Enjoying the ride on cloud nine

Dr.Leonard Norman Primiano is on a natural high. He is being carried on the wings of his documentary on angels, which premiered at Cabrini last week as part of the Cultural Kaleidoscope events. Many people attended just to see what all the buzz was about.

by Jennifer Nespoli features editor

Dr. Leonard Norman Primiano looked almost bashful in front of the crowd until he walked up to the podium, adjusted the microphone and exclaimed, "Peace!"

It was a big night for him, as it was for the three other stars who were waiting anxiously for their moments in the limelight to begin. When the lights finally did go down, students and guests settled down for 23 minutes of angel indulgence.

It was the Cabrini premiere of a video produced by Primiano, assistant pesor of religious studies, which he calls an e • phic documentary on angels. The video r ents the culmination of over a year of research on angels for Primiano.

Angels were the hot topic that Wednesday evening on Feb. 17. Many students, administrators, faculty and alumni and their respective angels packed the Widener Center Lecture Hall for the premiere. Dr. Arthur Young, professor of English and one of the stars in the video, had brought his needlepoint artwork of angels along to show his fans.

The two other stars of the video, Mary Whittarn and Penny Wright, sat in the front row with their family and friends. This was the first time they would see the completed documentary, in front of the rest of the Cabrini community.

Primiano's fascination with angels began several years ago, although he has always had a general interest in them. He was asked to give the keynote speech at the Symposium on Angels in November of 1997. It was there while giving a talk about angels that Primiano had the inspiration for the angel documentary. The video debuted four months later at the premiere of the

Vatican art exhibit called "Angels from the Vatican: The Invisible Made Visible."

The Vatican Art Museum put together 100 pieces of art, sculptures, vestments, tapestries and other artifacts for the traveling exhibit, which has been touring the U.S. for the past year. The art ranges from the ninth century B.C. to the 20th century, and has never been seen before outside of the Vatican.

In order to put the video together, Primiano needed to find people who were willing to talk about their beliefs in angels on camera. He did not have to look very far. Young was eager to get involved, as were the two other participants. All three were found through Cabrini students.

"I had no idea what a treasure trove we had here," Primiano said of finding the three participants through Cabrini. 'This video exists because of the resources of this place."

The documentary was not about the history of angels, and it did not give specific answers about what angels are. Primiano did not intend it to do that. He simply wanted to present the views of three individuals in their own words.

''We wanted the believers in angels to speak for themselves," Primiano said. There was no narration during the documentary, only a few message cards to explain some of the scenes.

The documentary was shot with a Sony digital camera by Will Luer, the director. Music was written by an old friend of Primiano's, Mark McLaren, who is a conductor currently touring with the Los Angeles Broadway show ''Titanic." The music that was first chosen could not be used because of copyright laws, so McLaren offered to write and orchestrate the music himself for free. He played his piece over the phone from New York to Primiano, who thought it was perfect for the documentary.

All three informants have different ideas of angels, but

"I had realized that there was a popularity in America," Primiano said, ''but I didn't realize how popular it was until I did research."

There was a positive response from students who attended the premiere. Junior Chad May, who does believe in angels, found the video informative. He believes that angels can be in the form of music or someone who just walks by and brightens up another's day.

Wright sees angels as enhanced mirrors that show a person the best they can be. She has a special relationship with angels. She has been able to tune into other people's angels, and has even been able to find out their names.

Wright's angel is called Astphidel, which means "faithful star." Wright regularly talks to her angel, just as she has talked to the angels of others. She co~rs herself a clairvoyant consultant, or a ~ysician. She was blind since birth, but ever since she has had surgery in Switzerland she has been able to see light and can at times make out color. Before she had sight, she was still able to see images in her head.

"All my life I had visions, but I never knew what they were," she said. She can see things psychically that she can not see physically.

Young's angel is called "Caleeb," a name which he is very proud of. Of course, Young is very protective of his angel in general. ''What a lovely way to be so selfish," he said. 'This being is mine, not yours. You have one. Talk to yours. This is mine."

None of the informants found the video embarrassing; in fact, they felt only good things photo by Jen Nespoli from it. "It affirmed my faith," Young said. "My they all believe in the existence of angels in some profound, personal way. As Wright put it, "I think they are just beings that love us and really care, and want us to be the best that we can be. I think they are love, somewhat incarnate."

Thus came the name for the documentary, "Love, Somewhat Incarnate." Wright explains the phrase this way, "Angels are definitely an energy that is sometimes tangible."

Whittam agrees with Wright when it comes to love. "We need to love one another, be neighbors together, let love come alive again. It won't be Catholic, it won't be Protestant, it won't be Jewish, it'll be love, and the angels are into all of that and helping that happen."

Angels have been around for centuries and they span many religious cultures, according to Primiano. "Most of this country's diverse religious communities agree that angels represent messengers and expressions of the divine," he said.

The Chysler Corporation, which is sponsoring the Vatican art exhibit, conducted a recent poll. They found that 75 percent of Americans believe in angels in some form, and 65 percent have some sort of angel decoration or imagery in their home.

The best part about participating in the video for him was meeting the other people involved.

Young also got the chance to display his artwork on the night of the premiere. He sews needlepoints of angels, giving each angel a distinctly different face. So far he has sewn about 25 angels, and has no plans to stop anytime soon. It is a hobby that he finds relaxing and rewarding.

For Wright, it made all the suffering in her life worthwhile. "It was one of the crowning joys of my life," she said. "I have four words for it. I was honored, thrilled, fulfilled and validated."

Cabrini students found the video very diverse and honest. "It let the people speak for themselves," sophomore Teresa Martin said.

"It was everything I expected," junior Dave Syby said. "It elaborated on what I already knew. It was good to have the personal views."

Although Primiano's video was put together in only four months, it has already made a long-lasting impression.

''When you have informants who have a beautiful way of expressing themselves, it's very easy to make a documentary," he said.