Tuesday 16 September 2014

Saint Helen and the True Cross, a film of her life on DVD


In 2007 Mary's Dowry Productions created a new form of film media in which to present the lives of the Saints on DVD. We invite you to watch our film prayerfully and quietly and to engage your spiritual senses. Watch with your spiritual eye, listen with your spiritual ear.
Mary's Dowry Productions loves to recreate key moments, silently and with no dialogue, from a Saint's life, using historical costume and beautiful backdrops. Original contemplative music runs beneath a detailed narrative that seeks to engage the viewer with the Saint. Our films offer a window into the life of each Saint.

Our film about St. Helen and the True Cross (see earlier post) is available now on DVD worldwide through Mary's Dowry Productions.
www.marysdowryproductions.org
We ship worldwide and Region Free


St. Mildred of Thanet, film of her life, new DVD


In 2007 Mary's Dowry Productions created a new form of film media in which to present the lives of the Saints on DVD. We invite you to watch our film prayerfully and quietly and to engage your spiritual senses. Watch with your spiritual eye, listen with your spiritual ear.
Mary's Dowry Productions loves to recreate key moments, silently and with no dialogue, from a Saint's life, using historical costume and beautiful backdrops. Original contemplative music runs beneath a detailed narrative that seeks to engage the viewer with the Saint. Our films offer a window into the life of each Saint.
 
In this film we follow the gentle, devout and faithful Saint Mildred from her home in England to France and a conflict with a worldly abbess determined to align herself with this royal English family.
Miracles followed St. Mildred who escaped from France, returned to England and became a famous abbess, later a Saint whose popularity once outshone that of the great Saint Augustine of Canterbury in England among the English people. 
Immerse yourself in beautiful works of art, footage of nature, the drama, faith and devotions of an early English Saint with historical imagery, narrative and music in this 30 minute film of her life available worldwide on DVD from Mary's Dowry Productions:

St. Bertha: Queen of Kent, Pope Gregory the Great, St. Augustine of Canterbury, Saxon England, St. Ethelbert of Kent, Roman Mission, Gregorian Chant, Merovingian Kings, Christianity, DVD, NEW FILM


Our film about St. Bertha: Queen of Kent is now available on DVD worldwide from:

In 2007 Mary's Dowry Productions created a new form of film media in which to present the lives of the Saints on DVD. We invite you to watch our film prayerfully and quietly and to engage your spiritual senses. Watch with your spiritual eye, listen with your spiritual ear.
Mary's Dowry Productions loves to recreate key moments, silently and with no dialogue, from a Saint's life, using historical costume and beautiful backdrops. Original contemplative music runs beneath a detailed narrative that seeks to engage the viewer with the Saint. Our films offer a window into the life of each Saint.
 
In this film we look at the life of Saint Bertha, a Frankish Princess born into the Merovingian Dynasty, given in marriage to the Pagan King Ethelbert of Kent so as to forge political ties under the condition that Saint Bertha would be able to continue practising the Catholic Faith.
We look at Pope St. Gregory the Great's Gregorian Mission to England, how St Bertha's example assisted in King Ethelbert's conversion to Catholicism and the founding of Canterbury Cathedral, the Mother Church in England until the schism of the 16th Century known as the Protestant Reformation.  The last Archbishop of Canterbury Cathedral was Reginald Pole, son of Blessed Margaret Pole the Countess of Salisbury and English Martyr.
We look at how the Mother Church in England was finally re-established with the opening of Westminster Cathedral in London.  We also look at the Roman Occupation of Britain, Pope St. Gregory's letter to St Bertha thanking her for her holiness and witness to the Catholic Faith and praising her faith and knowledge of letters and other interesting facts from history. 
A careful blend of footage of England, historical imagery and photographs, paintings, works of art, stained glass windows, a simple costumed portrayal of St. Bertha, statues, sculptures, maps, narrative and music make this a creative way to meet St. Bertha and learn about her wonderful example of Catholic Faith and devotion and her important place in the history of the Catholic Church in England.
St. Bertha: Queen of Kent is available now on DVD worldwide.
www.marysdowryproductions.org
We ship worldwide and region free
 
 

The Sistine Chapel Ceiling Reproduction, England, UK, UPDATED WEBSITE

 
The Sistine Chapel Ceiling Reproduction, England, website has been updated this month.
Check it out for interesting information and facts here.
  Gary Bevans completed the world's only exact copy of the Sistine Chapel Ceiling in 1993 upon the ceiling of his parish church of the English Martyrs, Goring-by-Sea, Worthing, England.  A natural artist, Gary was trained as a sign writer and converted to the Catholic Faith when he was seventeen years old.  He donated several paintings to his parish church over the years including portraits of St. Thomas More and St. John Fisher. 
 
St Thomas More and St. John Fisher
Portraits painted by Gary Bevans in the early 1980's
Currently located in English Martyrs Catholic Church, Worthing
 In 1987, after a pilgrimage to Rome for the Beatification of George Haydock and the Blessed Martyrs Gary was inspired to paint a copy of the Sistine Chapel Ceiling upon the ceiling of English Martyrs church after having visited it in Rome and noting the ceiling was practically the same shape and size as that of his parish church at home. 
After having received permission from Bishop Cormac Murphy O'Connor Gary undertook the work in his spare time, unpaid, as a gift to the Universal Church.  The massive work of art took five years to complete, materials were funded by the kind donations of parishioners and visitors, and the completion was celebrated by a special Mass in November 1993 where Gary was presented with the Papal Medal 'Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice' from Pope John Paul II. 
The Sistine Chapel Ceiling Reproduction remains a popular place of interest today.
  Gary is a Deacon at English Martyrs Church as well as continuing to work at his full-time job of painting and decorating.  Gary has contributed set pieces, props and paintings to many of our films and his Ceiling has featured in several of our productions, for instance, a film telling the life of English Martyr and Jesuit priest St. Henry Morse included St. Henry Morse's early days in Rome where he worked as a tour guide.  We were fortunate to be able to use Gary's Sistine Chapel Ceiling Reproduction as the backdrop for a scene in this film:
 
St. Henry Morse shows visitors the Sistine Chapel Ceiling
Screenshot from 'St. Henry Morse: Priest of the Plague'
by Mary's Dowry Productions
Mary's Dowry Productions was founded in 2007 by Gary's two daughters to produce films sharing the lives of the English Martyrs and Saints on DVD, especially for people who had not heard of their fascinating and inspiring lives. 
Gary remains a key contributor to several productions and some portrayals have been filmed in the 'barn' attached to English Martyrs Church where the Sistine Chapel Ceiling is housed.
Known for being 'media shy' Gary rarely contributes to the on going interest of his reproduction of the Sistine Chapel Ceiling in secular media but in 2008 he narrated an hour long documentary in which he explains in depth his fascinating journey and process creating the work of art.  The documentary includes never-before-seen photographs and footage donated by Gary and is available worldwide on DVD through Mary's Dowry Productions and Amazon.
 
Click this link to go to the film:
 
Click this link to visit the updated Sistine Chapel Ceiling Reproduction website:
 
 
Be sure to check back for updates as photographs, interviews, information and facts are added.
Gary's copy of the Sistine Chapel Ceiling Reproduction in process