By David DiCerto
Catholic News Service

NEW YORK (CNS) -- What do a romance novelist, the "Queen of Suspense" and the manager of the Florida Marlins baseball team have in common?

The guests on the newest edition of "Personally Speaking" hosted by Msgr. Jim Lisante are all deeply committed to their Catholic faith.

The program is produced by the Catholic Communication Campaign and will be seen on NBC affiliate stations. Viewers can visit www.personallyspeaking.org for a listing of scheduled broadcasts or call their local NBC station to ask about their plans to air the program.

In this revealing one-hour special, Msgr. Lisante speaks with best-selling authors Nicholas Sparks and Mary Higgins Clark, as well as Jack McKeon, who managed the Marlins to a World Series championship in 2003.

Warm and disarming, Msgr. Lisante invites them to talk about "who they are as people in their personal relationship with God."

Raised in a devout Irish family, Clark, a mystery writer whose works have sold more than 80 million copies, openly acknowledges the role that faith plays in helping her face "the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune" and how she views each day as a gift.

University of Notre Dame graduate Sparks, whose tear-jerkers "The Notebook," "A Walk to Remember" and "Message in a Bottle" have all been made into movies, talks about how his Catholicism helps keep him grounded, especially in making sure that his fame as a hugely popular author never eclipses his role as father and husband.

New Jersey native and daily communicant Jack McKeon credits his devotion to St. Therese of Lisieux with his getting a second chance at baseball. He candidly discusses his spirituality, built on the firm belief that while faith may not always guarantee you a home run, it will give you the grace to step up to the plate each day and accept whatever life throws at you. He proudly states that wherever he was throughout his 50-year career -- much of it on the road and away from his family -- he always found time to attend Sunday Mass.

A common thread linking the interviews is the power of faith to sustain believers through periods of trial and loss. Clark learned this lesson early in life, with the unexpected death of her father. She later suffered a second crushing tragedy when her husband died, leaving her alone to raise five children. For McKeon, it was a faith-testing health scare -- his wife was diagnosed with cancer. No stranger to heartache, Sparks takes comfort in the hope that "the Lord will test you, but he will always give you the strength to overcome" those challenges.

The secret to rewarding viewing is the same as the secret to a happy marriage, which according to Sparks can be summed up in two words: Choose well. So if you're tired of summer reruns and mindless reality TV, here's a program worth watching.

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DiCerto is on the staff of the Office for Film & Broadcasting of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

Copyright (c) 2005 Catholic News Service/U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops