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Episode Description
With the long-awaited beatification of Venerable Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen approaching, Bishop Louis Tylka of the Diocese of Peoria joins us to reflect on this historic moment and Sheen’s enduring legacy. Bishop Tylka shares how he inherited responsibility for advancing Sheen’s cause and discusses Sheen’s extraordinary gift for evangelization — from his pioneering use of radio and television to his ability to communicate the truths of the faith in ways that continue to resonate today.
We also hear the remarkable story of James Engstrom, whose miraculous recovery paved the way for Sheen’s beatification. Born without a pulse, James remained without a heartbeat for 61 minutes as his family prayed for Sheen’s intercession. He miraculously revived without the severe complications doctors expected and is now a healthy teenager who will participate in the beatification. Bishop Tylka also reflects on the striking connection between those 61 minutes and Sheen’s lifelong devotion to a daily Holy Hour before the Eucharist.
Then we meet Kathleen Bowen, a homeschooling mother of ten who turned a family passion for great Catholic stories into Industrious Family Films. What began when her 16-year-old daughter wanted to make a movie grew into a family filmmaking business, with each of her children developing their own creative gifts. Bowen also previews their most ambitious project yet, Fabiola, a feature-length adaptation of Cardinal Nicholas Wiseman’s classic novel set amid the persecution of Christians in ancient Rome, and explains why the witness of the early martyrs can inspire a new generation through stories of heroism, virtue, and faith.
Finally, TCA Chaplain Msgr. Roger Landry joins us as we celebrate the feasts of one of the Church’s most famous mother-and-son pairs: St. Monica and St. Augustine. Msgr. Landry reflects on Monica’s decades of persevering prayer for her family, Augustine’s dramatic conversion, and what their story can teach us about faithfully praying for those we love — even when the fruits of those prayers may take years to appear.
Catch the show every Saturday at 7amET/5pmET on EWTN radio!
And don’t forget to subscribe to TCA’s daily media roundup for smart Catholic news and commentary delivered straight to your inbox.
Bios
Bishop Louis Tylka is the Bishop of the Diocese of Peoria, Illinois, where he has played a central role in advancing the cause for canonization of Venerable Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen and preparing for Sheen’s long-awaited beatification. When Bishop Tylka was appointed to Peoria in 2020, he quickly discovered that he was also inheriting responsibility for helping move Sheen’s cause forward. He immersed himself in Sheen’s life and legacy and became convinced that the question was not whether the cause would progress, but when. In the years since, Bishop Tylka has served as a bridge of communication with Church leaders in the United States and at the Vatican while maintaining momentum and enthusiasm for Sheen’s eventual beatification and, God willing, canonization. As Bishop of Sheen’s home diocese, Bishop Tylka has also emphasized the enduring relevance of the famed Catholic communicator’s life. He points especially to Sheen’s commitment to evangelization, discipleship, vocation, and the Eucharist — values that have become foundational to the Diocese of Peoria’s own vision for the future.
Kathleen Bowen is a homeschooling mother of ten and producer behind Industrious Family Films, an independent Catholic film company she operates alongside her family in Idaho. What began as a homeschool project when her 16-year-old daughter wanted to make a movie grew into a family business dedicated to telling compelling stories of Catholic faith, virtue, and heroism. Bowen serves as producer alongside her children, and the family’s most ambitious project yet is Fabiola, a feature-length adaptation of Cardinal Nicholas Wiseman’s classic novel about the early Christians of ancient Rome.
Monsignor Roger Landry is a priest of the Diocese of Fall River, Massachusetts. A graduate of Harvard and the Pontifical North American College in Rome, he served as Attaché to the Holy See’s Permanent Observer Mission to the UN in New York. In 2024, he was appointed National Director of the Pontifical Mission Societies in the USA by Pope Francis. He writes for numerous publications, speaks on radio and TV, and served as executive editor for the Diocese of Fall River weekly paper. He is the author of Plan of Life: Habits to Help You Grow Closer to God, and was an on-site commentator for EWTN during the last two papal conclaves. He serves as the New York Chaplain for the Leonine Forum. Msgr. Landry traversed the 1500-mile Eucharist Pilgrimage in 2024, coinciding with his 25th year in the priesthood. In June 2026, he was appointed by Pope Leo XIV to the Vatican Dicastery for the Doctrine of Evangelization.
The following transcript is machine generated.
Episode 384 Transcript
| Ashley | Welcome back Deep Conversations with consequences, now on EWTN radio on your host, Ashley McGuire. |
| Betsy | And I'm Betty Fentress. |
| Ashley | And we are thrilled to welcome Bishop Louis Tylka of the Diocese of Peoria, Illinois, with us. Your Excellency. It is a monumental year with the announcement of Venerable Fulton Sheen, soon to be Blessed Fulton Sheen, the beatification we are looking forward to just next month in Saint Louis. So thank you so much for making the time for us today. |
| Bishop Louis Tylka | I appreciate the invitation. It's good to be with you, Bishop Tylka. |
| Ashley | What does this long awaited milestone mean for you personally as the shepherd of the Diocese of Peoria? |
| Bishop Louis Tylka | That's a great question. You know, I, I would, tend to answer that question first by saying, I think it's going to be a great moment for the church. You know, not just the Diocese of Peoria. In fact, in making the decision to move the beatification from Peoria down to Saint Louis. My, contention with my team was, is that Sheen is not just for Peoria. He's for the world. And so we want to maximize people's participation. So, you know, my first response is, is that I think this is going to be a great moment of grace for the church. And I think we'll see graces flow from the event itself. Personally, obviously, it's a moment of great pride. And as, we continue to make plans for such a large scale, event, celebration, you know, a mass with, you know, God willing, we'll sell out of 74,000 people. You know, I've realized more more lately, folks have been saying. Yeah, but this is these were your choices. These were your decisions. And so, you know, I guess, this is all about Sheen and the how God works through him. But in some ways, you know, I guess taking a little bit of ownership, you know, and seeing this develop in the way that, I envisioned it. As a celebration is, humbling first and foremost, because I'm so grateful for all those who have stepped up and are helping to make all the arrangements and plans. But I also, I guess, feel a little bit like it's my my chance to make a little mark, and this, much more important, celebration of Sheen's life and how the church raises individuals up to be called blessed. And soon to be, hopefully, saints. |
| Betsy | But was there something earlier prior to this that you had a special connection to Archbishop Sheen or you? I feel like I heard that you had this kind of vision that someday this might come to fruition. |
| Bishop Louis Tylka | Well, I did. You know, I usually tell the story of when I was named Bishop. You know, it's my head wasn't spinning enough around the idea that, the Lord and the church was now calling me to serve as a bishop. The day of the public announcement of my appointment. I had no idea that, I was going to inherit this responsibility of moving the cause of his candidacy. And canonization forward. Until that, that afternoon. And I saw that on Twitter, and it was a post on Twitter that said, you know, I was inheriting this responsibility and that, like I said, my head was spinning around the idea of becoming a bishop. And now wait a second. And responsible for being, the promoter of a cause for, a saint, not not only a saint, but in particular, you know, Fulton Sheen. And so, you know, I just, quickly realized how much I needed to one, get to know Sheen and to learn about him and to learn about the cause. And as I quickly started to read and to learn about his life, I just saw that that, from the start, you know, I never had any doubt that the cause would move, would not move forward. You know, it's just a matter of time. But I knew that we needed to start dreaming. Much bigger. Of, you know, how are we going to celebrate this particular individual? His life, his legacy. And more so his invitation to us. To be evangelized of the faith. |
| Ashley | Can you talk a little more specifically about what your role has been and moving the cause forward, as you say, and also what that has involved for the diocese? |
| Bishop Louis Tylka | You know, I think that, the the the reality is, the diocese is has again, opened the doors in 2002 under Bishop Janki. There were obviously, great, graces and learnings of investigating Queen's life and putting together the the the, positio the the the the position of of why he needs to be declared saint. You know, my coming in in 2020, you know, was shortly after the, the beatification had been paused and, you know, I think my role has been to continue to have conversations, with, folks in the Vatican, with the Diamantes saints, with the with the secretary of state, and to certainly continue conversations with, among the bishops in the United States, in particular. You know, the bishops in New York, who had concerns, which is ultimately why it was paused in 2019 for a brief time. And to keep, you know, kind of cheerleading, saying we're not giving up. There will come a day when the beatification will take place, and, God willing, the day when, Fulton Sheen is declared a saint. So, I think my role has been to, kind of be that, bridge of communication and to keep reassuring folks. There's great disappointment when the cause was, the beatification is paused in 2019, but, you know, again, I have never heard a single bishop speak against it. The word has always been. When is that opportune? And, you know, trusting in God's time, which is not not always our time. I knew that that moment was going to come. So I think it's been, my role has been certainly to, to keep that, momentum going and trying to build momentum, for, for the beatification. |
| Betsy | So Archbishop Sheen was really a master communicator who used radio and television to reach millions and was kind of the pioneer of that, especially as a Catholic. How do you think his message and his method of evangelization speak to the digital age? In our current cultural climate? |
| Bishop Louis Tylka | It's a great question. You know, I think, one of the things I would say is, is that, she was not afraid to use the, you know, the new technology of his day, in particular TV. You know, which is kind of funny for us to say. I mean, we walk around with the device in our pocket that we can, you know, log on and watch. Yeah. You watch the original clip from from the 1950s on our phones. So I think what he would be saying to us today is don't be afraid to use the technology that is being developed, for the good of spreading the gospel, bringing people to Christ. I think he would challenge us to make sure that we are using this technology for good. And, you know, we see how the how technology can bring ills to society. So we, we want to make sure that we're always using it for the good, especially the good of bringing people to Christ and spreading the gospel. I think the other thing that Shane would be doing is, you know, his ability to communicate, I think is something that, you know, perhaps we struggle with, today. And by that, I mean, you know, he was able to really masterfully engage people. You know, and and, you know, he would take the time if I could use that term to, you know, open his show with some humor and to, you know, begin, you know, he had a brilliant mind. He had a doctorate in one of the most prestigious