The John-Henry Westen Show


Fr. John Hollowell ｜ Behind-The-Scenes Of The Miracle Cure


Summary

A short film about Father John Hallowell, a priest who offered his life in reparation for the victims of sexual abuse among priests. In this short film, Jim Hale and Michael Hogan take us behind the scenes of the making of the new short film.


Transcript

00:00:00.000 Anybody watching this video right now needs to understand that whatever suffering, whatever pain, whatever hardship you are going through, it can be redeemed.
00:00:15.300 God can heal your heart.
00:00:18.000 Come to me, those who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
00:00:30.000 Hey, my friends, you know, at LifeSite, there's a lot that goes on behind the scenes.
00:00:37.200 And I want to give you a glimpse of the behind the scenes now because we're putting out today as well, just a stunning film.
00:00:44.720 It's a short film about a very holy priest offering up his life in reparation for and in prayer for the victims of the sexual abuse crisis among priests.
00:00:58.940 So it's a stunning story.
00:01:00.820 We have covered him at LifeSite before, but just to tell this story is an incredible thing.
00:01:05.420 And I want to go behind the scenes with the producers, if you will, of the movie, our own Jim Hale and Michael Hogan.
00:01:15.020 Jim we see in front of the camera a lot, and we don't see Michael Hogan very much.
00:01:20.440 And there is a whole video team behind what we do here at LifeSite News.
00:01:26.040 And we're producing some of this very, it's artistic, it's great storylines, it's everything you want, but it's also so inspiring.
00:01:36.320 And they have a very particular take on this that I want to show you.
00:01:40.800 So for a glimpse behind the scenes at this brand new short film, stay tuned to this episode of the John Henry Weston Show.
00:01:51.120 You know that here on LifeSite we love to tell amazing stories.
00:01:56.040 There are a few so heroic and amazing as the story we're about to tell you that's coming soon.
00:02:02.540 You've got to watch this.
00:02:03.520 When I was in seminary, I was reading a book by Henry Nowen.
00:02:09.940 He talked about a nuclear man, you know, and people who grew up in the 1980s were kind of formed by that immediate and constant threat of nuclear annihilation.
00:02:22.480 My generation has grown up, you know, under the specter of priestly sexual abuse.
00:02:28.560 What say to Mr. Foreperson, is the defendant guilty or not guilty?
00:02:32.360 I think that for many of us, that has also been all-encompassing.
00:02:37.740 You know, I mean, I entered the seminary in January of 2004, and it's basically been there for me from in the beginning.
00:02:47.740 One priest's sacrifice for many priestly sins.
00:02:54.000 The story of Father John Hallowell.
00:02:57.840 Coming soon from LifeSite News.
00:03:02.360 Jim Hale, Michael Hogan, so good to be with you both.
00:03:05.940 Good to be here, Jim.
00:03:06.760 John Henry.
00:03:08.240 Man, it's such an honor to be here to talk about this video, John Henry.
00:03:14.120 Thanks for asking us.
00:03:15.740 Yes, thank you.
00:03:16.900 Beautiful.
00:03:17.860 Let's begin as we always do, with the sign of the cross.
00:03:20.880 In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.
00:03:25.740 Amen.
00:03:26.080 So, you guys have put out just an absolutely stunning and beautiful video.
00:03:33.100 So moving.
00:03:34.900 Maybe you can start with, what inspired this?
00:03:37.680 How did you guys set upon this as a project?
00:03:40.420 Well, this was really Michael's idea, John Henry.
00:03:47.200 So he had, I'll let him tell his story about how he got to know Father Hallowell.
00:03:53.880 But when he told me about it, I was all in.
00:03:56.420 And because this is a story about how we serve the God of resurrection, the God of miracles.
00:04:11.220 And it blew my mind when I heard about it.
00:04:15.700 I knew I had to be a part of it.
00:04:17.520 And this, because this is a story that is going to touch people's hearts.
00:04:26.260 And really, more than anything, I think, has the potential to help heal so many people.
00:04:35.440 Yeah, I agree.
00:04:36.520 I mean, I used to watch Father Hallowell a lot.
00:04:38.920 I'm a recent convert, maybe four years probably now.
00:04:42.000 Four or five years, I've kind of lost track.
00:04:44.100 But I used to watch him a lot when I was first coming in.
00:04:46.740 I was doing RCAA.
00:04:48.600 And he had really good homilies.
00:04:50.200 And he talked a lot about, you know, the differences in Protestant and Catholic and stuff.
00:04:53.560 And he was kind of more prominent back then than he is now.
00:04:56.920 He's kind of decided to step away from social media for various reasons,
00:05:01.180 which I think is probably a good thing for most people.
00:05:03.580 Yeah, that comes out in the story.
00:05:05.120 So Father Hallowell is really a celebrity.
