TV Picks 02.03.18

Marian feast day is a highlight.

A statue of Our Lady of Lourdes in the grotto at the shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes in Lourdes, France.
A statue of Our Lady of Lourdes in the grotto at the shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes in Lourdes, France. (photo: 2015 photo, Alessio Di Cintio/CNA)

SUNDAY, Feb. 3, 2pm

Kitten Bowl VI

HALLMARK CHANNEL In this Super Bowl Sunday “game,” kittens from rescue shelters play in a mini stadium, comically pouncing on mini footballs and cat toys, all to promote adoption of shelter pets. Since 2014, the event has inspired 25,000-plus adoptions.

 

SUNDAY, Feb. 3, 3pm (Pregame, 2pm)

Puppy Bowl XV

ANIMAL PLANET Ninety-three shelter and special-needs puppies frolic along to pun-filled commentary in a pet-sized football “stadium.” Every “player” will get adopted, and that is the point of this rescue-promoting event. Advisory: TV-PG.

 

SUNDAY, Feb. 3, 5pm

The Church Universal

EWTN Worldwide Marriage Encounter members tell host Father Joseph Mary about the “Longest-Married-Couple Project,” which aims to give strength and hope to every married couple. Re-airs 5am Tuesday, 6:30pm Wednesday.

 

SUNDAY-TUESDAY, Feb. 3-5

Papal Visit to United Arab Emirates

EWTN On Sunday Pope Francis will arrive in Abu Dhabi. On Monday he will take part in a welcoming ceremony, visit the Crown Prince, meet privately with the Muslim Council of Elders in the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, and participate in an interreligious meeting at the Founder’s Memorial. On Tuesday the Holy Father will privately visit the cathedral, celebrate Mass at Zayed Sports City, and say farewell.

 

FRIDAY, Feb. 8

Catholic-Friendly Film Classics

TURNER CLASSIC MOVIES The Mark of Zorro (1940), airing at 12:30am, is set in early California. At 2:15am, The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938) portrays life in medieval England.

 

FRIDAY, Feb. 8, 4am

Web of Faith 2.0

EWTN In this episode, Fathers John Trigilio and Ken Brighenti remind viewers that confession is good, and necessary, for the soul. Re-airs 11pm Saturday.

 

MONDAY, Feb. 11, 4am, live

International Mass on the Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes

EWTN The Basilica of St. Pius X in Lourdes hosts this Mass. Re-airs 11:30am.

 

SUNDAYS, Feb. 3, Feb. 10, 6pm, live

Holy Hour for Healing and Justice

EWTN From the chapels in Hanceville and Irondale, Alabama, this weekly Holy Hour brings every aspect of the clergy-abuse crisis to God. Re-airs 6am Mondays.

 

WEDNESDAY, Feb. 13, 5pm

Conversations the World Over With Raymond Arroyo

EWTN Raymond Arroyo re-airs his 1998 interview with Venerable Cardinal Francis Xavier Nguyen Van Thuan (1928-2002), whom Vietnamese Communists imprisoned for 13 years, nine of them in solitary confinement. Advisory: TV-PG.

 

WEDNESDAY, Feb. 13, 9pm

Nova: Rise of the Rockets

PBS This new program evaluates rocket-technology advances that NASA and private firms are using.

Dan Engler writes from
Santa Barbara, California.

Pilgrims process by candlelight before the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes in France.

WYD 2023 Lisbon, ‘The Miracle Club’ and Lourdes (July 29)

Hundreds of thousands of young people will meet Pope Francis in Portugal next weekend for World Youth Day. The Holy Father doesn’t want this opportunity to be simply religious tourism — it’s a spiritual pilgrimage. Father Roger Landry joins us now to talk about how WYD people can help us all on our spiritual pilgrimage of life. Then we turn to another well-known pilgrimage site: Lourdes. The film ‘The Miracle Club’ highlights the journey of a group of women to Our Lady’s shrine at Lourdes in France. Register senior editor Joan Desmond reviews the movie and offers her own experience of assisting pilgrims on pilgrimage to Lourdes.

Edward Reginald Frampton, “The Voyage of St. Brendan,” 1908, Chazen Museum of Art, Madison, Wisconsin.

Which Way Is Heaven?

J.R.R. Tolkien’s mystic west was inspired by the legendary voyage of St. Brendan, who sailed on a quest for a Paradise in the midst and mists of the ocean.