PBS Program

TOLEDO, Ohio—Like moviegoers everywhere, the hundred-plus people who filled the auditorium at WGTE TV in Toledo the evening of Jan. 17 were looking forward to the show—complete with popcorn and beverages.

But this was no ordinary "night at the movies." It was the result of two years' work and a unique form of collaboration between Toledo's public television and the eight congregations of apostolic women religious who serve in the area.

The evening featured the premiere of "Hearts Afire," a 30-minute made-for-PBS TV program which showcases the histories, contributions and contemporary lives of Catholic sisters who have been a part of the Toledo scene for more than 160 years. The program was broadcast to the public the following night at 8 p.m. as part of the station's regular lineup.

The Sisters of the Precious Blood— the first founded of the eight congregations represented—were featured prominently in the program, which included live interviews with sisters today as well as historical photos. The other participating orders were: Ursuline Sisters, Sisters of Mercy, Sisters of Notre Dame, Grey Nuns (Montreal), Sisters of St. Francis (Tiffin and Sylvania, Ohio), and Franciscan Sisters of Our Lady of Perpetual Help (St. Louis, MO.) All of these congregations either currently serve in and/or sponsor institutions in the Toledo Diocese.

Four Precious Blood Sisters are among the almost two dozen featured in the program: CPPS president, Sister Maryann Bremke; Sister Margo Young, a medical doctor who works in Guatemala; Sister Karen Elliott, a professor at Toledo's Mercy College of Northwest Ohio; and Sister Rose Helene Wildenhaus, vice-president of St. Mary Development Corporation, which provides low-income housing for the poor.

The idea for the program featuring Catholic sisters, part of WGTE's ongoing series, "Toledo Stories," came from station management, but the sisters enthusiastically responded to the idea, said executive producer Darren LaShelle.

WGTE has produced 36 installments in its award-winning "Toledo Stories" series. It chronicles the history and development of the City of Toledo and neighboring communities, the region's early pioneers, its ethnic richness, and the lives of individuals who have made a unique contribution to Northwest Ohio.

As WGTE directors and producers brainstormed about upcoming programs, the station's president and CEO Marlon P. Kiser pitched the idea of a program featuring the area's Catholic sisters.

"Everyone [on the WGTE team] recognized the contributions Catholic sisters have made to Toledo," LaShelle said in an interview with Sharing & Caring the night of the premiere. "They started the first hospital in Toledo, founded and ran colleges and schools. The work of sisters was well known, so a program on their lives seemed a logical choice."

But, LaShelle said, WGTE wanted this program to be different. Although it is part of "Toledo Stories, "we didn't want this program to just portray history, the past. Instead, we wanted to find out what makes a woman choose this life," LaShelle said, "how sisters serve today and how they go about making a positive difference in the world around them."

Part of the program's strength is that it shows how ministries—and even sisters' clothing—evolved to meet changing times and needs. (Sister Karen Elliott addressed this topic in the program.) Perhaps most important, the inspiration that drives the work of Catholic sisters— both as individuals and as congregations—is evident throughout the program.

"Hearts Afire" also shows how congregations chose ways of service in the past and do so today, often moving into non-traditional ministries where there is a need that sisters know they can fill.

The program got underway when WGTE producer Ray Miller contacted Tiffin Franciscan Sister Virginia Welch. She then presented the idea to the leadership of the women's congregations, all of whom welcomed the project. The congregations formed a team to work with Miller and WGTE on the program.

"We thought we'd interview five people and get two quotes from each of them," LaShelle said. But in the end, "Hearts Afire" features interviews with 22 sisters.

LaShelle said working with and interviewing such a large number of people was one thing that made the program unique in the series. The personal quality of "Hearts Afire" was another. "For the other [installments] we were generally working with historical data, archival photos. The history is what it is. And while we had people commenting on it, this was a very different style. [In "Hearts Afire"] we're dealing with living people, their insights, their personal lives."

After 18 months of meetings, then interviews and film shoots on location at various sites, the program was ready to take shape.

In July 2006 WGTE began in earnest to bring the program into production. They secured funding; the religious communities had also been invited to identify possible funding sources and all did so, or contributed themselves to the production costs. With needed monies and sponsors in hand, WGTE allocated staff and developed a production timeline.

What makes "Hearts Afire" different from other documentaries about religious women is that the eight congregations were actively involved in the process with WGTE throughout the program's development and weighed in on the final pre-broadcast cut.

