Here’s the latest dispatch from the crossroads of faith and media:

Kyle MachLachlan on playing Dr. Stephen Frost on Carol’s Second Act. Kyle MacLachlan is one of TV’s most respected actors, primarily known for his roles in edgy series like Twin Peaks, Sex & the City, Desperate Housewives and Marvel’s Agents of Shield. But, as much as he enjoyed doing those shows, he tells me he’s having the time of his life playing the kindly Dr. Frost opposite Patricia Heaton in the new CBS hit Carol’s Second Act. First and foremost, he says he enjoys working with series star and executive producer Patricia Heaton, as well as the show’s younger cast members. He also says that he’s enjoying doing comedy – something he thinks people need during times like this when the nation’s problems are so serious. He also likes the fact that, while the show does brush up against some hard issues facing the medical profession, it essentially takes an idealistic view toward those working in it. These are characters, he notes, who essentially care about their patients and want to do right by them.

If you haven’t seen it (or even if you have), Carol’s Second Act airs Thursday nights on CBS at 9:30 PM (ET), right after the current classic Mom.  The show’s worth checking out.

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A good cause. Last year, through the efforts of 620 participating Catholic parishes, schools and groups across 47 states utilizing 149 drop-off centers, Cross Catholic Outreach collected and delivered gift-filled Boxes of Joy to 58,030 children in Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, El Salvador and Guatemala. The ministry’s goal is to increase the number of children served to 85,000 by 2020 — which will require a rise in group and parish participation and the number of drop-off centers for boxes. By sending Boxes of Joy — each box includes a rosary and “The Story of Jesus,” in the recipient’s native language — groups can demonstrate Christ’s compassion to poor children in developing countries. Group registration is available now.

Catholic parishes, schools and groups nationwide organize Boxes of Joy by packing the boxes with small gifts like toys and school supplies, and adding essentials like soap, toothpaste and toothbrushes, as well as a few treats like hard candy and coloring books. Participants include $9 in each box to cover shipment from the local drop-off center to the child.

The 2019 Box of Joy campaign kicks off in September and groups deliver gifts to their local drop-off centers during Box of Joy Collection Week, Nov. 2-10. Any group that misses Box of Joy Week can ship their gifts to the National Screening Center in Miami. Here is the full 2019 schedule. To learn more on how to engage students, parishioners or group members in reaching needy children through Box of Joy, please visit the website.

Encourage one another and build each other up – 1 Thessalonians 5:11