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In All Things

The Mighty Macs Return!

James Martin, S.J.October 07, 2008

Here’s a trailer of what looks like a wonderful new movie, in "post-production," about the "Mighty Macs" the storied womens’ basketball team from Immaculata College, run by the IHM sisters, in sylvan Immaculata, Pennsylvania. The team won the first national women’s basketball championship in 1972.  The movie, filmed in Immaculata (near Philadelphia), stars Ellen Burstyn as the redoubtable Mother Superior and Carla Gugino as coach.  Growing up in Philly in the 1970s I heard all about the Mighty Macs, and just recently had the chance to visit the college and wonderfully warm IHM sisters, on what is a beautiful campus, just a few months back.  Ellen Burstyn will be giving Meryl Streep a run for her money in no-nonsense nuns this year.  Get this film a distributor!

James Martin, SJ

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16 years 10 months ago
My late mother would have loved this movie. She was a star basketball player when she was in high school. I laughed when the young girl introduces herself as Mary Margaret O'Malley. I went to grade school with a Mary Margaret O'Malley. I think she eventually became an Incarnate Word (San Antonio) Sister. A few weeks ago, I had a talk with a young Irishman by the name of O'Malley. He had been a Carthusian for a couple of years and was trying to decide if he would enter the Carthusians again. He said the Carthusian silence was vertical and that the Camaldolese silence was horizontal. He greatly valued both of these expressions of trust. I try to not miss any movie with Ellen Burstyn in it.

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