I met Sister Rose Pacatte, FSP, at a popular Cincinnati restaurant called Washington Platform in 2003. As a lifelong film fanatic, I was eager to pelt St. Anthony Messenger‘s new critic with questions that really mattered: Has Spielberg gone soft? Meryl Streep: most talented or most overrated? Why does Al Pacino have an Oscar for Scent of a Woman? Because the table was full of inquisitive editors, I wasn’t able to ask my questions as readily as I had hoped.
Sister Rose is celebrating 15 years with this magazine as the author of “Reel Time, ” and I’ve had the privilege of working with her as the editor of that column. In those years, I’ve learned that her gracious demeanor masks a startling intellect. Sister Rose is one of the foremost media authorities in the world today. Earlier this year, she received her doctorate of ministry with a concentration in film and pastoral communication. She’s wielded her acumen as a jurist at both the Berlin and Venice film festivals. She’s been a rotating host for Turner Classic Movies and has rubbed elbows with countless Hollywood heavy hitters.
But all of that is secondary to what I admire most about Sister Rose: her faith. It informs her writing, her studies, and her keen analysis of media. She travels the world and her faith is her trusty compass. We’re lucky to have her. I’m fortunate to know her.
Thank you, Sister Rose.
