EWTN Documentary: Christ for Others

This spring, EWTN released a documentary on some of the apostolic work done by seminarians at the NAC. Out of the 22 different apostolates, four were chosen to be featured: University of Mary Campus Ministry, Homeless Mission, Centro Astalli—Center for Refugees, and Catechesis at St. Patrick’s Parish. We asked Anthony Johnson, the producer of this show for EWTN, about his experience working with our seminarians.

How has your experience seeing our apostolates up close impacted your view of seminary formation, especially at the NAC?

The most eye-opening thing is the sense of purpose with which the seminarians carry themselves and how passionate they are about their respective apostolates. We are in an age where our society needs men of God, no matter one’s vocation in life, and you’ll notice how people interacting with the seminarians in the documentary respond to that in a positive way. They feel a connection with the seminarians on a personal level and I hope that feeling resonates with the audience because our goal was to make the documentary as immersive as possible. You get a front row seat to seminarian life. And what does one see? That their lives have conviction, prayer, service, hard work, discipline, and above all, a strong love for God and their neighbor.

The seminarians told us during their interviews that they have Mass every morning at 6:30 am, and that their day does not finish until as late as 9:00 in the evening. That is an incredibly rigorous schedule, but an incredibly necessary one for forming warriors. When you stand in the chapel and see them standing together as one, you have this sense that they are one unit, ready to stand for Christ.

What has this project taught you about seminarians and the life we live?

I think what the seminarians taught me the most is this: faith must become personal. Deacon Josh was all about helping people surrender to God so they could truly find joy and their life’s purpose. Peter believed in finding God and sharing his love through friendship and relationships with others. Chukwuma saw that simple acts have incredible significance and that all one has to do is be open to the needs of others. Deacon Zane wanted everyone to see the big picture, which is that there is a God who created everything and that he loves and cares for us in a personal way.

Rev. Mr. Zane Langenbrunner '23 (Fort Wayne-South Bend), Peter Fairbanks '25 (Washington), Rev. Mr. Josh Hill '23 (Bismarck), and Chukwuma Odigwe '25 (Washington) pose for a photo before the premier of the EWTN documentary.

I think many people have a misconception that seminarians and priests are just walking encyclopedias of the faith, but that view is shortsighted and doesn’t take into account the personality of each seminarian and the value they bring to society. In the film, we see these four personal missions come to life through their apostolates. And I hope that our audience too ponders, “What am I passionate about, and how can I share the Light of Christ through it?” That would be a beautiful thing. n