Cathedrals of the Poor

Thanks to computer difficulties, it has been a week since I was able to add a new post to my blog. But thankfully the technical problems have been resolved. During the past week, I have been working on a new film,  Cathedrals of the Poor, which I think is the most powerful film SDF has produced. The film will be ready for distribution by early December. We are still searching for sponsors for the film. Here is the text which will appear on the back of the DVD jacket:

A Note from the Director

As we neared the end of our 8th year of putting the power of film at the service of the poor, the San Damiano Foundation experienced an explosion of interest in our work from around the world. In 2008, we released our 13th film, The Fragrant Spirit of Life, which is set in Uganda. Shortly afterward, we posted a scene from the film on YouTube. The scene featured two small children, Sam and Esther, whom we found lying nearly naked in the dirt outside a remote village. They were starving and unable to move because they suffered from untreated polio.

Without question, it was the hardest thing I have ever filmed. I have shown the scene many times at high schools across the United States, and the scene never fails to still and silence up to a thousand kids. By early November of 2009, the YouTube posting had been viewed by more than 158,000 people from all over the world. People were writing us from England, France, Germany, Sweden, Norway, Australia, New Zealand and many nations in Asia and Africa.

After producing thirteen films, mostly on global and domestic poverty, I felt it was time to release a film that served as a true introduction to the San Damiano Foundation and our ministry of putting the power of film at the service of the poor. We carefully selected fourteen scenes from seven of our films and orchestrated them in a way that shows, not only the scope of chronic poverty, but also provides the theological underpinnings for why we have no option but to do all we can to relieve the suffering caused by the widespread, unjust poverty that is killing countless people every day. The film also contains a stunning 23-minute-long montage of images, which serves as a visual meditation on the wounded body of Christ, featuring never-before-seen footage and photographs.

While I deeply love all the SDF films that I have written and directed, Cathedrals of the Poor is the one film I would give to someone who earnestly wanted to understand SDF and the tormented world of poverty Christ calls us to heal. While it is emotionally draining and hard to watch, this film has the transformative power to change the heart of anyone who views it…and I pray it does.

Gerry Straub

Letter from high school student

I know high school students are moved by my “Poverty & Prayer” presentations. I can feel it and see it in their faces. But I am not so sure how lasting or deep their desire to help the poor is. Today, I received a letter from a student that let me know the impact of the presentation sometimes has a lasting impact.

Dear Mr. Straub,

My name is Erin G_____ and I am a senior at Ursuline Academy [in St. Louis]. You may remember coming to my school two years ago on Ash Wednesday for our school prayer service. You introduced the Ursuline community to a poverty we never knew existed. From that moment, on that particular day, we all knew we wanted to help the cause. This past year to kick off our Lenten season we used the theme, “We must live simply, so others can simply live.” This theme was printed on sweatshirts and this was our fundraiser for your foundation. I am happy to inform you that we raised $438.34.

Please find enclosed our donation to the San Damiano Foundation.

We pray that God continues to bless you and your passion. Thank you for sharing your experiences with us.

Sincerely,

Erin G_______
Class of 2010

Giving our “Poverty and Prayer” presentations is an important part of our ministry. It truly astounds and encourages me to see how receptive teenagers are to the plight of the poor once they see the suffering for themselves. Last week in Minneapolis more than 600 high school boys sat motionless for ninety minutes, all their eyes riveted to the screen as the story of Sam and Esther unfolded before them. These film clips touch them deeply and most of the kids will not forget what they saw and will do something in response to the message we bring, namely it is there duty and responsibility as followers of Christ to comfort the sick and feed the hungry.

Thoughts of a Blind Beggar

Thoughts of a Blind Beggar
Reflections from a Journey to God
by
Gerard Thomas Straub

“We are all blind beggars reaching out with empty hands to a God who seems beyond our reach, far beyond our ability to comprehend.”