doctorates in philosophy in the world, you know. But he would take the time to explain things in a way that everybody could understand. And so, you know, not just a soundbite, not just, a quip and moving on. I mean, he really taught us how to tell stories and really, you know, create truth. In a way that is understandable and engaging. And he was also, you know, using his ability to look at the world around him and to offer both, a critique of what was happening in society, as well as encouragement for the good that was happening or, or the calling, issuing the calling to live out the good. So, you know, I think he be looking at those who are particularly working in and media today and using the technology of today to say, hey, don't be afraid. Use them, use the technology you're good and really use. Use it in a way that is really communicating. You know, technology is great because it does connect us, but it only connects us to a certain point, right? We need human connection. You know, we need the connection of being able to be in a community. We need the connection of, you know, being with other human beings, not via a screen or just a voice. But to really be with people and, and particularly I think he really showed that because he talks so much about needing to be present. To the Lord who is present to us in the gift of the Eucharist. And so, you know, the communication needs to lead us into a relationship with Jesus and with others that goes beyond just the technology, that we use, utilize to initiate that. |
| Ashley | One of the things I find so interesting about, him is, as we've discussed, he was very ahead of his time in terms of, you know, being on TV and radio. But now cable TV has kind of gone defunct. But he is still very, his message lends itself well to more modern forms of media. So he's very he's all over social media. He's incredibly clickable. And so a whole generation. Are you are you seeing that that is translating to interest in young people who are, you know, seeing his stuff kind of splattered across new forms of media? |
| Bishop Louis Tylka | Yes. I think, you know, the younger generations I often describe myself. I actually heard Bishop Barron kind of talk about this once. You know, I kind of describe myself when I was nine years old, when she died, and I went through the seminary in the late 80s into the 90s. Sheen was known, but he wasn't, like, held up as this great communicator. I mean, it was kind of, kind of sitting on the sidelines, you know, and, I think after, you know, after 2000, after the cause was opened in 2002, all of a sudden there was this realization, like, there's this guy out there who really is effective in communicating the truth of our faith. And I think a lot of the younger generations, I mean, I know that our seminarians today, I know some of our young priests today, you know, they're well more versed in Fulton Sheen than I was when I was their age and in the seminary. And that and I again, I think his message was always timeless because he's always speaking the truth of the gospel, which is, you know, applicable in every age and to everyone. And so I think, you know, in a sense, being rediscovered over the last 20, 25 years, since, you know, again, timelessness and that truth of the gospel. And I think a lot of young people today, you know, in the, if we might use the term the, the chaos of the world, you know, you know, all the voices that are out there in society for for all the challenges that we face to have a clear voice, because Shane was clear in his speaking, he was authentic and he was convicted and it was around the truth of the gospel. I think that's an a very appealing voice for young people today. |
| Betsy | We wouldn't be going to the beatification if there wasn't a miracle attached to Fulton Sheen. Can you tell us about the baby who was technically dead and then for 61 minutes and then miraculously revived and was fully alive. |
| Bishop Louis Tylka | Right. |
| Betsy | What can you tell us about that? And how might that be a great patron, how he might serve as a great patron for the pro-life movement because of that? |
| Bishop Louis Tylka | Or, well, that that young baby is now a teenager. Normal teenager. He'll be a part of the beatification. He'll carry up the relic. When the relics presented at the beginning of the beatification mass, his parents, very devout, faithful Catholics, they had a devotion to Fulton Sheen. They had planned to have, the baby born at home. So, when when, the mom went into labor, they they called all the folks who were necessary to help with the delivery at home. They were all gathered in the home. And during, you know, the delivery there was complications. And the baby was born without a pulse. Without a heartbeat. And so, they very quickly, of course, called for, the ambulance and, you know, over the period of, of 61 minutes, they transferred from the home to the hospital. The doctors, of course, we're doing everything they could to revive, the child, to, hopefully see the child that was going to make it. And, during this time, the not only the parents, but they were encouraging others to pray, and particularly through the intercession of Fulton Sheen. And, after 61 minutes, when the doctors were basically ready to say that unfortunately, the child did not survive. Miraculously, there was a pulse. There was a heartbeat. One could expect that, if the child survived and under those conditions, there would be, you know, severe brain damage or other complications. And none of that has occurred. No, no, that was was witnessed. And and, you know, as I said today, he's a, a wonderful young man, in his teen years, just an ordinary, you know, teenager, in a sense. You know, I think it's interesting. You know, it was pointed out one time Sheen's devotion to the Holy hour, you know, was a full 60 minutes before the Lord. And this happened 61 minutes after the child was born, and maybe the Lord was working. You know, in that 60 minutes, in a very powerful way of being present to, to the family, to this child in that, you know, I think in regards to a patron of, of pro-life, respect life. You know, Shane, saw the dignity of every human life, whether it was the unborn child or whether it was an elderly person, whether it was, you know, someone, in poor conditions. You know, he was an advocate for social justice. He was an advocate for caring for brothers and sisters, you know, and so, I mean, I think he was a great patron for respect, life, not just because the miracle occurred through bringing this child to life. You know, as a newborn, infant, but in all of his work, calling us to care for each other and speaking boldly, for that respect of life and the human dignity of each and every person in all aspects of our life. You know, I think he's a great patron for for the respect life movement. |
| Ashley | You mentioned the pause in his cause. Can you clear up misperceptions or confusions about that? And, maybe just explain a little bit about what that was and, and why that shouldn't in any way taint his legacy? |
| Bishop Louis Tylka | Well, one of the lines we use as Sheen is clean, right? |
| Ashley | I've never heard that. That's great. |
