I just got the following interesting information from Catholic Exchange about an A&E series called "God or the Girl" which is a serious and respectful look at priestly vocational discernment. It sounds like it is worth a look. Here is what they said:
GOTG ANNOUNCEMENT
By Tom Allen, Editor and President of Catholic Exchange
We've been reporting the previews for weeks, but now the time has come to finally enjoy positive commercial television in prime time - programming that affirms the Catholic Church, and honors vocations to the priesthood and the witness of faithful young Catholics.
This Easter Sunday, April 16th, on the A&E Network, a five-part "reality" series entitled God or the Girl premieres, giving viewers a personal encounter with four Catholic young men who allowed A&E to journey with them as they contemplated the most important decision of their lives - the choice between priesthood or marriage - God or the girl. Catholic Exchange has been involved in this project since its inception and we are encouraging our viewers to tune in!
Although it sounds decidedly "pop culture-ish," this USCCB-endorsed docu-series takes a surprisingly sober and serious look at the vocations discernment process. Its portrayal of what pious young men endure in deciding between a life of full-on service to the Church versus a family and business career is powerful.
This is a unique opportunity for the Catholic Church and the culture at large. Just as the movie industry relies on box office sales to measure the "vote" of the American public on opening weekend, the television industry relies on ratings to decide whether to continue certain types of programming. Therefore, the more families that tune in to God or the Girl this Easter Sunday the better. So let's bring the show to the attention of our family and friends, and together show the television industry what sort of programming we want to see. If this show is successful, you can bet that more of its kind will be on the way.
The full series schedule is as follows:
PART I - EASTER SUNDAY APRIL 16, @ 9PM EASTERN/8C MOST IMPORTANT
PART 2 - EASTER SUNDAY APRIL 16, @ 10PM/9C
PART 3 - EASTER MONDAY, APRIL 17, @ 9PM/8C
PART 4 - MONDAY, APRIL 17, @ 10PM/9C
FINALE (PART 5) - SUNDAY, APRIL 23, @ 10PM/9C
To read the USCCB's positive review of the series, click here.
See also these other recent articles:
Interesting reviews on this Tv special. Virtually all the stuff I've seen on the internet from Catholic people and sites which are usually correct has been positive. But today the Boston Herald ( a bit of a sensation mongering paper) ran a headline story about how this show is a slanderous, vicious, anti-Catholic tirade foisted on Americans for Easter. The Herald even got nasty quotes attacking the show from local Catholic defenders like Ray Flynn. However, it seems from the quotes they were responding to what the Herald reporter told them about the show and that they hadn't seen the show themselves