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Father Stu

The consolations of a calling
by
ABR Arts 09 May 2022

Father Stu

The consolations of a calling
by
ABR Arts 09 May 2022
Stuart Long (Mark Wahlberg) in <em>Father Stu</em> (image courtesy of Sony Pictures)
Stuart Long (Mark Wahlberg) in Father Stu (image courtesy of Sony Pictures)

What makes a man choose to be a Catholic priest? The cynical and snide these days might bring up an unhealthy interest in other people’s children. And yet, historically, the calling to the cloth has often been a noble one, as likely an impulse driven by spiritual yearning and zeal for social justice as mere careerism or a flight from normative sexuality. The Catholic Church, which faces a crisis of vocations across the Western world, would do well to look again at this story about one remarkable man’s inspiring but implausible path to the priesthood, that also critiques the characters of various other clerical wannabes. The film is primarily Stu’s tale, yet it also reflects on bigger issues, such as how grace transforms a man and what happens to his manliness when it does so. How priests reconcile their new identity with their old is a leitmotif here, and the answer may make you think again about what one gives up in finding God.

Comment (1)

  • Thank you, Miles, for a refreshingly unbiased critical and frank review of film based on one man's journey of faith. I assume your sincerity is a reflection of your core values as the film is of Father Stu and his story of Jesus, the Church and the path of suffering in one man's journey of faith.
    Posted by Kristine Fritz
    11 May 2022