Gospel of Luke brought to life

Written by Lindsey Hoyt

Tuesday, 17 February 2009 19:29

The Rev. James DiLuzio presents the biblical book of Luke in a live, interactive format from 7 to 8:30 tonight and Thursday. The performance takes place in St. Paul’s Newman Center at 1800 Grand Ave.

The shows are casual, nondenominational and open to the public, Catholics on Campus President Christine Keldsen said.

According to the Newman Center bulletin, the consecutive shows will cover chapter 17 through the end of the book. Luke is the third of the four Gospels, or biographies, of Jesus Christ in the New Testament.

Luke Live – A Dramatic Proclamation of the Gospel of Luke is the national and international ministry tour of DiLuzio, who is from New York City. DiLuzio is a one-man show, reciting the chapters verse by verse from memory. He incorporates drama, song, spoken word and conversation in the show.

“It was really entertaining, and it was amazing the way he really did act it out. He did different voices … I’ve never heard anything proclaimed in that way. He made it personal for all of us,” Keldsen said.

Several dozen students and older parishioners attended the first of the four performances on Monday. DiLuzio is concluding the book of Luke as a continuation of his Luke Live performance here in 2006, Keldsen said.

She said DiLuzio’s format is to recite a chapter, sing a song and then pose questions to the audience to allow an exchange of personal perceptions and thoughts. This interaction made the experience feel less like a preached sermon, Keldsen said.

“He makes you feel like you’re there,” Keldsen said.

DiLuzio is a Paulist Father. According to the official Web site of Paulist Fathers, they “seek to meet the contemporary culture on its own terms, to present the Gospel message in ways that are compelling but not diluted, so that the fullness of the Catholic faith may lead others to find Christ’s deep peace … Paulists do not condemn culture, nor do they try to conform the Gospel to it. Rather, we preach the Gospel in new ways and in new forms.”

In addition to a bachelor’s degree in English and education and a master’s degree in divinity, DiLuzio received a master’s degree in drama from the University of Southern California.

DiLuzio has been performing around the U.S. and Canada since 2004.

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