Church announces special showing of ‘The Passion of the Christ’
St. Joseph Roman Catholic Church in Uniontown will transform itself into a theater for a special showing of Mel Gibson’s “The Passion of The Christ’ on Tuesday, March 15, at 6 p.m. The parish’s youth group is sponsoring the event, offering the show for free to the public.
“It felt like something we should do,’ said Matt Dowling, a youth minister at the church, talking about the impact of the film, which opened in theaters last year on Ash Wednesday and attracted millions who were compelled by its message.
He said the film is a new form of evangelism because of its vivid depiction of the Passion. The film centers on the last 12 hours of Jesus Christ’s life.
Dowling approached the Rev. Alexander Pleban, pastor of St. Joseph, about showing “The Passion’ at the church after looking first at area theaters and finding that none planned to show the film this year.
Dowling said St. Joseph obtained commercial rights through SWANK Motion Pictures to show the film for one year or to up to 1,000 people. The church will be able to hold approximately 800 people, allowing for overflow in the downstairs social hall.
Troy Waligura of WAVE Systems of Uniontown explained how the company will convert the church into a theater.
“We have permission to pipe and drape the entire altar. We will build walls out of curtains,’ he said. “We will have a 9-by-12-foot rear projection screen with an LCD projector.
“We’ve never done anything like this before,’ Waligura added. “But basically a church is built with everything focusing on the center. It looks like it will come out well. We’ll be tied into their sound system and bring other speakers, so it will be a full theater experience.’
The youth ministry is inviting all the Catholic churches in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Greensburg, which includes Fayette County, as well as all Christian churches in the Uniontown area, to attend.
Because the film is rated R due to violence, Dowling said parents should decide if their children will attend.
“We’re not encouraging anyone under sixth grade to attend unless with their parents,’ he said.
Members of the youth ministry will act as ushers and help serve light refreshments downstairs after the film.
“It seems appropriate to have a get-together after the film, because the movie is so compelling. And because there will be a diversity of ages and denominations, it will be nice to have some discussion as they mingle, especially during the Lenten season,’ said Dowling.
In order to offset costs, the youth ministry will sell “A Guide to the Passion,’ which was written to help moviegoers understand the artistic and theological aspects of the movie. Copies will be on sale for $5 after the movie.
St. Joseph Church, which is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year, is located on Walnut Hill Road in Uniontown. For more information, contact Dowling by e-mail at mdowling@dioceseofgreensburg.org or phone him at 724-322-6577.