“In these brief, poetic meditations, Gerard Thomas Straub probes the depths of his soul and the heart of humanity on a search for God. Thoughts of a Blind Beggar grew out of his own improbable journey, inspired by the example of St. Francis, which led from the glamour of Hollywood to the worst slums on earth. It was a journey from riches to rags, from unbelief to faith, from hollow success to a more profound happiness than he had previously imagined. But it also inspired a new calling, to awaken others to the reality of poverty, and to inspire compassion and solidarity. In this book, Gerry Straub graciously shares his reflections on a journey to God…a journey, he readily admits, that is far from over. Thoughts of a Blind Beggar opens our eyes and hearts to the love of God. It is a book to be savored, a companion for our own journey. ” -Robert Ellsberg, Publisher, Orbis Books

“Gerry Straub underwent a spectacular conversion, from success as an atheistic Hollywood TV producer into the downwardly mobile world of St. Francis and Christian discipleship. Now a groundbreaking documentary filmmaker on behalf of the world’s poorest, Straub shares with us the contemplative side of that Gospel journey. Like the writings of Thomas Merton, Carlo Carretto, and Henri Nouwen, Thoughts of a Blind Beggar needs to be kept close by for early morning or late night meditation. It stirs up new insights into our own poverty, our own need for prayer, vision, and God’s healing touch, and pushes us forward on our own journey to God.”
-John Dear, SJ
Author of Living Peace, Transfiguration and The Questions of Jesus

“Gerard Straub’s transparency will bring our affluent and insulated hearts to their knees. Thoughts of a Blind Beggar provokes prayer and instigates action to repair our world’s brokenness. A profoundly simple but dangerously honest book destined to change lives.”
-Jonathan Montaldo
The Merton Institute for Contemplative Living

“Open this book to any page, and you will find the wisdom of one who has been illuminated by his care and love for the poor and the marginal. Straub is a blind man who sees with the eyes of the Christ he has seen in other human beings.”
-Murray Bodo, OFM
Author of A Journey and a Dream

“Gerard Straub has shown us the Christ of the Poor in a number of films but in this work he has turned to words. What both Straub’s films and his words amply demonstrate is that he has learned a profound lesson from the example of his beloved Saint Francis of Assisi: the powers of the imagination can be shaped by the love of Christ and those powers can radiate to others.”
-Lawrence S. Cunningham
John A. O’Brien Professor of Theology
The University of Notre Dame

Thoughts of a Blinb Beggar is available from Orbis Books. It can be easily ordered by calling 1.800.258.5838

Minnesota Presentations

On Monday, September 28th I will be flying to Minneapolis-St. Paul where I will be giving my “Poverty and Prayer” presentations at three churches, a university and a high school. The three church presentations are open to the public

On Tuesday, September 29th, I will be at St. Patrick’s Church in Edina (West Metro); the event runs from 7:00pm to 9:00pm

On Wednesday, September 30th, I will be at St. John Neumann Church in Eagan (South Metro). The event runs from 7:00pm to 9:00pm.

On Thursday, October 1st, I will be Guardian Angels Church in Oakdale (East Metro). The event runs from 7:00pm to 9:00pm.

I will also be giving presentations at the University of St. Thomas and at St. Thomas Academy (Mendola Heights).

If you live in the area and want more info please contact Bob Waltz at 651.738.2223.

Heading to France

On August 5th, I will be boarding a flight to Paris, where I will catch a high speed train headed south to Lyon. My final destination is the town of Paray-le-Monial, in the heart of Romanesque Burgundy. With the aid of simultaneous translation, I will be speaking briefly to a gathering of over 3,000 youths at an event sponsored by the Emmanuel Community. I will also be giving my “poverty and prayer” presentation one evening to about 150 volunteers who will be giving one or two years of their lives to live with the poor around the world through the auspices of Fidesco.

Paray-le-Monial is world famous because of something special that happened there more than 300 years ago. Between 1673 and 1675, Jesus appeared many times to a young nun living in the Visitation Monastery. Her name was Margaret-Mary Alacoque, and Jesus showed her his heart, which he said loved men and women very much. Fr. Claude la Colombière, the Jesuit’s superior, authenticated the young nun’s mystical experience. Sr. Margaret-Mary was subsequently canonized a saint by the Church. Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus quickly took root in the town of Paray. Almost two centuries after the apparitions, Pope Pious X instituted the Feast of the Sacred Heart for all the Church in 1856, triggering an even greater interest in pilgrimages to Paray-le-Monial, and the magnificent 11th Basilica of the Sacred Heart (Basilique du Sacré-Coeur). Pope John-Paul II made a personal pilgrimage to Paray-le-Monial on October 5, 1986, drawing even more attention to the town. Since the Pope’s visit the number of pilgrims visiting Paray-le-Monial has risen steadily, making it today second only to Lourdes as a pilgrimage center in France.

Since 1975, the Emmanuel Community has organized and conducted international sessions which attract more and more people every year. These crowds are made of families and young people as well. Thousands of pilgrims and tourists come to Paray every year to discover (or rediscover) God’s immense love for humanity.