| Bishop Louis Tylka | But, you know, and so in 2019, when, the beatification was originally scheduled, there are a couple things going on. In the, in particular in the state of New York that were of concern, namely that, in the whole state of New York, the statute of limitations had been lifted, to investigate cases of abuse. You know, that might have taken place. Not that there was thought that Sheen had ever abused anyone. But, you know, in his role as a diocesan bishop in particular, how did he handle situations if there were situations, you know, when he was bishop of Rochester. And at the same time that this statute of limitations was open for the whole state of New York, the Diocese of Rochester was also in bankruptcy proceedings. And so, you know, it was there was concern that what if something were to come out if we were to beatified this individual? And then in light of, you know, what is being investigated now. There's something that would would, you know, in a sense, embarrass, him or that or the church. And so that's at the root of why the pause occurred. As I said, our line is Sheen is clean. You know, if you look back when he was Diocese of Rochester, the bishop there, there were two priests that he had to deal with. And what he did was remove them from ministry. So, again, ahead of his time, he he took them out of ministry. And did not return them to ministry. You know, and and, you know, in the end, I think the reality is, is, you know, wanting to to, in prudence, wanting to make sure, that that's why the pause occurred. Now, again, I go back and say, which would highlight I have never heard, Bishop speak against the cause of, Fulton Sheen of moving forward. You know, the the the word that I always heard is when is it the right time? When is it the best time to do this? I would argue that that time is now. You know, you know, we are, in the midst in our diocese of celebrating our extended 150th anniversary of the diocese. And obviously, he's a native son of Peoria. We're very proud of him. We're in the midst of the 250th anniversary of the United States, and she was known as America's bishop. You know, we have, our first, American born pope from the state of Illinois. You know, and so it just looks like everything lines up, that this is the opportune moment for us to move forward. So we are. |
| Ashley | And the Pope watched him as a boy. He said. |
| Bishop Louis Tylka | Absolutely. Yes. The Pope knew very much, of Fulton Sheen. And he's made several comments about how, his life was impacted by Sheen. |
| Betsy | You brought up that he is a native son of Peoria. And how has this affected your diocese? He was an altar boy at Saint Mary's Cathedral. And do you see this fomenting a newfound faith and devotion, maybe even in Eucharistic adoration, which, as you said, was the capstone of his life as a priest. He never missed a holy hour. The innocent from the day of his ordination. |
| Bishop Louis Tylka | Yeah. You know, so when I first came to the diocese, I was a college junior bishop, which meant I was kind of a bishop in waiting. I served as auxiliary basically, until my predecessor retired. And one of the things I did was, I listened to the priest first, and then I had listening sessions with all of the faithful from that, we, we, articulate what we call our five foundations of how we see ourselves growing, for the future. Many of these are the exact themes of Sheen's life as well evangelization, discipleship, the Eucharist, our vocation. And honestly, one of our our foundations is the life and legacy of John Jean. There's always been a pride, in knowing that, Sheen came from from the diocese, was a priest of the Diocese of Peoria. Never forgot his roots here in Peoria, and certainly visited quite a bit. And we're very blessed that he, you know, his his resting places in our cathedral. So I think that, what I would say is that, you know, in my experience of, you know, in particular like celebrating the sacrament of confirmation with our young people. You know, I pointed out, in my, homily to the, the conference that, you know, we're all called to a life of holiness. We're all called. It's the universal call of holiness. We're all called to become saints. We've got a lot of work to get there. But we're all called to become saints, and, you know, to be able to literally point to somebody that, you know, I could say, no matter where I sat in our diocese, I can say, well, an hour and a half from here, and if I'm in the Quad Cities or, and, you know, an hour from here, if I'm in Champaign-Urbana, you know, lived a young boy who, grew up to be what the church is now going to call blessed and soon to be saint, you know. And if he could do it, that means any one of us can do it right. So we all have the good, you know, roots of our faith, of our families, of the the values, the Midwest values that really shaped Shane's life. And we're able to point to him, and see, say, yeah, I can be like him. I can do something similar. Not that I have to be him, but I have to become the the saint that I'm being called to be in. |
| Ashley | You talk a little bit about some of the physical logistics of, for example, what becomes of his relics, where is he buried? Where does his body go if he takes the that final step and, and then kind of selfishly, what if for those who are privileged to go to the beatification are like rosaries brought there, what kind of relics are those? Can you talk a little bit about some of that? |
| Bishop Louis Tylka | Yeah. So, we're we're very blessed. His remains are, in a, tomb, and that is in our cathedral. The vision of Saint Mary, the Immaculate Conception. It's a side chapel which we call the Mary Chapel. And his, tomb sits at the front of that, under, an image of Our Lady of Perpetual Help. He had a great devotion to the Blessed Mother. The, relics have been extracted, meaning that, for the first time since, he was, died in 1979. His casket has been opened and, you know, examined and, relics, were, were taken, so that we can, we'll have the relics not only to venerate at the beatification, but, you know, for other ecclesiastical institutions, parishes, dioceses, and that they can request relics of us, you know what else can be produced and shared? Because relics are things that help us to to feel close to those who have gone before us and are with the Lord. So, that process has been, completed. Well, that process was taking place. We actually moved his tomb forward because one of the realities is once he is declared blessed, you can actually use that sarcophagus that that tomb as an altar, for the celebration of mass. We often place relics into the altar. This one has the majority of his body, underneath it. And, as I said, we will have relics in in Saint Louis will have several relics. With us, knowing that, we're going to have, thousands upon thousands of people there if they want to venerate the relics. We we want to make it as accessible as possible. So we have, several, places, the dome itself, a chapel that's going to be used, a conference, like in the conventional. There'll be a space in the morning, it'll be an adoration chapel. In the afternoon, it'll become a relic chapel, and then another ballroom there. So there'll be an opportunity for folks who want to venerate the relics. The day of the beatification, there that those substantial