By Cristina Cabrera Jarro -

MIAMI | It is not often that priests, sisters and seminarians fill a movie theater, sitting alongside lay Catholics, other Christians, Jews and Muslims, believers and unbelievers, the practicing and the fallen away.

Yet that was the scenario at the advance screening of “Father Stu” at AMC Sunset Place in South Miami on March 1, 2022.

“Father Stu,” which hit theaters April 13, is based on the life of Father Stuart Long of the Diocese of Helena, Montana, a former agnostic and boxer who converts to Catholicism and eventually realizes he is called to the priesthood. Although diagnosed with an incurable muscle disorder (inclusion body myositis), he continued to serve the Lord until his death, touching the lives of many.

“It’s the struggle that brings you closer to God,” Father Stu says in one scene. “I ain’t ever shied away from no fight.”

The film stars Mark Wahlberg, a practicing Catholic, as Father Stu, along with Mel Gibson, Jacki Weaver, and Teresa Ruiz. During the promotional tour, Wahlberg made a surprise appearance at the Miami screening.

“This is the most important film I’ve ever been a part of,” he told the audience, stressing that Father Stu’s story has a message for everyone, not just Catholics. “This is about love, and this is about hope, and about inclusion. And more importantly, it’s also about not giving up on people. You know, nobody is beyond redemption.”

The day after the screening, Wahlberg met with various media outlets to promote the film. But first he attended morning Mass — it was Ash Wednesday — at St. John Vianney College Seminary in Miami. Wearing a cross of ashes on his forehead, he took to social media to wish everyone a happy start to Lent. And he gave every interview that day marked with the symbol of the season.

When Wahlberg sat down with the Florida Catholic, he looked like a man on a mission. He said sharing the story of Father Stu gave him the opportunity to give back for the many blessings he has received during his career.

“I would be hard-pressed to match Stu’s commitment and level of service,” he said. “I’ve been asking for guidance to make sure that I can do more, that I’m doing the right thing.”

Wahlberg said unlike some of his other films, like “The Fighter,” “Lone Survivor” or “Patriot’s Day,” there is something more personal about “Father Stu” that touches people.

“It’s just been proven over and over again. When you screen a movie, and some 55-year-old woman who has a different life than me, just comes up and goes, ‘Oh my God! I can relate to Father Stu. I see myself in the movie.’ She wouldn’t have said that before,” said Wahlberg.

Why would the story of a boxer who became a priest attract so many people? Possibly because of its fundamental themes of fighting, redemption, facing struggles, and never giving up. As Father Stu says in the movie, “We shouldn’t pray for an easy life, but the strength to endure a difficult one.”

 

CHALLENGES

“Father Stu” the movie also faced challenges. It took six years to produce. Studios turned it down, financial support wasn’t there, and the script wasn’t right, among other things. But Wahlberg said faith and persistence paid off.

“Really, it was many times where there was real intercessions from some sort of higher power. I would have to say it would be God and Stu,” the actor said.

To move things along, he partially financed the film. He asked Rosalind Ross, whom he met through Mel Gibson, to write the script — one that the team liked — and later to direct.

The rawness of the film’s language (it’s rated R) raised some eyebrows, especially in the Diocese of Helena, which on several occasions insisted on changes. But the real-life Stu and his father, Bill Long, both were hot-tempered and brutally honest.

“I realized they open to page one [of the script], and Bill is using the F word, and then page two, and he’s used it again, and then they’re thinking, ‘This is vulgar, and this is unacceptable,’ without really understanding what the message was. I think if you left ‘The Passion of the Christ’ 20 minutes before the movie was over, you’d get the wrong message, too,” said Wahlberg.

The argument, of course, is that the language in “Father Stu” is what makes the film relatable to a wide range of audiences because it is the same language they use when they experience anger, frustration and fear. And what makes the film good is more than its language, as the bishops and priests who watched the screening in Helena ultimately realized.

In a press release dated Feb. 11, 2022, the Diocese of Helena recognized Wahlberg and his team for their commitment to the production.

“Father Stuart Long’s dramatic conversion to Christ before becoming a priest led many people to Christ and the Catholic faith. His courageous witness left a special legacy in the Diocese of Helena ... Bishop George Thomas, who ordained Father Stu to the priesthood, and Bishop Austin Vetter, the current Bishop of Helena, agreed; Father Stu — raw and unfiltered, combative and grace-filled — witnesses to the truth that no one is ever beyond the reach of redemption.”

 

MIAMI PRIESTS WEIGH IN

Among the Miami priests present at the local screening of “Father Stu” were Father Manny Alvarez, pastor of Little Flower Church in Coral Gables, Father Julio de Jesus, pastor of St. Benedict Church in Hialeah, and Father Matthew Gomez, archdiocesan director of Vocations.

“It was a testament of power to the priesthood, the power of forgiveness, and also the power of the Blessed Mother," Father Alvarez said. He noted that Wahlberg mentioned it right before the film when speaking to the Daughters of St. Paul: Mary was instrumental in Father Stu’s conversion, in saving his life, and letting him know he had a greater purpose.

Mary’s presence indeed is evident throughout the film in her motherly role, supportive and always watching over Stu, inviting parallels to the way the Blessed Mother watched over Jesus.

“It was an inspiration for all of us priests,” said Father de Jesus. “As priests, it’s not easy. It really takes a man to be a priest. Those moments come, and you are down, but you look up and God is always there for you, and you know that he will never give up.”

But how can God call someone like Stu, who was at first agnostic, angry, and adamantly against God?

“God’s faithfulness is so much greater than our own,” said Father Gomez, pointing to the parable of the prodigal son.

“The Father is actively waiting for the son to return,” Father Gomez explained. “God is constantly looking for us and even in our own sinfulness, when we fail to recognize that God is present, it’s not that God left; it’s that we’ve turned away from God. God is always there.”

Life was not easy for Father Stu, but through his struggles he found a path to holiness and inspired others. Even today, his testimony is touching lives, including Wahlberg’s, who made it his mission to share Stu's story on the big screen.

The actor said he prayed to be able to bring Father Stu’s story to the world, bring people to Church and to the vocation of priesthood. "It’s still a big part of my prayer now," Wahlberg said. "I ask, obviously, to be able to go out and articulate the message and reaffirm Catholics' faith, lost Catholics, and everybody.”