Paray-le-Monial is a commune in the Saône-et-Loire department in the region of Bourgogne in eastern France. Paray-le-Monial is located fifty kilometres west of Cluny, across countryside that becomes ever gentler and flatter as you approach the broad valley of the Loire. The town itself is the archetypical country town, quiet and unpretentious, straddling the slow waters of the River Bourbince and the Canal du Centre. The façade of the Renaissance style Hôtel de Ville is adorned with a large statue of the Blessed Virgin.

Paray-le-Monial, with its Romanesque and Clunisian architecture, is an artistic landmark. The town was built round a monastery, in about 970 AD. The famous monk-and-builder Hugh of Semur, Abbot of Cluny, laid the foundations of the church that we know today. This parish church was promoted to the rank of Basilica by Pious IX in 1875. Basilique du Sacré-Coeur is a magnificent building, with a marvelously satisfying arrangement of apses and chapels stacking up in sturdy symmetry to its fine octagonal belfry; it’s the best place to get an idea of what the famous Abbey of Cluny looked like, as it was built shortly afterwards in devoted imitation of the mother church.

I will return from France on August 14th.

Here is some information on the Emmanual Community and Fidesco.

Emmanuel Community

The Emmanuel Community brings together couples, families, single people, priests and men and women consecrated to a life of celibacy, working within the Catholic Church to respond to God’s call to serve and proclaim Christ in today’s world. Community members are imbued with a desire to proclaim the Gospel through their lives and in new ways that respond to the needs of their contemporaries. They have over 8,000 members in five countries, including about 200 priests and over 200 consecrated sisters.

The Emmanuel Community is deeply committed to the Catholic Church, its pastors, its teaching and tradition. The Emmanuel Community is one of the founding members of the Catholic Fraternity of the Pontifical Counsel for the Laity at the Vatican to which it is answerable under cannon law. The statutes and the relationship to the Holy See ensure the ecclesial character and the unity of the Community throughout the world.

Three essential ingredients form the core of the Emmanuel Community: adoration, compassion, evangelization. The grace of Emmanuel has its source in the Eucharistic Adoration of Jesus truly present in our midst. From this Adoration is born compassion for all people and the desire to evangelize the poor and those who do not know God. The lives of the members are founded on prayer.

Fidesco

Essentially Fidesco means faith in action. Founded in 1981 by the Emmanuel Community, following a meeting in the Vatican with African bishops, Fidesco is an NGO for international solidarity which sends volunteers to countries in the southern hemisphere to put their professional skills at the service of development projects, to help local populations or humanitarian actions. Volunteers with Fidesco are singles, couples or families, young people, adults or retired, wishing in the name of their faith to work for the marginalized: this explains the name of FIDES – CO : faith and co-operation.

They put themselves at the service of partners of the local Catholic Church, in answer to a need and a request. These partners already work for the good of disadvantaged populations, regardless of religion, ethnicity or culture, in very diverse fields: education,
teaching, management, construction, health… and in varied establishments: dispensaries, refugee camps, centers for street children, agricultural schools. The local churches have
unique experience with the service of the poor, the defense of their rights and good management of the means which are devoted to them. Fidesco is surrounded by a network of experts (doctors, agronomists, economists, ex-volunteers, local partners) to study the projects and to ensure the technical follow-up on mission.

More than 130 Fidesco volunteers are spread throughout world, giving one or two years of their lives to serve the poor in 30 countries. They live in teams amongst the poor, sharing their skills and faith on a daily basis. Fidesco is a school of life. Volunteers leave their homes to give their time and talent to the poor, but return home richer themselves because of what they learned in a different culture and from the people they served.

Peace and blessings,

Gerry Straub

Upcoming trips and events

Tomorrow, May 8th, I will be traveling to Philadelphia, where I will be receiving an honorary doctorate degree in law one Saturday from Chestnut Hill College.

On May 12th, I will be flying to Rome…and then onto Assisi for 12 days in order to complete the filming on our new film on St. Francis of Assisi.

On May 28th, I travel to Louisville, Kentucky. I will be speaking to the Trappist monks at Our Lady of Gethsemani Abbey (Thomas Merton’s moastery) on Saturday June 3oth.

On Sunday, May 31st I will be giving my “poverty and prayer” presentation at St. Martha’s CHurch in Louisville. On Monday June 1st, I will give the same presentation at St. William’s Church in Louisville.