Sister Maryann Bremke said she was very pleased with the final product. "Hearts Afire," she said, "tells the story of vibrant women religious, past and present... The program reveals sisters as real and relevant in today's world."

She said she believes "Hearts Afire" also did an excellent job removing "the mystery and myth that at times shroud the role of women religious in society."

Sister Mary Lou Schmersal was the CPPS liaison for the project. She told Sharing & Caring that during the many hours involved in the program's planning she enjoyed the interaction with the sisters of the various communities. "I was energized by the stories and accounts shared around the table. Each woman present was obviously deeply committed to her own congregation and shared a desire to convey an understanding of our way of life to folks today."

"Our creative risk-taking on so many levels is a beacon of hope," she said. "It energizes me to realize again that I, too, am part of this bigger picture of women who make a difference."

In addition to furthering the message about contemporary religious life, the collaboration between the orders and public television produced its own benefit. "Hearts Afire" gave the orders a professional product that none of them would have had the financial resources or expertise to create on their own.

WGTE is making "Hearts Afire" available to the seven other public television affiliates in Ohio. Other public television stations can also be invited to broadcast the program. While the setting is Toledo, LaShelle said, its message about women religious is appropriate fare in any geographic location

NEWS ALERT--11/15/2007

Last night, the highly coveted and acclaimed 2007 Crystal Awards were handed out at a gala held at the McMaster Center of the Toledo-Lucas County Public Library.

The Crystal Awards are presented each year by the Professional Chapter of the Association for Women in Communications. The Crystals honor communications professionals for excellence in such categories as writing, TV/Radio, photography, design, audiovisual and interactive, and more.

......And Ray Miller received a Crystal Award for his documentary "Hearts Afire," about the communities of women religious living and working in our region.

On top of that, "Hearts Afire" was awarded BEST OF SHOW.
The Association for Women in Communications will now enter "Hearts Afire" in AWC's National Clarion Awards for 2007.

Congratulations to one and all involved in the creation of these superb productions!

