The Lord of the Rings Movie Marathon Weekend at St. Therese Institute
One of my favorite traditions at St. Therese Institute of Faith and Mission is our annual Lord of the Rings movie marathon. Every year, over the course of a weekend, we watch all three Extended Edition films—nearly 12 hours of storytelling! It is a true marathon, and it is also one of the most communal and joy-filled weekends of the year: fellowship, towering creativity…and even encountering the King of the Universe through the story.
The Epic Quest Begins
The weekend begins on Friday evening as we transform the gym into a “hobbit hole” of sorts, filled with couches and comfy chairs, blankets and pillows. The movie staples of popcorn and beverages sustain us as our STIFM Fellowship journeys with the Hobbits out of the Shire into the unknowns of the wilderness and on to Rivendale. Sam’s declaration, “This is it. If I take one more step, it’ll be the farthest away from home I’ve ever been,” reminds us of our own Christian journeys (and for some, Bruno is the farthest way from home they’ve ever been). We watch as the Fellowship is formed and they begin their near impossible quest to destroy Sauron’s ring of power.
Saturday introduces the first twist to keep our cinematic indulgence far from passive: Our traditional Lord of the Rings Snack Competition! Teams of St. Therese residents imagine and create Middle Earth-themed munchies for the second movie in the marathon.
Unrestrained fantasy-driven creativity has resulted in many glorious…and gory-ous…and gooey-ous…culinary creations. This year’s fare easily met the excited expectations of the community. Bilbo’s hundred-and-eleventy birthday cake launched us into celebration. Lembas (biscults masquerading as elven waybread) and pints of beer (root beer floats) sustained us. The “dead marshes” were represented this year by sour patch kids in lime jello, with cake chunks and pretzel tree stumps protruding from the deadly green gelatinous goo. First prize went to Mount Doom, recreated from chocolate caramel bunt cake and erupting sour cherry lava all over the table. The Eye of Sauron made two appearances: once as devilled-eggs and once in hummus form. The Ents were there too, made of broccoli.
A hungry Fellowship of St. Therese residents helped themselves to the copious spread as they took in the second part of the trilogy, The Two Towers.
On Sunday, the program continues to fire the imagination and foster creativity with a second twist: The Middle-earth Costume Party!
Days or weeks of planning and clandestine work pay off as our St. Therese residents parade into the lounge in full garb, amidst an electric atmosphere of thunderous claps and echoing cheers! Poor Bilbo would be so overwhelmed he would surely collapse, muttering “Struck by lightning! Struck by lightning!” as he did in the Hobbit, the prelude to the Lord of the Rings story.
Some costumes are evocatively simple; some are over-the-top fantastic! Hobbits seemed to be the theme for this year with many notable Hobbiton denizens venturing out to watch the Return of the King, our third and final movie in the marathon’s trilogy.
Other notable cameo appearances are made by Aragon & Arwen, Boramir, Theoden, and Gandalf. The malevolent Lidless Eye of Sauron appears once more, as well.
Tolkien: Author, Professor and Catholic Witness
The weekend is full of fun, food, and abundant creativity, but there is a deeper reason we return to this story year after year as well. Its creator, John Ronald Reuel (J.R.R.) Tolkien (1892-1973), was a man of profound Catholic faith. He famously described The Lord of the Rings as a “fundamentally religious and Catholic work”. Tolkien’s faith was not an add-on; it was the “underlying matrix” through which he understood the world.
This is visible in the “sacramental” elements of his stories. For example, the Elven waybread, lembas, which “fed the will” and gave strength for the journey, is a image of the Eucharist.
Characters like Galadriel reflect Tolkien’s veneration of the Virgin Mary. Even the date the Ring is destroyed—March 25th—was chosen intentionally. In the ancient liturgical calendar, March 25th is the date of both the Annunciation (the Incarnation) and the Crucifixion, the two moments where light definitively overcame the darkness of our own world.
And Jesus’ threefold munera (Latin for “offices” or “missions”) are embodied in the three main characters of Tolkein’s story: Gandalf (The Prophet), the spiritual being made flesh who undergoes a literal death and resurrection to return with greater power; Frodo (The Priest), takes on the “sin” of the Ring and offers himself as a sacrificial victim for the salvation of many; and, Aragorn (The King), the hidden heir who returns to claim his throne, conquering death itself by walking the “Paths of the Dead” (cf. the Harrowing of Hell).
The “Little Way” of Middle-earth
At St. Therese, we find a special connection in the way Tolkien’s “little people” mirror the “Little Way” of our patroness. St. Thérèse of Lisieux taught that holiness is found not in grand, worldly achievements, but in the “nothingness” of small, hidden acts of love.
Frodo Baggins – the hero of the Lord of the Rings tale – is not a classical hero of hubris or self-confidence. He is a small, fearful hobbit who succeeds through “dogged obedience” to a call he did not choose. As Elrond famously says, “Such is of the course of deeds that move the wheels of the world: small hands do them because they must, while the eyes of the great are elsewhere”. This is the essence of the Little Way: recognizing our own weakness so that Divine Providence can work through us. Even when Frodo “fails” at the final hour, his previous acts of humble mercy allow Grace to complete the quest.
A Future Patron Saint of Mythology?
Because of his “heroic virtue” and the way his work has led so many back to the Church, there has been a growing movement for Tolkien’s canonization. In 2017, a significant step was taken when a special Mass for the opening of his cause was celebrated at the Oxford Oratory—the very church where Tolkien attended daily Mass. While the process is still in its early stages of advocacy, we may join the many members of the faithful who pray the official Prayer for his Beatification:
“O Blessed Trinity, we thank You for having graced the Church with John Ronald Reuel Tolkien and for allowing the poetry of Your Creation, the mystery of the Passion of Your Son, and the symphony of the Holy Spirit, to shine through him and his subcreative imagination. Trusting fully in Your infinite mercy and in the maternal intercession of Mary, he has given us a living image of Jesus the Wisdom of God Incarnate, and has shown us that holiness is the necessary measure of ordinary Christian life and is the way of achieving eternal communion with You. Grant us, by his intercession, and according to Your will, the graces we implore… hoping that he will soon be numbered among Your saints. Amen.”
James Riley has been at St. Therese Institute longer than any of the rest of the staff can remember, and he has worn many hats, including wizardly ones. He is the master of St. Therese Institute lore, and an unabashed Lord of the Rings (proof: he has a daughter named Éowyn, and LotR toys in his office). He currently serves as the Deputy of Operations.