PROSPECT HEIGHTS — Father Joseph Gibino, vicar for the Secretariat for Evangelization and Catechesis for the Diocese of Brooklyn, always answers his phone the same way, by greeting the caller with, “Hello, may I help you?”
Father Gibino is taking his desire to help people to the television screen as the host of a new half-hour show, “Faith Explained,” that will air on NET-TV starting in May. The show’s exact launch date has not been set.
Part talk show and part educational series, “Faith Explained” will feature segments in which Father Gibino speaks directly to viewers to help them understand issues of interest to Catholics, as well as segments in which he chats with guests.
“I’m going to try to out-Oprah, Oprah,” he joked, referring to Oprah Winfrey, the legendary talk show host whose syndicated program ran from 1986 to 2011.
There will also be segments in which Father Gibino answers questions — like whether divorced Catholics can receive Communion — as well as video essays that illustrate each week’s show topic.
The first episode of “Faith Explained” is already in the can and features a conversation between Father Gibino and Michele Guerrier, a parishioner of St. Therese of Lisieux Church in Flatbush, about her participation in the diocese’s Lenten Pilgrimage.
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All the episodes will be filmed in a new state-of-the-art television studio in Prospect Heights, where DeSales Media Group, the entity that produces NET-TV, The Tablet, and Currents News, is located. The show is presented by DeSales Studio Productions.
“Faith Explained” promises to be visually arresting, said Conor Donnelly, the show’s producer, who is working closely with Father Gibino on planning and filming each episode. “We’re actually using virtual set technology,” he explained. “It’s basically a 3-D environment that we put Father Joe in.”
Virtual set technology combines live people with digitally created environments, replacing physical sets. The technology enables instantaneous background changes, helping the images come to life for the viewer.
“Faith Explained” will air once a month at first, but Donnelly said he hopes there will eventually be new episodes weekly.
Father Gibino said his goal for the series is to prove to the viewers that the Catholic Church is bold, dynamic, and unafraid to talk about controversial topics — such as the church’s stand against assisted suicide.
“The one thing I want to stress, and hope comes through, is that I want it to be very contemporary. I want the look and feel to be what’s happening now,” he said. “We have a number of challenging issues facing us that I really want to dive into.
“For example, assisted suicide. People ask, ‘Why can’t we help people end their lives and end their suffering?’ That is a good question, and it is a contemporary question that I will answer.”
The show’s name, “Faith Explained,” was inspired by Father Gibino’s love of “The UnXplained,” the popular History Channel show hosted by actor William Shatner, best known for “Star Trek,” which explores mysteries that have perplexed historians and scientists for years.
In a nod to “The UnXplained,” Father Gibino asked for the set design to include a director’s chair because Shatner uses one on his show.
The folks at DeSales Studio Productions came up with the idea for “Faith Explained” and brought it to Father Gibino, who immediately jumped on board.
Father Gibino was a natural fit, Donnelly said.
“We were looking at existing ministries in the diocese. We want to amplify them, and Father Gibino works with many of them,” Donnelly said, adding that Father Gibino has been really good to work with. “He came to us with a year’s worth of episode ideas.”
Father Gibino said he is looking forward to bringing “Faith Explained” to viewers, with an approach that feels timely and accessible.
“I find the whole thing to be very exciting,” Father Gibino said. “We’re trying to make this a realistic approach for the 21st century.”