Movie shines light on 'a man of faith'

By ROB HERBST
The Catholic Week
A documentary highlighting the remarkable life of Bishop Michael Portier, the first bishop of Mobile, will be available to everyone beginning Monday, April 26. 
“Servant of the South – The Life of Bishop Michael Portier” is a 50-minute video produced by 4PM Media. It will be available at no cost on several sites - mobarch.org/portier, Facebook.com/mobilearchdiocese and the Archdiocese of Mobile Office of Religious Education’s YouTube page.
Bishop Portier was originally from France, but was willing to serve in the U.S. frontier. According to Archbishop Thomas J. Rodi, Bishop Portier’s faith is a shining example to us all.
“He was a man of faith and his example of faith should speak to us,” Archbishop Rodi said. “He left all the comforts of a developed city (Lyon, France) for the frontier. He said ‘I trust God and wherever God wants me to go, I’m willing to face the challenges.”
Bishop Portier arrived in the U.S. in 1817 and was ordained to the priesthood in 1818. In 1825, Bishop Portier was consecrated titular Bishop of Oleno and became the first, and only, Vicar Apostolic of the new Vicariate of Alabama and the Floridas. 
At the time of his accession he was the only clergyman in the vicariate and had only three parishes one each in Mobile, St. Augustine, Fla., and Pensacola, Fla. Bishop Portier began his administration by riding through his vicariate, offering the Holy Eucharist, preaching, and administering the Sacraments as he went.
On May 15, 1829, the vicariate was raised to the Diocese of Mobile, and Bishop Portier was made its first bishop and he served until his death in 1859.
According to Archbishop Rodi, many of the challenges Bishop Portier faced in the 1800s are still relevant today, such as how to spread the good news of Jesus Christ, especially to the young without the benefit of churches and schools in certain areas; how to pay for ministries; how to serve the poor; how to recruit more priests; how to minister to immigrants who don’t speak the same language; and deal with scandal within the Church.
“Learning from the past helps us deal with the challenges of the present,” Archbishop Rodi said.
The documentary includes interviews with several figures throughout the archdiocese. Rev. Msgr. Stephen Martin, pastor of St. Bartholomew Parish in Elberta, portrays Bishop Portier.
The documentary has developed over the past several years based on a similar documentary, “Man of Deeds,” on the life of Bishop Mathias Loras. The archdiocese is excited about using the documentary format to highlight the remarkable history of our diocese from its earliest beginnings and the tireless dedication of Bishop Portier.