00:05:08.080 You know, seven, eight years ago, I heard of him.
00:05:10.680 Because, you know, we can't talk about this, John Henry,
00:05:13.720 without Michael and I talking about the fact that we're both converts.
00:05:17.220 I converted five years ago.
00:05:19.820 So Michael and I came into the church and we started working together.
00:05:23.180 So we're always talking about our conversion.
00:05:26.640 And I'll never forget, it was about two years ago,
00:05:30.240 we called you up when we moved to Front Royal.
00:05:32.300 And we said, hey, John Henry, we need to decorate our studio.
00:05:34.780 And Michael and I went to the Basilica in D.C. together.
00:05:39.020 And we found this thing, this beautiful portrait of Our Lady of Guadalupe.
00:05:45.640 And I took a picture of it and I sent it to you.
00:05:47.740 And I said, hey, John Henry, can we buy this?
00:05:50.260 And you said, go for it.
00:05:52.560 And so there she is right there.
00:05:55.320 And Michael and I both know that the Catholic Church is still in the business of saving souls.
00:06:05.860 And it has changed our lives.
00:06:10.080 I mean, that's all we can say.
00:06:12.060 And this story with Father Hallowell is one that is so profound and so deep
00:06:19.340 that I just pray that everybody watching this interview will go and watch that video
00:06:30.100 and then let us know how it impacted them.
00:06:35.040 Because the impact that his story had on me was great.
00:06:39.800 The story of Father Hallowell is kind of a sad one.
00:06:43.140 Because, I mean, here's a priest who offers himself for the sake of the victims of priestly sexual abuse
00:06:52.180 and in reparation for it.
00:06:56.520 And then, if you know the story at all, it's been covered at LifeSide a lot.
00:07:00.700 God sort of takes him up on the offer.
00:07:03.200 And he comes down with cancer.
00:07:05.580 Tell us, if you would, Michael, how do you know Father and how did this come about?
00:07:09.160 I didn't know him before this.
00:07:11.240 I remember seeing, I think he made a homily where he said he was kind of leaving the Internet
00:07:15.560 and leaving YouTube and all this stuff.
00:07:17.700 And he kind of announced that he had this tumor and how he was going through it.
00:07:21.600 But he was just going to offer it up and let God's will be done.
00:07:24.760 And then he also wanted to just kind of separate from YouTube
00:07:27.160 and focus on his parish and his local community.
00:07:30.700 And I remember seeing that.
00:07:31.680 And I think I talked to a couple people at LifeSide even about how it would be awesome
00:07:35.260 to just show this story on this man even though, you know,
00:07:38.420 it's been known in the news and in print, but nobody's ever like seen him
00:07:42.440 besides his little homily videos on his camera in his parish.
00:07:46.660 So I think I just called him one day and we had like a Zoom call for like an hour
00:07:50.620 and he was all for it.
00:07:52.000 He actually said he was writing kind of like a memoir thing
00:07:54.880 about kind of his journey he had been on just in case, you know, he did die.
00:07:59.660 He'd have some kind of record of it.
00:08:01.100 And so I use that as my kind of notes to kind of go and ask him questions.
00:08:06.400 Right.
00:08:06.900 So that's the first part of this story is that he honestly, John Henry,
00:08:10.840 just thought he was going to die.
00:08:12.460 I mean, his prognosis was not good at all.
00:08:17.980 And then he immediately decided that he was going to suffer on behalf of those
00:08:25.640 who had been abused by priests.
00:08:28.040 And, you know, can I just say, John Henry, I don't talk about this very often.
00:08:32.420 I've spoken about it once before at LifeSide.
00:08:34.840 It was so personal to me that when Michael asked me to be involved in this project
00:08:39.600 because I was sexually abused when I was eight years old.
00:08:44.140 And I know the devastation that it has caused in my life.
00:08:49.480 From that moment forward, I felt like I was damaged goods.
00:08:54.800 The spiritual damage that happens to victims is permanent, you know.
00:09:06.020 And so many people who have experienced childhood sexual abuse, you know,
00:09:11.860 go on to struggle throughout their lives.
00:09:17.720 I will just say that suicides, addiction, relationship problems.
00:09:25.680 And the church has been criminal, really, in the way that it has been a part of this.
00:09:37.320 And it is it's hard.
00:09:40.020 I mean, the reason why it took me so long to be Catholic,
00:09:43.100 but can I just say this, John Henry, is that I didn't trust the church.
00:09:48.200 I had my son, my beautiful boy, when I had started reading about Catholicism
00:09:54.760 and thinking, gosh, I really think this might be the truth.
00:09:58.500 You know, this might be true Christianity here.
00:10:00.940 I held back for many, many years because I didn't want my son to be exposed potentially to a predator priest.
00:10:11.000 I mean, that's that's just the truth.
00:10:14.700 And the fact that, you know, Father Hollowell is is addressing this head on.