relics will return to the diocese. And, obviously, we'll have the the main one on display in our relic chapel in the cathedral as well. And, actually, I'm going to travel the following week to both the Diocese of Rochester and the Archdiocese of New York to present them what is considered a statue, a relic. Most relics are just a, chip of a bone or a, piece of hair, you know, from, but, a more substantial relic is is actually like, whole bone. So, Rochester is going to get, part of his left hand in New York is going to get part of his right hand. One of the bones, not chipped up, but the actual full bone, as part of their hands, they'll be able to have them, in their diocese for veneration as well. The, a lot of people like to, you know, that that's a first class relic. That's an actual physical piece of the individual. Second class relics are things that they wore. They used, you know, and third, third class relics are those things that like a rosary, like you mentioned, that you touch to the tomb or touch to the relic, and that so, you know, the relics will be around from this day forward. Right. We're preparing them, and, folks will be able to, to venerate them either here in Peoria, certainly on the day of beatification down in Saint Louis. And, you know, we'll see to the extent we can, fulfill the requests that come in from churches and diocese. |
| Ashley | Wonderful. Well, this is just so exciting. We encourage all of our listeners to, look into it. The tickets for the beatification are already available. So make sure to check out Celebrate Sina.com to learn more and join the Sheen Pilgrimage. Bishop toga, thank you so much for joining us today. |
| Bishop Louis Tylka | It's great to be with you. Thank you. |
| Ashley | Welcome back to conversations with consequences now on EWTN radio. I'm your host, Ashley McGuire. |
| Betsy | And I'm Betty Fentress. |
| Ashley | And joining us today is Kathleen Bowen, a homeschooling mother of ten. Producer and the woman behind Industrious Family Films alongside her family in North central Idaho, Kathleen has turned a passion for faith filled storytelling into a thriving independent film company. Her latest and most ambitious endeavor is Fabiola, a full budget feature film adaptation of Cardinal Nicholas Wiseman's classic 1854 novel. Kathleen is here to discuss bringing this powerful historical narrative to life, the virtues of family driven filmmaking, and why this story resonates so deeply today. Welcome to the show, Kathleen. |
| Kathleen Bowen | Thank you for having me on. |
| Ashley | So how did a homeschooling family of ten transition from home education and a love for good literature into running a full fledged independent movie studio? |
| Kathleen Bowen | Well, it started with my daughter when she was 16. She wanted to make a film. She was very inspired by Jim Carlino, who had made The War of the Zorn Day with a homeschool group in Connecticut, and we started that as a homeschool project, and other children, other children that were the same age as her were involved. And as we as we started doing this, I realized how much I was enjoying it and I also saw that there was such a big need for these sorts of stories to be, you know, movies made for Catholics about our own Catholic heroes. And as we continued our productions, I just it became more and more of a family business, and we got more and more serious about running it that way. |
| Betsy | So how have you what have they been? The fruits, of this family endeavor for your family? Has it brought you together? Have people found talents that they didn't know they have? How has that unfolded for you? |
| Kathleen Bowen | I would say that it definitely has brought us closer together. We've moved quite a bit, throughout my children's childhood. So I think that moving from place to place and being a homeschool family does make you a tight knit family. As you move somewhere and try to make new friends. So the filming itself, I think that it's really, it's demonstrated how the how much, some of the kids are really good at business and that sort of managing. And it also has demonstrated how some are more on the artistic side. And I think we've used all of our talents and really leaned into those things that we're good at. And I still have young children, so it's fun to watch them mature. And, you know, it's hard to know what what area they're going to actually be good at and watching them develop their own skills and help the family business that way is is exciting. |
| Betsy | How many of your children are currently involved in the film making process? |
| Kathleen Bowen | I think probably about five or seriously involved. And then some of the younger kids definitely enjoy acting and will do that at times. |
| Ashley | Did you ever have a background in in acting or anything like this? |
| Kathleen Bowen | No, I did not. You know, we just, that was one of the things that as we go, as we have developed, this this into our film and business, we have all studied different, areas. And one of the things that we have studied is acting. And we had an acting. We currently have an acting club and we are studying under Higgins. The art of acting, I think it's called, and just developing our skills that way. And that's been, probably one of the areas that has been probably the most difficult is learning how to act. |
| Betsy | Well, we do want to discuss your current project, but before we do, can you tell us a little bit about some of the short films that you have made and their subject matter, as related to your Catholic faith? |
| Kathleen Bowen | Yeah, my favorite short film that we've made is end of the Santa Fe Trail, and it's about Sister Bland, Dina, and Billy the Kid. We were the kids had read about that while they're homeschooling, and it was always, an exciting story to hear that one of the sisters of Charity had a run in with Billy the Kid. So in some ways, I think Billy the Kid is the main, draw to that story. But as we've researched the life of Sister Blandine, as she was really, an amazing woman, you know, was kind of like, Saint Cabrini, her story is similar to that. Just the strength. And, where we would like to continue to make that. It's an 11 minute film, but we'd like to develop it into a mini series where we explore some of the other real life run ins she had with Billy the Kid, along with other things in her life out West that were, really inspiring and interesting. And then, some of the other ones that we also made a home for Christmas, and I loved that one. That one was, about a poor soul from purgatory who, actually, this young woman gives her last penny to have a one more mass ed for any porcelain in purgatory. And as he is released into heaven, he comes and appears to her and gives her, helps her find her place in the world as a reward. And that story, I really love it. I think it comes out of one of those, devotions to the Poor Souls are books. |
| Betsy | And where did you get the source material for the development of that story? |
| Kathleen Bowen | Well, it was a friend of ours who asked us to make that story. It was something that he wanted to see in film, and he had given he had given us a lot of the information about that. And like I said, I do think it was a little booklet that as you go through the 30 days during November, praying for the poor souls, I do think this is one of those little stories that's in the antidotes. That's included. |
