I have some good news about Kevin Costner Presents: The First Christmas, a new docudrama special premiering Dec. 9 on ABC, then streaming as of Dec. 10 on Hulu and Disney+.

Too often, when secular producers make films about Christianity, they include scholars instead of clergy — and if there are clergy, they’re often not Catholic. That’s not the case here.

Kevin Costner hosts the “Kevin Costner Presents: The First Christmas” special which explores the extraordinary journey of Mary and Joseph as they navigate the hardships, trials and triumphs surrounding Jesus Christ’s birth, offering an inspiring way to experience the true meaning of Christmas.

The two-hour special also features reenactments of pivotal moments in their story as their future’s uncertainty and the miraculous gift which they have been entrusted with unfolds, while delving deeper into the emotional significance of the events and diversity of the Christian faith. The special is produced by Warm Springs Productions and directed by David L. Cunningham.

I have some good news about Kevin Costner Presents: The First Christmas, a new docudrama special premiering Dec. 9 on ABC, then streaming as of Dec. 10 on Hulu and Disney+.

Too often, when secular producers make films about Christianity, they include scholars instead of clergy — and if there are clergy, they’re often not Catholic. That’s not the case here.

But first …

What Is Kevin Costner Presents: The First Christmas?
From ABC:

Kevin Costner hosts the “Kevin Costner Presents: The First Christmas” special which explores the extraordinary journey of Mary and Joseph as they navigate the hardships, trials and triumphs surrounding Jesus Christ’s birth, offering an inspiring way to experience the true meaning of Christmas.

The two-hour special also features reenactments of pivotal moments in their story as their future’s uncertainty and the miraculous gift which they have been entrusted with unfolds, while delving deeper into the emotional significance of the events and diversity of the Christian faith. The special is produced by Warm Springs Productions and directed by David L. Cunningham.

Warm Springs Productions is located in Missoula, Montana, and previously worked with Costner on the Fox Nation documentary series Yellowstone One-Fifty and Yellowstone to Yosemite.

The dramatic re-enactments of the events around the birth of Christ were filmed on location in Morocco (including actors cast out of London).

Now, as for that Catholic …

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Meet Father Raftis
The Catholic voice in the film (which does include scholars and non-Catholic Christian clergy) is Father Sean Raftis of the Diocese of Helena, Montana. He’s pastor of two parishes — St. Richard in Columbia Falls, and St. Charles Borromeo in Whitefish — in the upper northwest corner of the state.

You might wonder if he’s in this film because it features Kevin Costner as the host and narrator, and Costner was the longtime star of the drama series Yellowstone, set and partly filmed in Montana.

You might think that, but you’d be wrong.

The Father Stu Connection
In the interests of full disclosure, Father Raftis is a friend of mine. I’ve visited his parish, and he’s visited Los Angeles, for the premiere of the 2018 movie Tag, based on a lifelong game of tag among Raftis and his friends.

We also talked for the 2021 film Father Stu, starring Mark Wahlberg as Father Stuart Long. Also a priest of the Diocese of Helena, Long had a remarkable conversion story and an impactful priesthood, before dying at 50 from a rare autoimmune disease.

Raftis counted Father Stu as a friend, confessor and spiritual director. So, when the Knights of Columbus made a short film about Father Stu, to coincide with the movie, Raftis was featured.