More links for the Archives subsection

Select One News Archives Faith Stories Archives Profiles in Faith Archives Thea Resources

Modern Lives, Sacred Traditions-the movie-premieres at St. Rose Convent

Move over Hollywood. The star-studded film premiere of Modern Lives, Sacred Traditions held in the Ivy Room at St. Rose Convent on Feb. 1 rivaled any Hollywood gala for glamour and excitement. The room was filled to capacity and included many of the top stars from the film. On Feb. 6 the film was released to the Villa St. Joseph theater.

Producing the FSPA story
After a full year of production the FSPA film is at last complete. Filming began in January 2006 and continued through June. Footage was shot at 31 different locations in La Crosse, six in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minn., in addition to several locations at Marywood Spirituality Center and St. Alexander's Parish in Port Edwards, Wis. Fifteen interviews were conducted to generate the representative dialog which explains the congregation as a whole.

Audio editing began in August. Initially, more than 25 hours of interviews were transcribed to begin selecting key messages and phrases. The roughly 1,500 minutes of audio interviews were eventually trimmed to create a 25-minute film.
With the audio as a road map, Kevin Cram of Interact Communications began to sift through the videotapes looking for the best visual elements. Early in the process Kevin sent a message saying that total footage for the FSPA movie had exceeded any other project he had worked on. In all, 53 tapes of footage were shot.

The footage was then paired with a soundtrack. In early December the title pages and closing segment were added and the film was eventually completed by the end of the year.

DVD cover

The movie
Modern Lives, Sacred Traditions contains five distinct segments with an introduction and conclusion. The segments, Modern Lives, Sacred Traditions, Beyond Borders, Being FSPA and Sharing the Mission, examine different aspects of contemporary religious life. "We decided early on that our focus would be to demonstrate the relevance of religious life in the 21st century which meant that while we would allude to historical aspects they would not be a prominent part of the film," says Cristeen Custer, director of communications.

The introduction sets the stage for the film by pointing out why religious life is important and makes a difference in the world. The Modern Lives segment looks at how the FSPA have adapted their ministries to modern times. The sisters who were profiled in this segment demonstrate new approaches to healing, teaching and praying. "This segment will be important to our benefactors," says Sister Ladonna Kassmeyer, director of development. "Many of our donors knew us in our traditional teaching and health-care ministries. Now they can see that we are still serving in those areas, but with a focus on present day needs."

The second full segment, Sacred Traditions, highlights the foundational attributes that define distinctive aspects of the congregation. Perpetual adoration is a key element. Franciscan values, the arts and service to the church are also featured. The third segment, Beyond Borders, demonstrates how the FSPA go where they are called, whether it is in domestic or international arenas. "We tried to demonstrate the importance of reaching beyond borders and comfort zones in this section," says Cristeen. "To do this we looked at some of the FSPA social justice ministries and the Common Venture relationship."

Being FSPA, the fourth segment, is designed to speak directly to women who are considering religious life. The entire segment is a dialog between Sister Leclare Beres, a member for 60 years, and Julia Walsh, an FSPA associate. In their conversation they talk about what it means to live as a vowed member of the FSPA. True to who they are, Julia expounds on her discernment process and the doubt she wrestles with, while Sister Leclare identifies the gifts of religious life.

The final segment, Sharing the Mission, highlights some of the FSPA partners in mission. The goal with these interviews was to demonstrate how the FSPA charism extends beyond its members further into the world. Representatives of the sponsored institutions, and an affiliate, who is also a prayer partner, explain how partnering with the FSPA allows them to be part of a larger community that is making a difference in the world.

The conclusion is brief, with Sister Beth Saner singing a portion of the song What You Hold, which is based on Saint Clare's letter to Agnes of Prague.

Public reaction
Before beginning the film the public relations committee established several goals they hoped to accomplish. As mentioned, the overall goal was to demonstrate the relevance of religious life in the 21st century. Specifically they sought to demonstrate the prophetic role of Catholic sisters in meeting the needs that exist in the world today. The committee also hoped to identify why members have chosen to live their life in community as a Catholic sister when they could have chosen to do good works in a secular role. A final goal was to explore what people are looking for today that Catholic sisters are uniquely positioned to provide.

In January 2007 the film was shown to a focus group to help measure whether the goals had been achieved. The discussion, led by FSPA public relations consultant, Annette Mikat, explored the viewers' thoughts on the overall success of the film.

The eight focus group participants, who represent the various target audiences of the film, were comprised of three men and five women. The group included a young female Viterbo University student, an affiliate, an employee of Franciscan Skemp Healthcare, a member of a La Crosse Catholic parish, a member of a minority group, a local business leader and individuals who have limited knowledge about the FSPA.

The group's comments about the film and the FSPA were favorable. Feedback from the group also identified gaps in the information provided by the film. This will be helpful as the FSPA Public Relations Committee builds supplemental materials.

Distribution
The film will not be available for public distribution until the packaging has been created and the copies of the DVD have been made. Cristeen indicated that distribution will begin in March. "The Public Relations Committee has decided to make 5,000 copies of this DVD so that it can be widely distributed," says Sister Marlene Weisenbeck. "The DVD will be made available to members, affiliates, prayer partners, donors, sponsored institutions, potential members and the general public at no cost."

The FSPA Public Relations Committee has produced this film on behalf of the congregation. Current members include Sisters Marlene, Ladonna, Ronalda Hophan, Karen Flottmeier and Karen Neuser (liaison), and Marci Madary, Cristeen Custer and Annette Mikat of Mikat Public Relations. Sister Karen Lueck served as liaison in the development phase of the film.

Click here to return to the News Archives page.