| Ashley | So I have, five young kids, and we have a family tradition of, you know, trying to do a movie night on Friday nights. And I've actually written about this, you know, it didn't take long to really exhaust, what at the time we thought were like, kid family friendly movies. And so one night my husband said, why don't we try like Ben-Hur? And I thought, what on earth? Like, you think are, you know, at the time, I think it was six year old boy is going to sit through a three plus hour black and white movie. And we were stunned. It's remains one of our kids favorite movies. And we discovered that a lot of these kind of like dense, older like these pictures that you don't think of, you know, you think of kids as watching, wanting to watch something like Toy Story. But what we found is that the movies that really capture their attention are not necessarily even cartoons. Can you talk a little bit about, you know, what you how you envision, movies that engage the minds, and excite, you know, the creativity of, of kids and how that might be different than industry standards. |
| Kathleen Bowen | I think that children are attracted to stories of hero heroes and stories and virtues. And, even in Ben-Hur, I think we see that with him being somebody who is strong and he's overcoming all these obstacles. And in the end, it's just really inspiring how he was just depending on himself. And then he finds our Lord and he has to submit to our Lord. And that's when he really becomes the hero. And I think that that is what is attractive to people of all times. That's why stories matter. That, storytellers have always mattered in our time. Cinema is the most powerful way of telling a story that can reach the largest amount of people. So I think that stories about virtue, that celebrate virtue, I think that stories that tell about our hero and inspire us or and we see that with young Washington people loved that movie. It's just because that's what we want to, look up to. |
| Betsy | So Fabiola is based on Cardinal Nicholas Wiseman's novel. What drew you? What drew your family to this specific story of ancient Rome? |
| Kathleen Bowen | Well, I think that this story matters a lot in our time because, you know, there is persecution throughout the world. We may be facing worldwide persecution. None of us know if that is going to be the case or not. But even and even though we're not facing a bloody persecution in a lot of ways, we are being persecuted for our beliefs and looking at the martyrs and what they did to, that their blood watered their early faith. And that's why, I mean, they over the Catholic Church overcame, pagan Rome, you know, the largest empire in the world. And, I think looking at their stories, we can face any, persecution that comes our way and know that has great, great fruits. And so that was that's the reason I'd like to tell the story. I also love the story because in some ways it could be the acts of Saint Sebastian. Saint Sebastian is, he in his life he met many of the other martyrs in the martyrology, which is so fascinating. But Cardinal Wiseman took Saviola and Flavius as fictitious characters and really weaved that story together in a compelling way. So I'm really looking forward to seeing Saint Sebastian on screen. |
| Ashley | And you do Quo Vadis next? |
| Kathleen Bowen | No. |
| Ashley | Yeah, that's one of my favorite books. And I do find that time period to be just so compelling. Talk a little bit about how you manage the logistics of, you know, you're you're a family shop, you've got a business, but you also have ten kids. How do you and you do the, the set work? How do you can you just talk about how you manage all those logistics? |
| Kathleen Bowen | I guess, one of the main logistics would be time, we. Mary, my daughter Mary is our creative director, and my daughter Faustina is our production director. So I, we all three help each other. They help me in the home to keep the home running smoothly. And I help them on set so that that part is really good, that we can support each other in that way. And, I make sure that I get all of my homeschooling in, all year round so that when it is time to film, that's kind of like our vacation, because it would be difficult to homeschool while we're actually out shooting. And I would say that it's been important for me to be the lead on this. And that's why I'm the producer, because making those tough decisions, somebody has to make the tough decisions and, and be responsible when you know that that didn't work out or also celebrate when things do work out really well. And, I kind of stay out of the artistic, side of it because I love, I think that I could do that, but I think, I don't want to interfere with that. I think that Mary and Faustina have a vision, and we just let them roll with their vision. And then I'd also like to say that my husband, although he works really hard in his own, in his own job, he it makes it so that we are he's very supportive and he's always backing the decisions that I make. And it makes it so that everything is not always heaven on earth. But we definitely, you know, have, we're all able to work together and make it happen. |
| Ashley | What about when you have, conflicts of artistic vision infused with sibling dynamics? How does that work? |
| Kathleen Bowen | I think that maybe we do think of things in a hierarchical, perspective. And Mary is the director. So I think that she'll ask Faustina for some support and ideas on what she does. A lot of times she'll say, I'm the assistant director, but I think that's more of directing people than it is directing a camera movement or anything like that. So I would say that people, everyone has their role, we have our job titles and we know what they are. And I think that that has helped also with those sorts of dynamics. |
| Betsy | So industrious family films. Are there other people outside of your family involved in the production of the film? |
| Kathleen Bowen | Yes, there are. We, have definitely in post-production. We have a composer who does our post-production, composing, and we have a colorist and, and Mary is very good at editing, but, we do have some people who are also supporting us in that area and a sound designer. So in the post-production, we have people heavily involved. |
| Betsy | But in terms of acting and the camera person, is that all within the family? |
| Kathleen Bowen | Well, with acting, we also have hired actors from even out of state. And so not all the acting is in family. In the Fabiola, one of my sons is acting in a large role, and then one of my sons is acting in the small role. So that in that film in particular, when we do our short films and we try as a lot of time, as many of my own children will be acting, but typically we have other actors on set, and then we have had other people do, cinematography. But in the end, I think that with Fabiola, we will be having Mary be our director of photography. |
| Ashley | So we've been it was good. |
| Kathleen Bowen | That we even make the costumes typically, oftentimes. |
