Hope for Oprah

Roman Catholics should be heartened by Oprah Winfrey’s openness to Catholicism . . .

Patrick Novecosky

Just before Legatus’ 2010 Summit, I got a tip from one of my friends that Oprah Winfrey had sent a camera crew to a convent in Ann Arbor, Mich. They were taping an upcoming segment on the Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist.

In fact, on the Summit’s opening night, I spotted Mother Assumpta Long, the order’s prioress, and went over to ask her about it. She confirmed that it was true, but asked me to keep it under wraps. I was thrilled… and puzzled. Thrilled because I knew the Sisters well. Prior to our oldest son’s birth, my wife had worked for the sisters at one of their schools in Ann Arbor. Puzzled because much of the “spiritual” content I’d seen on Oprah was of the New Age variety. It was a rare TV host who would be open to both nuns and gurus.

I have to confess that prior to the Sisters’ appearance, I had never watched a full episode of The Oprah Winfrey Show. I had seen snippets here and there, but I made it a point to set my DVR for the Sisters’ two appearances last year. (Click here for related story) Not only was the first episode (which aired Feb. 9) fair, it was glowing. Both Oprah and her correspondent Lisa Ling were dazzled by the young, intelligent women who had given up the world for Jesus Christ and His Church. My preconceived Oprah biases began to melt.

The response to the February show was so overwhelming that Oprah asked the Sisters back last November. This time, the segment featured the nuns making their profession in front of Lansing Bishop Earl Boyea at my former parish — Ann Arbor’s Christ the King.

This is the kind of television that America is missing. Faithful Catholics — and most people of faith — have been banished from the mainsteam media unless they’re being ridiculed or their beliefs twisted and distorted. It was so refreshing to see a prominent program present the Church as young, vibrant, intelligent and articulate.

Some people refuse to watch Oprah or her new network because of her politics or her openness to other spiritualities. There’s no question that we need to be vigilant against anything that would lead us or those we love away from our faith. We need to support the good and correct the bad. This is one reason I hadn’t tuned in before.

At the same time, it’s heartening to see that one of the most powerful and influential women in the world is open to the Catholic Church and its spirituality. In fact, when the Sisters of Mary gave Oprah a rosary last year, she wanted to know how to pray it. They obliged by teaching her. With a rosary in her hand and a Legatus member as one of her top legal advisors (Click here for related story), God may have bigger plans yet for Ms. Winfrey.

Patrick Novecosky is Legatus Magazine’s editor.