Desire of the Everlasting Hills (2015) - Full Movie

Desire of the Everlasting Hills is a 60-minute documentary from Courage International, the apostolate helping people with same-sex attraction to live chaste lives. The film was showcased at Courage’s national conference, July 17-20 2015, in Philadelphia. Here are three intimate and candid portraits of Catholics who try to navigate the waters of self-understanding, faith, and homosexuality: Dan, a gregarious artist who spent his life hiding a deep sense of isolation from those who loved him; Rilene, a successful businesswoman who realized that twenty-five years with her partner did not provide the fulfillment she had hoped for; and Paul, an international model who, after a life of self-indulgence, found grace in the last place he expected. The three people who tell their stories in Desire are the reason it works so well. These are not tidy stories with easy morals, but, rather, the tales of real human beings with complex and ongoing struggles. The trio took part in a panel discussion after the movie was screened Saturday evening at the Courage conference. Their testimonies bring an important and previously unheard voice to the discussion of same-sex attraction in both the Church and secular spheres. They are people who, prompted by God, took a different path: one that led each back to the Church and a decision to live a chaste life. What they discovered on the journey back to faith and into a life of chastity was that chastity is both a struggle and a gift, and sharing their experiences is part of that gift. As Dan observes, “Chastity isn’t a consolation prize. Our lives are better because of the Church’s teachings. The Church shouldn’t be embarrassed. They should shout it from the mountaintops. This is the Good News!” It is impossible to watch this important documentary without tears, and not sad tears either, but happy ones, tears that come from a joyful movement of the spirit. These are people who have been deeply wounded by the choices they have made and who have struggled through to a profound peace. The documentary makes its world premier this weekend at the annual conference of the Courage apostolate in Philadelphia. Courage is the Church-approved movement of same-sex attracted men and women who have decided to step away from that life and to reengage with who they really are and were meant to be. These brave people—Dan, Paul and Rilene—and all those in the apostolate Courage are living testaments to the possibilities that it can be left behind and that what opens up is not just the desire but the bounty of the everlasting hills.

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