00:10:20.140 And and he is suffering on behalf of those who suffer.
00:10:27.900 You don't come across that kind of thing very often, John Henry.
00:10:32.280 And when you hear Father Father Hollowell talk, I mean, this this man is something special.
00:10:37.840 I mean, and he really and truly thought that he was going to die
00:10:41.220 and that his suffering would be for, you know, people like us.
00:10:45.860 Hey, my friends, now is the time to stand up and fight.
00:10:52.220 We are just about to have the Synod on Synodality
00:10:55.660 and everything that you've seen indicates that it's going to be an absolute disaster.
00:11:01.600 We have Father James Martin as a personal appointee of the Pope speaking at it.
00:11:07.140 We've got Cardinal Cupich, Cardinal Tobin.
00:11:10.000 These picks of the Pope to engage in this Synod are indicative of where we're going.
00:11:17.300 We're going into heresy.
00:11:19.660 And at these times of great crisis, the church, especially those called in the laity to work for the glory of Christ in his church,
00:11:30.140 are called to gather and strategize.
00:11:33.300 Back in 2014, LifeSite launched something called Rome Life Forum.
00:11:36.760 It was a gathering at that point of some 75 life and family leaders from all around the world to strategize as to what we could do.
00:11:45.600 And when we gathered, the majority of people were most concerned about what?
00:11:49.940 About Pope Francis, about what was going on in Rome.
00:11:53.620 But this was 2014.
00:11:55.820 But the life and family leaders saw it first.
00:11:58.960 Now, a decade on, we are confronted with some of the most severe challenges the church has ever faced.
00:12:07.600 And so, our tradition at LifeSite is to continue with Rome Life Forum, which has continued every year until we had to take a break over COVID because we weren't permitted.
00:12:16.940 But we're starting it up again.
00:12:18.260 Please come, if you feel so called, to Rome, October 31st and November 1st, the very end of the Synod on Synodality.
00:12:29.100 And we'll be there to strategize with his eminence, with his excellency, and with many life and family leaders from around the world.
00:12:38.420 For LifeSite News, this is John Henry Weston.
00:12:40.620 And may God bless you.
00:12:41.340 It's interesting, you know, we were chatting before the show, and Michael, you said something that I thought was stunning.
00:12:51.080 A lot of people, when they pray, they pray right away to have God get them out of a bad circumstance.
00:13:00.380 Yet here was Father Hallowell offering himself,
00:13:03.460 Not so much, get me out of it, Lord, but let me just offer the suffering that I'm experiencing in reparation to you, out of love for you, and in prayer for the victims.
00:13:15.200 Stunning stuff.
00:13:16.200 And he truly thought he was going to die just like that.
00:13:20.420 Yeah, unreal.
00:13:23.400 Yes, and, you know, that's one thing that I think comes through, is, you know,
00:13:27.900 the Catholic Church, you know, we're just discovering all the beauty in everything that the Catholic Church has to offer.
00:13:35.620 But what really makes it unique, John Henry, is this redemptive suffering.
00:13:41.460 You don't hear a lot about that when you grow up evangelical, Protestant, you know,
00:13:46.600 because kind of the mindset is that suffering, you kind of pray your suffering away,
00:13:53.940 and that God is going to bless you by removing your suffering.
00:13:56.660 So in the Catholic Church, it's a completely different deal.
00:14:02.000 And as you get a little bit older, you really start to resonate with that, you know,
00:14:06.700 when life has beat the hell out of you for a while, you know.
00:14:10.460 And it's weird how it actually makes you feel, I don't know, at ease with it almost,
00:14:15.280 like when you're getting older or you have health problems and stuff.
00:14:19.040 Whereas before, you were just kind of despairing about it.
00:14:22.080 But now you're like, well, I can offer this up.
00:14:23.600 This is redemptive.
00:14:24.520 And it's more imitating of Christ.
00:14:27.300 And, you know, Christ died for us.
00:14:29.740 And I mean, that brought us back to be able to spend eternity with Him.
00:14:34.700 So, you know, our suffering can't do that maybe.
00:14:37.020 But to be added to Him, like Paul says, is, you know, that's a great thing.
00:14:41.160 That's really funny.
00:14:42.200 Like I always used to, like as a Protestant, you know, you think,
00:14:45.300 why do Catholics have that crucifix?
00:14:47.660 Why is Jesus on the cross?
00:14:48.860 Because He's seated at the right hand of the Father.
00:14:50.860 You know, He's not on that cross anymore, but man, like now that's the first thing I do
00:14:57.320 when I walk into the church.
00:14:59.400 I look at that cross and there's a comfort.
00:15:03.720 And then, you know, you see when you're in a Catholic church,
00:15:07.080 just so many people who you know are struggling, yet they're in there day in, day out.
