Jim Caviezel, the actor who played Jesus in the blockbuster movie "The Passion of the Christ," will speak about his Catholic faith April 11 at A.J. Palumbo Center at Duquesne University.

The event is a fundraiser for Mother's Hope, a local organization that supports an orphanage in Medjugorje, Bosnia-Herzegovina, a village where many Catholics believe the Virgin Mary has appeared regularly to a group of visionaries since 1981. Cathy Howe, the founder of Mother's Hope, didn't choose Mr. Caviezel for his celebrity but for his faith, she said.

When she heard him speak several years ago, "it was a call to everybody to stand up for what you believe," she said.

He also has close ties to Medjugorje. A visit there in 2002 greatly deepened his faith. He debuted a rough cut of "The Passion of the Christ" in Medjugorje, inside the Mother's Village orphanage that the Pittsburgh benefit will support.

This is the second annual fundraiser that Ms. Howe has sponsored on Divine Mercy Sunday, which Pope John Paul II added to the church calendar to encourage Catholics to pray for God's mercy and to extend mercy to others. About 1,500 people came last year to hear one of the visionaries from Medjugorje.

The event starts at noon. Divine Mercy prayers are at 3 p.m. followed by Mass.

Tickets are $25 in advance or $30 at the door, but cost $10 for students. Priests, deacons, sisters, monks and children under 12 are admitted free. Tickets are sold through Ticketmaster and the A.J. Palumbo box office at 412-232-3853. For more information see www.mothershope.org or call Jackie at 412-343-3516.

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