VARIOUS

August Pledge Period

PBS, check local listings

Two musical treats are Andre Rieu: The Homecoming, as the violinist returns to Maastricht, his hometown in the Netherlands, and Great Performances: Vittorio: Dreams of Rome, as tenor Vittorio Grigolo sings opera and pop in Hadrian’s Villa.

Nature: The Seedy Side of Plants

PBS, 8 p.m.

The Earth is the Lord’s, and everything therein, the Psalms tell us. God’s designs are evident in this documentary, which takes us to rain forests, deserts and just plain back yards to probe how plants disperse their seeds. A re-air from 1999.

Franciscan U. Presents:

The Truth about Trouble

EWTN, 10 p.m.

Trouble afflicts us all, sooner or later — and, it seems, some of us more than others. In this hour-long show, Father Michael Scanlan, Regis Martin and Scott Hahn examine the whys of trouble and how we as Catholics can turn to God in reacting to it.

What God Has

 Joined Together

Familyland TV

On Mondays at 12 a.m. and Tuesdays at 10 a.m., Catholic Familyland co-founder Jerry Coniker interviews marriage and family life expert Msgr. Peter Elliot about the meaning of the sacrament of matrimony. This series begins on Monday, Aug. 7.

Top Ten Canadian Parks

Travel Channel, 5 p.m.

If you and your family are looking for an excellent vacation spot, you could do worse than to pick one of these spectacular spots north of the border.

Facelift for the Façade

EWTN, 6:30 p.m.

St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome celebrates its 500th anniversary this year, which makes this fascinating half-hour documentary all the more special. It tells how, from 1984 to 1986, the Knights of Columbus funded a thorough restoration of the giant façade of St. Peter’s.

Heads of State

in World War II

Military Channel, 8 p.m.

In three 60-minute segments, this documentary examines the geopolitical aims, diplomatic maneuvering, military strategies and intelligence machinations of powers engaged in World War II. At 8 p.m., Hitler vs. Stalin; at 9 p.m., Stalin vs. Roosevelt; at 10 p.m., Churchill vs. Roosevelt.

Building Babies:

An Inner Adventure

Discovery Channel, 8 p.m.

After watching this program about our first nine months of life, no one of good will and sound mind could deny that unborn babies are babies.

Dan Engler writes from

Santa Barbara, California.