00:15:15.100 Those old ladies, those daily mass prayer warriors, and you know they're suffering.
00:15:20.900 And that's what Father Hollowell is reminding us in this video, that no matter how much you
00:15:29.440 have suffered, the Catholic church is still the place of healing and redemption.
00:15:37.440 And it is the only place where you can go and meet God.
00:15:43.420 And so that kind of leads us to the second half of this story,
00:15:48.880 because Michael had to go back to Indiana to interview Father Hollowell again.
00:15:54.240 That's right.
00:15:55.160 So initially we just made the video, maybe it was a year ago,
00:15:59.220 and it was just a video we made about Father Hollowell,
00:16:01.680 but it kind of ended on just, you know, I most likely will die in the next year or so.
00:16:06.720 And, you know, and it was a nice story just about how we can offer it up,
00:16:10.020 but it was kind of bleak.
00:16:10.920 And then when we heard that the miracle had happened, I think he made a YouTube video,
00:16:14.720 and Taylor Marshall maybe had him on.
00:16:16.780 And then, you know, me and Nick and you talked about going out there to visit him,
00:16:20.200 and we went out there, and that's where we got the second part of this thing.
00:16:23.180 So when we re-edited it, we put it together with the beginning story from last year
00:16:28.500 and then the one from this year and kind of made it more of a positive thing
00:16:32.220 and how God kind of gave him a miracle.
00:16:34.440 That's right.
00:16:34.920 So, you know, he was being treated, John Henry, at the Mayo Clinic, right?
00:16:39.060 So, you know, when you go to the Mayo Clinic, you know you're getting the best treatment in the world,
00:16:44.520 and it did not look good for him.
00:16:47.600 But he decided, maybe I will go to Lourdes after all, you know?
00:16:54.760 Yeah, exactly.
00:16:55.540 I think he mentioned in the interview that he had, it was kind of like a Hail Mary,
00:16:59.540 like, well, if I go and, you know, I'm healed,
00:17:01.400 that might bring some people that have been abused or people that have left the faith.
00:17:04.600 Maybe that will give them hope, you know?
00:17:06.360 But outside of that, he really was just doing it just kind of, you know, as a maybe.
00:17:10.560 Right, almost to please other people.
00:17:12.520 Yeah, I think so, too.
00:17:12.660 I really got the sense.
00:17:16.420 But he did it, and he went through, you know, they have a whole process at Lourdes
00:17:21.000 where they put the water on you, then you drink it,
00:17:25.600 and then, you know, he didn't sense anything immediately,
00:17:31.900 but when he came back, you know, and started getting more MRIs, guess what, you know?
00:17:40.420 Yeah, it went away, apparently, and it was growing back, I guess, the few weeks before he left.
00:17:44.740 Right, so, yeah, so he had that brain tumor, and he had cancer of the pituitary gland,
00:17:49.840 and they both disappeared, and so, you know, his oncologist calls him and says,
00:17:56.320 you don't have to come back for another appointment for six months,
00:17:58.900 and he's like, wait a minute, you know?
00:18:00.340 I used to be going monthly or something like that.
00:18:02.760 Yeah, yeah, like, what are you telling me here?
00:18:04.180 And they said, well, guess what?
00:18:06.880 It's gone.
00:18:07.480 This is not supposed to happen.
00:18:09.080 There's no medical scientific explanation for these kind of cancers to just disappear.
00:18:15.600 What an incredible sign of hope.
00:18:21.160 So here's Father Hallowell dealing with the underbelly of the church in the worst way.
00:18:28.760 We have all sorts of nastiness in the church.
00:18:32.040 The infidelity of the clergy in matters sexual is as gross as can be,
00:18:39.560 but there's also massive infidelity in terms of doctrine.
00:18:44.740 They're going and they're literally leading our children into hell by, you know, this infidelity,
00:18:52.620 like from Father James Martin and, you know, Cardinal Cupich and Cardinal McElroy,
00:18:58.380 all on so many issues where they're misleading the faithful,
00:19:03.060 for which Christ said it would be better for you to have a millstone tied about your neck
00:19:07.760 and you would be cast into the sea than for you to give scandal to the little ones,
00:19:12.220 and that's what they're doing.
00:19:13.040 They're not doing it.
00:19:14.520 They're doing it over and over and over again, seemingly without correction at this point.
00:19:20.280 I mean, this, it seems total insanity.
00:19:24.000 And so it seems like that's what it was for the victims of previously sexual abuse.
00:19:31.960 How horrific can it be?
00:19:33.860 And it seemed to continue and continue.
00:19:38.480 Finally, there was, you know, some, at least a dressing of it, not this kind of shove it under the carpet
00:19:44.780 and transfer them elsewhere so they could abuse more.
00:19:47.160 Just a horrific nightmare.
