A Lifetime Love of Family, Stories, Social Justice—and Cinema

OUR COVER STORY THIS WEEK shares stories from the life of Faith & Film Critic Edward McNulty—who eventually was called by his denomination “the Presbyterian Church (USA)’s favorite film critic.” He lived his life with a passion for social justice and the arts that he detailed for readers in magazines, books, workshops and sermons.

First, read this obituary and photo gallery researched and prepared by his family.

Then, read this personal reflection on his legacy by ReadTheSpirit Editor David Crumm.

When you’re done, please take a moment to share these inspiring stories with friends via social media. That simple step helps to spread a bit more good news in our troubled world.

And from our community of writers—

A Chaldean Catholic Celebration

PHOTOGRAPHER and AUTHOR Rodney Curtis invites us to accompany him on a photographic celebration with a Chaldean family, a rare opportunity to meet some of our neighbors who follow a Christian tradition that dates back millennia to the time and language of Jesus.

You definitely will enjoy Rodney’s gallery of photographs—but you may be intrigued by the references to Chaldean tradition. If so, we’ve got a book for that, produced by the Michigan State University School of Journalism Bias Busters project: 100 Questions and Answers about Chaldean Americans.

A Circle of Spiritual Connections

I AM NOT SURE WHETHER AUTHOR BILL TAMMEUS was aware of this, but the late Ed McNulty was one of the Presbyterian readers who sent us a link to this article about the national Guns to Gardens program that was carried by the Presbyterian News Service this summer. Then, just as we were finalizing this week’s issue of ReadTheSpirit with Ed’s obituary, an author friend in Chicago, Chris Stepien, sent us a link to Bill Tammeus’ new column about this same program, Guns to Gardens—which is coming to Kansas City on October 12.

In editing this magazine, we pay attention to convergences of ideas like this and, in turn, we are recommending that you find inspiration in Bill’s column about Guns to Gardens, too. And—if you do read Bill’s column there’s a bonus at the end: Bill has added a “Book Corner” review of Chris Stepien’s new novel about Jesus’ mother Mary.

And so the circle of connections turns and turns. I realize that this was a long way of explaining why we’re linking to this column by Bill, today—but it illustrates the ongoing creative power of this national network of writers we represent. Thanks to everyone out there—Chris, Bill and the late Ed—for lifting up good news like this!

Holidays & Observances

Welcoming Rosh Hashana 5785

HOLIDAYS & FESTIVALS columnist Stephanie Fenton writes about the Jewish High Holidays starting this week.

Dates of St. Francis Blessings Vary Every Year

SINCE THE FEAST OF ST. FRANCIS falls on a Friday this year (October 4), some congregations that offer blessings of animals are moving the event to other dates—including Sunday October 6 this year. If you enjoy these services, you may want to inquire early about blessings in your region. Holidays & Festivals columnist Stephanie Fenton has our story for us.

WANT TO SEE ALL OF THE UPCOMING HOLIDAYS & FESTIVALS? It’s easy to find our annual calendar of global observances. Just remember the web address: InterfaithHolidays.com

Click on this poster to read Ed McNulty’s review of this documentary.

Faith & Film

ED McNULTY, for decades, has published reviews, magazine articles and books exploring connections between faith and film. Here are Ed’s final reviews:

SCOOP—Faith-and-film critic Ed McNulty says this is a powerful dramatization of the British TV journalists who brought Prince Andrew to the BBC in 2019, talking about his experiences with child predator Jeffrey Epstein.
AM I RACIST?—Ed warns viewers against what he describes as a deeply troubling film that currently is making the rounds across the U.S.
THE BEAR—Ed writes about why The Bear has become such a beloved TV series.
CHESLEY BONESTELL—If you’re a nostalgic fan of science fiction, you’ll definitely want to see this documentary about the remarkable artist who envisioned the far-flung scenes that showed up in many sci-fi classics. Today, Bonestell is known as the “Father of Modern Space Art.”
WHEN HITLER STOLE PINK RABBIT—Ed writes, “As Holocaust stories go, this is very mild, and thus a suitable film for introducing children to the subject.”
GOOD ONE—Ed highly recommends this indie coming-of-age film that unfolds over a hike in upstate New York.
HAROLD and the PURPLE CRAYON—”Director Carlos Saldanha’s adaptation of the beloved 1955 children’s classic by Crockett Johnson gives us the adult version of the original series about a four-year old and his magical purple crayon who lives inside a book.”
MY PENGUIN FRIEND—“I love interspecies films such as Fly Away, and Brazilian director David Schurmann’s film is a delightful addition to the genre.”
SING SING—This inspiring film is based on a true story of prisoners producing an annual theatrical production at Sing Sing prison..