For those suffering from a frail, forgotten or non-existent belief in God, the HBO mini-series The Young Pope has a message that may change some minds, says Sr. Helena Burns.

Quebec sculptor Jacques Bourgault, whose contemporary, carved wooden statues of a triumphant, risen Christ on the cross hang in churches throughout North America, has died at the age of 77.

Experts in Humanity: A Journey of Self-Discovery and Healing, by Josephine Lombardi, (Novalis, softcover, 143 pages, $18.95).

VANCOUVER – A Vancouver church has acknowledged the rich First Nations heritage of its parishioners by installing an icon of St. Paul the Apostle wearing a woven cedar hat and holding a talking stick and cedar bough.

I have long been an ardent fan of Martin Scorsese’s films. Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, Goodfellas, Gangs of New York, Casino, etc. are among the defining movies of the last 40 years. The director’s Catholicism, however mitigated and conflicted, comes through in most of his work.

NEW YORK – Behind the opening credits of "The Young Pope," a naked baby boy crawls over a sea of infant mannequins, and a man dressed as the Roman pontiff emerges at the other end.

WASHINGTON – Actor Andrew Garfield underwent the spiritual exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Society of Jesus, as part of his preparation for playing a Jesuit priest in Martin Scorsese's new film, "Silence."

Jonathan Safran Foer used to be the next big thing in American fiction. Now, at 39, he is auditioning (not yet successfully) for the part of major author.

Like E.T., Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Independence Day, and a host of similar films over the past 30 years, Arrival explores the theme of an alien visitation to Earth.

PHILADELPHIA – Jesuit Father Joseph Fitzmyer, a leading Catholic biblical scholar, died Dec. 24 at Manresa Hall, a Jesuit infirmary in Philadelphia. He was 96.