Mesa Catholic thinks big

New non-profit takes faith to the masses

By Andrew Junker | July 2, 2009 | The Catholic Sun

It was a crazy idea that would take lots of time and money, and Joe Reynolds tried to put out of his head.

The East Valley Catholic was already spread thin by Skyline Productions, his for-profit company that produces training videos and the diocese’s weekly TV Mass from the Ss. Simon and Jude Cathedral.

Skyline also required a decent amount of traveling for Reynolds, especially when he filmed “Footprints of God,” a 10-part documentary series that shot all over the Holy Land and Mediterranean.

So, when he had the idea of creating a new non-profit production company that would focus solely on evangelization, Reynolds tried not to pay too much attention to it.

But soon, others he had talked to started encouraging him to take the leap of faith. Finally, some non-Catholic friends asked Reynolds point-blank: What do you need to do to start this thing?

He said he needed about $5,000 in attorney fees to file as a non-profit. They wrote him a check on the spot and St. Kolbe Productions was born.

Well, not exactly.

Becoming a recognized non-profit organization takes time. Reynolds’ benefactors wrote him the check to get the process started about two-and-a-half years ago. St. Kolbe Productions received its non-profit status just last November.

“St. Kolbe was set up so we could do nothing but evangelization of the Catholic faith through media using the technology of today,” Reynolds said.

Since last fall, the company has lost little time in fulfilling its mission. Reynolds first program with the new endeavor paired him with Steven and Janet Ray, hosts of the “Footprints of God” series.

The new show, called “Defenders of the Faith,” is a 30-minute newsmagazine show and features conversion stories, interviews and footage captured from across the world.

At its heart, the new program seeks to engage viewers and make them excited about the faith.

“I think some people are afraid to use the words ‘entertaining’ and ‘religion’ in the same sentence, but there’s nothing wrong with that,” Reynolds said. “I just got tired of thinking, ‘Why can’t we have quality Catholic programming out there?’”

Steve Ray agreed.

“The Catholic faith is very exciting. It’s historically, philosophically and in every way true,” he said. “And it’s fun. I don’t think it’s been presented that way enough.”

Ray said he hopes “Defenders of the Faith” will break down some barriers to enthusiasm for the faith, and even encourage non-Catholics to consider the Church.

“A lot of Catholic TV is talking heads,” Ray said, “and I get the impression a lot of times that they’re preaching to the choir. I would hope that our show goes beyond the Catholic Church.”

It’s certainly getting into a lot of households for a brand new show. St. Kolbe Productions filmed six episodes with the Rays and the mini-series was already picked up by Catholic TV, a station airing in Boston that reaches seven million households.

In the fall, a Catholic station broadcasting in the Diocese of Brooklyn will air the shows. Another station based in Rhode Island is interested and the Diocese of Fresno, Calif., is also considering the show.

“If you can get on the East Coast, that’s pretty big,” Reynolds said. “We’re starting there and it’s kind of ironic that we’re not airing in our own backyard, but that’s just the way it works.”

Reynolds hopes to fill this broadcasting gap in the near future with what he calls his latest crazy idea: a Catholic Internet television station.

“The beauty behind it is that it gives us the chance to air our programming 24/7,” he said. “Anybody could tune in anytime. I suspect that once people find out about it, we’ll get calls about people getting their programs on.”

Also in St. Kolbe’s pipeline is a children’s show pitched to Reynolds by Jim Wahl, music director at Ss. Simon and Jude Cathedral.

“I just ordered a puppet for it,” Reynolds laughed.

The show would mix children’s music, storytelling and the puppet, Professor Max, a witty, urbane archaeologist who would lead the children through the landscape of their faith.

Steve and Janet Ray are also filming six more episodes of “Defenders of the Faith” this month, which would bring the first series to a total of 12 episodes. With about $120,000, St. Kolbe Productions would be able to create another 12 episodes of the show, which is Reynolds’ and Ray’s goal.

“I just think the response is good, and I think it’s going to get even better as we go,” Ray said. “We need to get the word out there so other people can jump on the bandwagon and enjoy this with us.”