A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood: Pastoral Care at Its Best

“A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood” is a remarkable film. This retelling and revisioning of Fred Rogers’ encounter with a jaded writer for Esquire magazine requires one to hold reality a bit loosely, but the relationships and personal challenges it addresses are rooted deeply in reality.

There is not a lot one can say about this film without spoiling it for the prospective viewer so let me place in within a context that pastors, clergy, and chaplains--those who practice pastoral care--will appreciate.

The New York Times review by A. O. Scott begins with this statement: “‘A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood’ celebrates the virtues of patient listening, gentleness and the honest expression of feelings.” For me, this is what pastoral care is all about.

Fred Rogers was, as you probably know, an ordained Presbyterian minister. His congregation was young children and their families. His pulpit was the television screen, a medium he used to evangelize the Christian values that lead to being a good person.

As a real person and in the film (where he is portrayed by Tom Hanks), Rogers addressed emotional issues like war, loss, abuse, discrimination, and death with honesty, transparency, and compassion. He recognized the reality of the negative while modeling a Christian alternative.

The film will not be in theaters much longer, but I encourage those who practice pastoral care on a regular basis to gather two or three colleagues, watch the film together, then sit down over coffee or a meal to discuss it. If you miss it in theaters, get the DVD or livestream it when available, and gather a group to process it.

We can all learn much from how Fred Rogers practiced Jesus’s commandment “Love your neighbor as yourself.” (Matthew 22:39, Mark 12:31).

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