As someone who never attended Catholic grammar or high school, I am not exactly the most qualified to break down what makes a Catholic school movie great. Then again, I rarely let qualifications get in the way of my opinions. 

A few weeks ago, Ciaran Freeman, a former O’Hare fellow at America and member of the Jesuitical team wrote the definitive ranking of the 10 greatest Catholic school movies of all time. As you might expect, people had a lot of strong feelings about the ranking, good and bad. One person who is much, much more qualified to discuss the rankings is Hunter Harris. Hunter is a staff writer at Vulture, an alumna of Catholic education and a Catholic school movie savant. We talk about the quirks of “Superstar,” the staying power of “Doubt” and why “Lady Bird” is the greatest Catholic school film of all time. 

In Signs of the Times, we preview the upcoming German “synodal journey” and the Vatican’s ongoing dialogue with German bishops. We also look at what one bishop is doing with church resources to help fight climate change and heed Pope Francis’ advice to pray for politicians in our “Being Frank” segment. 

Links from the show

The 10 Greatest Catholic School Movies of All Time

Reader Rebuttal: The 10 Greatest Catholic School Movies of All Time

Greta Gerwig’s ‘Lady Bird’ is a rallying cry for Catholic schoolgirls everywhere

Hunter Harris at Vulture

Remember your politicians in prayer, pope says

Vatican officials offer guidance for German church ‘synodal journey’

UK Catholic bishop converts Church’s own medieval estate to wildlife sanctuary

 

What’s on tap?

Pinot Grigio

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