00:19:48.700 But in Father Hallowell's resurrection, it seems, there's also this promise, or as he was praying about,
00:19:58.040 maybe, you know, God will see in my, or people will see in my healing that God gives me the possibility of healing for them as well.
00:20:04.900 You know, John Henry, I got to tell you that I do my best as a convert to the faith.
00:20:15.880 Michael and I, we talk about this all the time, how we're trying to deal with what's happening in the church
00:20:22.300 and still be joyful Catholics.
00:20:26.180 Yes.
00:20:26.920 We have the good fortune of living here in the Front Royal Winchester, Virginia area.
00:20:32.080 So we have amazing masses around here every single day.
00:20:36.740 Amazing priest, great Catholic fellowship, good Catholic schools, all those wonderful blessings.
00:20:44.100 But we know that that's not the situation in most of the Catholic world.
00:20:53.480 I got to tell you, I was deeply disturbed when I saw that the Holy Father had invited Cardinal McElroy, Cardinal Cupich,
00:21:06.940 Cardinal Gregory, and Father James Martin to attend the upcoming synod.
00:21:14.100 I mean, what, I mean, it's still just so deeply troubling.
00:21:20.000 I mean, these men, as far as I'm concerned, are directly responsible for the destruction of souls.
00:21:31.880 Yes.
00:21:32.120 You know, Father James Martin is a groomer.
00:21:35.860 That's what he is.
00:21:38.120 Cardinal Gregory, when he was installed as Archbishop of Washington, D.C.,
00:21:45.900 arguably the most important Catholic church leader in the United States.
00:21:54.560 Who did he have on the altar with him, John Henry?
00:21:57.920 Roger Mahoney and Donald Wuerl.
00:22:01.320 Now, the pain and suffering that those two men caused by sheltering and protecting priests who were child abusers is one of the—
00:22:19.060 I mean, it's just criminal.
00:22:20.280 That's all there is to it.
00:22:21.740 So I've got to tell you, I was deeply hurt by that, and it really disturbs my soul.
00:22:30.520 So that's why I want to say I want everyone who kind of feels similarly to watch this video.
00:22:38.940 And I can't understand that either with the—it seems like there's so much doctrine that's kind of, you know, intentionally vague or, you know, glossed over.
00:22:48.600 But then nobody ever wants to address this stuff.
00:22:51.580 It's like they're fine with all the seemingly liberal things that come out of the Vatican, but nobody ever is like,
00:22:56.920 hey, why are you appointing all these people that were involved in sexual abuse when that was kind of like their main target for years?
00:23:02.860 And now all of a sudden it's not even a question.
00:23:06.320 Yeah.
00:23:06.560 It's very strange.
00:23:07.440 Yeah, and it's just so damaging.
00:23:14.640 You know, most dioceses in America, they, you know, they're not producing, you know, priests aren't going to seminaries.
00:23:24.420 They're not producing vocations.
00:23:27.360 Churches are closing all over the place.
00:23:29.540 And you want to know why?
00:23:30.400 Well, look no further than the bishops of the United States and how they've contributed to this.
00:23:38.240 But let me say that there is reason for hope.
00:23:43.200 And that's why Michael and I are here.
00:23:46.000 We want everybody watching this video to have the zeal of a convert because we know this.
00:23:53.920 You know, Michael was a skateboarder, you know, before he decided that he wanted to become a Christian and then he wanted to become a Catholic.
00:24:03.720 And then he brought his wife into it.
00:24:05.400 Now he's the dad of four kids, you know.
00:24:09.180 One may have knocked the camera.
00:24:10.820 That's right.
00:24:11.340 She's running around here somewhere right now.
00:24:14.900 So we are witnesses to the Catholic Church, the real Catholic Church.
00:24:27.020 It's important not to lose hope, even though it looks so bad.
00:24:30.500 There's still so many signs of great things.
00:24:32.300 They just don't get put on the news and they don't get put out.
00:24:35.960 People don't make videos on them because in a certain way, everybody wants to know about the scandals because it's concerning.
00:24:41.540 But there's also these signs of hope that will also kind of recharge your faith.
00:24:45.540 So that's what we're doing here, John Henry.
00:24:47.500 We're here in Front Royal wanting to let people know that the Catholic Church still saves.
00:25:00.360 What's really neat, too, you guys both came in during.
00:25:04.740 Think about the timing.
00:25:06.400 You didn't come in under John Paul the Great.
00:25:09.060 You didn't come in under Pope Benedict.
00:25:11.540 You come in under Pope Francis.
00:25:14.780 A lot of people would find that stunning.
00:25:16.880 Many people wonder, how?
00:25:19.380 How are people still coming in?
00:25:21.100 The church is in mayhem.
00:25:23.780 As if the abuse crisis weren't bad enough.
00:25:26.300 Now we have the crisis of modernism just ravaging the church.
00:25:30.940 And yet you come in during.
00:25:33.340 Yeah.
