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It
took 4 years to complete the documentary "Seeking God: The
Way of the Monk at the Monastery of Christ in the Desert,"
and another year before it was broadcast on national television.
Little did I know when I first approached the monks about doing
a documentary that it would be such a long journey, but a journey
not without a certain richness and excitement that was well worth
the trip. |
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I
had finished studying televison production and was anxious to
tell a story. It was Easter vigils at the monastery and I found
myself under the stars with scores of people gathered around
a bonfire. Later in the dark chapel we listened to readings
and chanting until the sun rose above the high red cliffs and
bells rang wildly, and the chapel filled with the words "He
is risen" and I had the
distinct feeling that here is where I would find my story.
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To
get to know the monks and their way of life I started going on
retreats at the monastery for three days at a time, then seven
days, and I worked and prayed with the monks and finally gained
their trust and was granted permission to film. My camera and
I became a regular fixture around the monastery for the next
two years capturing the life of these Benedictine monks in their
search for God through work, study, prayer and song.
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With
a BA in journalism from Penn State University I began working as
a news reporter and feature writer for the Bucks County Courier-Times
the day following graduation. My assignments were varied and included
interviews with the Beatles and Adlai Stevenson and Justice Douglas
as he made a conservation hike of the Delaware Canal. |
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It
was an exciting time to be working as a young news reporter.
The Vietnam war was dragging on and anti-war protesters were
rallying from east coast to west coast. Love-ins and be-ins filled
the parks, and the "summer of love"was upon us all. |
