Episode 3179: Fr. Keane: "From Script to Screen" - Part 2

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Book Recommendation of the Day
Ecclesiastical History (also known as Church History)
• Eusebius’s magnum opus, a ten book chronicle of early Christianity from the Apostles to his own era. It remains a pivotal source for the study of the early Church.
• Available in various editions, including “Eusebius' Ecclesiastical History: The Ten Books of Christian Church History, Complete and Unabridged.”
• There are also annotated and translated versions like Eusebius: The Church History with commentary by Paul L. Maier.
Behold Thy Mother: The Writings of Fr. James M. Keane, O.S.M.
Episode 2: “From Script to Screen: Behind the TV Program”
The Chicago air outside was bitter in the winter of 1955, but inside WGN-TV’s West Kinzie Street studio, the lights were hot so hot that some guests would wipe sweat from their brows before the cameras rolled. On the studio floor, a crucifix stood just off frame, a small table held a simple vase of flowers, and next to it, a leather-bound notebook full of Fr. James M. Keane’s handwritten script notes.
This was not just another television production. It was a carefully crafted act of evangelization. Now to set the record straight.
• February 12, 1952, Bishop Sheen began his weekly television series Life Is Worth Living on the DuMont Television Network, which became extremely popular and earned him widespread acclaim as a pioneer of religious TV broadcasting.
• Time magazine even called him “the first ‘televangelist’.”
Father James Mary Keane, O.S.M. (commonly known as Fr. Keane)
• Hosted a weekly television program called Behold Thy Mother, which aired from 1954 to 1956, devoted entirely to the Blessed Virgin Mary.
• However, this was several years after Sheen’s earlier television work.

Segment 1 – Fr. Keane the Media Pioneer
In the early 1950s, television was still young in America. Families gathered around small black-and-white screens, and most programming was light entertainment music, sports, variety shows. Religious programming existed, but it was rare to find a Catholic priest hosting a weekly program dedicated exclusively to Marian devotion.
Fr. Keane understood that television could be a “mission field.” As the Servite Provincial Archives note, his Behold Thy Mother series (1954–1956) was “the only television series of its kind in the United States at that time.” His goal was to bring the Blessed Virgin into American homes in a way that was reverent, catechetical, and deeply personal.
Segment 2 – Scriptwriting as Pastoral Care
The scripts for Behold Thy Mother began as outlines in Fr. Keane’s notebook. He approached each episode as if it were a homily grounded in Scripture, illuminated by the lives of the saints, and always leading to practical devotion.

