Family Theater is a weekly half-hour dramatic anthology radio program which aired on the Mutual Broadcasting System in the United States from February 13, 1947, to September 11, 1957.
52-659: Family Theater developed from a Rosary prayer program on a local radio station in Albany, New York, started in 1943 by Holy Cross priest Patrick Peyton . On Mother's Day 1945, he produced a similar national radio program on the Mutual Broadcasting System. In 1947, Peyton formed Family Theater Productions, a film and radio studio extension of the Family Rosary Crusade founded by Peyton to promote family prayer. The program had no commercial sponsor. By agreement with
104-649: A "sabbatical" by Fr. Christopher O'Toole, CSC, the Provincial of the Southern Province at the time. In 1973 Fr. Fred assumed the pastoral responsibility for a large parish in Ahuacatlan, San Luis Potosí , Nuestro Padre Jesús. He served as pastor for 25 years. In 1998 when Fr. Francisco Garcia, a priest from the Diocese of Ciudad Valles, was appointed pastor, Fr. Fred became the pastor emeritus. When Fr. Schmidt died in 2003, he
156-666: A Sancta Cruce ), abbreviated CSC , is a Catholic clerical religious congregation of pontifical right for men founded in 1837 by Basil Moreau , in Le Mans , France . Moreau also founded the Marianites of Holy Cross for women, now divided into three independent congregations of sisters: the Marianites of Holy Cross ( Le Mans, France ), the Sisters of the Holy Cross ( Notre Dame, Indiana ), and
208-412: A helicopter on the school's compound for discussions with Ugandan President Museveni . A third parish opened in 1994 at Kyrausozi. In the new millennium the first [East] African district superior of Holy Cross was named in 2003. This was a step towards congregational and district maturity as the past nine superiors had been Americans. Marianites of Holy Cross The Marianites of Holy Cross (MSC)
260-553: A large part of Assam , the Arakan district (former name of the Rakhine State of western Burma , and the Diocese of Agartala in eastern India. It was a huge area, but when Holy Cross arrived in 1853, there were only three priests working there - a Portuguese Augustinian and two young Irish diocesan priests , both of whom were dead of disease by 1854. There were about 13,000 Catholics in
312-509: A mighty tree and constantly shoot forth new limbs and new branches which will be nourished by the same sap and endowed with the same life." Holy Cross Priests and Brothers can be found across the globe, including these countries (date of first appearance in parentheses): The first group of Holy Cross missionaries to reach India left England January 17, 1853. It was composed of three brothers, three sisters, one priest and one seminarian. (Two priests dropped out due to severe illness when
364-681: A program for postulants and a program for professed seminarians. The novitiate for the formation program is in Peru. In 1999, Holy Cross Family Ministries founded Family Rosary in México. Their offices and meeting rooms are located in an Archdiocesan pastoral center in San Francisco Javier parish, close to La Luz parish in the Archdiocese of Monterrey . Their offices serve as a "hub" for the growing Holy Cross apostolate of fostering family prayer, especially
416-411: A school of first through 12th graders. Today, Saint George's College serves 2,650 students. Its history is rich and is closely tied with the history of Chile, including the 1970s when the school was taken over by the military government and Holy Cross was ousted. The Congregation returned to the school in 1986. Strong faith formation and service have been a hallmark of Saint George's. Over the decades,
468-473: Is a Catholic congregation of nuns , founded in Le Mans , France , in 1841, by Fr Basil Moreau . It was founded as a third distinct society within the Congregation of Holy Cross . The Marianites of Holy Cross is now an independent congregation. In 1835 Father Basil Anthony Moreau, then assistant superior of the seminary at Le Mans, founded a group of priests to assist him in his endeavors to re-invigorate
520-512: Is made up primarily of children from working-class families. With improvements to the physical plant and the strong Holy Cross commitment, the school has been able to reach new heights academically. From the beginning, the mission of Holy Cross in Chile also included parish ministry and social service. Within three years of arriving, the Congregation had begun both its ministry at San Roque, a parish in
572-638: The Sisters of the Holy Cross at Notre Dame, Indiana, and the Sisters of Holy Cross at Montreal , Quebec. In 1849 three Marianite sisters traveled from France to New Orleans and opened an orphanage for boys. In 1866 they set up Holy Angels Academy, a high school for girls in the Bywater historic district. With the opening of the Archdiocesan Archbishop Hannan High School in Meraux, enrollment
