The Spirit Continues to Air on EWTN- Documentary Chronicles Mount St. Mary’s University's History And Beginnings of Catholic Church in America

The Spirit Continues:  Mount St. Mary’s – 200 Years, will have its national television premiere on EWTN on November 30 at 10:00 PM. 

The award-winning one hour documentary was produced in celebration of the Mount's Bicentennial in 2008.  

The story begins with the early pilgrims landing in Southern Maryland and follows their migration into the “wilds” of western Maryland, to settle in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains.  It is here, in 1808, that Fr. John DuBois, a French émigré priest escaping the tyranny of the French Revolution, opened a school and seminary he called Mount St. Mary’s.  

The school had hardly opened their doors when word arrived that a young widow from New York, Elizabeth Ann Seton, was coming to the valley to establish a school for girls.  Fr. DuBois became a lifelong friend to Mother Seton and her new community of religious women.

“The Spirit Continues is more than a story about one university,” says Mount President Thomas H. Powell. “It’s about how history shapes all of us—how what happened here in Maryland was a reflection of what was going on in the broader world. I think viewers will be surprised at what they learn about the Mount, for example, there’s a Civil War reenactment in the film, Babe Ruth was “discovered” on our Echo Field and saints have walked these grounds.”

The documentary, shot in high definite footage, was almost two years in the making.  Mount St. Mary’s engaged the services of Virginia Wolf Productions and MVI Post to produce and direct the program. 

Producer/writer, Ginger Wolf, and photographer/editor, Frank Maniglia, used historical photos, rare letters, and archival films to help tell the story.  “But there were still huge gaps in the history that needed to be filled,” said Wolf, “so we decided to do live re-enactments.”  Mount students, seminarians, staff and friends of the community donned period costumes and played the parts of key figures in the history of the school.  “They did a great job” said Wolf,  “and we all had a wonderful time working together to re-create historical times and places.”

At a recent ceremony hosted by the DC Peer Awards 2008, The Spirit Continues was honored with a Peer Gold for editing and a Peer Silver for photography given to Frank Maniglia, and a Peer Gold for scriptwriting given to Ginger Wolf.