Up Close With the Work of Human Hands

Terence McCorry grew up wanting to be a priest but a fascination with the big screen steered him in a different direction.

After working on a few Hollywood movie sets as a go-for, he developed a passion for acting and film production. “That’s when I would immediately fall in love with the whole process,” says the director of campus and young adult ministries for the Diocese of Palm Beach.

“I always loved movies and how people come together to create something,” says Terence. Thereafter, he spent over a decade in various roles, ranging from screenwriting, production and art direction. The 51-year-old casually admits to having very small roles in the epic horror films, Friday the 13th and Nightmare on Elm Street.

But to make it to the top of the industry he imagined having an “unethical swim upstream” –something that he wasn’t willing to endure. That’s when the Belmar, New Jersey native sought vocation in ministry. “The calling never stopped knocking,” he says soundly. “It felt so fulfilling so I knew I was in the right place.”
Having served in campus ministry roles throughout New York and currently South Florida, Terence says that he consistently educates his students on what it means to be connected to a global community. His students would participate in Operation Rice Bowl Lenten program each year to support development programs in impoverished regions around the world. Terence bought gifts from the Work of Human Hands fair-trade catalog, which gives artisans and small scale farmers access to larger consumer markets.

However, little did he know, the two programs were both run by Catholic Relief Services. It was only after CRS staff toured the Palm Beach Diocese did he connect the dots. “I was blown away because I thought they were both great programs,” he says. CRS is one of the things that I can hold my head high about to say we are Catholics.”

To that end, Terence became a CRS diocesan director and says that he wanted to do more to promote CRS to a younger generation. “If CRS wants to continue to be vital it needs to reach out to young adults,” he says. He learned of a CRS’ capacity building grant and came up with the idea of producing a film. “It was a perfect fit.”

Awarded a $6,000 grant, Terence, a film crew and novice student actors embarked on shooting a film that will help spread the message of solidarity and service to more youth and young adults. “I always missed film so this was a great opportunity,” Terrence says.

Filmed on the campus of Florida Atlantic University and a local parish, students dramatized scenarios of how buying fair trade items, such as coffee, chocolate products and crafts help farmers and artisans earn a better market value for their goods. For fair trade artisans and farmers, increased income means a way to support their families.

“I was really proud of them because they had never been in the film process before,” says Terence, noting that the film is “pretty” grassroots given the team was working on a small budget.

The film was shot in one and half days. “We had to bang this thing out pretty quickly. There were no luxuries,” he says.

The ultimate aim, Terence says, is for young viewers to learn ways that they can help––like buying fair trade products and donating to CRS. “It’s a way to get young adults to understand that we need to be our brothers’ and sisters’ keepers,” he says. “What do Americans love to do? Shop. Buy. Eat,” Terence says. “We used consumerism as a vehicle, the entryway to service.” It helps the targeted audience think twice about families who face harsh economic realities in developing countries.

The film was completed in early May and has already been screened at its first film festival. You can visit You Tube to watch the video and witness the message.

Thanks to former CRS staffer Kai T. Hill for this blog posting.