Friday night saw the opening of the new FORUM culture series
that drew a crowd of more than 170 people to St Charles
Borromeo Church in Arlington. The series is part of a new
parish outreach designed to entertain and evangelize through
the arts. Guests can enjoy a variety of entertainment three
Fridays a month that range from musical concerts and
cinematic productions to drama and dance.
The team pulled out all the stops Oct. 16 with a happy hour
before a performance by singer-songwriter Marie Miller.
Guests also were able to view an exhibition of photographs by
Danielle Lussier titled, “Faces of South America” in the
lobby of St. Benedict Hall.
Father Donald Planty, pastor, is the visionary behind FORUM
and was inspired in part by the words of Pope Emeritus
Benedict XVI who said, “The only really effective apologia
for Christianity comes down to two arguments, namely the
saints the Church has produced and the art which has grown in
her womb.”
When Father Planty was made pastor in Clarendon, he found the
parish teeming with young Catholics. While Clarendon offers a
variety of restaurants, bars and a few annual festivals,
Father Planty felt it could benefit from more cultural
events.
“I propose we show the splendor of the beauty of Christ, of
His Gospel, through the beauty of Christian culture,” said
Father Planty.
To make the dream a reality, he teamed up with Terrence
McKeegan, the new parish director of evangelization, who sees
FORUM as a great way to encourage more involvement within the
parish.
“I think we have a slight crisis in that (young people) are
not very committed to one particular parish,” said McKeegan.
“One of the ways to change that is to offer more things on
the weekend other than just Mass.”
Many attendees were impressed with the venue and appreciated
the alternative to the usual bar scene.
“It’s a great way to socialize with friends and meet new
people, ” said Jean Morrow, parishioner of St. Agnes. “I’m
looking forward to future FORUM events.”
The series will continue with a showing of the 1938 film,
“The Adventures of Robin Hood” Oct. 23.
Visit www.arlingtonforum.org
for more FORUM events.
Buyers can be reached at [email protected]
