Episode 3178: Fr. Keane: "Behold Thy Mother" - Part 1

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Book Recommendation of the Day
The Complete Works of St. Hippolytus: multi-volume compilations of his extant writings, useful for a broad survey
Scholarly studies such as St. Hippolytus and the Church of Rome in the Earlier Part of the Third Century offer contextual academic insights
Podcast Series: Behold Thy Mother: The Writings of Fr. James M. Keane, O.S.M.
Episode 1: Introducing Fr. Keane & “Behold Thy Mother”
Chicago, 1950s
Chicago in the mid-1950s was a city of brick and steel, Catholic schoolyards full of children in crisp uniforms, and parish bells marking the hours of prayer. Inside WGN-TV’s modest studio, something quietly revolutionary was unfolding. This wasn’t a political debate, a sports broadcast, or even one of the new musical variety shows sweeping the country. This was a Catholic priest Fr. James M. Keane, O.S.M. using the airwaves to bring the Mother of God into homes across America.
The program was called Behold Thy Mother, and for two years, it became a weekly appointment for thousands of viewers. At a time when television was still a novelty, Fr. Keane’s calm voice and Marian teaching brought eternal truths into the most modern of mediums.
Segment 1: Who Was Fr. James M. Keane?
James M. Keane was born in Chicago in 1901, a child of Irish Catholic immigrants in a city teeming with devotion, working-class grit, and strong parish life. At age 20, he entered the Order of the Servants of Mary, an order founded in 13th-century Florence with a singular charism: to stand beside Our Lady at the foot of the Cross.
In 1921, he professed his first vows. Sent to Rome for his theological studies, he was immersed in the Church’s intellectual heart and ordained a priest on August 8, 1926. This Roman formation gave him a deep grounding in dogma, Sacred Scripture, and Marian theology tools he would later wield with clarity and conviction in his pastoral ministry.
Fr. Keane’s personality combined two rare gifts: the disciplined mind of a scholar and the warm heart of a parish priest. He could quote the Church Fathers and then tell a simple story about a child’s first rosary that would melt even the most hardened heart.
Segment 2 – The Perpetual Novena
Fr. Keane’s life changed dramatically in January 1937. Assigned to Our Lady of Sorrows Basilica on Chicago’s West Side, he sought a way to draw the faithful into deeper union with Our Lady. Inspired by Servite tradition and the devotion of the Seven Sorrows, he launched the Perpetual Novena in Honor of Our Sorrowful Mother.
This novena wasn’t just another pious practice it was a lifeline. Every Friday, the church filled with people seeking comfort in trials, healing for loved ones, and the strength to carry their crosses. Fr. Keane’s preaching was simple but profound, rooted in the belief that Our Lady’s sorrows unite perfectly with the sufferings of her Son and ours.
Word spread quickly. Within a decade, the novena was being prayed in nearly 2,000 churches and convents around the world from rural missions to urban cathedrals. Its success was a testament to both the hunger of the faithful and the tireless dedication of the man who promoted it.
Segment 3 – ‘Behold Thy Mother’ on Television
By the early 1950s, Fr. Keane recognized the untapped potential of a new technology television. While many saw it as an entertainment novelty, he saw it as a pulpit without walls. In 1954, partnering with WGN-TV, he launched Behold Thy Mother, the first weekly television series dedicated entirely to Marian devotion.
The program was striking in its simplicity:
A crucifix on the wall. A statue of Our Lady nearby. Sometimes fresh flowers on a small table. No flashy backdrops, no gimmicks just Fr. Keane, the Scriptures, Church teaching, and a deep love for Mary.
His speaking style was deliberate and fatherly. He could unpack the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception or the meaning of Mary’s title Mater Dolorosa in a way that an elderly widow and a curious 12-year-old could both understand. He blended theology with storytelling, always returning to the Gospel words of Christ: “Behold thy mother.”

