Archive for: Profiles in FCE

George Simon spent his first two years in college at a state university, but he wasn’t satisfied with the education he was receiving. He transferred to John Paul the Great Catholic University in Escondido, Calif., which is recommended in The Newman Guide, and the University made a “huge impact” on every aspect of his life.

“JPCatholic,” the nickname adopted by students and graduates, is a faithfully Catholic institution that combines an exciting emphasis on creative arts and business with serious theology and liberal arts. It has developed a creative community of artists and innovators in the heart of Escondido, which lies between San Diego and Hollywood. The university strives to prepare young people to evangelize and transform culture.

Today, Simon is a professor of film production at JPCatholic and is married to a fellow graduate. The Newman Society recently asked Simon to share about his experience at JPCatholic, and why it’s important for young creative Catholics to develop their artistic gifts.

Newman Society: Can you tell us about your background and relation to JPCatholic?  

Professor George Simon: Sure! I was born in Michigan and my family moved to American Samoa when I was seven years old. My parents bought a video camera so that we could record home movies and send them back to our family. My dad agreed to let my brother and I use the camera, and we spent the next seven years running around the island making movies.

In 2006, I enrolled at a state university in Michigan, which was not a good fit. I decided to transfer, and after hearing about a small Catholic film school in San Diego from my mom, I sent in my application and enrolled at JPCatholic in 2008. I graduated in 2012 with an emphasis in screenwriting.

After graduating, I spent four years growing a video production company and working in San Diego, Grand Rapids, and Chicago. In 2016, I married my wife, Melinda, a fellow grad of JPCatholic, and accepted an opportunity to work at JPCatholic. I was awarded my Master’s degree in film producing in 2018 and currently work there as a full-time professor.   

Newman Society: Why did you choose to transfer to JPCatholic?   

Professor George Simon: After two years studying broadcasting and cinematic arts in Michigan, I became really discouraged by the lack of hands-on filmmaking classes. I researched other universities in Michigan that had programs related to film and television, but none of them offered a rigorous, hands-on curriculum that involved actually making movies.

When I discovered JPCatholic and saw that I would be taking multiple classes in film production, directing, screenwriting and post production in my first year, I knew it was the right fit. As I went through the curriculum, every class made me say, “Yes, this is exactly what I want to be studying.” Three months later, I was on a train from Michigan to San Diego, and it was the best decision I’ve ever made.   

Newman Society: How did you benefit from the Catholic education and formation provided by JPCatholic?   

Professor George Simon: The decision to transfer from a secular university with 25,000 students to a small Catholic university had a huge impact on every aspect of my life. I went from a culture where the expectation is that everyone is going to party for four years, straight to a place where I was surrounded by passionate Catholics and where daily Mass and confession is offered on campus.

I was born and raised Catholic and my dad is a deacon, but it wasn’t until I started attending JPCatholic that I ever went to adoration or spent time in an adoration chapel. The theology and philosophy classes helped me to grow in my faith and challenged me to think for myself and tell stories that are good for humanity, instead of just trying to emulate whatever Quentin Tarantino or David Fincher are doing.   

Newman Society: Can you share about some of your film projects like Get Clean and Almost Home? 

Professor George Simon: Absolutely! ​Get Clean​ is a short film that my wife and I made while we were both in college. Melinda came up with the idea of a character whose sins begin manifesting as marks on her skin. The character tries, unsuccessfully, to wash the marks away and is ultimately only able to remove them by receiving the sacrament of confession.

The process of making the film was crazy, because it was put together really quickly. We didn’t have any equipment other than a camera, so I used a giant roll of trash bags as a make-shift tripod. We edited the film that night and submitted it to a scholarship contest an hour before the submission deadline.

We ended up winning the top prize, which was a $25,000 scholarship for Melinda and a $25,000 grant for JPCatholic. Unfortunately, I had withdrawn from the university due to financial reasons and was not eligible for the scholarship. Derry Connolly, the president of the university, used the grant to create an additional scholarship to make it possible for me to come back and finish my degree.   