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#1732845038922624-592: The Congregation of Holy Cross . Family Theater , now digitally remastered, continues to air in reruns in the United States and many other parts of the world. EWTN , for instance, airs the program on Sunday nights under the name "Family Theater Classic Radio". In addition, the program is available to download or stream on internet services such as the Internet Archive . Congregation of Holy Cross The Congregation of Holy Cross ( Latin : Congregatio
676-597: The Marianites of Holy Cross , granting them the status of "congregation" within the Church. Meanwhile, the sisters set up schools in New Orleans, Louisiana , Le Mans, France and Quebec , Canada. The unity of the Marianites of Holy Cross would not last long: competing authorities at Notre Dame and Le Mans, complicated by slow communications over large distances, led to the withdrawal of the sisters at Indiana in 1867 and Quebec in 1883. They formed two new, independent congregations:
728-511: The Sisters of Holy Cross ( Montreal, Quebec , Canada). Basile Antoine-Marie Moreau was born at Laigné-en-Belin , near Le Mans , France , on February 11, 1799, in the final months of the French Revolution . When Moreau decided to enter the priesthood , he was forced to undergo his seminary training in secret for fear that the French government would arrest him. He completed his studies and
780-561: The Archdiocese of Monterrey, Nuevo León. The parish grew dramatically and eventually gave birth to a new parish, Nuestra Madre Santisima de La Luz. Holy Cross opted to shift from Santo Tomas Moro to this new parish with greater needs. Holy Cross continues to serve this community. In 1993 the Southern Province founded a program of vocation promotion and initial formation for young Mexican men who believe they are called to religious life and priesthood in Holy Cross. The Southern Province established
832-557: The Church throughout the diocese. He called them the Society of Auxiliary Priests. He also assumed supervision of the Brothers of St. Joseph when their founder Father Jacques Dujarié became too ill to continue their direction. In 1837 the two organizations were combined to form the Association of the Holy Cross. The following year he gave a rule of life to a group of devout laywomen who assisted
884-559: The Congregation established "Yancana Huasy" (literally "House of Work" in the language of the Incas). Yancana Huasy attends to the needs of children who live with physical and mental challenges, including Downs' Syndrome, and their families. In November 1958, four Holy Cross priests arrived in Entebbe, Uganda to begin their ministry. The dioceses of Toro and Bunyoro were too large for the bishop to handle. He granted Holy Cross permission to minister to
936-415: The Diocese of Le Mans, Jacques-Francois Dujarié , brought together a group of zealous men to serve the educational needs of the people in the French countryside. Fr. Dujarié named this group the Brothers of St. Joseph . By 1835 this group was well established in the diocese, but Dujarié was getting older and they were in need of a new leader. Dujarié and Moreau had met previously and discussed their views on
988-459: The District continues its work with abandoned children. Currently there are approximately 50 children in residence, ages 4 to 18. There is also a new prevention program ministering to 100 children that has been recognized as the first of its kind in Chile. Initially the members of the Congregation of Holy Cross were sent to Mexico from Texas. In 1972, Fr. Frederick Schmidt, CSC, was sent to Mexico for
1040-607: The Mutual network, the radio dramas were nonsectarian but focused on moral problems. Mutual provided the airtime, while Peyton covered production costs through donations. A total of 482 original episodes were produced. The program featured not only religious stories, but also half-hour adaptations of literary works such as A Tale of Two Cities , Moby-Dick , and Don Quixote . Peyton and Family Theater Productions continued in radio and expanded into films and television. Peyton arranged for many of Hollywood 's stars in film and radio at
1092-665: The area. In Dhaka, there was no church or chapel at all under the jurisdiction of Rome. The District of Chile is the longest-running mission still overseen by the United States Province. Three Holy Cross religious arrived in Santiago, Chile, on March 1, 1943, at the invitation of Cardinal José María Caro , Archbishop of Santiago (Chile) , to administer Saint George's College . Fathers William Havey, Alfred Send, and Joseph Dougherty believed they were going to do university work. Little did they know that "college" in this context meant