Alvernia University

Sr. Rosemary Stets, OSF, a vice-president at Alvernia University in Reading, PA, sent us an e-mail from a student who wrote about my presentation at the school last week. Sr. Rosemary said this is just one of many e-mails she received.

I just wanted to take the time to comment on the presentation last night… I was speechless after watching all of those video clips, it truly was an eye opener for me and I just wish that other kids my age would get the chance to listen to Gerry and watch his films because he is truly a remarkable man. Just this past weekend I was watching television with my mom and one of those donation commercials came on, it explained how the young boy cares for his three younger siblings. My mom and I instantly responded how sad it is that there are people like that out there. I related last nights presentations to those commercials, however what we saw last night by far tops any commercial on TV. In my sociology class my freshmen year one of our Franciscan sisters came and spoke to us, she told us about Uganda and what it was like living over there. What I pictured in my head and what I saw on the films was totally different… I am so glad that I had the experience to listen to Gerry and listen to what is going on. Of course I liked every clip that was shown and each of them impacted me greatly however the two that really stuck with me were Finding Betty and Sam and Ester… Watching Sam and Ester laying on the dirt surface with their 8 year old sister taking care of them was truly amazing. When Jane gave her brother and sister food before herself was remarkable. A guy like Gerry is highly commendable, he truly is God’s gift!! This presentation really makes me want to help people, and just live life to the fullest for those who can’t!

Upcoming Event at Maryknoll in NY

Maryknoll Mission Center
www.livesofservice.org
Maryknoll Speakers Series Presents

Gerry Straub
Sunday, March 8, 2009
2 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Lecture with Film Clips

POVERTY AND PRAYER: A Lenten Reflection

A successful television producer for 30 years, award winning author, photographer and filmmaker, Gerry Straub left a life of privilege to explore how film transforms people’s hearts and can be used to serve the poor. During his compelling presentation, he fleshes out the Gospel call to care for “the least” in our society through his own conversion story and with powerful clips from his many documentary films.

In a world sometimes weary of stories about the plight of the poor and oppressed, Straub presents the problem of poverty through the light of spirituality and faith, helping viewers discover the humanity and dignity of people who are considered throwaways: the homeless and forgotten, the poor migrant, the child in the slum.

Come and experience Gerry Straub’s invitation to become more deeply involved with poverty and prayer during this Lenten season.

Gerard Thomas Straub is a popular speaker at parishes, high schools and universities. His films include When Did I See You Hungry, narrated by Martin Sheen, and his books include The Sun and Moon Over Assisi, and Thoughts of a Blind Beggar.

RSVP: Betsey Guest by March 2, 2009
For more information,
contact Nancy Kleppel
(914) 941-7636 extension 2670
evenings: (914) 941-7590

Little Jane

Today (2/2/09) while I was on the phone with the people putting on the hunger conference in North Carolina where I will be the opening night plenary session presenter, Laurie Kroll called from Uganda. She gave Jane the phone. Jane said, “Hi Gerry, this is Jane. I am happy. Thanks.”

Jane starts at a new school tomorrow. She is learning English.

This little girl stole my heart when I filmed the dramatic scene where when we found Sam & Esther. They were on the ground, half naked and starving, and unable to move because of their polio. Jane emerged from the bush with a jug of water, only a tiny 8-year old herself, and bather her brother and sister. The Sam & Esther scene from The Fragrant Spirit of Life has now been viewed by more than 23,000 people on U-Tube.

Hearing Jane say, “I am happy,” brought a tear to my eyes.

This is what it is all about…touching people and making a little difference.

We can truly put the power of film at the service of the poor…AND WE MUST!!!!

Peace and blessings,

Gerry

An Almost Hiatus

This humble blog began in early March of 2008. I’m not sure how many look at it every day…and some days I’m too tired to post anything, but I always do. It has been an interesting experiment. For most of the time, I posted both a quote of the day and a reflection. It was a lot work to add to my already too busy schedule that is packed with filming and speaking events. Not long ago, in an effort to ease the burden on my time, I began posting either a quote from a spiritual writer or my own personal reflection, often taken from one of my books. This has indeed made it easier for me.

I wanted to let the blog go on a little hiatus from Christmas Eve through the first weekend of the New Year, but I know at least a few people really do enjoy visiting every day…and so I decided to simply post quotes from now through January 5th, at which time I will resume posting mostly reflections.

I wish everyone a joyful celebration of the Incarnation of God and hope that 2009 is filled with an abundance of blessings.

Peace and all good,

Gerry