Montana Filming
Big Sky, Montana is known for so many things – amazing vistas, raw wildlife, cowboys & rodeos and of course, Little Big Horn, where Custer made his last stand.
Montana is also home to the Crow and Cheyenne Nations as well as the Capuchin Franciscan Friars who have become an intricate part of their families on these reservations for 92 years.
This past week, we spent a few days on the Cheyenne and Crow reservations documenting the impact the Capuchins have had on these Native American people. Our timing for the filming allowed us to partake in the annual Native American week celebration, which included a parade and traditional powwow.
Our first couple of days, we followed Father Larry Webber around St. Labre Indian Catholic School in Ashland, Montana – home of the Cheyenne Nation. Father Larry has been part of the Capuchin order for 48 years, dedicating his mission work to places as far away as South America and as close as Detroit, Michigan in recent years. For the last two and a half years, Fr. Larry has dedicated his time to the people of these communities; helping the Cheyenne Native Americans navigate through life. This includes everything from education to spiritual leadership as well as general support, which includes being present and, an active part of funerals and other ceremonies. As we learned, the people of Cheyenne and Crow are rooted deep in their spiritual traditions of faith and through the insightful leadership Father Larry and the other brothers offer, they have made sure to help bring the spiritual beliefs of the people there into that of the Catholic faith. Besides getting a better understanding of the impact the Capuchins have on the tribes there, we were able to talk with Father Larry about Blessed Solanus Casey’s Journey to Sainthood and what he feels will become a powerful message about the journey Blessed Solanus is on.
After our time with Father Larry and the other brothers there, we traveled to the Crow Reservation where Fr. Mark Joseph of St. Dennis offered his thoughts on living and working within the community as well as a very insightful interview about faith and spirituality in the life of Blessed Solanus Casey.
We are thrilled to be able to feature these brothers and the mission work they do in our film “Blessed Solanus Casey’s Journey to Sainthood”. We are sure this will help our audience understand the significance of the work the Franciscan Capuchin Friars offer so many around the world.
