FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEContact:Christine Valentine-Owsik

Valentine Communications

For: Ignatius Press

215-230-8095

Fifth Footprints of God film illustrates

life, travels and works of St. Paul the Apostle

SAN FRANCISCO, CA, October 8, 2004 – As one of the Pharisees of Jesus’ time, Saul of Tarsus – later renamed Paul – was zealous for his Jewish faith and pursued murderous threats against Jesus’ followers. Then he was literally ‘knocked from his high horse’ with a vision from God, catalyzing his pivotal conversion to Christianity. To help people know St. Paul better, “Paul: Contending for the Faith” is the newly released fifth video in Ignatius Press’ award-winning 10-part film series, The Footprints of God: the Story of Salvation from Abraham to Augustine. Viewers will see never-before-filmed sites where Paul lived, worked, converted, taught and suffered severely for his radical Christian message over 2,000 years ago.

Best-selling author and Bible teacher, Steve Ray, is the creator and host of this high-quality, 90-minute documentary video along with executive producer, Ignatius Press. “Paul” presents to viewers the dramatic story of this first-century apostle’s incredible life of conversion and evangelization, revealing the actual on-location sites pertaining to Paul’s life and travels in Israel, Syria, Turkey, Greece and Italy.

“What makes this film on St. Paul different from any other is it follows his entire life, from birth in the authentic location of Tarsus of Cilicia, through his education in Jerusalem, then to all major locations of his ministry -- and finally ending up in Rome with the authentic sites of his last days,” says Ray. “It thoroughly explains his teachings, the development of the early Church, and is full of lush Middle Eastern music and other authentic details of Paul’s time.”

Viewers will ‘fall’ from a horse in the desert as Paul did when God spoke to him, ‘dangle’ from a Damascan wall in a basket as he did, and even ‘cling’ to driftwood in the sea after a shipwreck. “Paul” helps viewers of all ages and faiths understand the life, ministry and sufferings of St. Paul the Apostle like no other film ever made.

“Paul was a tough man and suffered severely for the Gospel, “says Ray. “If you want to know how tough Paul really was and how much he suffered for Christ, this film shows that.” Ray says that after actually walking in Paul’s footsteps while making this film, he realized what a truly amazing man Paul was.

Available in both VHS and DVD formats, “Paul” also comes with a free study guide which helps in discerning each of the four “chapters” of the film. The Guide has important references to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, includes study questions for schools and catechetical groups, and also encompasses an exhaustive bibliography for those who like to do further research.

The DVD format of “Paul” features English/Spanish subtitles, and also includes an interview with Roy Schoeman, author of the best-selling book, Salvation Is From The Jews (Ignatius, 2003), along with behind-the-scenes perspectives into the ‘wild ride’ of filming, as well as the ‘bloopers.’ All Footprints videos come in both DVD and VHS formats.

Presenting a magnificent blend of discovery, entertaining biography, travel documentary, Bible study, apologetics and Church-history – with all music for the series as original composition played on authentic ancient instruments and according to the true style of the times – the Footprints series is the most original and dynamic film series in Catholic Church history. It enables viewers to ‘meet’ the key people of Scripture and Church History in a fresh and powerful way, and understand their faith better.

The Footprints series explores over 2,000 years of Jewish and Christian history to explain Christian teaching, and is filmed entirely on location in Israel, Egypt, Italy, Greece, Turkey and Iraq. The series is an authentic, quick-moving adventure that brings the Bible and theology to life – covering the entire saga of salvation. The first four videos in the series are “Peter: Keeper of the Keys” (follows Peter from Galilee to Rome and clarifies the major role of the Papacy and the priesthood in the saga of salvation); “Mary: Mother of God” (follows Mary’s extraordinary journey to the heart of the salvation story); “Moses: Signs, Sacraments, Salvation” (shows how Moses, the Exodus and Hebrew experience actually point to the coming of Christ and salvation); and “Jesus: The Word Became Flesh” (which shows aspects of Jesus’ life and ministry never-before depicted on film).

Both “Moses” and “Jesus” have garnered several prestigious film awards. “Moses” earned the 2003 Telly Award for best Religious Programming, 2003 Aurora Gold Award for best Religious Issues Documentary, and the 2003 Unity Award for best Video of the Year; and “Jesus” was awarded the 2004 Telly Award for Best Religious Video.

Footprints is designed to appeal to a wide audience, from elementary school children to college students and adults. “This series is perfect for anyone who wants to learn the faith, whether in an RCIA class, school or at home,” says Ray. Each of the 10 videos comes with a complete study guide. As well, free lesson plans will be available for teachers very shortly through Ignatius Press’ website: -- specific lesson plans can then be accessed by clicking on “School Resources.”

The Footprints of God series is estimated to take about five years to complete, and in addition to the five productions already released, will include additional titles on Abraham, David and Solomon, prophets Elijah and Elisha, the Apostolic Fathers (Clement, Ignatius, Polycarp, and Justin), and Doctors of the Church (Augustine, Ambrose, Chrysostom, and Athanasius). Ignatius Press estimates that the entire 10-video production, when complete, will cost over $2 million.

Throughout the Footprints series, Ray poses tough questions that have been put forth for centuries, then provides answers that help Catholics and other Christians truly understand and explain their faith. The series is intended to be an adventure discovery into what Catholics believe and why.

Ray is a best-selling author whose books include Crossing The Tiber (Ignatius, 1997), which documents his conversion to Catholicism from the Baptist tradition; Upon This Rock, the definitive study on the primacy of Peter and the papal office; and St. John’s Gospel: A Bible Study Guide and Commentary (Ignatius, 2002), the first extensive and easy-to-use Catholic study guide of the Gospel of John. He likewise writes for several Catholic magazines, is a frequent guest on national TV and radio programs, and is a widely popular speaker.

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San Francisco-based Ignatius Press, founded in 1978 and currently the largest Catholic publisher in the U.S., celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2003. Ignatius Press is dedicated to publishing and distributing information on the Catholic faith, and publishes over 40 books each year (with over 760 titles in print). Its author-roster includes some of the foremost names in the Catholic Church. Ignatius is also the publisher of Catholic World Report and Homiletic & Pastoral Review magazines. Ordering information can be found at: or by calling: 1-800-651-1531.