Weekly TV Picks

SUNDAY, SEPT. 12

Save Our History

History Channel, 11 a.m.

Steve Thomas hosts this look at three restoration projects: Montpelier, the home of James Madison in Virginia; the Soldiers' Home in Washington, D.C., which Abraham Lincoln used as a retreat; and Longfellow House in Cambridge, Mass., George Washington's first headquarters during the Revolution.

MONDAY, SEPT. 13

All-American Festivals

Food Network, 10:30 p.m.

On Labor Day weekends in Ligonier, Ind., the Marshmallow Festival features a parade, crafts, every marshmallow dessert imaginable — and a big helping of the family life and community spirit that make small-town America special.

TUESDAY, SEPT. 14

P.O.V.: Freedom Machines

PBS, 10 p.m.

Engineers, designers and disabled people pinpoint how technology helps overcome some but not all features in everyday environments that hinder the disabled.

WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 15

Syria: The Cradle of Christianity

EWTN, 4:30 a.m., 6 p.m.

This documentary from the year 2000 depicts the history of Christians in Syria and their life there today. Spotlights the various rites and their traditions, charities such as Aid to the Church in Need, and Christians' relations with Islam.

WEDS., SEPT. 15-22

The Question of God: C.S. Lewis and Sigmund Freud

PBS, 9 p.m.

This two-part, four-hour special derives from a longstanding Har vard seminar and recent book by clinical psychiatry professor Armand Nicholi Jr. that compare the lives and thought of lifelong atheist Freud (1856-1939) and Lewis (1898-1963), who converted from atheism to Christianity in the mid-1930s. Dramatizations of pivotal episodes in the lives of Lewis and Freud, and commentary by Nicholi and seven panelists, focus on God's existence and the meaning of life, sexuality and love.

THURSDAY, SEPT. 16

Does the Church Still Teach That?

EWTN, 10 p.m.

Of course it does, says Father Shannon Collins of the Fathers of Mercy in this new series. He notes areas in which some catechesis jumped the tracks in recent decades, and he offers authentic teaching on the Eucharist, Mary, purgatory and more.

FRIDAYS

Welcome Home

Familyland TV, 1 a.m.

You'll want to record these hour-long shows — practical advice from pro-life Peg Luksik and Dr. Robin Bernhoft on how you can meet the challenges of family life.

SATURDAY, SEPT. 18

The Victory Garden

PBS, 12:30 p.m.

Series regular Kip Anderson says late summer is a good gardening time, and guest Sharon Lovejoy suggests ways to encourage garden-friendly wildlife.

Dan Engler writes from Santa Barbara, California.