"It all began in 2014, when Father Francis of the Child Jesus, of the Community of St. John, was assigned as a campus minister to Seton Hall University in South Orange, New Jersey. Father Francis recalled that the campus ministry director asked the Brothers of St. John to think about what they wanted to do in the next year of ministry. It was an easy choice for Father Francis: He 'wanted to do something that he himself would really enjoy.' His reasoning was that 'when you share with others what you love and enjoy, others will jump into it.' So he suggested watching The Lord of the Rings movies and studying their Catholic themes.
"Father Francis had only been introduced to The Lord of the Rings books by J.R.R. Tolkien in 2009. At the time, he was leading a camp for teenagers and youth in Lithuania, his home country, for the Community of St. John. Father Francis learned about the Tolkien canon when young volunteers helped the camp's teenagers recreate the cinematic adaptation, using a simple camera. The experience was such fun that Father Francis dug into the books afterward, discovering how Tolkien sheds light on human problems and the Christian journey in his writing."
A recent National Catholic Register article reported on Fr. Francis' presentation of the Christian elements in the themes of The Lord of the Rings (including a related pilgrimage to the movie locations).
To access the complete National Catholic Register report, please visit:
National Catholic Register: Journey Into Middle-Earth (12 MAR 17)
Well Done, Father Francis!!!
Background information:
The Community of Saint John
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