House of Unity
Documentaries
These three films from the Latvian Christian programme Vertikāle explore the living connections between Latvia and the Netherlands through the eyes of priests, religious sisters, and ordinary believers. Filmed between 2010 and 2014, they offer intimate conversations about vocation, the challenges of faith in a secularised “old Europe,” and the quiet work of building Christian unity across borders.
Saruna ar priesteriem no Holandes
This documentary from July 11th 2010 features a conversation with two Dutch priests, Jacques Gruben and Stefan Schevers. They speak about why Latvia has become a special place for them, how they perceive the country and its people, their own paths to the priesthood, and the tensions between prosperity culture and authentic Christian life in the modern Netherlands.
Latvijas un Nīderlandes attiecības. Vienotības māja
This video from October 23rd 2011 traces the history of Latvian-Dutch relations and the founding of the Bethany Dominican monastery in Latvia. Sister Marjolein, who lived in Latvia for fourteen years, shares her memories, while the same two priests reflect on Latvia’s Christian traditions, what is missing in Western Europe, and the vision behind the House of Unity — a place dedicated to fostering the unity for which Christ Himself prayed.
Vertikāle viesojas Nīderlandē 2.d
This documentary from October 19th 2014 continues Vertikāle’s journey through the Netherlands in search of remaining “islands of faith.” It visits St John’s Cathedral in ’s-Hertogenbosch, the St John XXIII community near Boxtel that serves society’s most vulnerable, a closed church in Berlikum, and includes a conversation with Riga’s Fr Andris Kravalis about sacred objects donated by Dutch parishes to Latvian churches.
Together these videos paint a thoughtful portrait of friendship, vocation, and the shared longing for deeper Christian communion between two very different European nations.
