Uploaded August 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Breaking of bread. Mass. Eucharist. Lord's Supper. Different names for one and the same central ritual. A ritual that has gathered Christians of all denominations for 2,000 years. And: transformation takes place. Gifts of creation are taken out of their everyday use and given new meaning. The one loaf of bread is shared, broken, and all receive it. All drink from the one chalice. From the gifts of the earth and human labor, according to Christian understanding, the Body and Blood of Christ are created, and communion takes place. At the heart of the celebration: the great prayer over bread and wine: the Eucharistic Prayer. In the Mass, we celebrate communion with God and with one another: we celebrate communion. A communion in the here and now, a communion across space and time!
As the gifts are transformed, so too should we be transformed! In the words of Saint Augustine: "Receive what you are, the Body of Christ, so that you may become what you receive: the Body of Christ!" With our baptism, we have become part of the Body of Christ, the Church! And when we receive the Body and Blood of Christ, we ourselves are transformed more and more into this Body of Christ with every celebration: Become what you are: the Body of Christ! Through the celebration of the liturgy, we become more divine!
The pilot film in the "Holy Signs" series, presented here, consciously focuses on a core theme of Christian liturgy: the celebration of the Eucharist/Holy Communion, and within this celebration, the liturgical core of the Eucharistic Prayer.
What happens during the Eucharistic Prayer? The pilot film "Transformation!" provides answers that, on a content level, reflect the current state of liturgical research, while also breaking new ground in visualization.
The philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein said, "Knowledge and wisdom are gray. Life and religion are full of color." The religious experience of truth, beauty, and goodness brings color into our lives. Producing films about liturgy, sacraments, and faith sets a high standard. Such a film must itself be liturgy. Images are crucial; words (the communication of knowledge) can serve as an aid to interpretation. The new series consciously draws inspiration from Romano Guardini's classic "On Sacred Signs." What Guardini described in 1927 will not only be described and explained here, but above all, visualized.
The film series "Sacred Signs" is an ambitious project. Within the unique architectural setting of the newly renovated Motherhouse Church in Würzburg, an equally unique visualization of liturgical themes is being created.
At a time when, from a societal perspective, knowledge of Christian beliefs and rituals is dwindling, the series "Sacred Signs," a collaborative project between the Chair of Liturgical Studies at the University of Würzburg and Loyola Productions in Munich, seeks to explore new avenues for communicating faith. The aim of the "Sacred Signs" series is to combine the high academic standard of current research with the greatest possible accessibility.
Breaking of bread. Mass. Eucharist. Lord's Supper. Different names for one and the same central ritual. A ritual that has gathered Christians of all denominations for 2,000 years. And: transformation takes place. Gifts of creation are taken out of their everyday use and given new meaning. The one loaf of bread is shared, broken, and all receive it. All drink from the one chalice. From the gifts of the earth and human labor, according to Christian understanding, the Body and Blood of Christ are created, and communion takes place. At the heart of the celebration: the great prayer over bread and wine: the Eucharistic Prayer. In the Mass, we celebrate communion with God and with one another: we celebrate communion. A communion in the here and now, a communion across space and time!
As the gifts are transformed, so too should we be transformed! In the words of Saint Augustine: "Receive what you are, the Body of Christ, so that you may become what you receive: the Body of Christ!" With our baptism, we have become part of the Body of Christ, the Church! And when we receive the Body and Blood of Christ, we ourselves are transformed more and more into this Body of Christ with every celebration: Become what you are: the Body of Christ! Through the celebration of the liturgy, we become more divine!
The pilot film in the "Holy Signs" series, presented here, consciously focuses on a core theme of Christian liturgy: the celebration of the Eucharist/Holy Communion, and within this celebration, the liturgical core of the Eucharistic Prayer.
What happens during the Eucharistic Prayer? The pilot film "Transformation!" provides answers that, on a content level, reflect the current state of liturgical research, while also breaking new ground in visualization.
The philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein said, "Knowledge and wisdom are gray. Life and religion are full of color." The religious experience of truth, beauty, and goodness brings color into our lives. Producing films about liturgy, sacraments, and faith sets a high standard. Such a film must itself be liturgy. Images are crucial; words (the communication of knowledge) can serve as an aid to interpretation. The new series consciously draws inspiration from Romano Guardini's classic "On Sacred Signs." What Guardini described in 1927 will not only be described and explained here, but above all, visualized.
The film series "Sacred Signs" is an ambitious project. Within the unique architectural setting of the newly renovated Motherhouse Church in Würzburg, an equally unique visualization of liturgical themes is being created.
At a time when, from a societal perspective, knowledge of Christian beliefs and rituals is dwindling, the series "Sacred Signs," a collaborative project between the Chair of Liturgical Studies at the University of Würzburg and Loyola Productions in Munich, seeks to explore new avenues for communicating faith. The aim of the "Sacred Signs" series is to combine the high academic standard of current research with the greatest possible accessibility.
