Black for moral courage, Angels With Dirty Faces for mercy, Heaven Knows, Mr. Alison for perseverance. There are “Proudly Catholic” B movies for every sport: The Perfect Game for baseball, The Mighty Macs for basketball, Rudy for football.
Vote here and look to the Gregorian Institute for follow ups on winners and where to find the movies on the list.