00:25:33.640 As somebody told me, yeah, come on in, Jim.
00:25:36.860 The water is terrible.
00:25:38.380 I had a similar thing told to me by my priest back in South Carolina.
00:25:44.140 Right.
00:25:44.900 But you know what, John Henry?
00:25:46.420 We can be happy warriors, right?
00:25:48.480 I mean, and so we're in a battle.
00:25:53.400 But Jesus wins.
00:25:55.720 You know, that's what Scripture tells us.
00:25:57.580 Yeah.
00:25:57.800 You know, now that I'm Catholic, I say Scripture.
00:25:59.960 I don't say the Bible, right?
00:26:01.920 The very last verse in Revelation says, you know, Jesus wins.
00:26:08.740 And the Catholic Church is there for us no matter where we go.
00:26:12.020 So I've been working in Washington, D.C. a lot lately for this terrible trial of our friends who are being persecuted by the government in this abortion trial, this faith trial.
00:26:25.060 And so I was in D.C. a couple of weeks ago, and I attended this, you know, evangelical prayer rally with one of the great people that we work with.
00:26:36.080 We work with a lot of good evangelicals in the pro-life movement.
00:26:39.160 And it was, it kind of reminded me back of my old days in Texas growing up, you know, I've been to a lot of Holy Ghost stomping, you know, slain in the spirit kind of things and the way people pray.
00:26:51.400 And there's a certain, there's something about me still enjoys that, you know, I still kind of dig that, you know, Alveda King was there, you know, and, and, but I walked out, I left that rally.
00:27:05.000 This was at the Capitol Hill Club up at D.C.
00:27:08.620 I walked around the corner and there's St. Peter's Church, which is a fine Catholic church up on Capitol Hill.
00:27:16.720 And I looked up and I saw the sign and it said, confessions.
00:27:21.100 Every day they have confession at this Catholic church, you know, at, at 1130.
00:27:28.300 And I thought, that's why I'm Catholic, because I can walk into a Catholic church, receive, you know,
00:27:37.700 I can confess my sins.
00:27:39.800 And as Chesterton said, I can be forgiven of my sins.
00:27:43.080 That's why he said he became Catholic.
00:27:45.020 And really that's, that's what it's all about.
00:27:46.860 And then I receive absolution.
00:27:48.800 And then I, I receive Jesus Christ in the Eucharist and, you know, bam, what do you have?
00:27:56.340 Sanctified grace.
00:27:57.420 There's no other, there's no other place where you can do that than the Catholic church.
00:28:02.360 Yeah, the tangibility of the sacraments are just something that, you know, Protestantism doesn't have.
00:28:07.040 You know, there's many well-intentioned Protestants and well-meaning people that really, truly believe,
00:28:12.500 but they just don't, without having those sacraments, you just don't realize how much you're missing.
00:28:16.680 That's right.
00:28:17.220 Because what it is, I mean, that, that is the ultimate personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
00:28:23.960 Whether we're, you know, in Virginia, Washington, D.C., or in the middle of Kenya, right, John Henry?
00:28:32.140 Mm-hmm.
00:28:33.280 Now, I'm going to say something controversial, and please correct me if I'm wrong in terms of your personal experience.
00:28:38.600 The reason why I'm saying it is because I remember talking with a young lady who was raped.
00:28:45.260 And, uh, very faithful pro-life warrior, but she was raped, uh, she was raped brutally.
00:28:53.320 She was raped by two men, and she was left for dead and permanently scarred.
00:29:00.280 Out of that rape, she conceived a child.
00:29:03.520 Mm-hmm.
00:29:05.100 And, uh, she allowed that child to come to birth and to grow up.
00:29:10.000 And when I interviewed her, she would give this testimony.
00:29:15.260 But she said something totally stunning.
00:29:18.760 She said, I would go through the rape and all of that again, just so that I could have my child.
00:29:29.700 Wow.
00:29:29.840 She means everything to me.
00:29:32.660 And I'm wondering if it's not true that when we're called to experience sometimes horrific things,
00:29:40.940 that it does show that God works all things for those who love him,
00:29:48.200 that in the end, it's better, even in the most horrible circumstances.
00:29:53.880 It was better for Christ to be crucified so that we could have eternal salvation.
00:29:58.980 Can we revisit that, even in incidences of horror, like what happened to you, Jim,
00:30:09.220 and say in the end,
00:30:12.520 I'm better for it because God was with me at all times.
00:30:16.480 Does that even make sense?
00:30:18.040 I can confidently say that, John Henry.
00:30:21.260 And that's another thing I love about Catholic churches is the Stations of the Cross.
00:30:27.480 So, you know, we're going to be, uh, we're called on to carry our own cross.
00:30:33.640 And, uh, I just, I can't imagine what my life would be like today without the Catholic Church.