From a surviving set of notes:
“Open with the Gospel. Allow the image to linger in the viewer’s mind before speaking. Use the camera as a confessional speak to one person, not to an audience. End by inviting them to pray with me.”
This wasn’t stagecraft it was pastoral sensitivity. Fr. Keane knew that someone watching at home might be ill, grieving, or far from the Church. His tone was measured, fatherly, and deliberate.
Segment 3 – The Production Process
WGN-TV assigned a small crew to Behold Thy Mother. Sets were minimal: a backdrop curtain, a desk or lectern, a crucifix, and a Marian statue often Our Lady of Sorrows, in keeping with the Servite charism.
The crew would adjust lighting to highlight the statue without casting harsh shadows, a visual reminder of Mary’s gentle presence. Microphones were tested so that Fr. Keane’s voice came through warm and resonant, without the tinny echo common in early broadcasts.
Fr. Keane rehearsed each episode in the quiet of the basilica rectory before coming to the studio. Once on set, he rarely deviated from his notes, but he always left room for the Holy Spirit sometimes pausing longer than planned after a poignant story or a line of Scripture, letting the silence preach.
Segment 4 – A Typical Episode Flow
(Ambient music: faint organ chords, as if from a parish Mass.)
A 30-minute episode usually followed this pattern:
1. Opening Invocation – A brief prayer invoking the Holy Spirit and the Blessed Virgin.
2. Scriptural Reflection – Reading from the Gospels, often John 19:26–27, the foundation for the program’s title.
3. Doctrinal Teaching – Marian dogma explained simply: the Immaculate Conception, the Assumption, or the role of Mary as Mediatrix.
4. Story or Illustration – Often a saint’s example, or a personal encounter from his pastoral work.
5. Practical Resolution – A simple action for the week: pray the Rosary, visit a Marian shrine, or practice a corporal work of mercy in Mary’s honor.
6. Closing Prayer – Always tied to the theme, often ending with the Hail Holy Queen.
Segment 5 – Reactions from the Faithful
Letters poured into WGN-TV and the Servite Provincial House. Some came from Catholics strengthened in their devotion; others were from non-Catholics who, though unfamiliar with Marian teaching, were moved by the clarity and sincerity of Fr. Keane’s words.
One letter from a viewer in 1955 read:
“Father, I have been away from the Church for 20 years. Last Sunday, after watching your program, I went to Confession. I feel I have my mother back.”
Stories like these confirmed that the effort, time, and cost were worth it.
Segment 6 – The End of the Series and Its Afterlife
By 1956, Behold Thy Mother concluded its run not for lack of interest, but because of shifting programming priorities and the costs associated with producing a weekly show. Yet its influence continued in print and in the ongoing Perpetual Novena at Our Lady of Sorrows.
The scripts, notes, and some recorded episodes were preserved in the Servite Provincial Archives, awaiting future generations to rediscover them not just as media artifacts, but as tools of evangelization.
Closing Reflection
Fr. Keane once wrote, “Mary’s task is to bring Christ to the world; our task is to bring the world to Mary.” In the flicker of early television, he did both. His legacy is not measured in ratings or production quality, but in hearts turned toward the Mother of God and through her, toward her Son.
The Saints of the Day
Today, Holy Mother Church honors St. Eusebius, a Roman priest known for his steadfast defense of the Nicene Creed against the Arians, and St. Cassian of Imola, a teacher martyred by his own students for refusing to renounce the Catholic faith. These saints stand as examples of fidelity to God’s truth in the face of fierce opposition.
Epistle – Ecclesiasticus 24:23–31
"As the vine I have brought forth a pleasant odor: and my flowers are the fruit of honor and riches. I am the mother of fair love, and of fear, and of knowledge, and of holy hope. In me is all grace of the way and of the truth, in me is all hope of life and of virtue. Come over to me, all ye that desire me, and be filled with my fruits. For my spirit is sweet above honey, and my inheritance above honey and the honeycomb. My memory is unto everlasting generations. They that eat me shall yet hunger: and they that drink me shall yet thirst. He that hearkeneth to me shall not be confounded: and they that work by me shall not sin. They that explain me shall have life everlasting."
Reflection on the Epistle
In this passage, Holy Church applies the voice of Wisdom personified in the Old Testament to Our Lady. She is the Mother of fair love because she teaches us perfect charity toward God and neighbor; the Mother of holy hope because she points us unfailingly to her Son; and the Mother of knowledge because she reveals the truths of the Faith without error.
This reading reminds us that true wisdom and grace come not from the shifting currents of worldly opinion, but from fidelity to Christ through His Church. In a world that prizes novelty over truth, we must anchor ourselves in the unchanging doctrine of the Faith, just as St. Eusebius resisted Arian heresy and St. Cassian held firm against idolatry.
Gospel – Luke 11:27–28
"And it came to pass, as He spoke these things, a certain woman from the crowd, lifting up her voice, said to Him: Blessed is the womb that bore Thee, and the paps that gave Thee suck. But He said: Yea rather, blessed are they who hear the word of God and keep it."
Reflection on the Gospel
The woman in the crowd rightly honored Our Lady for her divine maternity, but Our Lord elevates the conversation: Mary’s greatest glory is not only that she bore the Son of God, but that she perfectly heard and kept His word.
This is the heart of today’s message holiness is not found in merely hearing God’s commands or admiring them from afar, but in keeping them faithfully. Both St. Eusebius and St. Cassian lived this to the full, choosing to suffer and die rather than betray God’s word.
For us, this means that Catholic life cannot be reduced to sentiment or cultural identity; it must be lived in concrete obedience to God’s law. Hearing and keeping God’s word transforms us from casual listeners into saints-in-the-making.
Application for the Faithful
• Imitate Our Lady’s interior life: meditate on God’s word daily, seek to understand it, and live it out.
• Stand firm in the Faith: like Eusebius and Cassian, resist heresy, compromise, and moral laxity, even when unpopular.
• Remember that hearing is not enough: the true disciple is known by his fidelity, not by his religious talk.
Closing Prayer
O God, Who dost gladden us with the annual feast of Thy holy martyrs Eusebius and Cassian, grant that we may be inflamed with the spirit of love by the example of those whose faith we venerate, and whose prayers we implore. May we, like the Blessed Virgin Mary, hear Thy word with faith and keep it with perseverance, that we may attain the everlasting joys of heaven. 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.