Almost Home​ is a short film that was created as part of the 8Beats Anthology, which is an anthology film that explores modern parables based on the eight Beatitudes of Jesus Christ. The story follows a truck driver who is trying to get home to his family and a little boy on a road trip with his parents, who cannot stop fighting. The film just concluded its festival run after winning awards at multiple festivals including the Windy City Film Festival in Chicago and the Transparent Film Festival in New York City. The 8Beats Anthology is produced by Catholic Creatives and is scheduled for release in 2020.   

My most recent project is a short film titled ​The Scar,​ which tells the story of Arthur, who cares for his wife Mercy in the aftermath of an accident that destroyed her memory. In an effort to stimulate her mind, Arthur tells tall tales about the mysterious scar on his chest, which appeared the same day Mercy lost her memory. The film is extremely ambitious and required scenes in feudal Japan, the old West, and the Mediterranean Sea. We’re close to finishing up post-production, and I’m excited to send this small-but-mighty film out into the world.   

Newman Society: How does the Catholic faith influence the courses you teach as a film professor?   

Professor George Simon: As artists who are seeking to impact culture for Christ, we all recognize that we cannot settle for mediocrity in our art. Everyone strives for excellence and pushes one another to be excellent, not just for their own personal benefit, but because the mission we are all undertaking demands that we become exceptional storytellers. Otherwise we have no ability to compete in an industry that has immense power to either call humanity closer to Jesus Christ, or to push them away.   

I teach a Fundamentals of Production class that is basically movie making 101—students learn how to use a camera, record audio, set up lights, write, produce, film and edit. It can seem challenging to infuse a demonstration on how to set up a C-Stand with the deep theological truths of the Catholic faith, however, even in these technical moments is the collective faith of the students and faculty that have the greatest impact. The Catholic faith that is shared between my students is powerful and influential.    

Newman Society: Why do you think it’s important for young creative Catholics to develop their artistic gifts? Why do you think it’s important for the Church to be involved in the arts?   

Professor George Simon: For me, as a filmmaker, developing my creative gifts and growing as an artist is inseparable from my journey to heaven. God invites every one of us to develop our talents and when we accept that invitation, we glorify Him and show the world the unique beauty He has planted in our souls. Every young Catholic artist should develop their creative gifts, because it is an integral part of who God made them to be.

One of the first things I tell my students is that, as filmmakers, we live in the best possible time in human history to make movies. As cameras and film equipment have become more accessible, it has become more possible than ever to create content that can compete with major studios. It is crucial for young Catholic artists to develop their gifts in order to become exceptional storytellers and earn the right to be heard.

Studios and networks spend billions of dollars each year creating stories that have tremendous impact on the world. In order to fully answer the call to “make disciples of all nations,” it is imperative that young artists are perfecting their raw talents into precise and experienced craftsmanship, enabling them to share the experience of God’s love, whether overtly or subtlety, in every script they write, set they work on and story they create. 

Dr. Mark Kissinger, a graduate of Newman Guide-recommended Franciscan University of Steubenville in Ohio, is now responsible for the health of Steubenville residents as well as others in the surrounding Jefferson County. As the medical director of the Jefferson County Health Department, he oversees the response to COVID-19 but has not seen a large surge in COVID patients.

Dr. Kissinger says that Franciscan University provided “many opportunities to grow in faith and reason” and prepared him well for medical school. Now, he strives to treat each of his patients with the respect and dignity that they deserve.

The Cardinal Newman Society is grateful to Dr. Kissinger for sharing about the impact of his faithful Catholic education, as a part of our “Profiles in Faithful Catholic Education” series.

Newman Society: What was your experience like at Franciscan University, and how has it impacted your life?

I grew up in Steubenville, the son of a business professor. To be honest, I thought I wanted to get out of Steubenville as I was leaving high school, but my parents made it clear that if I wanted their help paying for college, I had to go to Franciscan. 

My experience at Franciscan was excellent. I had the chance to grow in faith and knowledge, along with the chance to grow up surrounded by people who were deeply involved in their faith. I was academically very well prepared for medical school. Incidentally, my daughter is following my path from Franciscan to medical school next year.