00:30:43.400 The Catholic Church saved my marriage.
00:30:48.360 Um, today, my wife just came into the church, uh, a year ago, last, um, last Easter.
00:30:57.800 And today, I've been married 27 years.
00:31:01.420 And today, my wife and I receive the sacraments together.
00:31:07.400 And that is like a miracle in our lives.
00:31:12.620 And the hell that we went through, um, the despair, um, is something I can't even describe.
00:31:23.220 Um, but today, our marriage is better than ever, uh, because, because the, we worship the God of resurrection.
00:31:34.140 And he can do that in anyone's lives.
00:31:36.020 Anybody watching this video right now needs to understand that whatever suffering,
00:31:42.620 whatever pain, whatever hardship you are going through, um, it can be redeemed.
00:31:51.280 God can heal your heart.
00:31:54.000 Come to me, those who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
00:32:00.160 And that is, uh, that's kind of my life verse, Matthew 11, 28.
00:32:06.700 And, uh, yeah, I find all that to be true, too.
00:32:10.600 Like, it's kind of, like we said earlier, it's counterintuitive to think that.
00:32:13.840 But almost everything that was really either a really bad decision I've made in my life or a really dark time has all led to much greater things than you would ever expect, you know?
00:32:23.500 And it's, and it's given us this opportunity, John Henry.
00:32:26.980 I mean, who, like 10 years ago, if you would have like found Michael Hogan, you know, uh, you know, like, like, you know, on the streets, uh, in, uh, what, uh, Charleston, South Carolina.
00:32:38.940 And, uh, and, you know, me in my world, like the fact that we're here together and we, we have this opportunity to work for LifeSite News and to produce these kinds of videos because we have the incredible support that we have.
00:32:55.880 We have donors who believe in what we're doing and, you know, we have the opportunity to meet them and thank them frequently.
00:33:03.040 We love you guys so much.
00:33:05.320 Thank you for allowing us to do this.
00:33:07.000 And this is really what Michael and I want to do more than anything is to produce, uh, cinematic, artistic videos that showed the beauty and goodness and truth of the Catholic faith.
00:33:22.300 Yes.
00:33:22.620 I mean, even this job itself, it came from, I was, I actually got laid off during COVID doing some, I was doing some like truck stuff.
00:33:31.240 I drove a truck and did, uh, like uniforms and uniform repair and washing and stuff because I was doing that for a little while, uh, just to try something new.
00:33:39.100 And then I got laid off during COVID and we didn't have any job and I was so stressed about all the stuff with my kids and everything.
00:33:44.480 And then, you know, I call up, I, I, I, a lady at my parents said that LifeSite was hiring and, you know, I prayed about it.
00:33:50.180 I think I did a novena to, I forget who I now, it might've been St. Joseph.
00:33:54.000 And then, you know, I ended up here, you know, and so, you know, what seemed like a really desperate time and, uh, ended up being like the best thing I've done in my whole life.
00:34:03.420 So it's, it's awesome.
00:34:06.740 Hello friends.
00:34:07.580 To celebrate the momentous overturning of Roe v. Wade, we at LifeSite have minted just under 10,000 of these brand new limited edition pro-life silver rounds.
00:34:16.000 Now, each round is stamped with the image of the Supreme Court of the United States featuring the date that the high court delivered this historic victory.
00:34:24.080 And on the front of our pure silver rounds, LifeSite's logo surrounded by a brilliant sunburst and draped with olive branches.
00:34:29.680 They, of course, commemorate our 25 year anniversary of LifeSite News.
00:34:33.020 We began in 1997, in September.
00:34:35.980 So September of 2022 was 25 years.
00:34:38.460 These one ounce silver rounds are available from our partners at StJosephsPartners.com, where you can fulfill all of your silver and gold needs in this perilous time.
00:34:48.040 May God bless you.
00:34:50.620 One of the things we, we have in the church, even in the hardest times of the church, I truly believe we're in one of the hardest times,
00:34:59.300 only because the heresy is so rank, because it's coming from the top, and it seems total disarray.
00:35:06.620 But I've seen so many people come right now into the church.
00:35:12.040 And it's true.
00:35:13.940 If ever we needed an influx of an army of Bible-believing Christians into the Catholic Church, it's right now.
00:35:25.200 Gosh, that's one of the most basic things you'd think, that we believe the Bible.
00:35:30.960 But that's sorely lacking in a lot of our leadership.
00:35:36.600 So the ranks are needing to be swelled.
00:35:39.640 And, you know, our Lord did say, you know, when the people didn't fill the banquet hall for the wedding,
00:35:49.080 the master said, go, go out there and bring in everyone.
00:35:52.700 You know, and we need that, everyone, to come and swell the ranks right now, because it's a real fight.
00:36:01.760 And I'm sure our Lord is calling many.
