By Harry Forbes
Catholic News Service

NEW YORK (CNS) -- The premise is simple: Three public personalities -- an actress, a singer and a television journalist, each excelling in his or her respective field -- who, under Msgr. Jim Lisante's encouraging questioning, reveal a rock-solid Catholic faith that has seen them through the ups and downs of their private and professional lives.

Produced by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' Catholic Communication Campaign, "Personally Speaking" is scheduled at the discretion of NBC-TV affiliate stations, so check local listings.

Actress Margaret Colin ("Independence Day," "Three Men and a Baby") reveals a strong dedication to her faith, rooted in a solid Catholic upbringing. Her parents always allowed her to question her beliefs and the tenets of her church, so she wouldn't be turned off to religion by excessive rigidity, a strategy she has successfully followed with her own kids.

Passionately pro-life, she's been encouraged by others in the business to "keep quiet" about her views for the sake of her career, and has thus learned to be diplomatically conciliatory in her language on the subject, and is active in the "Feminists for Life" group.

Even more compelling, because his life has been more dramatic, singer Aaron Neville of the rhythm and blues combo, the Neville Brothers, tells how God helped him through 10 years of drug addiction which led to a prison sentence. He, too, is a product of a solid Catholic education, and he remembers how fervently his mother would pray to St. Jude.

At the height of his fame, he was cheated out of some of the money to which he was due after his biggest hit, "Tell It Like It Is," but philosophically reasons that if he had more money at the time he might have misused it and it might ultimately have hurt him more.

He never blames God, knowing that mistakes are his own doing.

He feels a special kinship to Mary, and recalls how "Ave Maria" would soothe him in school. And he touchingly relates how he talked to a woman over the phone for six months before she died.

Like Colin, he never preached to his children, but believed his actions would inspire them. His 40-year marriage survived his self-described walk through hell, even though his wife left him for two years.

Tim Russert, moderator of NBC's "Meet the Press," is given pride of place and the longest segment of the three. Speaking of his hard-working and devout sanitation-worker father, who worked two full-time jobs uncomplainingly, Russert had strong values and a good work ethic instilled. He prides himself on being a good father himself, and has never missed one of his son's games, no matter how busy he's been.

His father taught him that marriage is a partnership, and to treat every girl as if it was his sister. Like Colin, he went through a period of questioning, and studied other faiths, but ultimately affirmed his allegiance to the Catholic Church.

Genuinely proud of being a Catholic, he tries to live out the Gospel of Christ. It's not enough just to go to church on Sunday, but to live a life of Christ.

His story of meeting Pope John Paul II in 1985 (when the pope was young and robust, and one "could see the actor and mountain climber in him") is a high point.

Russert states he's a firm believer in the life to come, which comes as no surprise given the unswerving faith he demonstrates in this inspiring talk.

If Msgr. Lisante wants to surprise us by showing the spiritual side of famous personalities we see in other guises, he's succeeded admirably with these three absorbing interviews.

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Forbes is director of the Office for Film & Broadcasting of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

Copyright (c) 2004 Catholic News Service/U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops