Feb 10, 2004 / 22:00 pm
A Catholic publisher and a Catholic Internet portal have teamed up to launch an outreach to promote and respond to the evangelization opportunity presented by the release of Mel Gibson’s “The Passion of the Christ” on Ash Wednesday, Feb. 25.
The project, Catholic Passion Outreach, aims to be the “definitive Catholic response” to the film.
“This movie offers Catholics a unique opportunity to share the power of the Gospel with family and friends,” explained Tom Allen, president of Catholic Exchange.com. “Unlike any other, this movie will inspire hearts and change lives.”
Allen and his Catholic Exchange staff joined forces with Ascension Press, a Catholic publishing company. The two apostolates developed “A Guide to the Passion”, a 70-page book that answers 100 questions about the movie.
Matthew Pinto, president of Ascension Press, calls the low-cost book “the definitive Catholic resource book on the subject”, adding that it was designed to be used as a free giveaway to moviegoers. The book also has a chapter on “The Case for Christ” and on the history of the Catholic Church. Devotional prayers, such as the Stations of the Cross and Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary, are included as appendices.
“We wanted to create a piece that offered a scene-by-scene analysis of the movie, both from an artistic and theological perspective,” explained Pinto. “People are going to have questions as they watch the movie. This book will give them the answers.”
Catholic Passion Outreach offers a turnkey program for dioceses and parishes, including free downloadable small-group manuals, ready-made pulpit announcements and posters, and a flyer called “12 Ways to Share A Guide to the Passion.”
For more information on Catholic Passion Outreach, visit www.Evangelization.com