A Full House for Hollywood Priest - The Story of Fr. "Bud" Kieser!

Photos from Myra Leo feature Paulist Fathers Bruce Nieli and Tom Gibbons with Josie and Michael Barrett; the film's producers, Maria~Elena Poblacion Pineda with Fr. Tom; Deacon John de la Garza with Fr. Bruce;
and the assembling crowd visiting before the film. 

Thank you for coming out to the movies with us! It was what another Paulist would have called a "good stop." We packed the theater and then some, with folks on the stairs and other perches to view what Fr. Tom Gibbons describes as "a Hollywood film about a Catholic... not a Catholic film about Hollywood.” Through the voices of stars familiar to us from movies and TV, we learned about a man, a Catholic priest, a movie producer. We followed Fr. Bud as he looks back on his life and vocation to the priesthood as a Paulist, and to bringing the faith into homes from coast-to-coast across America.

We know it was a one night only event this time, but join us in praying for a wide and successful distribution of this unique documentary. Fr. Bud's autobiography guided the film's producers. Hollywood Priest - a Spiritual Struggle, (Doubleday, 1991) is out of print but copies are available online. So too, are 23 seasons of Insight, an anthology series of half-hour dramas on the search for meaning, freedom, and love. The segments were created with some of Hollywood's best writers, directors, and actors - find them listed at Insight's Wikipedia page. You can view Insight from the Paulists on YouTube. Fr. Bud's obituary contains additional insights into this man of faith who died at the age of 71 in 2000. 

Proceeds from donations received at the event co-sponsored by the Austin Film Festival, Paulist Productions, and St. Austin Catholic Parish benefit our Persons in Need ministries, the St. Vincent de Paul Society, and our Outreach program. Thanks again!