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#17328450389221144-465: The bishop asked of them. In 1840 this changed when Moreau received a request to send a delegation from his society to Algeria with the purpose of establishing schools and a seminary. It was at this point that Moreau shifted the focus of Holy Cross and after the first missionaries left in April 1840 the association took on the identity of a religious institute . On August 15, 1840, Moreau and four others became
1196-482: The college has formed many influential leaders in Chilean society. Also Holy Cross' first Chilean vocation, Fr. Jorge Canepa, was a 1946 graduate of the school. Additionally, the District administers Colegio Nuestra Señora de Andacollo , located in the older sector of Central Santiago. The Congregation took responsibility for the school in the 1970s, after its expulsion from Saint George's. The student body, numbering 1,100,
1248-571: The community. Along with other religious institutes, they began a seminary in Kenya called Tangaza in 1986. By 1989, Holy Cross and a consortium of religious congregations and societies established the Queen of Apostles Philosophy Centre in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Jinja ("PCJ") due largely to the political crises between Kenya and Uganda. It was then difficult for Ugandans to study at Tangaza. PCJ
1300-483: The early 1960s and expanded for a time to Puno and Tacna , on the border of Bolivia and Chile, and finally came to develop an organized presence and pastoral strategy in the Diocese of Chosica . The parish, El Señor de la Esperanza, is about the size of a small diocese in the U.S. Approximately 250,000 Catholics live in a parish that has 19 chapels. In 1982, within the boundaries of Lord of Hope Parish in Canto Grande,
1352-607: The first attempt to sail in November 1852 failed due to storms.) The group arrived in Calcutta in May 1853. Fr. Verite took the sisters to Dhaka , while the brothers and seminarian went to Noakhali . Fr. Verite soon joined them as pastor of Noakhali, which included Agartala and Sylhet in its territory. Chittagong became the headquarters of Holy Cross in December 1853. The East Bengal mission
1404-759: The first professed religious in the Association of Holy Cross. As part of his plan to form this religious institute, Moreau also brought together the first group of women who would become the Marianites of Holy Cross. In 1841 he sent a group to the United States , establishing the first Holy Cross institution in North America at Notre Dame , Indiana . The institute expanded further by establishing missions in Canada in 1847 and in East Bengal in 1852. This association of priests, brothers, and sisters, would continue in roughly
1456-552: The following year she was named the first Superior General of the Marianites, taking the name Mother Mary of Seven Dolors (Mère Marie des Sept Douleurs). She died in 1900 in Le Mans. As the congregation grew throughout the 1840s and early 1850s in the United States and Canada, Fr. Moreau sent groups of priests, brothers and sisters to work together and support each other's mission within the Family of Holy Cross. The sisters initially supported
1508-599: The future of the Church in France and so Dujarié knew that Moreau was just the man he was looking for. With the consent of the bishop, Moreau was given control of the Brothers of St. Joseph on August 31, 1835. He was now the head of two organizations, the Auxiliary Priests and the Brothers of St. Joseph. In 1837, Moreau made the decision to combine his two communities into one society so that the priests and brothers could share resources and ministries in common. On March 1, 1837,
1560-657: The language of the people, and Fr. Antonio comes from this indigenous group. In 2011 the Holy Cross community in Mexico became a part of the newly formed U.S. Province of Priests and Brothers. The mission of Holy Cross in Peru began with an exhortation of Pope John XXIII to religious orders to send missionaries to Latin America, and Holy Cross arrived in the north of Peru in Cartavio in September 1963. The presence soon included Chimbote in
1612-531: The people of Fort Portal and Butiti. Soon thereafter Holy Cross began administrating St. Leo's College, a high school in Kyegobe, Fort Portal diocese. Near Christmas of 1960, Holy Cross began its first parish at Bukwali. Around the end of February 1961, Cardinal Agaginian , the Armenian Patriarch at the time, told Fr. Christopher O'Toole, CSC, the superior general of Holy Cross, that missionary Vincent J. McCauley
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1664-674: The priests and brothers by providing domestic services. At the request of Célestine Guynemer de la Hailandière , Bishop of Vincennes , Moreau sent some sisters who established in 1844, in Bertrand , Michigan , a school for girls. By 1855, this school moved the 6 miles to Notre Dame, Indiana to become Saint Mary's College , still one of the leading Catholic women's liberal arts colleges . In 1846 Bishop Ignace Bourget of Montreal asked Moreau, whom he had visited at Holy Cross, to send him sisters whom he might establish in his diocese. Four religious were sent in 1847 and founded their first house in
