On a typical day, Father Jeff Coning might be found in his diocesan parishes, New Philadelphia Sacred Heart and Dennison Immaculate Conception, administering sacraments and caring for his flock. His priestly ministry, at times, however, extends beyond the parish – even onto the set of a movie.

Father Coning served as a consultant to actor Liam Neeson, who played the role of a priest in “Wildcat,” a new film based on the life and writings of 20th-century Catholic author Flannery O’Connor that debuts in theaters on Friday, May 3.

“The film is essentially this journey into the life and mind and heart of Flannery O’Connor,” said Eric Groth, the film’s executive producer.

“Wildcat” was filmed in Kentucky in January 2023. Groth, who is the CEO of Renovo Media Group and president of ODB Films, invited Father Coning on set to consult Neeson in his role as a priest for the film. 

“Father Jeff is a true evangelist at heart, and our goal with our films was to really share the beauty, goodness and truth of the Gospel with young people in creative and relevant ways,” Groth said.

Groth, who is Catholic, has known Father Coning for nearly 20 years. The two met in 2006 at a national Catholic trade show and became friends.

Father Jeff Coning    CT file photo

“To be with Eric and watch how a movie was made was a great experience,” Father Coning said.

Neeson, who is widely known for his role as Qui-Gon Jinn in the “Star Wars” series, acts as the parish priest for O’Connor, portrayed by actress Maya Hawke. Hawke’s father, Ethan, directed, co-wrote and produced the film.

“Flannery was a woman from the ‘50s in the south who was a bit of an anomaly in a very Protestant, evangelical south, and she was a very devout Catholic woman, and so, we had to pay really close attention to that,” Groth said.

For his scene with Hawke, Neeson, who is Catholic, requested a priest be with him on set as a consultant, Groth said, to ensure he represented the priesthood in the Catholic Church correctly.

“We talked about some minor details about the posture and gestures of a priest doing an anointing of the sick and confession,” Father Coning said. “He actually thanked me for the prayer I offered before the shooting started.”

Neeson’s character offers O’Connor the sacrament of reconciliation. He also had to recite some Latin for his role.

Father Coning was present to advise Neeson, making sure the Latin was articulated correctly, Groth said. He also guided him in the use of sacramentals, such as proper use of the stole worn by a priest when administering the sacrament of reconciliation.

“It was a great experience,” Groth said of having Father Coning on set. “Father Jeff got to be on set that whole scene – not even outside behind the monitors; he was in the room where we were shooting the scene.”

“I was luckily one of the very few allowed in the room while the scene was being shot,” Father Coning said. “It was actually shot some 10 times to get a variety of camera angles, and Maya and Liam did the exact same scene each time.”

Maya Hawke’s father, Ethan Hawke, co-wrote, directed and produced the film “Wildcat.”  Photo courtesy Track Shot Media

Father Coning also had an opportunity to interact with the film’s director. He talked with Ethan Hawke for about 10 minutes, he said, and discussed confession, which Hawke was familiar with.

“I pointed out that having Liam end the scene with starting the sacrament of penance was better than having it occur in the middle of the scene,” Father Coning said.

“I also pointed out that, from the script, Flannery was concerned about whether her work gave glory to God and that St. Thomas Aquinas had the same issue. Near his death, when his friends kept congratulating him on his work, his response was that his work amounted to mere straw.”

Father Coning said he was familiar with O’Connor from a literature course he took in seminary at the Pontifical College Josephinum. He read O’Connor again while Bishop Emeritus Frederick Campbell was bishop of Columbus, he said, because he frequently spoke about her.

Groth said two Catholic churches in the Archdiocese of Louisville were used for the shoot. 

Father Matthew Hardesty, the pastor at the two parishes, served as a consultant for Maya Hawke. He guided her in her role as O’Connor, such as in genuflecting, praying and using the beads of a rosary.

From the acting to the set decoration and design, elements of the Catholic faith are reflected throughout the film. Groth said those involved in “Wildcat” were intentional about portraying the Catholic faith correctly.

“Father Jeff was a tremendous part of making that happen,” he said.

“Wildcat” explores 20th-century Catholic author Flannery O’Connor’s writings, which largely examine suffering and God's grace.  Photo courtesy Track Shot Media

“Wildcat” follows O’Connor in her struggle with a lupus diagnosis, an autoimmune disease at age 24 that eventually led to her death, and her writings, which examine questions of faith, morality and suffering. 

The film, written by Ethan Hawke and Shelby Gaines, shifts between reality and imagination in O’Connor’s writing.

Groth said O’Connor wrote in a way that demonstrates “the protagonist who has light also has darkness, and the antagonist who seems full of darkness also can benefit from the light.”

Her works largely explore God’s grace, which the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) defines as “favor, the free and undeserved help that God gives us to respond to His call to become children of God” (CCC 1996).

Actual grace, one variation, refers to “God’s interventions, whether at the beginning of conversion or in the course of the work of sanctification” (CCC 2000).

“We often think of grace in a nice package with a nice bow on it,” Groth said. “The reality is that grace often cuts with a sword before it heals.”