February 01, 2005

Local seminary became filmmakers' subject as church scandal unfolded

MOUNT WASHINGTON (OH)
Cincinnati Enquirer

By Karen Vance
Enquirer contributor

MOUNT WASHINGTON - The sex abuse scandal was unfurling in the Roman Catholic Church - and a documentary film crew wanted to watch from inside the walls of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati's seminary.

Church officials in both the archdiocese and the Athenaeum of Ohio's Mount St. Mary's Seminary in Mount Washington agreed.

And what the cameras saw in 2002 and 2003 - the impact the scandal had on the archdiocese's future priests - became a documentary called "Keeping the Faith: Becoming a Priest in Today's Catholic Church." It airs nationally today at 10 p.m. on the Times/Discovery Channel.

Producer Carol Marin said the seminary and the archdiocese gave them complete access after others turned them away.

"The seminary took a real risk in doing this, and despite all that was going on, they let us in, they had no control over the script, no control over the questions we'd ask," said Marin. "It was pretty remarkable."

For Archbishop Daniel E. Pilarczyk, the documentary was an opportunity to share the story of an institution he's proud of. "I know Mount St. Mary's is one of the best seminaries in the country, and I was happy to say that and have someone else say it," he said.

Posted by kshaw at February 1, 2005 06:42 AM