More importantly, there were many opportunities to grow in faith and reason at Franciscan. The sacraments were available daily. We had faith-based “households” to choose from and join if we felt inclined — they are similar to a Catholic version of a fraternity (minus the negative connotations). The professors were top-notch. It seems like every professor tried to bring God into their work and their teaching. I was given a very good foundation of theology and philosophy. Of all the things I learned at Franciscan, faith and the understanding of objective value have had the most profound impact on my life.

Like many, my wife and I started dating while in college. God really blessed me when He put her into my life. When considering that many people meet their future spouse in college, it is important to us that our children attend schools where they are likely to be surrounded by a positive peer pressure and potential future spouses who live the faith.

Newman Society: How did your education at Franciscan University prepare you for the work you do today as a doctor during the COVID-19 crisis?

Franciscan gave me a good foundation in the sciences, which got me into and through residency. Yes, there was a lot of hard work, but I could not have succeeded without that base of knowledge.

COVID-19 has disrupted society dramatically. There are many healthcare professionals who are actively involved in care of patients with COVID-19 and overwhelmed in some places. I am involved, but not as directly as many of them. We have been fortunate to not see the surge in patients that many areas have seen. Because of this, most of our work has been disaster planning, tracking patients with the disease and educating the public. This has been very time-consuming, but not the heroic service that many across the nation have been part of.

My Franciscan education has taught me to remember that we are dealing with people, not statistics and cases. As such, all people deserve respect and dignity as God’s own. On the difficult days, one of the most important things I can do is focus on serving those that God has placed in our care, rather than focus on doing what I need to get out of the office quicker. It is unfulfilling to focus on me and fulfilling to focus on the objective good of the person God has allowed me to serve.

Incidentally, a couple of the Franciscan biology professors, including Dr. Daniel Kuebler and Dr. Joseph Pathakamuri, have directly aided our COVID-19 efforts locally, by bringing equipment and knowledge to our local hospital to set up in-hospital testing for COVID-19. Until now, we had to send out our tests to an outside lab, which can take from one to eight days to get results back. With the new testing, we can test 10-plus patients every three hours. This means we can more effectively diagnose and treat patients earlier, which should lead to better patient outcomes and better utilization of resources and protective gear.

Catholic families are always looking for beautiful Catholic books for children. An alumna of a faithful Catholic college is giving families more timeless options.

Maura Roan McKeegan says that her education in the theology graduate program at Franciscan University of Steubenville, Ohio, inspired her to become an author. Now she’s published several Catholic children’s books as a fruit of her experience in the Franciscan University community, including St. Conrad and the Wildfire, just recently released.

The Cardinal Newman Society is grateful to McKeegan for sharing about the impact of her faithful Catholic education on her life and work, as a part of our “Profiles in Faithful Catholic Education” series.

Newman Society: Why did you choose to attend Franciscan University of Steubenville? What impact did the University have on you?

Maura Roan McKeegan: When I was a young adult—after I graduated from a state university—I attended a summer conference at Franciscan University. I loved it so much that I went back the next year, and the next. I began to daydream of going there to study full-time. I wanted to know more about God, and I couldn’t think of a better place to learn. Franciscan had changed my life so much in three weekends; I could only imagine what three years there would do.

At first, it felt like an impossible dream. I was a classroom teacher and didn’t know how I could leave my job. But soon, God showed me that He was calling me to go to graduate school at Franciscan. I moved to Steubenville to pursue a master’s degree in theology, and Franciscan became a second home to me. The material I studied was so beautiful that it sometimes made me cry. The classes I took, books I read, and people I met helped me grow exponentially in the way I understood and lived my faith.

Eighteen years later, I am still here with my husband, raising our children in Steubenville, and marveling at the way God used three weekends to give me a gift that would last a lifetime.

Newman Society: How has your education at Franciscan University influenced your work as an author?

