Storytelling is intensely human, and is the matter of our own humanity. We shape through story-telling. In this CTS episode, Ave Maria University alumnus, filmmaker, Director of Dramatic Arts & Fellow in Catholic Studies at the University of Mary (Bismarck, ND), and founder of Canticle Productions, Daniel Bielinski, shares his faith, everything that goes into making film and the art of storytelling. Dr. Dauphinais engages with Bielinski on the logistics of creating and writing film productions, the theology of movies, what stories can do for us, and how stories allow us to understand that we are a part of God's story. Daniel discusses his recent film Hazel’s Heart, based on a young girl’s sacrificial love during a North Dakota blizzard, and his upcoming project Medora, which examines marriage and sacrifice on the historical frontier. He walks through the filmmaking process—from discovering a story to writing, producing, and distributing—while stressing the need to uncover the deeper “heart” in real events.

Related Catholic Theology Show Episodes:

Defending the Faith Today with C.S. Lewis' Mere Christianity w/Dr. Andrew Swafford | Ep. 169

Tolkien's Liturgical Imagination in The Lord of the Rings w/Dr. Ben Reinhard | Ep. 171

In this episode of The Catholic Theology Show, host Dr. Michael Dauphinais welcomes back Joseph Pearce—acclaimed author, literary scholar, and Visiting Professor of Literature at Ave Maria University (currently teaching an intensive course on G.K. Chesterton)—for a rigorous examination of the place of pre-Christian ("pagan") Greco-Roman literature in the formation of the Catholic mind.

The discussion engages longstanding theological questions: Should Christians read Homer, Virgil, and Sophocles? Drawing on patristic sources such as St. Basil the Great's Address to Young Men on the Right Use of Greek Literature, the episode addresses early tensions (e.g., Jerome's dream challenging devotion to Cicero, Tertullian's query "What has Athens to do with Jerusalem?") while affirming the providential role of Hellenic culture in preparatio evangelica—preparing the intellectual and imaginative soil for the Gospel, as articulated in Pope Benedict XVI's Regensburg Address.

Pearce elucidates how these classics illuminate perennial truths: the destructive consequences of pride and wrath (Achilles in the Iliad, Odysseus' men), the redemptive embrace of humility and innocent suffering (Priam, Oedipus in Oedipus at Colonus), sacrificial loyalty and family duty (Hector, Penelope, Telemachus, Antigone), and the groping toward monotheism and providence amid polytheistic cosmology (Zeus' overarching will). These insights harmonize with Christian doctrine on virtue, sin, natural law, and the mystery of iniquity, serving as moral exempla and narrative silhouettes of virtue (per St. Basil) that complement scriptural precepts.Integrating reflections from C.S. Lewis (pre-Christian pagans as "virgins awaiting the bridegroom"; myths as divine "pictures" for those who "forgot how to read") and G.K. Chesterton ("Tradition is the democracy of the dead"), the conversation underscores the living transmission of Western Christian patrimony—countering cultural amnesia and equipping each generation to pass on the "fire" of civilization.

Relevant for educators in classical Catholic curricula, university students, and those committed to the renewal of Catholic intellectual life.

Resources:

https://ignatius.com/literaturelwckp

https://ignatius.com/classic-literature-made-simple-clmsp

https://ignatius.com/authors/joseph-pearce

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Whether you are starting your career, a CEO, or a college student, this episode is for you.

In this episode of The Catholic Theology Show, host Michael Dauphinais welcomes Jeff Schiefelbein, Managing Partner of Undivided Life, to explore the Catholic theology of work as a true vocation. Drawing on the Pontifical document The Vocation of the Business Leader (“the bane of man’s existence is the divided life”), Vatican II’s Decree on the Apostolate of the Laity, John Paul II’s Laborem Exercens, and St. Josemaría Escrivá’s call to sanctify ordinary labor, they present work as co-creation with God—neither ruthless nor monastic, but permeated with Christian generosity. Key themes include: subsidiarity as the path to agency, mastery, and human formation (in business and family); pitfalls like fear-driven centralization, judgmental language, passive conformity (“going along to get along”), and inadequate miscarriage bereavement policies; remedies through neutral outcome-focused feedback, bold faith witness, and explicit recognition of every child lost to miscarriage as a profound grief deserving mercy and support. A highlight is Howdy Homemade Ice Cream, a thriving pro-life enterprise providing dignified, challenging employment to adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities—demonstrating that businesses can do both good and well. Resources: https://www.amazon.com/Ruthless-Elimination-Hurry-Emotional-Spiritually/dp/0525653090 https://www.linkedin.com/posts/schiefelbein_storytelling-leadership-keynotespeaker-activity-7135620927144300544-Cy5t?utm_source=chatgpt.comhttps://www.undivided.life/ Catholic Mass Times App | Find Catholic Churches Near Me:The most popular app worldwide for finding Catholic Mass times near me. Confession times. Adoration. 110,000+ churches. Updated in 2025:https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&sourc...https://catholicmasstimes.com/