Several parishes in the Diocese of Paterson have hosted watch parties for the popular series about the life of Jesus called The Chosen. Church of Christ the King in Harding Township and St. Therese Parish of Roxbury Township are two of those parishes.
Jonathan Camiolo is pastoral associate of Church of Christ the King. He said, “About 18 months ago, I had watched the seasons that existed to that date. I had so many parishioners that I mentioned it to say they were already watching it or had no knowledge about it and started to watch it and just talked glowingly about it.”
The Women’s Cornerstone Ministry at St. Therese Parish held a movie night on Sept. 22 featuring the first episode of The Chosen, “I Have Called You by Name.” Thirty women attended.
Annette Lange, chairperson of the group’s Activities Committee, and Barb Martinez arranged and hosted the viewing party. Lange said, “We invited all the women in our parish to attend. We wanted to introduce the series to whoever had not heard about it.”
Lange and company had set up a true moviegoing experience. At the entrance to the St. Therese Parish all-purpose room, attendees were greeted at a ticket booth where they received a free ticket to the show.
Lange said, “We had popcorn, just like it would be at a movie theater, and it was set up like we were at the movies. We had a preview of coming attractions — it was the trailer for season one of The Chosen. We watched for an hour, and then following intermission, we had a little lesson on how to watch the series at home.”
A representative of the Women’s Cornerstone Ministry also spoke about the group’s upcoming retreat in March. Tickets were later used for a door prize, and DVD sets of seasons one and two were distributed. Attendees also received their ticket back to use as a bookmark and were presented with Holy Moments: A Handbook for the Rest of Your Life by Matthew Kelly of Dynamic Catholic.
When Camiolo discovered the series, it was only available via streaming services or an app, so he decided to aid those with less technological experience by bringing it to his parish.
Church of Christ the King parishioners watched seasons one and two last fall and spring, and now, following a Thursday daily Mass twice a month in the parish hall, are viewing the eight episodes of season three.
Camiolo said, “It is such a great series. It brings the story of Christ and the Gospels to life for our parishioners.”
Jeanne McCabe has been helpful, making refreshments and with the hospitality, he added.
“She is very passionate about the shows and all the things that are happening around them, so she also was a great help from the start,” he said.
Church of Christ the King averages about 10 to 20 people for The Chosen every other Thursday. In addition to watching an episode, there is also a discussion afterward.
Camiolo explained, “We do one kind of sharing opportunity for everybody. What did they take away? What struck them the most? What did they like about it? What did they not like about it? Do they have any questions? It has just been a nice opportunity.”