Blogs

By Ann Zlotnik

When approached by Mike Kurtz, executive producer and director of the University’s media production department, with the hopes to create a devotional video using imagery from Marian Library collections, the answer was a tentative yes. It was 2020, staffing was down, and everyone was working remotely due to the onslaught of the pandemic. However, making use of collection items in practical, useful ways is important — as is collaborating with our colleagues across campus. 

Research professor Gloria Dodd offered the idea to base the devotional video on the rosary mysteries. This suggestion became the plan, and one video turned into four. It was decided that videos would be created one at a time, beginning with the Glorious Mysteries. Over the course of several months, staff, including Dodd, combed through collections for diverse expressions of each mystery — one for each Hail Mary, Our Father, Glory Be and more. Each set of mysteries — Glorious, Joyful, Sorrowful and Luminous — required a minimum of 75 representations. Once the images were identified, several needed to be digitized. After all of the compiling was finished, the images were noted on a script and shared with Kurtz’s team.

The media production team brought together the images from various Marian Library collections such as art and artifacts, stamps and holy cards — along with items from the U.S. Catholic Special Collection and artworks from around campus — to create inspiring videos as an audiovisual way to pray the rosary. As of August 2022, videos for all four sets of mysteries were available on YouTube.

October is the month of the rosary. Consider incorporating these videos into your routine.

—Ann Zlotnik is the communication and creative coordinator in the University Libraries.