Seeing is believing on ‘Catholicism’

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“Catholicism” brings the Rev. Robert Barron to the Areopagus in Athens, Greece, where St. Paul preached to the masses. The Chicago priest travels around the world in the documentary.

Updated: January 23, 2012 4:09AM

Catholicism. A religion full of history and tradition, so complex; at times confusing for those who practice it, much less those looking in; sparking anger and, alternately, intense devotion.

A new 10-part documentary with its roots in Chicago — filmed in 15 different locales ranging from Athens, Jerusalem and Mexico City to Germany, Istanbul and Uganda — is shining a unique spotlight on the history and tenets of the religion shared by a billion people worldwide.

One-hour episodes of “Catholicism” will air the next four Thursdays at 8 p.m. on WTTW-Channel 11.

“I believe that beauty is a route of access to truth,” says the Rev. Robert Barron, an Archdiocese of Chicago priest and creator of the series.

“I do a lot of arguing with atheists on YouTube, and that’s all fine,” says Barron (brother of Sun-Times publisher John Barron). “But I also think that showing off Chartres Cathedral or the Sainte-Chapelle in Paris, the 500,000 faithful who come annually for the Celebration of the Ugandan Martyrs in Namugongo or Mother Teresa’s Sisters of Charity at work in Calcutta — you’re struck by the beauty in these things, and it triggers in your spirit, ‘I gotta find out where this is coming from.’ What makes all that possible? Well, it’s the Christian faith. And that’s sort of a wager of this whole series.”

Barron’s team filmed in more than 50 locations across the globe. To create the documentary, his nonprofit Word on Fire partnered with Picture Show Productions, headed by Mike Leonard, a 31-year veteran with NBC’s “Today” show.

“Some people might think, ‘Well, he must be a holy roller,’” says Leonard, the series’ executive producer. “I’m not, and it was a good thing, because I came armed with questions and doubts and fired away with them.

“The answers came,” he says. “You confront the truth of the matter of what this religion is all about, like mercy, compassion, forgiveness, inclusion. For me, I came to realize that a lot of times when I’d say I don’t like this or that about the church, it was me making an excuse for not wanting to do anything difficult. Barron’s the first to say, ‘Yeah, the church has some problems. Let’s work on those.’ But instead of walking away, stay connected to what this is all about.”

In glorious high definition, this dissection of the Catholic faith tells the story not from your parents’ or grandparents’ perspective, but from a 21st century classroom view — where the teaching tools of each episode/expedition are the religion’s archaeological sites, architecture, art, literature and music. Accompanying the film’s vibrant cinematography is an original musical score by Chicago composer Steven Mullen.

And all the while, your guide, Barron, 51, engages you in conversational exploration, without preaching.

Filming between 2008 and 2010 on a shoestring budget of $3 million — entirely from private donations — Barron and his team often found themselves on forced hiatus until money could be raised to journey to the next location.

Besides the four episodes airing on PBS, six others can be seen on EWTN beginning in November.

Exploring what Catholics believe and why, the series is a lifelong dream of its author, who grew up in southwest suburban Western Springs. Barron obtained his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in philosophy at Catholic University in Washington, D.C., and was ordained here in 1986. He pastored briefly before attending Institut Catholique de Paris, where he obtained his doctorate in 1992. Named the Francis Cardinal George Professor of Faith and Culture, he has taught theology at Mundelein Seminary for many years and authored 10 books.

Determined to reach a media-engrossed generation, in 2000 he founded Word on Fire (wordonfire.org), which, along with other multimedia offerings, brings the faith before a YouTube generation. Some 200 clips posted in the last two years have garnered more than 2 million views.

In 2005, George tapped Barron to lead the archdiocese’s evangelization efforts, and a few years later, the stars aligned when he was filling in at Winnetka’s Sacred Heart Parish. There, he met parishioners Leonard and Nancy Ross, a former TV network staffer who became the film’s producer.

“I was really a lazy, cruise-control Catholic,” says Leonard, whose son Matt directed and edited the film. “But whenever Father Barron would come, I was always snapped out of my daydreaming. The day he used Bob Dylan in his homily, I had to go talk to him.”

Nancy Ross, too, had taken note of Barron’s gift, and she and Leonard spoke of getting him before a larger audience. Barron was already on that mission, with a weekly homily on WGN-AM (720). They got him on YouTube, where talks by the priest, on everything from theology to pop culture, became a hit.

When Barron broached his idea for the documentary, George gave his blessing. Funding was the only question. Each episode would cost about $250,000. Barron essentially turned to the collection plate, visiting churches to seek support. Money trickled in. Then James Perry, a managing director at Madison Dearborn Partners, heard Barron at the Union League Club and wrote a check to cover the first episode. The grass-roots effort took off.

“Through the grace of God and the generosity of a lot of people, the money started coming in,” Barron says. “People realized that if we want the next generation, we have to reach out to them in this way. We have to go get them. Anyone under 40 is just more attuned to the world of the visual.”

The highly engrossing film is unabashed evangelization, yes. But it’s also a digestible education course for those who always have wondered about a religion that believes in a holy trinity and yet one God, or why it honors the Virgin Mary. It also serves as reassurance for Catholics disheartened by the sexual abuse scandal of the last decade.

Or put it this way, as Barron shares from Jerusalem in one episode: “The church is made up of sinful human beings, so up and down the centuries, you’re going to see lots of bad behavior, lots of corruption, lots of negativity. Paul says we hold this treasure in earthen vessels. The treasure is Christ, the sacraments, the saints, the liturgy. But they’re held in these weak, fragile vessels. That’s where the corruption comes in. And yes, that church always needs to be cleansed. It’s Christ operating within the church who effectively cleanses it.”