New Ideas for Thinking People

A friend of mine just told me about a great service for those who love to watch good movies that provoke discussion...or even if you just like movies...but hey either way it is worth check out. The below link will take you to a non-profit organization called The Film Connection. The came right off their website:

"The Film Connection is a community of film lovers, social activists and lifelong learners who use our non-profit online film library to watch, discuss and act on compelling films from around the globe. An initiative of the global humanitarian agency Mercy Corps, The Film Connection offers a growing library of DVDs that tackle the issues facing the world we live in."

http://www.thefilmconnection.org/

All you have to do is register your film group and then you can start checking out films. They send them to you in the mail for free and you send them back for free. You can also donate or join as a premium member but that costs a money. Anyway check it out...get a film and have a discussion. The first movie I checked out was Born Into Brothels. I just ordered it today, so I am waiting to get it in the mail..for free. How nice.

Some films may have limited availability because of their popularity but I think you can always find something on there that is available. Let me know if you subscribe and if you watch any great movies.

Also, last night I did something I have never done before. Our community was invited to dinner at another Brother's Community in the Philly area. I was the only female in a group of about eight men. I am getting used to be solidly outnumbered at everything I attend. Even in my community I have been the only woman for over two weeks. The other female volunteer, Sara, arrives tomorrow so that will quickly change. Anyway, after dinner the group of Brothers had told the Priest of the local parish that they would attend the 7pm prayer service, so our group went along. The parish, St. Therese (pronounced Tir-ez like the flower), has a diverse congregation, so it was an interesting mix of older white Brothers, Denis and myself, and members of the congregation.

We were on a relatively busy street corner with a group of about 25 people and the Priest conducted a prayer service. The service's focus was on violence in the city. Not to scare anyone but Philly is recording a record number of homicides this year and many are nervous about the implications for the greater Philly community. So we were on this street corner and the Priest started praying...no this wasn't new to me. I have been to a prayer service before, but I had never prayed the Rosary before. The group prayed the Rosary together and prayed for an end of violence in our city. Not knowing the Rosary, I did a lot of listening. It was quite the experience between the Rosary, the busy street corner, and the diversity of the crowd.

After the end of the service, everyone extended the sign of peace. I was hugged and kissed by many older ladies and welcomed to the group like an old friend. All in all it was quite the interesting night capped later by one of my current favorite movies Stranger Than Fiction.

Here are some pics of where the prayer service was at and those who attended.