CHARLOTTE — Much about the Catholic faith can be learned by understanding other religions.
Father Pat Hoare, pastor of St. Matthew Church in Charlotte, was recently the guest on “The Whole Church” podcast, a locally-produced show about Christian unity.
Joshua Noel, an evangelical Christian who lives in Charlotte, launched the podcast earlier this year. He produces the show with help of his friend, T.J. Blackwell. In each weekly episode, they talk to representatives from various Christian churches about how Christians can overcome barriers to mutual understanding.
The podcast invitation presented an opportunity to have a dialogue and answer questions, dispel any misconceptions people might have about the Catholic faith, and possibly entice someone to explore the faith a little further, Father Hoare said.
“I thought it went well,” Father Hoare said of the July 30 podcast episode. “They were sincerely interested, which made the conversation a lot easier. They were left with a positive impression of our parish, the Catholic Church and a better understanding of the Catholic faith.”
Noel said he started his online ministry a few years ago, sometimes featuring a podcast on his website – that is, until his microphone broke. After he posted online about the broken microphone, someone sent him a new one, he said. The generosity offered a moment to reflect.
“We prayed about what we wanted our podcast to look like,” Noel said. “We’ve always been big on getting the church to unite, and we wanted to see who we could talk to about the church being united. Turns out, a lot of people have a lot to say about unity in the church.”
(Photo via Facebook)“The Whole Church” podcast was the result of his reflection. It has featured Christian authors, Protestant church leaders, and a family that belongs to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Mormons). The podcast has also tackled polarizing topics such as speaking in tongues. Father Hoare was the first Catholic guest on the program.
“I like to think I’m a really spiritual person,” Noel said. “It’s interesting, though, just being in Father Pat’s office, you can feel that he’s close to God.
“He doesn’t believe the same as me, but you can tell just being near him, ‘This guy is close to God.’ It’s moving to be in a scenario where someone who is so different as far as beliefs, but we’re the same as well.”
It was a fun first conversation with Father Hoare, Noel said, and he would like to go deeper into the Catholic faith with future podcast episodes.
Noel said he is fascinated by religion. He grew up attending Pentecostal churches, with some experience in the Assemblies of God branch of Pentecostalism. He said he has family who are Catholic, and he’s always had a lot of questions about the Catholic faith. While attending UNC-Wilmington, he studied world religions from the secular point of view, he said. He also spent time with the Catholic Campus Ministry program there before he transferred to a Baptist Church-run college.
“The Whole Church” podcast reaches about 150 people a week, Noel said.
“We have a small audience, but they’re very active,” he said. “We’re seeing some of the bridges being crossed. They see where unity does not mean we have to agree. It’s about understanding.”
Noel said their goal is to explore what more can be done to promote Christian unity at an individual and local church level. They learn from each of their guests, he said, and he hopes their audience learns as well.
“We’d like to help people become more familiar with what their church believes and help them come together and know what the church stands for,” Noel said. “I always knew the ‘unity thing’ was an issue, but as we move along, we’re finding out why.”
There’s a lot to be gained from fostering unity and understanding across Christian traditions, especially in the South, Father Hoare said.
“People may be predisposed against a faith tradition,” he said. “But they’ve never really met a Catholic or interacted with them. I think the dialogue is important – instead of just rejecting an idea.”
Possibilities are endless when one understands another person’s beliefs, he said, and when one appreciates that other people are seeking a closer relationship with God, just as Catholics are.
— Kimberly Bender, online reporter
Listen to the podcast
At patreon.com/thewholechurchpodcast: Check out the “Whole Church” podcast episode with Father Patrick Hoare and all of the podcast archives. The podcast is also available on Spotify, Apple and Listennotes.
Video series on the Bible and salvation history available Sept. 14
“The Bible Lady,” Gail Buckley Barringer, is filmed for her part in the “Messiah” video series about the Bible and salvation history, being released online Sept. 14. (Photo provided by cenacle productions) CHARLOTTE — Local independent filmmaker Rick Rotondi says the seed for his first production, “Messiah,” was planted in 2016 during a general audience in St. Peter’s Square in Rome.
“As I looked out on my fellow pilgrims and heard Pope Francis address us in many languages, I was moved by the reality of Christ risen and present,” Rotondi recalls. “Before our eyes, He was assembling His people. He was enlightening the nations. Rome, the empire which put Him to death and persecuted His Church, was under His feet.
“I began to understand Christ’s kingship in a new way. I wanted to share that understanding and express it.”
