TV Picks 10.23.11

SUNDAY, Oct. 23, 8pm

Nature: Radioactive Wolves

PBS Radioactive fallout from the accident at the Soviet nuclear plant in Chernobyl, Ukraine, on April 26, 1986, forced the permanent resettlement of 350,000 locals. The 1,100-square-mile human-less “exclusion zone” around the disaster site is becoming a scenic wilderness in which wolves and other wildlife find haven. Re-airing at 8pm Thursday. Advisory: scenes of predators.

MONDAY, Oct. 24, noon

Chiara Badano: A Teen’s Life and Beatification

CATHOLICTV “Mom, bye. Be happy, because I am” were the last words of Blessed Chiara “Luce” Badano (1971-1990), who died of bone cancer at age 18. Pope Benedict XVI said she had love “with a capital ‘L,’” and this film attests to that through interviews. Chiara, from Sassello, northern Italy, was a happy girl who enjoyed sports and belonged to the Focolare movement. Re-airing at 5am Wednesday, 8am and 9:30pm Friday, 1pm Saturday and 10:30pm Sunday.

MONDAY, Oct. 24, 8pm, live

The Journey Home

EWTN Tonight’s guest, Jason Simon, a former evangelical Christian, tells how he became Catholic. Host Marcus Grodi, a former Presbyterian minister, founded and heads the Coming Home Network and says he hears from between two and five new non-Catholic ministers a week who are on their way into the Church. In 18 years he has helped almost 2,000 ministers, plus many laypeople.

WEDNESDAY-THURSDAY,
Oct. 26-27, live

Pope Benedict XVI in Assisi

EWTN In Assisi on Sunday, Oct. 27, the Holy Father will observe the 25th anniversary of Pope John Paul II’s meeting in Assisi in 1986 by holding a Day of Prayer for Peace and Justice there, with the theme “Pilgrims of Truth, Pilgrims of Peace.” The night before, in St. Peter’s, he will lead a preparatory vigil. Times TBA.

FRIDAY, Oct. 28, 7am

Save Our History: American Lighthouses

HISTORY Host Josh Binswanger visits historic coastal safety beacons and studies efforts to preserve them.

SATURDAY, Oct. 29, 8pm

Design on a Dime

HGTV In this returning series, interior designer Casey Noble shows how to create beautiful rooms while being cost-conscious.

TUESDAY-WEDNESDAY,
Nov. 1-2, live

All Saints’ and All Souls’ Days

EWTN At 8am Tuesday, Nov. 1, is the Mass of All Saints from Our Lady of the Angels Chapel in Irondale, Ala. (encore 6:30pm); at noon Mass will be celebrated at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington (encore 6pm). At 8am Wednesday, Nov. 2, is the Mass of All Souls celebrated from the Irondale chapel (encores noon, 6:30pm and midnight).

Dan Engler writes from Santa Barbara, California.