150 Years

This weekend, my parish here in NYC, the Church of St. Paul the Apostle on Manhattan's West Side, has been celebrating the 150th Anniversary of its founding in 1858. St. Paul's is the mother church of the Paulist Fathers.

Last night, the church hosted a reception called "A Night Under the Stars." Bass-baritone Ricardo Herrera, a former cantor at St. Paul's who has sung with opera companies in Illinois and San Francisco, delighted the assembled parishioners with several beautiful selections.

Tonight, the celebration continued with an evening prayer vigil for the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul.

The service was followed by a presentation of the 1989 film "Romero," a release of Paulist Productions on the life of slain Archbishop Oscar Romero of El Salvador. It was the first time I had ever watched in full this powerful movie with Raul Julia in the title role. It left me thinking a lot about Christian non-violence as a means of social change.

Here's a clip:



(You can actually watch the entire movie on YouTube through 11 clips starting here.)