00:36:06.000 And like you delayed, Jim, even when you knew the church was right,
00:36:13.520 I bet you there's a lot of people in that space of delay, wondering,
00:36:18.620 gee, things are looking like a real mess in there.
00:36:20.680 Don't delay.
00:36:23.160 Come now.
00:36:24.600 We need you in this fight.
00:36:26.180 Amen.
00:36:27.660 That's so well said, John Henry.
00:36:29.240 Come on in and, you know, you get our lady, too.
00:36:33.640 That's the thing.
00:36:35.000 It's a bonus.
00:36:35.840 Yeah.
00:36:36.580 I mean, you know, we'll do another show about that sometime.
00:36:42.000 Beautiful.
00:36:42.800 Where can people go and catch your video with Father Halawa?
00:36:47.500 It'll be on the LifeSite page today.
00:36:50.780 And I guess they'll be putting it up on Rumble and, you know, various other things.
00:36:54.540 And maybe our YouTube channel, if they allow it.
00:36:58.780 Yeah.
00:36:59.560 So one of the things to know, LifeSite has a video page.
00:37:04.280 If you go to our site, go up.
00:37:06.560 You can click on the little drop-down menu.
00:37:08.620 It'll go to video.
00:37:09.400 But video's up there as well.
00:37:10.580 And all of our video offerings are native to LifeSite because, of course, we've got kicked off YouTube.
00:37:17.080 And who knows?
00:37:17.660 We might have kicked off other places.
00:37:19.620 But it'll always be there on the site.
00:37:21.740 We're getting kicked off everywhere, it seems.
00:37:28.240 But you know what?
00:37:28.880 We keep bouncing back all the time.
00:37:30.860 Yeah, exactly.
00:37:31.160 And one thing, you know, LifeSite viewers, like, you need to go on to our webpage and just subscribe.
00:37:39.200 That way you will get an email every single night.
00:37:42.540 And that way you're guaranteed to see our videos because, you know, it'll come down a list and you'll see a little thumbnail in there.
00:37:50.120 And really, that's, I think, the best way to be a LifeSite reader and viewer and everything is subscribe.
00:37:58.100 Yeah, because that email will keep you informed and then you won't miss videos like these and future ones.
00:38:03.880 Right.
00:38:06.240 Beautiful.
00:38:07.200 Any final thoughts before we sign off, guys?
00:38:09.980 Well, just to say that thank you.
00:38:13.740 Thank you for, I thank God for the opportunity that we have been given to be here.
00:38:22.600 We have.
00:38:23.440 Very fortunate.
00:38:23.980 Yeah, we've been.
00:38:24.840 To be doing this for my job.
00:38:26.080 It doesn't even seem like a job most days.
00:38:28.500 Yeah, that's right.
00:38:29.220 We've been blessed to do what we do here, John Henry, and we're going to keep doing it.
00:38:33.860 So keep looking for more of our videos.
00:38:35.900 And again, to anybody out there right now who's suffering, who's struggling, who's in despair,
00:38:44.200 please watch this video and please know how much God loves you
00:38:51.080 and how your life can be blessed if you just hang in there, stay faithful, and if you're
00:39:01.020 not Catholic, come on in.
00:39:04.240 Yeah, the water's terrible.
00:39:06.020 Yeah, exactly.
00:39:07.140 Let me just encourage, let me just encourage all of you, when you see the Father Hallowell
00:39:15.280 video, I know you're going to love it.
00:39:18.080 Share it.
00:39:19.280 Share it with lots of people because it's going to be incredibly encouraging, inspirational,
00:39:24.560 and you need to watch it to understand how powerful.
00:39:29.040 Do that, but make sure you share it with many.
00:39:31.800 Be an ambassador for LifeSite News.
00:39:34.040 In fact, join the LifeSite League so that you can officially be an ambassador for LifeSite
00:39:38.060 News all over the world.
00:39:40.060 Get out the message.
00:39:40.980 We need to share it.
00:39:41.800 Facebook's shutting us down.
00:39:43.380 YouTube did.
00:39:44.580 Everywhere is.
00:39:45.600 Let's be our own foot soldiers.
00:39:47.740 So good to be with you both.
00:39:49.520 Amen.
00:39:50.060 Thanks for having us.
00:39:51.500 All right.
00:39:53.460 God bless you and God bless you all.
00:39:56.080 And we'll see you next time.
00:40:01.300 Hi, everyone.
00:40:08.800 This is John Henry Weston.
00:40:09.940 We hope you enjoyed this program.
00:40:11.520 To see more like it, be sure to hit the subscribe button below to get all the latest content from
00:40:16.200 LifeSite News.
00:40:17.080 Check the links in the description to read more and connect with us on social media so that
00:40:21.140 you can stay up to date with all the latest life, family, faith, and freedom news.
00:40:25.380 Thanks for watching and may God bless you.
00:40:27.120 Thank you.