Rotondi says “Messiah,” a documentary series about Jesus which will be released Sept. 14, on the feast of the Exaltation of the Cross, is a “crash course” on the Bible and salvation history. It was filmed in more than 30 locations in the U.S., Rome and the Holy Land. Featured sites include Nazareth, the Western Wall, the Upper Room, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the Colosseum and St. Peter’s Basilica.
“Messiah” is an eight-part series on the messianic prophecies of the Bible, and how Jesus fulfilled them – both during His earthly life and after. It is an ensemble production with five experts, 13 voice actors, multiple hymns and hundreds of works of art.
Rotondi, who is a parishioner of St. Vincent de Paul Church in Charlotte, founded the production company Cenacle that is producing the series. He is also an author and Catholic publishing veteran who helped develop popular video series like “Doors of Mercy” (2016) and “Queen of Heaven” (2017) for Saint Benedict Press.
He says “Messiah” was over two years in the making, starting in the summer of 2017 with a year-long process of researching and writing. In 2018, he took 17 people, including a film crew, host Leonardo Defilippis, and a small number of pilgrims to film in the Holy Land and Rome.
Rotondi relied on St. Matthew parishioner Carolyn Klika, a colleague in Catholic publishing whom he’s known for more than 20 years, to assist with the trip.
“As the ‘Messiah’ filming pilgrimage leader, I saw firsthand how impactful the insights and story of ‘Messiah’ were among the pilgrims and also those who have watched the initial episodes,” Klika said. “It is mesmerizing, with its rich images, original music score, deep insights, varied experts and the storytelling to tie it all together.”
Additional footage for “Messiah” was filmed in Ann Arbor, Mich.; Stoneham, Mass.; and locally in Charlotte, where Catholic Scripture Study founder Gail Buckley Barringer was filmed.
“Sadly, many people do not realize the importance of the Old Testament or that both the Old Testament and the New are needed in order to understand God’s plan for saving mankind,” Barringer notes. “This series is not only beautifully illustrated, but I think it is a great teaching tool for those who want to better understand the Bible.”
“After watching this series, one will know what St. Augustine meant when he said, ‘The New is hidden in the Old and the Old is revealed in the New.’ I believe that Rick has hit a home run with ‘Messiah’ and I feel blessed to be a part of it,” she says.
Rotondi says “Messiah” would not have been possible without the involvement of Charlotte cast and crew, including director John Strong; interview segments producer Ginny Mooney; and all 13 voice actors, including Kevin Gallagher as the voice of Jesus; Natalie McIver reciting biblical songs and Psalms; Deacon Ruben Tamayo of St. Vincent de Paul Church in Charlotte as the voice of St. Stephen; and Father Joshua Voitus, pastor of St. Vincent de Paul Church, as the voice of St. Paul.
In preparing to voice his part, Deacon Tamayo says, “It was a very moving experience to dwell on what St. Stephen must have been going through: St. Stephen’s ardent love for Our Lord Jesus and his willingness to embrace martyrdom to remain faithful to Him.”
“Voicing Stephen’s last words as he was dying, ‘Lord, do not hold this sin against them,’ was particularly poignant for me and served as a powerful reminder of how I, and all of us, are called to forgive those who offend and harm us,” he says.
Rotondi notes that other Charlotte residents assisted and encouraged in various ways, attending episode pre-screenings held at St. Vincent de Paul Parish and in private homes, and providing material for an accompanying study guide to be released later this fall.
“‘Messiah’ took two years to make and covers over 1,500 years of history, from the exodus to the fall of pagan Rome,” Rotondi says. “‘Messiah,’ however, only takes four hours to watch.”
In its exploration of the prophecies, types and prefigurings of Jesus, it is sure to delight faithful churchgoers and Bible Study participants, he adds. But it is also meant to attract and engage students, seekers and skeptics.
“The hearts of the first disciples were set burning on the road to Emmaus when they saw how Jesus was foretold by ‘Moses and all the prophets’ (Lk 24:27),” Rotondi says. “‘Messiah’ is meant to set hearts burning, too.”
— SueAnn Howell, Senior reporter. Cenacle Productions contributed.
Order ‘Messiah’
“Messiah” is available starting Sept. 14 on major streaming platforms including Amazon (www.amazon.com/dp/B07XFJS4RL); Christian Cinema (www.christiancinema.com/digital/movie/messiah); and Vimeo (www.vimeo.com/ondemand/messiah).
Episodes can be rented for $2.99 each or purchased for $8.99 each. The whole series may be purchased for online viewing for $39.99.
In the coming months, “Messiah” will be released on DVD, along with a book and study guide.
For more information, visit www.seemessiah.com