The Prodigal Altar boy Blog 23 March 2014 - Identity, Purpose, Quest

Identity, Purpose, Quest

Pastor Bob’s message at Grace City today was Identity, Purpose, Quest; using the example of The Rich Young Man in Mark chapter 10.  Part of Bob’s message centered around how Jesus gives us an identity, a purpose and a quest. 

Someone sent me a link to a Virginian-Pilot article about TQ.  The article, orginally from 1977, quoted a 17 year-old parishioner who said, “They  think he is crazy, but he isn’t.  He is creative. It took a lot of people a long time to get used to him.  I like his style.”  I have a small archive or articles about TQ, but I had never seen this one.  What’s more amazing is the person quoted was me. 

When I put this article together with Bob’s message, I saw more than ever the magnificent gift of knowing TQ.  Even at age 17, I recognized TQ was a special person.  Today I realize what an influence he had on my life and I’m beginning to see the enormity of his gnerosity by giving me time at the end of his life to make a film about him. 

Identity

TQ brought identity to every parish he served.  Whether it was leading good Shepherd in Alexandria to reinterpreting the gospel for the modern age by driving a VW Beetle down the aisle for Palm Sunday, or encouraging St. Vincent’s to become an integrated parish, TQ emphasized each parish find it’s identity. 

Arriving at St. Mary’s, TQ lamented the congregation was “de-Blackized and Romanized,” encouraging them express their African-American heritage and use that culture to enhance the worship there. 

Purpose

Establishing identity is the foundation for discovering your purpose.  St. Kateri’s identity as a parish connected to the Poquoson and Tabb communites led to the Thrift Shop, a pillar of the community working hand in hand with local government and other churches to be the safety net.  St. Mary’s identity led them to become the preeminent Aftican-American minor Basilica in the U.S.  Church of the Holy Family’s search for an international identity birthed that parishes paratnership with a parich in Haiti, leading to water projects, a hospital and a school.

Quest

Finally, walking with TQ was always a quest or adventure.  His unorthodox “shock liturgy,” run-ins with parishioners and diocesan authorities was the interference he ran to allow parishes to evolve, grow and serve the community.  His point-by-point rebuttals to letters of complaint from parishioners and visitors showed his refusal to countenance empty rhetoric or theological ignorance.  My favorite “TQ quote” is, “I don’t mind getting in trouble, for the right reason.  It doesn’t’ bother me one bit.”

TQ Project Updates

TQ Project Updates
 
Just because I haven’t been blogging about the documentary (The TQ Project) doesn’t mean nothing is going on with it.
In late August, Kathleen McBlair and Jean Klein of ScriptWorks Press published a collection of TQ’s writings, homilies and rants entitled “A Reluctant Malachi.”  The book was not a surprise because in May TQ invited me to interview Kathleen and Jean (as well as TQ) about the book.  I have a short YouTube Video from that interview.
 
While the book was not a surprise, it was a wake-up call.  My initial reaction to the publication was to make plans to shoot some footage of the book signing events TQ had set up to promote the book.  During the planning stages for those shoots, my heart just was not in it.  After a lot of prayer and introspection, I realized the reason I didn’t want to shoot them was I needed to move on to the next phase of production.  
 
TQ  picked up on this well before I did.  Even before the may shoot, he was constantly asking me, “Don’t you have enough yet?”  I would laugh and say, “Probably so, but I want to make sure.”  Looking back I see I wanted to shoot absolutely everything I would need to be ready for the next phase of production.  That works for film school, but not in life.  It is nearly embarrassing that in the midst of doing a documentary about a man of great faith, and spending hours  and hours in his presence, listening to him talk about God, scripture, faith  and Christianity, not much seemed to be sinking in regarding moving in God’s time.  
 
So here I am, out of the comfort zone of shooting and in the discomfort of logging and editing all the footage I have shot.  I got so involved (and evolved) in shooting I nearly lost sight of the fact that I still had the rest of the process to go.  A very good friend, Chris Schafer, told me to watch the movie “Exit Through The Gift Shop.”  Ostensibly  a documentary about a guy making a documentary  about street art, there is a scene where the protagonist  looks at box after box of tapes he’s shot, and realizes he’s shot so much he does not know where to start in the editing process.  
 
Before I can edit, I have to fine tune the  dramatic arc of the movie.  Yes, this is a documentary, and even documentaries follow the three-act format.  Crafting the dramatic arc of the story comes down to determining what it is TQ wants and what the obstacles are to that goal.  While I have my original thesis to work with, answering those questions in the context of the footage requires a refinement of that thesis. And I thought I was finished with that!
 
So, hang on as we move to the next level.  I will spend a lot of time analyzing what TQ wants (not hard, it’s all there), finding the supporting footage and editing that into 90-120 minutes of watchable film.  Now THAT’s a challenge.
 
Thanks for checking out the blog.  Leave comments and let me know what’s on your mind.

Peace
Cal