Maura Roan McKeegan: My education at Franciscan University inspired me to become an author. I remember sitting in Dr. Scott Hahn’s class and listening to him talk about typology—how Adam, Moses, and Jonah prefigured Christ; how Noah’s Ark prefigured baptism; how the Ark of the Covenant prefigured Mary. It was all new to me. I had just spent five years as a classroom teacher, and I thought to myself, “Children would be fascinated by this!”

I had the idea of writing a series of picture books that placed Old and New Testament stories side by side, so that children could see the connections. The idea stayed in my head for ten years, until I finally realized that God was calling me to write the series. Now, through Emmaus Road Publishing, I’ve written three books in that series, with a fourth currently being illustrated.

My newest book, St. Conrad and the Wildfire, is separate from the Old and New series. All of these books are the fruit of my time at Franciscan University, both as a student and as a member of the Franciscan family.

Newman Society: Can you tell us about your recently released book for children, St. Conrad and the Wildfire?

Maura Roan McKeegan: About five years ago, I learned about St. Conrad for the first time and was immediately captivated by his story. He was a medieval nobleman who went hunting one day and accidentally set a forest on fire. He didn’t tell anyone the truth about what happened until an innocent peasant was blamed and sentenced to death, and only Conrad’s confession could save him. The course of events that began with his errors eventually led Conrad to become a saint.

St. Conrad’s story struck me as perfect for a picture book. With medieval nobles, a castle, hunting, fire, false accusation, a near execution and the challenge of telling the truth in the face of danger, it had all the elements of an exciting and enduring tale. I also loved how it showed that imperfect people can become saints—that our mistakes can become paths to grace. As a person who makes a lot of mistakes, I found that message consoling.

Newman Society: Why do you think beautiful and well-written Catholic books for children are important?    

Maura Roan McKeegan: Picture books are my hobby and my passion. I love the way they unite generations, when young and old cuddle up together and delight in stories that capture hearts through words and pictures. Beautiful and well-written Catholic picture books give us a way to follow what Jesus says when he tells us to “become like little children” in Matthew 18:3. When we sit with children and read aloud together, we build bonds of love in a world of childlike simplicity that children will remember long after they are grown. Beautiful picture books awaken lifelong connections between love, spiritual childhood and faith.

When Catholic education is done well, it benefits not only its graduates, but also society at large.

Thomas Alexander is a top leader in the Pentagon who is the principal advisor to the Secretary of Defense on special operations, counterterrorism, and more around the world. He credits his education at Thomas Aquinas College in Santa Paula, Calif., which is recommended in The Newman Guide, with preparing him with the “fundamentals” he needed to “succeed” in his work.

“You can study all of the things that you want foreign policy-wise to try to prepare for these types of positions,” explains Alexander. “But I don’t think you can do any of those things well if you don’t have the fundamentals.”

“Thomas Aquinas College gives you the ability to quickly analyze, break down a particular issue into its parts, put it all back together in a way that makes sense, reach a conclusion, and then go forward,” he explains.

Students develop this “analytical training” through the College’s great books curriculum. “By putting the original works in front of you, you’ve got sit down with Aristotle, with St. Thomas Aquinas, with other great thinkers, and figure out what they were saying, and then apply it across the board.”

The College also provided Alexander with excellent ethical training. “In policy jobs, we are answering the question, ‘Should we be doing a particular activity?’ What are the ramifications one, two, three steps down the road for doing things?”

“The good teaching at Thomas Aquinas College really prepares you for this so that you do have that good moral sounding board inside of you,” he explains. “It allows you to perform that gut-check. Yes, we can do something, but is it a good thing to do?”

As the senior-most civilian overseeing special operations, Alexander also provides advice on the manning, training and equipping for special operations, and he oversees a budget of $14 billion. Recent high-profile special operations include the Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi operation and the Osama bin Laden operation.

Helping keep our nation safe is no small task, but Alexander is up for the challenge. He has successfully climbed the ladder in his career, thanks to his strong Catholic education, both at Thomas Aquinas College and Ave Maria School of Law, hard work and the relationships he has built.

“There hasn’t been a day that I ever regretted attended Thomas Aquinas College, and receiving the education that I did.”