The Saint Benedict Institute and the Markets and Morality student organization at Hope College will host a free film screening of “Liberating a Continent: John Paul II and the Fall of Communism,” on Saturday, Jan. 28, at 7 p.m. at the Knickerbocker Theatre in downtown Holland.
The public is invited. Admission is free.
A lecture by Dr. Jonathan Pidluzny of Morehead State University will follow the screening. Free concessions will be served.
“Liberating a Continent,” which was honored with two Emmys at the 58th annual Chicago/Midwest Emmy Awards, captures the role played by John Paul II in the collapse of communism and the liberation of Central and Eastern Europe. As described on its website, the film “is the incredible story of one man’s unwavering faith born of deep personal suffering, his steadfast defense of the dignity of the human person amidst the horrors of Nazi and Soviet Occupation, and his unyielding belief in the spiritual unity of Europe. ‘Liberating a Continent’ portrays how these convictions toppled an empire and how they remain today the moral foundations for a prosperous and free Europe.”
The film is narrated by Jim Caviezel (“The Passion of the Christ,” “Person of Interest”) and with original music by Joe Kraemer (“Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation,” “Jack Reacher”).
The Saint Benedict Institute is a ministry of St. Francis de Sales Catholic Church in Holland. It seeks to promote and nurture intellectual work done from the heart of the Catholic Church, to foster an ecumenical community of Catholic Christians and friends committed to the renewal of culture, and to aid in the formation of intellectually and spiritually mature Christians by making available the riches of the Catholic tradition to Hope College and the wider community. More information can be found at here.
Markets and Morality is an intellectually curious and close-knit community of students at Hope College that engages in deep and continuing discussion of serious issues and works to open that conversation to the larger campus community. Markets and Morality supports students as they examine the interplay of market forces through the lens of moral thought, including the precepts of the historic Christian faith, and facilitates a rigorous conversation about whether markets can contribute to human flourishing.
The event is being co-sponsored by Hope College Campus Ministries; the economics and business, history, political science, and religion departments; the International Studies Program; the Peace and Justice Minor; and the Tocqueville Forum.
The Knickerbocker Theatre is located at 86 E. 8th St.