It was a blessed and beautiful evening marking the "Kick-off' of the initial phase (Phase I - Pastoral Plan Development) of the "Hollywood Project" (HP).
Hollywood Project? = A 5 Phase (5-8 year Implementation strategy) to establish a committed ministerial presence of the Universal Church in Los Angeles to support the practical and spiritual needs of entertainment professionals and share a common mission of "Hope" with Hollywood).
The night was blessed with Holy Mass (Fr. Darrin Merlino) against a stunning backdrop on the 16th floor of Doug Brown's condo in W. Hollywood. We were warmed up to hear Fr. Don Woznicki's presentation of the HP by musical recording artist, Caitlin Crosby and Dr. Peter Kreeft ("Can Hollywood Save the World?"). The goal for the night was basically to create "buzz" among the largely individual and group ministry leaders in Hollywood, and to alert them that they will be contacted in the near future for their valuable input during the Pastoral Plan's development.
Individually we have made some progress in bringing truth, beauty, and goodness to our entertainment culture. Together we can do volumes more, but we need the Universal Church's support. The main obstacle to this support? The Universal Church does not see Hollywood as an official ministerial priority of evangelization to lend some serious support, or She does not have anybody coming to her, to lay it out, saying, "This is exactly what we need to do." Fellow "Hollywood pilgrims, the Universal Church needs to hear not from a few, but from a community of Catholics working and ministering in Hollywood. It will start with the LA Bishops, work through the US bishops committee on Social Communications, and with these blessings, onto the USCCB Larger body (Washington D.C.) and the Vatican.
Our own obstacles? Many of us have certain visions and ideas of how to effect Hollywood, but they are either unorganized and/or random, with no specific written plans that show a unified "community of Catholics in Hollywood" strategy. Couple this with all our time constraints to devote any real effort to the mission in "Hollywood" and usually what results is similar to either a chicken flapping its wings but never gets off the ground, or an eagle ready to soar but constantly has its wings clipped because of missing resources. EVEN IF THE CHURCH HAS SIGNIFICANT RESOURCES FOR US, WOULD IT BE PRUDENT TO OFFER IT TO WHAT APPEARS TO BE THESE FRAGMENTED AND UNORGANIZED EFFORTS?
This is why the Hollywood Project is needed. I am confident the Bishops will recognize and support "Hollywood as a mission field" with a completed pastoral plan that shows a strategy to unify Catholic efforts in Hollywood (while they retain their autonomous missions) under a common mission, representative of the Universal Church, and sustain it.
LET'S DO IT TOGETHER AND MAKE HISTORY!
Check out the profile section of this blog for more details of HP.
I would very much like to hear your feedback from this event so that any recommendations, concerns, or affirmations can be accounted for as we begin the defining initial phase (Plan Development) of this project.
Pope John Paul II - Pray for Us!
Blessings,
Fr. Don Woznicki, Lead
Hollywood Project
frdon@new-ethos.org
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