| Ashley | So that's great. So you've built your own platform Industrias Family Theater, to stream family friendly virtual driven content. Can you talk a bit about the state of the entertainment industry? And, if you see kind of, yourself as part of a movement or a growing trend of people trying to kind of reclaim a corner of it, for content like what you're producing. |
| Kathleen Bowen | Yeah. I do think that we're going to reclaim a corner of it. I think that in some ways, Hollywood, I know that they've put out many things that actually undermine the faith. And even our, even our country and our ideals as Americans. But also, I think that I don't I think it's kind of the same old, same old. I think people are wanting fresh content. And I think that Hollywood seems to keep on going back to the same sort of stories in the same, to even the actors. And everything to me seems kind of bland. And the set, you know, is predictable. So I think that places like Angel Studios and some of the films coming out there, I was really hopeful for pure Flix for a while, but it seems like since Sony took it over, it's not quite as it seems like. It's kind of lost a little bit of that momentum, but I really hope that Industrias family can be a Catholic place for that, where we can have Catholic films that are appealing to everybody, you know, not just Catholics, but that that definitely keep a Catholic sense and a Catholic identity. And our streaming service so far has been one of the best, business decisions we've made and has been the most, steady stream of income for us. So I'm really proud of that. And we have 40 films on there. We also have it from ten studios. So it's not just our films. There's, quite a few people, and I hope that we can grow that and that people who are making high quality films will eventually want to put their films on there as well. |
| Betsy | What has been the reaction from people who are subscribers and also from anybody in the film industry? Have you? I mean, I spent my whole parenthood trying to find good quality films, and it it was a struggle. So there there have to be people who are so grateful and have reached out to you about that. |
| Kathleen Bowen | I think in some ways, yeah, a lot of people are very happy with it. And, in some ways they're looking for entertainment content. You know, they're actually looking for films and feature films when we have our documentaries are not nearly as we don't personally make them, but documentaries that other people have put on there, they're not nearly watched as much. So I do think there's places for that that we can find. I think, maybe formed has a lot of that sort of thing, but specifically people looking for feature films is what they're after for their families. |
| Ashley | What are some of your, family's favorite movies to watch? |
| Kathleen Bowen | Well, you mentioned Ben-Hur, and that was always that is definitely a favorite. And I love The Reluctant Saint. We like to watch that one. Some of the others, we like the Ten Commandments. So I think we do kind of like golden era Hollywood. We also just last night we watched Ivanhoe. It was a made for TV Ivanhoe and you know, so anything I guess we do always kind of go back to looking for things that are about heroes and virtues. |
| Ashley | We, my family, just watched the movie The Scarlet and the black. |
| Kathleen Bowen | Yeah. |
| Ashley | And you know, I fall for it every time. I think the kids are not going to want to watch this movie from 19. Whatever. And, I mean, we were on the edge of our seats. I thought, what a fabulous movie. And to your point, a great story about a hero and a true story. |
| Kathleen Bowen | Right? I like that one too. |
| Betsy | I believe that from another interview. I heard you talking about the Faith and freedom series, and how maybe that has inspired some of your subject matter. For maybe people who aren't familiar with it. Can you can you share with about that series? |
| Kathleen Bowen | Yeah. Well, originally my children were enrolled in, Seton Home Study School, and a part of that, that curriculum was the Faith and freedom series. And I think it's from the 1950s, probably. And in one of those, that's where where you get this stagecoach scene with, Sister Bland Dinah meeting, having her run in with Billy the Kid. And I think basically it's a story of him ultimately, protecting her from being robbed. You know, his gang kind of pulls back, and it's because of what she had done for one of his gang members in Trinidad. |
| Ashley | So you're a homeschooling mom, and homeschooling is definitely having a moment and really seems to have been having a moment since Covid. But can you give our listeners who are contemplating it or thinking about it a sense of what, they should know if if they're really wanting to take it seriously? |
| Kathleen Bowen | Well, I would say that we never would be a where we are now making films if it wasn't for homeschooling, because homeschooling made us a close family. We learned to work together really well through homeschooling, and we also had the time to pursue what we wanted to pursue through homeschooling. You know, the kids were not in other activities, and this is kind of the major activity that we have embraced. I would say that, homeschooling is beautiful and I love it. And there's all sorts of moms who homeschool to me. I take it really seriously. You know, to me, I want my kids to get a world class Catholic education at home. So I do, I commit, I have, I have a, rule of life, and I commit a certain number of hours every day to homeschooling and it's just a it's really a beautiful thing. And it's a huge sacrifice for a mother to do it. And, I really think we must do it and just pray to, you know, have a close relationship with a blessed mother and pray that every day you'll, you know, be loving, patient and kind. So that's, and, you know, like I said, it's it's important to make sure the kids are actually educated because they are ignorant, and they need to know the stories of our heroes because they're going to be called upon in the future, I think, to stand up for our faith. |
| Ashley | Absolutely. Well, Fabiola is currently in production with plans for a future release. How can our listeners get involved? Support the film. Where? Where will they be able to watch it? Fundraising efforts. Let us know about that. Okay. |
| Kathleen Bowen | Well, we do need some, investors who are going to make an impact, you know, to make films. It costs a lot of money. You know, I would say for us at this point where it's about $1,000 for a minute of film finished film, we have a $1 million budget for Fabiola, which is not a big film budget, but it is a big budget as far as us needing to hit that mark. We have raised 60,000 through crowdfunding and some investors, but we're really looking for some people who really want to make an impact on making Catholic films. And, this is not the only film will be making we will continue to make these sorts of Catholic films and distribute them on our platform. So in a way, it's investing. It's investing in Catholic arts for cinema. And we also, you know, I sometimes hop over and see how things are going at the chosen, because that was kind of, to me, a big model of how to crowdfund every day. You know, you're just seeing constant pop ups of $35, $100 or, you know, it's $70. And I think it's really important that we no amount is too small. You know, if we get a lot of people over on our website, Fabiola movie.com to give whatever they can, you know, and as often as they can, we can make this movie in no time. Really. We could we could reach that goal in no time. If we could just get our reach broadened, and we can get some people who really are able to make an impact. |
