Now a professor of systematic theology at Catholic Theological Union in Chicago, Sison has made it his life’s work to point out the significant impact film and visual culture can have on our spiritual lives. His work shows that through exploring stories of humanity we can better know God and better understand God in the world around us. “It makes life exciting for me,” he says about being engaged in theology and the arts.

Over the past 18 months, Sison has used this intentional engagement with film to make sense of the COVID-19 pandemic. At the beginning of the pandemic, Sison recalls having nightmares. “There was collective trauma—something hit humanity that none of us expected with such magnitude that there was no safe space on Earth,” he says. “That sounds to me like a dystopian, apocalyptic horror movie.” He found that immersing himself in films with similar themes offered a safe space within which to sort out his emotions regarding the pandemic and to ponder the future with hope.