1716-512: The priests and brothers gathered in the church of Notre-Dame de Sainte-Croix, Le Mans in the Sainte-Croix district of Le Mans to sign the Fundamental Act of Union which legally joined them into one association. This new group took on the name of where they met and became the Association of Holy Cross. Initially Holy Cross was a diocesan group and so they primarily served in whatever capacity
1768-454: The priests and brothers, first by doing domestic work, then in teaching and nursing. These women became the Marianites of Holy Cross. In 1841 the first Marianites received the religious habit. The Marianites were dedicated to Mary, under the title of Our Lady of Seven Dolors . The women of Holy Cross came to form three distinct congregations: Marianites of Holy Cross, Sisters of the Holy Cross, and Sisters of Holy Cross. Léocadie Romaine Gascoin
1820-526: The rosary, as well as devotion to Mary throughout Mexico. In 2000, the local Holy Cross community in Monterrey established an immersion program at La Luz parish. This program provides an intercultural experience of life and ministry with and for the poor. It is offered principally to students from Holy Cross universities, high schools, and parishes in the United States. One group of Chilean laywomen also participated. The program has been temporarily suspended due to
1872-413: The same form until May 13, 1857, when Pope Pius IX approved the first constitutions of the priests and brothers. From that point on the Association officially became the Congregation of Holy Cross. Doubting the propriety of a mixed congregation of men and women, Rome separated the women into an independent community at that time. Moreau, in his role as their founder, continued to work for Rome's approval of
1924-557: The sector of Penalolen in Santiago, as well as its outreach to abandoned children in Santiago and later in Talagante. Today, the District administers two parishes in addition to San Roque: Nuestra Señora de Andacollo , in the same area as the school; and Nuestra Señora de la Merced, in Calle Larga, in the Diocese of San Felipe . The parishes are known for their youth ministry and social justice work. Then through Fundamor and Fundación Moreau,
1976-679: The series was extended to one hour. Father Peyton also hosted the TV version, which ran for seven years. One of the TV episodes was "Hill Number One", famous for featuring an early appearance by James Dean as John the Apostle (not John the Baptist , as is commonly thought). It combined a Korean War story with the story of the Crucifixion of Christ . After Peyton's death in 1992, Family Theater Productions became part of Holy Cross Family Ministries, sponsored by
2028-602: The sisters' constitution. In 1865, Rome approved the constitutions of the Marianites of Holy Cross , granting them the status of an Apostolic congregation. Moreau saw a visible image of the Holy Family in this Congregation of Holy Cross which he had conceived as an association of religious men and women working together on equal footing for the building of the reign of God. He intended that this Congregation, composed at its origins of three distinct Societies, namely, Sisters, Priests, and Brothers, be an apostolic institute. Calling on
2080-675: The spiritual aid of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, Moreau gave to each of the three groups a patron: he consecrated the priests to the Sacred Heart of Jesus ; he consecrated the brothers to the pure heart of St. Joseph; and he consecrated the sisters to the Immaculate Heart of Mary . He also established Mary, under her title of Our Lady of Sorrows , as special patroness for all of Holy Cross, whose members in their several congregations continue to cherish these devotions. As Moreau stated in one of his letters, he envisioned that: "Holy Cross will grow like
2132-569: The time to appear on Family Theater . Throughout its ten-year run, well-known actors and actresses, including James Stewart , Gregory Peck , Dennis Morgan , Dorothy Warenskjold , Irene Dunne , Robert Mitchum , Henry Fonda , Bob Hope , Lucille Ball , Shirley Temple , Natalie Wood , Barbara Whiting , Raymond Burr , Jane Wyatt , Charlton Heston , Lizabeth Scott , Bing Crosby , Jack Benny , Gene Kelly , Kate Smith , William Shatner , and Chuck Connors , appeared as announcers, narrators, or stars. Many donated their services. Family Theater
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2184-405: The village of St. Lawrence, near Montreal. In 1856, Rome approved the constitutions of Holy Cross for the men. Doubting the propriety of a mixed congregation of men and women, Rome separated the women into an independent community at that time. Fr. Moreau, in his role as their founder, continued to work for Rome's approval of the sisters' constitution. In 1885, Rome approved the constitutions of