--Jack Hemp, WGTE

	Precious Blood Sisters among 'stars of Toledo PBS program, DVD

		by pat morrison
TOLEDO, Ohio—Like moviegoers everywhere, the hundred-plus people who filled the auditorium at WGTE TV in Toledo the evening of Jan. 17 were looking forward to the show—complete with popcorn and beverages. But this was no ordinary "night at the movies." It was the result of two years' work and a unique form of collaboration between Toledo's public television and the eight congregations of apostolic women religious who serve in the area. The evening featured the premiere of "Hearts Afire," a 30-minute made-for-PBS TV program which showcases the histories, contributions and contemporary lives of Catholic sisters who have been a part of the Toledo scene for more than 160 years. The program was broadcast to the public the following night at 8 p.m. as part of the station's regular lineup. The Sisters of the Precious Blood— the first founded of the eight congregations represented—were featured prominently in the program, which included live interviews with sisters today as well as historical photos. The other participating orders were: Ursuline Sisters, Sisters of Mercy, Sisters of Notre Dame, Grey Nuns (Montreal), Sisters of St. Francis (Tiffin and Sylvania, Ohio), and Franciscan Sisters of Our Lady of Perpetual Help (St. Louis, MO.) All of these congregations either currently serve in and/or sponsor institutions in the Toledo Diocese. Four Precious Blood Sisters are among the almost two dozen featured in the program: CPPS president, Sister Maryann Bremke; Sister Margo Young, a medical doctor who works in Guatemala; Sister Karen Elliott, a professor at Toledo's Mercy College of Northwest Ohio; and Sister Rose Helene Wildenhaus, vice-president of St. Mary Development Corporation, which provides low-income housing for the poor. The idea for the program featuring Catholic sisters, part of WGTE's ongoing series, "Toledo Stories," came from station management, but the sisters enthusiastically responded to the idea, said executive producer Darren LaShelle. WGTE has produced 36 installments in its award-winning "Toledo Stories" series. It chronicles the history and development of the City of Toledo and neighboring communities, the region's early pioneers, its ethnic richness, and the lives of individuals who have made a unique contribution to Northwest Ohio. As WGTE directors and producers brainstormed about upcoming programs, the station's president and CEO Marlon P. Kiser pitched the idea of a program featuring the area's Catholic sisters. "Everyone [on the WGTE team] recognized the contributions Catholic sisters have made to Toledo," LaShelle said in an interview with Sharing & Caring the night of the premiere. "They started the first hospital in Toledo, founded and ran colleges and schools. The work of sisters was well known, so a program on their lives seemed a logical choice." But, LaShelle said, WGTE wanted this program to be different. Although it is part of "Toledo Stories, "we didn't want this program to just portray history, the past. Instead, we wanted to find out what makes a woman choose this life," LaShelle said, "how sisters serve today and how they go about making a positive difference in the world around them." Part of the program's strength is that it shows how ministries—and even sisters' clothing—evolved to meet changing times and needs. (Sister Karen Elliott addressed this topic in the program.) Perhaps most important, the inspiration that drives the work of Catholic sisters— both as individuals and as congregations—is evident throughout the program. "Hearts Afire" also shows how congregations chose ways of service in the past and do so today, often moving into non-traditional ministries where there is a need that sisters know they can fill. The program got underway when WGTE producer Ray Miller contacted Tiffin Franciscan Sister Virginia Welch. She then presented the idea to the leadership of the women's congregations, all of whom welcomed the project. The congregations formed a team to work with Miller and WGTE on the program. "We thought we'd interview five people and get two quotes from each of them," LaShelle said. But in the end, "Hearts Afire" features interviews with 22 sisters. LaShelle said working with and interviewing such a large number of people was one thing that made the program unique in the series. The personal quality of "Hearts Afire" was another. "For the other [installments] we were generally working with historical data, archival photos. The history is what it is. And while we had people commenting on it, this was a very different style. [In "Hearts Afire"] we're dealing with living people, their insights, their personal lives." After 18 months of meetings, then interviews and film shoots on location at various sites, the program was ready to take shape. In July 2006 WGTE began in earnest to bring the program into production. They secured funding; the religious communities had also been invited to identify possible funding sources and all did so, or contributed themselves to the production costs. With needed monies and sponsors in hand, WGTE allocated staff and developed a production timeline. What makes "Hearts Afire" different from other documentaries about religious women is that the eight congregations were actively involved in the process with WGTE throughout the program's development and weighed in on the final pre-broadcast cut. Sister Maryann Bremke said she was very pleased with the final product. "Hearts Afire," she said, "tells the story of vibrant women religious, past and present... The program reveals sisters as real and relevant in today's world." She said she believes "Hearts Afire" also did an excellent job removing "the mystery and myth that at times shroud the role of women religious in society." Sister Mary Lou Schmersal was the CPPS liaison for the project. She told Sharing & Caring that during the many hours involved in the program's planning she enjoyed the interaction with the sisters of the various communities. "I was energized by the stories and accounts shared around the table. Each woman present was obviously deeply committed to her own congregation and shared a desire to convey an understanding of our way of life to folks today." "Our creative risk-taking on so many levels is a beacon of hope," she said. "It energizes me to realize again that I, too, am part of this bigger picture of women who make a difference." In addition to furthering the message about contemporary religious life, the collaboration between the orders and public television produced its own benefit. "Hearts Afire" gave the orders a professional product that none of them would have had the financial resources or expertise to create on their own. WGTE is making "Hearts Afire" available to the seven other public television affiliates in Ohio. Other public television stations can also be invited to broadcast the program. While the setting is Toledo, LaShelle said, its message about women religious is appropriate fare in any geographic location NEWS ALERT--11/15/2007 Last night, the highly coveted and acclaimed 2007 Crystal Awards were handed out at a gala held at the McMaster Center of the Toledo-Lucas County Public Library. The Crystal Awards are presented each year by the Professional Chapter of the Association for Women in Communications. The Crystals honor communications professionals for excellence in such categories as writing, TV/Radio, photography, design, audiovisual and interactive, and more. ......And Ray Miller received a Crystal Award for his documentary "Hearts Afire," about the communities of women religious living and working in our region. On top of that, "Hearts Afire" was awarded BEST OF SHOW. The Association for Women in Communications will now enter "Hearts Afire" in AWC's National Clarion Awards for 2007. Congratulations to one and all involved in the creation of these superb productions! --Jack Hemp, WGTE

		"Hearts Afire" is also available in DVD format or purchase directly from WGTE by calling Viewer Services at (419) 380-4613. Or e-mail WGTE Viewer Services at cathy_kamenca@ wgte.org