The following comes from an August 9 release from Randy Engel of Renew America.
Following in the tradition of Mel Gibson’s ground breaking masterpiece, The Passion of Christ, the film Nicaea promises to be the second in what I hope will be a growing trend in the cinematic presentations of the divine and human drama of the 2000 year history of the Roman Catholic Church.
The executive producer and brainchild behind Nicaea is Catholic layman Charles Parlato, a former hedge fund manager and currently, a private investor. One March morning in 1991, he awoke with the idea of capturing the Council of Nicaea (325 A.D.), one of the major turning points in the history of Christianity, on film. It’s been a long and difficult road, but Parlato is on the threshold of success.
With preliminary production tasks completed, the scheduling for the filming of Nicaea is set for early 2014 at the famed European Cinecitta Studios in Rome, site of the filming of Ben-Hur (1959) and The Passion (2004). Nicaea’s distinguished production staff includes Rob Draper, director, Enzo Sisti, executive producer for The Passion and Nicaea, and Francesco Frigeri – design producer for The Passion and Nicaea.
Historic Background on Nicaea
While most Christians are acquainted with the Nicene Creed, the profession of the Christian Faith held by the Roman Catholic Church and common also to all Eastern Churches and major Protestant Denominations, details surrounding the First Ecumenical Council of Nicaea and its importance in the life of Christianity are not generally well known by the layman, especially the pivotal role played by Emperor Constantine and the almost unimaginable cast of characters ever assembled under one roof for an ecclesiastical event which would define and affirm the basic tenets of Christianity forever.
(Continued at https://www.renewamerica.com/columns/engel/130808)
Looking forward to it. Does anyone know anything about the movie on Mary that has been delayed?
Absolutely wonderful news. This is the sort of article that makes California Catholic Daily so irresistible. This subject is much in need of greater awareness among Catholics as well as all serious students of Christianity and its marvelous impact on the history of mankind in general and Western civilization in particular. As Christians, we are commissioned to take the Word of God to all nations, and this long-awaited film should be a beautifully feathered arrow in the quiver of Christian solders dedicating to spreading the Word, most especially in communicating with seriously contenplative human beings everywhere.
Hope they have the scene where St. Nicholas punches out Arius.
Yep! he did. He punched Arius right in the face, and that was the first attempt to put Christ back into Christmas as one website puts it.
Arius kept yammering on, and St. Nicholas would have no more of it. On the St. Nicholas websites it is reported that the relics of St. Nicholas show he had a broken nose, probably from when he was martyred for the Faith.
I will be looking forward to this movie. I am a romantic and find that those good ole days of discovery and faith growth are romantic, they truly bore the cross and bruises of Christ with great security. I looked in the mirror and I saw the cuts I had on my body, especially the one that reminded me of Jesus when he was stabbed on his right side and water gushed out of him, I offered that up to our Lord and cried for hours, Lord is that where they stabbed you as you hung on the cross and water gushed out of you? I must look to that cut in my body and be reminded of your passion for us. We don’t know how much our bodies can handle until we are tested to that point but Jesus handled the most pain and suffering, no one can ever endure. I pray that more and more people will have a conversion and turn away from sin, to honor our Lord for all that He has done for us and continues to do for us today…He really loves us and still till today, I often feel spoiled in love by Him, I am grateful for all these pearls of our faith and hope that this movie will increase our faith even more. PAX CHRISTI
Did you have surgery? Hope you are well. Praying.
Yes thank you….I am fine.. : ) God is good. All the time. I now have something that I can reflect on….our Lord had many cuts and bore much bruises….it’s a great time to walk with Christ during his passion…. : )
I am glad that you are OK and I hope this will end your health issues. God bless you.
Mine was a genetic situation…my gallbladder. Thank you for your care. God bless.
Abeca,
I am so happy to read that you are feeling better! You are right Abeca, God IS good and He will always take care of his lambs. Thank you for being such a sweet light on CCD!