2236-482: The wave of violence in Mexico. In 2010, Fr. Marín Hernández, CSC, and Fr. Paulino Antonio, CSC, the first two Mexicans to be ordained as Holy Cross priests, were assigned to Parroquia San José in Tamán, San Luis Potosí. The Bishop of the Diocese of Ciudad Valles offered this parish to Holy Cross in part because of the indigenous community's need for pastoral care and evangelization. Frs. Hernández and Antonio speak Nahuatl ,
2288-522: Was born 1818 in Montenay, the 4th of 6 children. Her parents were middle-class farmers. Her mother died in 1822. Léocadie spent most of her early life at home taking care of her family. 1841 she became one of the first Marianites, entered the novitiate in Le Mans. She received her religious formation with the Sisters of the Good Shepherd at their monastery in Le Mans. Gascoin pronounced first vows in 1844 and
2340-528: Was broadcast in the United States, Canada, Latin American, Australia, Mozambique, and the Philippines and won a number of industry awards. The motto of Family Theater Productions is " The family that prays together stays together ." In 1951, while the radio version was still on the air, Family Theater moved to television, where it aired in syndication . The spelling of the title was altered to Family Theatre and
2392-430: Was buried at the parish in the crypt of the convent church that he helped build. With his death, Holy Cross withdrew from this parish, although one of its members has become a Holy Cross priest. The relationship with the parish and pastor continues to be one of friendship and Holy Cross offers occasional assistance. In 1987, the Southern Province assumed the responsibility for the pastoral care of Santo Tomas Moro parish in
2444-498: Was called at the time, "unquestionably the most destitute in East Asia and perhaps in any other part of the world." Because it was such a difficult and dangerous place to live and work, no other religious congregation showed any interest in it. Though the mission was named East Bengal, the Church jurisdiction and the political territory or civil jurisdiction called East Bengal were quite different from each other. The Province of East Bengal
2496-667: Was first created in 1905. The Church territory was officially called the Vicariate of East Bengal, set up in 1845 by the Sacred Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith at the Vatican . Its first superior was Bishop Thomas Olliffe, an Irish Jesuit . The Vicariate of East Bengal embraced the present-day Archdiocese of Dhaka , Diocese of Mymensingh , and Diocese of Chittagong , as well as
2548-405: Was ordained for the Diocese of Le Mans in 1821. The French government continued to work for the removal of the Church from the educational system, which left many Catholics without a place to be educated or catechized. In 1835, Moreau had formed a group, which he called "Auxiliary Priests", to serve the educational and evangelization needs of the Diocese of Le Mans. On July 15, 1820, a priest of
2600-892: Was reduced and Holy Angels closed in 1992. In 1965 the Marianites of Holy Cross founded Our Lady of Prompt Succor Nursing Home to provide long-term health care and short term rehabilitation services to the surrounding communities. C'est la Vie Independent Living Center for seniors was added in March 1986. The Marianites of Holy Cross continue to work in their traditional geographical areas of Le Mans, France and New Orleans, Louisiana. They continue to operate several significant institutions including: Our Lady of Holy Cross College , founded in New Orleans in 1916 and Holy Family School , in Port Allen, Louisiana , founded in 1949. As of 2016 there were 140 sisters worldwide. Sister Suellen Tennyson, age 83, who
2652-579: Was to be a seminary for philosophical and religious studies for these (mostly Ugandan) postulants. On August 17, 1991, Holy Cross ordained its first Ugandan priest, Fr. Fulgens Katende. Five Holy Cross Brother's and one priest died in the genocide of 1994 . In Bugembe and Wanyange, two villages of the Jinja Diocese , a primary school and secondary were opened: Holy Cross Primary and Holy Cross Lakeview Secondary respectively. In 1998, Lakeview made world news when United States President Bill Clinton landed in
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#17328450389222704-472: Was to be made Bishop of Fort Portal . In 1967, a house, and later novitiate (in 1984), was built on the shores of Lake Saaka in Fort Portal. During the military dictatorship of Idi Amin , the Congregation decided at one point to leave the Diocese of Fort Portal. This proposal was later abandoned. Bishop McCauley died on November 1, 1982. By 1962, the institute had begun accepting Ugandan religious aspirants to
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