Documentary puts parish in spotlight

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When Greg Hitchcock joined the choir at St. Mary's parish in Ballston Spa in January, he found himself looking at the church from a whole new perspective.

The view from the choir loft of Mass-goers, statues and stained glass windows below made him realize that such images needed to be seen by others.

"I was inspired by the Holy Spirit, honestly," said Mr. Hitchcock. "These places of worship are refuge against the chaos that's out there and I wanted to make a video that said it's good to be spiritual. I approached the parish in June with the idea of making a documentary and they were very receptive."

The idea turned into a project to highlight St. Mary's School and church in order to inform and encourage parishioners.

"This video has many purposes. For those in the parish, it can reinforce beliefs in God and each other and for those fallen away it can serve to reconnect them," said Mr. Hitchcock.

A graduate of The University at Albany and a freelance journalist, he had no formal history in videography, though it always interested him. Unable to find help from local college students studying cinematography, he decided to "wing it."

Mr. Hitchcock wrote the script for the video, taught himself what he needed to know about editing and began filming in July.

Now, he's working with a whole team of volunteers: a sound editor; Sister Nancy Schmidt, CSJ, the adult faith formation leader at the parish; Katherine Murphy, the photographer for the project; Clare Daly, a SUNY-Albany student who is narrating the video; and Audrey Bopp Hauprich, a parish and town historian who's explaining the history of the church.

Mr. Hitchcock told The Evangelist that he's almost finished filming at the parish. He's covered prayer services and choir practice and interviewed parishioners about what St. Mary's means to them.

In September, he will begin filming at St. Mary's School.

"I'm excited to film the students," said Mr. Hitchcock, "I can't wait to find out their reactions to the questions and how they feel about their school."

He's even hoping to create his own production company. Mr. Hitchcock currently writes for The Ballston Journal and edits The Empire Page, a website dedicated to New York State politics.

Making the documentary has bolstered his faith. Having fallen away from the Church as a teen, he returned in January and became a parishioner at St. Mary's.

"It has been really fun making this documentary, but it also gave me fellowship with fellow choir members and has reinforced my beliefs in people and in God," he said.

Mr. Hitchcock wants to finish the project by October. Though its main purpose is for parish use for new families, he also hopes to have it broadcast on public television and to show it to the Saratoga County Arts Council.

"My goal is for the maximum exposure possible, because I'm documenting more than just a Catholic parish," he said. "I'm documenting the faithful."[[In-content Ad]]