Hollywood filmmakers premiere Father Ryan documentary

Award-nominated film focuses on sainthood for Chattanooga priest

Hollywood filmmakers Veronica DiPippo and Marc Aramian will premiere their new award-nominated docudrama “Father Ryan: A Higher Call” during a special gala at 7:30 p.m., Saturday, April 15, at Notre Dame High School, 2701 Vermont Ave., Chattanooga.

Bishop Richard F. Stika of the Diocese of Knoxville initiated the Cause for Sainthood for Father Ryan in 2016.  Father Ryan, a priest at Sts. Peter and Paul Parish in Chattanooga, died Sept. 28, 1878, while caring for victims of the city’s yellow fever epidemic. He is considered a Servant of God, the first step in the process of being declared a saint by the Catholic Church.

The film serves as an important addition to the many efforts already undertaken by the diocese and the basilica to petition Father Ryan for sainthood.

“All of us at the Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul are thrilled to be a part of bringing this film to a broad audience,” said Father David Carter, episcopal delegate for Father Ryan’s cause for sainthood and rector of the basilica. “This film showcases the incredible heroic life that Father Ryan lived and the impact his life had on our community. Having a hero who lived in our own city in the not-too-distant past exemplifies that this call to holiness is not beyond our own reach."

Doors for the gala premiere of “Father Ryan: A Higher Call” open at 6:30 p.m. for a VIP reception with the film’s cast and crew. General admission patrons can enter the NDHS auditorium at 7 p.m. The screening will begin at 7:30 p.m. Tickets can be purchased by visiting Movie Premiere - Father Ryan: A Higher Call at Eventbrite.