Author: Maria

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Film Review: Blue Baby

Blue Baby (2024), by filmmakers Josh and Lisa Sabey, offers an intimate and moving look into the lives of young offenders housed at Boys Town, a community where transformation and hope take root. As the documentary unfolds, we are invited to walk alongside these boys as they struggle with their pasts and embark on a journey of healing.

Gritty and Honest

One of the film’s most compelling aspects is its ability to balance stark reality with glimpses of redemption. The Sabeys capture each story with honesty, making it clear that while not all outcomes are perfect, Boys Town provides an essential opportunity for growth. The film doesn’t shy away from difficult truths—it shows how these young men confront brokenness, yet within that brokenness, they find strength and the courage to change.

The heart of Blue Baby lies in the idea that every child deserves a second chance, even those who have lost their way. Boys Town serves as a family-like haven where the boys learn not just about themselves, but about the power of community and commitment. The film highlights the impact this kind of environment has—not just on the boys themselves, but on their futures as men, fathers, and citizens.

Ultimately, Blue Baby is a testament to hope and resilience, reminding us that with love, support, and faith, even the most troubled hearts can find a path forward. It’s a must-watch for those who believe in the possibility of transformation through compassion and structure. At its core, it offers hope for those families who feel the pull of despair.

The film premieres on October 9, 2024. Recommended for mature audiences.

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A Little Update

We Moved AND I Have a New Book Launching in Spring 2025!

It has been some many months since I reach out to you. 2023 proved to be a very challenging year for us, starting with a couple of health crises that overwhelmed us. We came to the difficult decision of selling our beautiful home on Mobile Bay and leaving dear friends and a lovely parish community to move closer to our children and grandchildren. I don’t need to say how this has been a wonderful boon in our lives!

We’ve been spending this year settling into our new home in the Washington, DC area, in north Virginia, and we love it. I’ve started doing some gardening as the weather has warmed up, and I am hoping to be enjoying the summer with the grandkids with plenty of pool time.

I’ve also returned to a deeper writing life. You may know that I have been working at CatholicMom.com as an editor for a couple of years, and have been podcasting more for the Momcast and Prayercast. I am encouraged to return to my personal podcast.


ALSO, I am DELIGHTED to share with you first that I am under contract with Ave Maria Press for a new book that launches in Spring 2025. It is a follow-up to the award-winning My Badass Book of Saints. The new book is the logical next step in our lives, where I talk about the excitement and challenges we face as we enter mid-life and beyond and seize the opportunity for a Second Act, a daring exploration of what we can do next with the gifts and experiences God has given us in our lives. I hope you’ll stay tuned for more news as we get closer to launching this fun new book.

In the meantime, Badass is featured on Ave Maria Press’s Summer Reading Sale, so if you’ve never read it, I invite you to join the fun and discover a bold and beautiful saint-companion. Use DISCOUNT CODE: SUMMER2024 for $5 off your order! You might want to pick up Super Girls and Halos and Our Lady of Charity, too!

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Review: Irena’s Vow

Irena’s Vow (2023), directed by Louise Archambault, left me speechless. Based on a true story, Irena Gut, a Polish woman conscripted to serve as housekeeper to a Nazi officer in Warsaw after it fell to the Nazis, witnesses an unspeakable atrocity against a mother and infant. Powerless to do anything to protect them, she returns to work, shaken. Her supervisor, a kind German civilian, instructs her to keep to herself and survive as she can. She will—in a heartbreaking sacrifice.

Irena supervises a group of Jews forced into labor as tailors to the German officers. They become her friends, sharing the fear of their impending deaths. Irena becomes their source of information for the progression of the Nazi plan in their village. She learns they will be executed soon and acts quickly to hide them in the German officer’s cellar.

As housekeeper, Irena has the run of the household, and keeps her friends hidden for many months before being discovered. During this period, we learn about Irena’s vow to save as many lives as she can. Her vow, buoyed by her Catholic conviction, saves one more life.

In the 1980s, while living in Miami, I had the unique experience of meeting Holocaust survivors. Each personal story of survival carried with it the meaning of the dignity of the human person. When we think of the Holocaust, images from death camps spring to mind, and certainly, as the heinous end for the 6 million persons murdered at the hand of Nazis. We should also know the other stories of that persecution, stories that should horrify and enrage us at the depths of the inhumanity that led to those camps.

Irena’s Vow is one such story of courage, the instinct for survival, remarkable generosity, and the ultimate miracle of life.

Highly recommended for mature teens and older.  In theaters April 15-16

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