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THE MEDICAL MISSIONARIES OF MARY
pEOPLE sometimes ask questions about Catholic Film Action.
They do not realise that an important part of Catholic Film Action is to provide material' with which the public is able to learn to form its own critical standards about the films it sees. Such people are more impressed by film-making than by talking about films. For the sake of these as well as for other, more thoughtful persons, we are glad to be able to tell you of a film that is, in every sense of the word, a piece of Catholic Action. This notwithstanding the fact that the maker of the film is a Quaker.
The Medical Alissionaries of Mary are a Congregation of women founded in 1936 in response to the appeal of Pope Pius XI for new Institutes of Sisters for medical work in the missionary countries. They are ready to go to any mission and to take up any branch of medical work. Their special work hitherto has been among the leper colonies in Nigeria. They have followed the further appeal of Pope Pius XI that the power of the film should be used in order to teach and to spread the knowledge of the love of God by having a film made w'hich deals with every aspect of their medical and missionary labours. This has been made as much with the intention of fostering vocations for this truly heroic work as for the more mundane but necessary purpose of collecting" funds to ensure that their work may continue.
The Sisters have shown themselves in complete accord with the mind of the Church by having their film made by competent professional technicians. So often this kind of film is spoiled because it is the work of amateurs, who, however devout, lack the equipment and experience of the professional. In Andrew Buchanan, the Sister$ have found a man who is not only expert in this field of documentary film-making, but also endowed with deep religious convictions which have enabled him to enter with the greatest possible sympathy into the altruistic spirit of those whose work for humanity his film portrays. No pains have been spared to make it fully authentic and in the sense of Grierson’s famous definition, “the creative interpretation of actuality,’’ it is a true documentary.
A more detailed review of the film will be given in next month’s issue, together with the arrangements which the Catholic Film Society are making to exhibit this film. In the meantime you may tell your friends that here is a film with which the Catholic Film Society is proud to be connected, one which shows religious women following in a humble way Mary, who went forth on a gracious act of womanly charity to bring help to her aged cousin in her trial at maternity, not alone but carrying Christ with her. The Aledical Missionary follows Alary’s example in bringing medical aid to the sick and suffering and by alleviating their bodily misery, helping to prepare the way for the coming of Christ through the ministry of His priests. Here is the authentic story which Black Narcissus failed to tell. V.