Segment 4 Inside the Script Notebook
From Fr. Keane’s own surviving notebook, preserved in the Servite Provincial Archives, we can glimpse his methodical preparation. One page from a planned episode reads:
“Begin with an image of Calvary—Mary at the foot of the Cross. Transition to St. John’s Gospel, Chapter 19, verses 26–27. Speak directly to the viewer: she is your mother. Remind them her care is personal, not abstract. Invite them to respond with love and trust.”
These notes reveal that his broadcasts were more than talks they were pastoral encounters. Every word was chosen to lead a soul toward Mary, and through her, to Christ.
Segment 5 – Lasting Influence
Although Behold Thy Mother only aired from 1954 to 1956, its legacy was lasting. Many viewers had never heard such a clear explanation of Marian devotion. Others found in Fr. Keane’s calm teaching a refuge from the turbulence of the modern world.
Even after the show ended, the Perpetual Novena continued to draw crowds, and his writings both in print and in archived scripts remained a source of inspiration. His work anticipated the Catholic media ministry that would later flourish through radio, television, and the internet.
Closing Reflection
When Our Lord, in His agony, entrusted Mary to St. John with the words “Behold thy mother,” He was speaking to all of us. Fr. James M. Keane understood that this was not a suggestion it was a command. His mission, whether in a basilica pulpit or on a television set, was to make sure we obeyed: to truly behold her, love her, and follow her to the foot of the Cross.
The Saints of the Day
Today, Holy Mother Church honors St. Hippolytus, a Roman soldier converted to the Faith through the witness of St. Lawrence, and St. Cassian, a Christian schoolmaster martyred by his own pupils for refusing to sacrifice to idols. These saints stand as powerful examples of courage and perseverance under persecution.

Epistle: Hebrews 10:32–38
"Brethren: Call to mind the former days, wherein, being illuminated, you endured a great fight of afflictions: and on the one hand indeed, by reproaches and tribulations were made a gazingstock; and on the other, became companions of them that were used in such sort. For you both had compassion on them that were in bands, and took with joy the being stripped of your own goods, knowing that you have a better and a lasting substance. Do not therefore lose your confidence, which hath a great reward. For patience is necessary for you; that, doing the will of God, you may receive the promise. For yet a little and a very little while, and He that is to come will come, and will not delay. But My just man liveth by faith; but if he withdraw himself, he shall not please My soul."
Reflection on the Epistle
St. Paul reminds the faithful that the life of grace often leads to suffering. The early Christians endured ridicule, imprisonment, and the confiscation of their property with joy because they knew their true treasure was eternal.
In our times, persecution may take different forms mockery, job loss, social exclusion but the principle remains the same. Traditional Catholics must cling to the Faith without compromise, even when the cost is high. Like Hippolytus, who abandoned military honors for the crown of martyrdom, and Cassian, who embraced death rather than deny Christ, we too must see trials as stepping-stones to heaven, not obstacles to avoid.
Gospel – Luke 12:1–8
"At that time: When a very great multitude was gathered together, so that they trod one upon another, Jesus began to say to His disciples: Beware ye of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. For there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed: nor hidden, that shall not be known. For whatsoever things you have spoken in darkness, shall be published in the light; and that which you have spoken in the ear in the chambers, shall be preached on the housetops. And I say to you, My friends: Be not afraid of them who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. But I will show you whom you shall fear: fear ye Him, Who, after He hath killed, hath power to cast into hell. Yea, I say to you, fear Him. Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings, and not one of them is forgotten before God? Yea, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore: you are of more value than many sparrows. And I say to you: Whosoever shall confess Me before men, him shall the Son of Man also confess before the angels of God."

Reflection on the Gospel
Our Lord’s words cut through all human respect: fear not the persecutor, but fear God. The “leaven of the Pharisees” is the hypocrisy of outward religiosity without true fidelity to God. This leaven is alive today when Christians avoid proclaiming uncomfortable truths to maintain social standing.
St. Hippolytus and St. Cassian lived this Gospel with uncompromising clarity. They feared neither mockery, pain, nor death—because they feared offending God more than anything else. This is the antidote to modern cowardice: to remember that our eternal destiny hinges on our willingness to confess Christ openly.
Christ’s promise is the reward—if we confess Him before men, He will confess us before His Father and the angels. But His warning is equally clear—if we deny Him, we will be denied.

Application for the Faithful
In the current climate, the temptation to “blend in” is great. The Church’s ancient martyrs teach us that there is no such thing as a “silent disciple” when truth is at stake. Whether defending the Real Presence, the indissolubility of marriage, or the moral law, our mission is to stand firm regardless of cost.
Closing Prayer
O God, Who didst grant the grace of holy martyrdom to Thy blessed servants Hippolytus and Cassian, grant that we may be strengthened by their example and assisted by their intercession, that we too may confess Thy holy Name with constancy and attain to the vision of Thy glory. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen.
In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.