I knew it was something important when Rose Pacatte, FSP, asked me to call her one afternoon in late 2022. Though I did my level best to avoid the conversation, Sister Rose is (bless her) tenacious. So, I called our longtime film critic for what I knew was coming: 2023 will be her last year with St. Anthony Messenger. In fact, June is her final issue with us. Where to begin? 

I met Sister Rose in a downtown Cincinnati restaurant more than 20 years ago. In time, I would come to edit her column. And our friendship—as well as a shared love of film—took root. As those close to me know, I can be exhausting in my enthusiasm for pop culture, but in Sister Rose I found an inexhaustible mentor and sounding board. 

Like all the greats, Sister Rose shows more than she tells. Film is, after all, a visceral experience, one that can challenge or enrich our faith lives. In Sister Rose, our readers have a champion of the kind of storytelling that moves humanity forward. While the media landscape can be a veritable highway of trash, Sister Rose was our exit ramp to media that informs and inspires. She’s won awards, written books, traveled the world, and rubbed elbows with Hollywood royalty. But that is secondary to what brings her real joy: finding God in the media we consume every day. 

What words could possibly commemorate the two decades of knowledge and grace she’s given to this magazine and my life? I can think of only two: Thank you.

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