EWTN Airs Its Must-See ‘Season Preview’

By Michelle Laque Johnson

Do you secretly wish you could meet a saint– or perhaps someone who may well be on their way to sainthood? Then tune into EWTN this September. Our new fall series are your ticket to just such an adventure.

Find out all about them in the “EWTN Season Preview” with Host Doug Keck. (Airs 5:30 p.m. ET, Monday, Aug. 22; 2:30 a.m. ET, Thursday, Aug. 25; and 4:30 p.m., Saturday, Aug. 27.)

Here’s a sneak peek at September’s premieres:

• Saints Alive! This is one of our most entertaining series ever! Tune in as 10 of the greatest saints in history return from heaven to be interviewed and questioned about some of the most important issues of our time. You’ll be totally captivated by their holy wit and wisdom! Get to know St. Augustine of Hippo, St. Gemma Galgani, St. Catherine of Siena, St. Irenaeus of Lyons, St. Jean Vianney, St. Thomas Aquinas, St. Robert Bellarmine, St. Teresa of Avila, St. Louis De Montfort, and St. Gregory the Great. A unique question and answer session highlights the chief contribution of each to the Faith, and sheds light on a number of historical topics. Airs 10:30 a.m. ET Sundays; 6 p.m. ET, Mondays; 4 a.m. ET, Tuesdays; 10 p.m. ET, Wednesdays; and 4:30 p.m., Saturdays.

• Catholic Lives Ireland: To say that EWTN’s new series “Catholic Lives Ireland” has some top-notch guests is like saying the Irish speak with a brogue! This must-see series airs at 5:30 p.m. ET Mondays and 4 a.m. ET Thursdays. The all-star line-up includes Irish luminaries – and saints in the making -- from all walks of life. There’s Richard Moore, founder of “Children in the Crossfire,” who struggled to forgive after being blinded as a child by a British soldier’s plastic bullet during Northern Ireland’s infamous “troubles.” There’s Francis Campbell, the first British Catholic Ambassador to the Holy See since the Reformation. There’s Bernadette Smyth, who initiated an all-party pro-life group in Northern Ireland’s Assembly, which halted the imposition of the UK’s infamous 1967 Abortion Act. There’s Doctor/Sister Miriam Duggan, a gynecologist whose chastity program transformed Uganda into Africa’s success story in the fight against HIV/Aids. There’s Leo Hughes, executive producer of “The 13th Day,” one of the most beautiful accounts of the Fatima story ever filmed; and there’s one of Ireland’s most respected sports personalities, Mickey Harte, three-time winner of Ireland’s prestigious “Sam Maguire Cup” and manager of the renowned County Tyrone Gaelic Football Team.

And that’s not even the half of it! You seriously cannot afford to miss a single episode!

• Saints of China: Martyrs of the Middle Kingdom: This series, hosted by Anthony Clark, assistant professor of East Asian history at Whitworth University in Spokane, Washington, examines the history of the Catholic Church in China, from the Jesuit missions (1368-1644) to the massive growth of Catholic missions before the Communist government came to power in 1949. Learn about the lives of Chinese martyrs, which include St. Augustine Zhao Rong and his 119 companions, and the state of the Catholic Church in China under the Communist government. How do you grow a Church when the government wants to control it? Airs 11 p.m. ET, Sundays; and 2:30 a.m. ET, Fridays.

• Mary, Mother of the Philippines: Some believe that no country outside of Italy has more beautiful churches and shrines dedicated to Our Lady than the Philippines. Are they right? Join Fr. Melvin Castro’s tour of these holy sites at 2:30 a.m. ET and 1:30 p.m. ET, Thursdays.

• Crash Course in the Saints: Here we go again! EWTN favorites, Fr. John Trigilio and Fr. Ken Brighenti, explore the lives of the lives of the saints in this new series. Airs 5:30 p.m. ET, Sundays; and 5:30 a.m. ET and 10:30 p.m. ET, Wednesdays.

• Living the Discerning Life: The Spiritual Teaching of St. Ignatius of Loyola: The spiritual exercises of St. Ignatius are one of the most famous methods of discerning God’s call – whether you are a religious or laity. If you’ve always wanted to know more about this, but haven’t had time to go on a retreat, tune in as Fr. Tim Gallagher of the Oblates of the Virgin Mary explains how to live the discerning life. Airs 8 p.m. ET, Sundays; 1 p.m. ET, Mondays; and 5 a.m. ET, Fridays.

• The Heavens Proclaim the Glory of God: In this luminous new series, Fr. Robert Spitzer examines the physical evidence – and metaphysical premises for – the existence of God “as the transcendent supernatural cause of the universe.” Sounds heady, and it is, but Fr. Spitzer makes it all very understandable. Airs 3:30 a.m. ET, Mondays; and 5:30 p.m. ET, Fridays.