| Ashley | Wonderful. Well, thank you so much, Kathleen, for joining us today and telling us about all of your exciting projects. |
| Kathleen Bowen | Thank you for having me, I enjoyed it. |
| Betsy | Welcome back to conversations with consequences, where I am joined by our TCA chaplain, Monsignor Landry, to talk about a very special mother son duo that has changed the course of the church and the lives of many, many people. Monsignor Landry. Who are we talking about today? |
| Msgr Landry | So we're celebrating during these days, Betsy, as you know, the feast of Saint Monica and her famous son, Saint Augustine. And so far as we now have an Augustinian Holy Father, San Augustine has been getting a lot more attention. Pope Leo visited his tomb a couple months ago, and I think it's one of the most inspiring stories we have in the church's hagiography. All our studies at the Saint, because unless you had this intrepid, prayerful mother, we would have never had her extraordinary son, and we would have never had the church so influenced by her prayer and his scholarship and leadership. And so we would have never had probably Pope Leo the 14th, because he would have never been a son of Saint Augustine, as he said in his first words. Not to mention somebody who's trying to bring the treasure of Saint Augustine's thought to the whole church. And so maybe we begin with Saint Monica. Last year, I think we talked about it, but I don't think we can ever talk about Saint Monica now. She had a difficult marriage. Her husband was violent toward her. He was a pagan. She was a Christian. And the sufferings that she endured in her home led her to become an alcoholic. She used to sneak down to the cellar and just basically drink too much wine, as a way of drinking away some of her problems. Eventually, she had a conversion and recognized that that was not the way to be a good wife, a good mom, a good Christian. And so she was able to give that up. And because of her prayers over the course of 17 years, she was able to bring her husband, Patricia's, and her mother in law both to the Christian faith, and her husband converted just within a year before he died suddenly. And and so she was able to make sure that he was ready to meet Jesus when Jesus came for him. What beautiful timing. What beautiful love of the Lord! But the death of the dad led Augustine when he was just a teenager to rebel, especially against the God that Monica believed in. And so he started to shack up with a woman and had a child out of wedlock. He began to dabble in all the philosophies in the age, trying to find anything other than Christianity as a way to the truth. He was likewise pretty hard on his mom. He would use his intelligence to try to belittle her and make fun of her. And when every argument. There was one famous time in which she was telling him about a dream and said, you know, in my dream it said that you are here with me. And Augustine, with all his intelligence, said, well, that could mean that we were seated, but you would come to my position. And she just said, no. In the dream that said you were with me, not I was with you. And that type of fortitude on his mom's part really made an impression on him. He wanted to go to continue his rhetoric career in Italy. And she said, I'll come with you. She didn't want him out of her spiritual sight. And so when they were in the big port of Carthage, he just abandoned her. That was a sign of just where he was at the time, that he would leave his mom all alone, worried about her son in a huge metropolis. But he escaped to Rome. She eventually got on a boat to try to follow him. There, asking all the questions. Have you seen my son? Eventually, she found someone who told her he's gone up to Milan. So she followed him up to Milan. Eventually she found him. And thanks be to God, her prayers started to work. At one point, she was praying in a church and a bishop came up to her and said, the object of so many tears will surely not be lost. And so she kept praying. Eventually, both Monica and Augustine put themselves under the leadership of Saint Ambrose, who was the Bishop of Milan. Augustine was moved by his rhetoric and his intelligence. Eventually, he became a Christian to when humbly he was able to accept all these people were being Christian, and he, for all his learning, was just not courageous enough to do it. He likewise had to overcome his sexual addiction. He said, you know, Lord, give me chastity. But not yet, but not yet. |
| Betsy | Right. |
| Msgr Landry | He couldn't live by that. But eventually, thanks to the prayers of his mom, he was baptized in the late 80s. He at this point wasn't thinking about becoming a priest. Monica dies in Italy at the port. You know, Ostia, where the boats would take off for Africa. He decides to found a monastery when he goes back to Africa, is ordained a priest, and eventually shows up in Hippo, where the old bishop was praying for a successor, somebody who could take over the preaching responsibilities there. And everybody looked around and really, as Augustine is, was in their midst and they didn't want him to escape. And so they basically compelled him to become the coadjutor of the Bishop of Hippo. And then his successor. And it was from Little Hippo, a small, out of the way place that Augustine, through his writings on the Psalms, to his preachings, he was able to transform all of Christianity. And so we should never worry, thinking I'm in some backwater place. What can I do for the church? Sin Augustine teaches us all what can happen, but just coming full circle, Monica would never have been a saint were it not for the 32 years in which she prayed first for a husband and mother in law's conversion, then another 15 years for her wayward sons conversion. But it was through that very difficult experience of praying over more than three decades that she herself became truly purified, and she became holy through all our trust in God until the end. And so sometimes when we pray for wayward sons and daughters and grandkids, when we pray for wayward friends, the Lord in his multi dimensional chess board is likewise not only hearing our prayers for them and our tears for them, but sometimes he might be wanting to sculpt us to that persevering prayer and entrust to the Lord and to saints, along with the objects of our prayers. And so we should be praying for all those who we know need conversion on this time where we're celebrating Saint Monica, and pray that we might use the gifts that God has given us, the brains that he's given us, the capacity to speak, to try to speak to and about God in a similar way to the way Saint Augustine used all his talents to try to give God glory. |
| Betsy | To great saints in one family. Thank you so much, Monsignor, for talking about Saint Monica and Saint Augustine today. |
| Msgr Landry | Happy feast. Betsy. |