A Milwaukee man who heads a Catholic youth and young adult ministry has written, produced and directed a documentary on a missionary priest in the Wisconsin territory and far beyond in the 1800s.
“Mazzuchelli: Called for Great and Difficult Work” is a 30-minute film that follows the life of Ven. Fr. Samuel Mazzuchelli, O.P., from his childhood in Milan, Italy, to his decision to enter the Dominican order at age 17 and his ministry of evangelization and preaching in America.
The film can be viewed at madisondiocese.org/mazzuchellimovie, where discussion guides are also available.
Bill Snyder, who heads the nonprofit Patchwork Heart Ministry, made the documentary following extensive study about Fr. Mazzuchelli, who with two women founded the Dominican Sisters of Sinsinawa in southwestern Wisconsin.
“Fr. Mazzuchelli truly integrated his faith into his daily life and witnessed the Gospel while seeking to understand the customs and traditions of those to whom he ministered,” Snyder said.
Snyder, who has made several other faith-based documentaries, said he hopes everyone watching the film is inspired to emulate Fr. Mazzuchelli, particularly as they seek to bring Jesus to those who need him.
“I hope that people all over the country, especially in Milwaukee, will see how Fr. Mazzuchelli impacted our area,” said Snyder, a member of St. Francis of Assisi, Milwaukee. “The three-hour drive to his grave (in southwestern Wisconsin) is not far, and I hope people get engaged in his life and go on a pilgrimage to see his churches and where he is buried.”
Asked by Bishop Edward Fenwick, also a Dominican, to come to America, then-Brother Mazzuchelli arrived in 1828 to serve the Diocese of Cincinnati, which then covered the state of Ohio and the Michigan Territory. The Michigan Territory then included what became Wisconsin, Minnesota, North and South Dakota, and Iowa.
Following his 1830 ordination in Cincinnati, Fr. Mazzuchelli was sent to Mackinac Island, where he ministered to Native Americans and Europeans. He often preached at various missions, including in the Green Bay area. He also served the Winnebago and Menomonee tribes and converted many to Catholicism.
During his priestly years, Fr. Mazzuchelli established many parishes around the Midwest and founded the Congregation of the Most Holy Rosary of the Order of Preachers, also known as the Sinsinawa Dominican Sisters.
The film draws on interviews with Fr. Samuel Hakeem, O.P., Dominican Sisters of Sinsinawa and several young people on a Mazzuchelli pilgrimage to paint a picture of the heroic witness that Fr. Mazzuchelli offered through his life of missionary discipleship and the example that he passes on to us today.
The film was produced by the Diocese of Madison and Different Heart Productions.
“Bishop Donald Hying is working to promote this film with the Diocese of Madison so people from all over the country learn about Fr. Mazzuchelli,” Snyder said.
Snyder’s interest in Fr. Mazzuchelli grew when a friend from the Madison diocese reached out after viewing his previous film on the Shroud of Turin.
“My friend is also friends with Bishop Hying, and they were interested in working together on Fr. Mazzuchelli’s cause for canonization and sharing his model for evangelization. We want people to emulate Fr. Mazzuchelli and follow his footsteps,” he explained.
One of Snyder’s most significant challenges in the year he spent chronicling Fr. Mazzuchelli’s life was integrating his autobiography and memoirs with his history and accomplishments.
“It was important to me to research all I could about him and be able to pull out quotes relating to his own life and honor that in sections of the documentary, using his own words. That took quite a bit of research to pull out,” he said.
“I read a lot of Fr. Mazzuchelli, and interestingly, he always referred to himself in the third person. He had great humility, and I think he really should be named a saint. We don’t have any approved miracles yet, but several have been reported to the sisters. It is important to get his name out there, to follow in his footsteps, and ask for his intercession. There is a lot of illness and sickness in the world, and hopefully, his intercession will bring about an approved miracle soon,” Snyder said.
Fr. Mazzuchelli died in February 1864 after developing pneumonia while visiting a critically ill parishioner. He is buried in Benton in southwestern Wisconsin within the Diocese of Madison. St. John Paul II as pope declared him Venerable in 1993.