Catherine again I post…thank you and God bless you. Had some other thoughts of gratitude for you but am not in the mood to re post them because they have not allowed to go through…lets see if this goes through. Now I sound mechanical sorry about that….Just know that I have a sweet respect and appreciation of your love of the faith and kindness towards salvation issues, God bless.
I am looking forward to seeing it also. We need to encourage good entertainment, whether at the movies, on video or on DVDs to buy or rent.
From New Advent: First Ecumenical Council of the Catholic Church, held in 325 on the occasion of the heresy of Arius (Arianism). As early as 320 or 321 St. Alexander, Bishop of Alexandria, convoked a council at Alexandria at which more than one hundred bishops from Egypt and Libya anathematized Arius. The latter continued to officiate in his church and to recruit followers. Being finally driven out, he went to Palestine and from there to Nicomedia. During this time St. Alexander published his “Epistola encyclica”, to which Arius replied; but henceforth it was evident that the quarrel had gone beyond the possibility of human control. Sozomen even speaks of a Council of Bithynia which addressed an encyclical to all the bishops asking them to receive the Arians into the communion of the Church. This discord, and the war which soon broke out between Constantine and Licinius, added to the disorder and partly explains the progress of the religious conflict during the years 322-3. Finally Constantine, having conquered Licinius and become sole emperor, concerned himself with the re-establishment of religious peace as well as of civil order.
I always wonder why even the Methodist recite the The Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed. Why do they claim to be part of the holy Catholic church. Of course they do not capitalize the Catholic part. They preach about these infant church Christians but deny the fact that it is the one true Holy Catholic Church.
Good point, Abeca, I was Methodist as a child, and look back on it with fondness, but it is much diferent now. It was the realization that all Methodists churches had an altar but no sacrifice, that was one of the reasons I finally looked into the Catholic Church, though, which did have the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass on their altars. It was then that I starting recognizing the truth. Nevertheless, their well champeroned dances with no drinking of alcohol beverages were just great for youth.
Methodist dances that is.
And another correction — “chaperoned” not “champeroned”.
Chaperoned dances for Catholic kids and their friends were part of our growing up Catholic memories too, Anne. I remember how shocked I was to learn that some other religions didn’t allow dancing or even CocaCola! Seems to me that learning how to enjoy ourselves having good clean fun is part of growing up Catholic.
Maryanne and Anne T I still don’t get why they recite the Creed? I think that the Lutherans do to? Not sure. Well this movie, I hope it will be created well and to help share the truth during those times that our church was facing. I imagine it must have been confusing for the faithful back then. When you have strong heretical groups dividing the church. It must have also lost souls. Can you imagine breaking away from the church because a soul was mislead and having to live that lie, those heretical views for the rest of your life. Goes to show you how much we need God’s graces. His graces help us. I hope we can learn from our past, their mistakes and I pray that we do not repeat them but it seems that is not how being human works. We make the same mistakes, just different people, different names but same mistakes. As if we pay for what our ancestors did. How little we are, we are so little and not capable to handle the truth. I think that our Lord protects us in our own level of understanding. He loves us so much, He knows us so well. I wonder how many of us here would be able to handle the revealing of all supernatural things? I wonder if some would go nuts and shut down or would some of us be fruitful and do right by those truths? We must be thankful to our Lord for knowing us so well, that He even protects us from our imperfections and knows always knows what is best for us. That is why humility and approaching our Lord with a humble and meek heart is key!
Abeca, it means catholic (small c) which simply means universal. All the protestant churches say the creed because they’re still connected to the Catholic Church in that their salvation comes from the Catholic Church though they don’t know it. Speaking of the past, I think 1954/55 was the peak of civilization and it’s been downhill since then. :o) There’s never been a freer, more fun, more exciting time to be alive…and I’ve heard other people say so as well. sigh.
PS…glad you’re better. Been praying for you. Don’t eat fried foods like french fries, etc. Terrible for gall bladders and especially when it’s removed. God bless.