Our Sunday Visitor - August 5, 2007

People of faith hold powerful sway in Hollywood:

Father Don Woznicki seeks to reclaim Church's place in films with New Ethos

By Carl Kozlowski

Growing up in South Bend, Ind., Father Don Woznicki always had a fascination with Hollywood. His passion for movies continued throughout his life, remaining a constant even as Father Woznicki developed a career as an engineer and fell away from the Church for several years.

When he regained his passion for Catholicism and ultimately became a priest in 2002, he found a way to combine his love of movies with his love of the Church by developing a program called New Ethos. His goal is to redefine the traditionally contentious relationship between Hollywood and Christians of all stripes.

"I loved, and still love, going to the movies because it's a journey to go on, an adventure to endeavor, a mystery to solve. A really great movie had a way of encouraging me on to do something virtuous or even extraordinary," said Father Woznicki, who is associate pastor and temporary administrator at St. Norbert's Church in the Chicago suburb of Northbrook. "There was not only that sense of Hollywood being the 'dream makers,' but also inspiring people to reach beyond for something good -- if they would have the courage to just go for it."

New Ethos is designed to be an apostolate to the entertainment industry by the Catholic Church that will promote morally worthy and uplifting films in several ways. First, a group of lay and clergy board members will select upcoming films that are worthy of the program's logo endorsement to encourage attendance by the faithful. The group will also recommend past films.

Reclaim place

Father Woznicki believes that the time is ripe for Catholics to regain a foothold in Hollywood, reclaiming a rich tradition of moral influence that lasted for decades until the current movie-rating system was established in 1968. In the past, the Church interacted with the industry through the Legion of Decency, which was established in 1933 by some bishops, including OSV's Archbishop John Noll. Years later, it became the U.S. bishops' Office for Film and Broadcasting, which still exists today.

He notes that there has a been a "disconnection with the consumer at the box office," that new technologies and distribution methods for films are forcing studios to find ways to increase their market base, and that faith-based consumers should be encouraged not to avoid Hollywood but to reward the good movies in addition to raising objections about the bad films.

"A lot of people of faith don't realize the power they hold in choosing the kinds of media that lasts. In the wake of ['The] Passion [of the Christ'] and Hollywood realizing the power of the Catholic and evangelical market, they're starting to get approached by a growing number of Catholic and evangelical production companies," said Father Woznicki.

First film

New Ethos will endorse its first movie this month when it helps promote "Bella," a film about a former soccer star and a waitress who help each other heal from tragic circumstances. "Bella" is rated PG-13 and is an uplifting tale that won the People's Choice Award at the Toronto International Film Festival.

But not all the films New Ethos endorses will be happy portraits of life.

"What gives New Ethos a fresh and innovative approach is that it advocates films that 'awaken the soul,' and not 'violate the soul.' Sometimes, when the horrible truth of a social ill or sin is to be presented in its reality, it needs to be presented in R-rated form such as in 'The Passion of the Christ' or 'Schindler's List'," said Father Woznicki.

"Well done art appeals to the depths of one's soul and excites it to action."

Did you know?

You can get reviews of popular movies from the U.S. bishops Office for Film and Broadcasting at www.usccb.org/movies.

Carl Kozlowski writes from California.