"Picturing Mary" Documentary to Debut on Public Television in December

WASHINGTON, Nov. 27 /U.S. Newswire/ -- No one knows what she really looked like, yet the Blessed Virgin Mary stands among the most popular artistic subjects in history. In every medium, with every imaginable material, in tiny personal images and gigantic mosaics, artists have depicted her the world over.

"Picturing Mary," a stunning new high-definition documentary to debut next month on public television, explores how images of the Virgin reflect numerous traditions, devotional practices and cultures. The one-hour program leads viewers on a pictorial journey through history from the earliest times to the present day and presents a stunning array of art from 12 locations in eight different countries.

"Picturing Mary" is a joint effort of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops' (USCCB) Catholic Communication Campaign (CCC) and New York public television station Thirteen/WNET. The documentary follows their previous collaboration on the 2001 Emmy award-winning "The Face: Jesus in Art." The documentary is narrated by actress Jane Seymour and features quotations read by actor James Keach.

A Spanish version can be accessed using the SAP (secondary audio program) television control.

"Picturing Mary" will be distributed to public television stations nationwide by American Public Television (APT) in December. Already more than 100 stations, including stations in all top 10 markets, have scheduled it to air in December. (For a list of air dates and times, visit http://www.picturingmary.com.) DVD copies of Picturing Mary will be available for purchase at $19.95 from USCCB publishing -- http://www.usccbpublishing.org or 800-235-8722.

This looks to be a keeper...Prepare to set your Tivo, DVR, or like some of us, your VCR, when this is set to air.

O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who recourse to thee.