TV program notes -- week of Dec. 23

NEW YORK (CNS) -- Here are some television program notes for the week of Dec. 23 with their TV Parental Guidelines ratings if available. They have not been reviewed and therefore are not necessarily recommended by the Office for Film & Broadcasting.

Monday, Dec. 24, 9-9:30 p.m. EST (EWTN) "Family Theater: Mysteries of the Rosary: The Nativity." This dramatic presentation brings to life the third joyful mystery of the rosary, the Nativity. Produced by Family Theater.

Monday, Dec. 24, 10-11 p.m. EST (PBS) "Christmas at Belmont." The "Christmas at Belmont" concert is a holiday tradition at Belmont University in Nashville, Tenn., whose music school features outstanding choral and instrumental ensembles that have received high praise nationally and internationally. This year, the annual concert comes from Nashville's new Schermerhorn Symphony Center as "American Idol" finalist Melinda Doolittle hosts a festive musical collage that includes a Christmas repertoire ranging from traditional carols to classical masterworks to lighthearted secular songs (TV-G -- general audience).

Monday, Dec. 24, 10:30 p.m.-12:30 a.m. EST (EWTN) "Solemn Mass of Christmas Eve From the Basilica of the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception." Live Christmas Mass from the basilica in Washington.

Tuesday, Dec. 25, 9-10 p.m. EST (PBS) "A World of Good." This special edition of "Frontline/World" offers a look at some remarkable individuals finding ways to do good around the world and also tells an uplifting story of the power of music to transform lives. In Uganda, reporter Clark Boyd finds out how a San Francisco-based nonprofit called Kiva is revolutionizing the world of microcredit, and Macarena Hernandez travels to the Mexican state of Chihuahua to meet a man who's rediscovered an ancient method of pottery-making that's bringing fame and prosperity to the rural village of Mata Ortiz. In Poland, the Chopin International Piano Competition offers a window onto the world of young virtuosos who come to learn that there's much more to music than just playing the notes. Finally, in South Africa, a remarkable invention -- a schoolyard merry-go-round that drives a water pump -- offers a great leap forward for poor, rural communities in need of clean water.

Thursday, Dec. 27, 10-11 p.m. EST (EWTN) "Christmas With the Nuns of Our Lady of the Angels Monastery." The Poor Clares of Perpetual Adoration usher in the Christmas season with an array of traditional hymns, including "O Holy Night," "The Coventry Carol" and many others; recorded at the Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament in Hanceville, Ala.

Saturday, Dec. 29, 8-9:30 p.m. EST (EWTN) "Mary's House: All Are Invited." A tour of the shrines of the city of Ephesus, Turkey, with a look at the history and discovery of Mary's house.

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