We made the big time! This week St. Martha Parish was able to help support a special day for our Town of Plainville as one of the sites hosting movie crew and actors as part of the Massachusetts filming industry. In many ways, Plainville exemplifies a “small New England town,” which is what they were looking for in this movie called “The Mothership” - an upcoming Netflix science-fiction movie in which Halle Berry is both executive producer and the lead actress. While we were not able to review the script, all indications are that this is an appropriate film in which we could support our local community’s participation. Among other benefits, Plainville received some positive local media coverage as a result of the cooperative efforts between town officials, private businesses, and our parish. With the assistance of the General Council of Archdiocese of Boston, St. Martha was able to provide our hall for COVID testing and “extras” check-in, our field to feed the hundreds of people involved, and our large parking lot for eighteen-wheelers of equipment, props, and actor trailers. They even used an office in our parish center for filming a scene that I’ll leave those who watch the future film see if they can discover! A huge thank you to our staff and parishioners for your hard work and patience in accommodating these guests, and to the production company, Morse Code LLC, for being so conscientious of our parish property and activities while they were in town.
peaking of the video arts, Fr. Lambert and I occasionally make reference our homilies to the TV series called The Chosen. (see article below) This series is not released on any standard TV network (to insure freedom with the content). The primary way to view it is by using your smart phone or tablet: search your app store for “The Chosen”. You can also find all episodes on YouTube. Seasons 1 and 2 are now available, and 5 more are being planned! If there is enough interest, our collaborative might facilitate a prayerful discussion group about The Chosen. Leave your email and phone number with your parish office if you want to receive updates on this idea. God Bless and have a great week! - Fr. Joe