About The Heart of Nuba
THIS WEEK:
Washington Cathedral Screening of The Heart of Nuba, Oct 20, 2108
A very special screenings of The Heart of Nuba took place on October 20, 2018, at the Washington National Cathedral in Washington, D.C. with guest appearances by Dr. Tom Catena's wife, Nasima, and Director and Producer Kenneth A. Carlson. A Q&A was...
The Heart of Nuba Screens at the Academy
The Heart of Nuba screens at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
The Heart of Nuba on NPR’s Film Week
“…praiseworthy, almost Nobel Prize praiseworthy.”
LA Times Reviews The Heart of Nuba
“gripping, inspiring documentary.”
Nightline Interviews Kenneth A. Carlson
What it’s like being the only doctor in war-torn Sudan’s Nuba Mountains
Catholic New York
‘Heart of Nuba’ Tells of Catholic Doctor’s Service and Selflessness
Sr. Rose of National Catholic Reporter
“Catena’s respect for the dignity of the Nuba people is profound.”
New York Times
“…a moving and remarkable story.”
Hollywood Reporter
‘Saints Don’t Always Look the Way You’d Expect’
The Heart of Nuba on CNN
“If I Leave, People Will Die”
Roger’s Movie Nation
“Not every deserving person can win the Nobel Peace Prize…It seems the least society can do to honor them and shine a light on their good deeds is produce a good documentary about them.”
Dr.Tom Catena — 2017 Aurora Prize Laureate
The Aurora Humanitarian Initiative honors esteemed Catholic Missionary physician in war-torn Sudan for rekindling faith in humanity.
Video: iHeart radio
Interview with Deborah Kobylt
Join Us for a Very Special Screening of The Heart of Nuba on June 12, 2026, in Florence, Italy!
We are excited to announce a very special screening of The Heart of Nuba in Florence, Italy, on June 12, 2026. The screening will be held at the stunning Teatro Niccolini in the heart of Florence. Kenneth Carlson, director of The Heart of Nuba, will present the film...
EWTN News: Only surgeon for 2 million, American doctor perseveres in war-torn Sudan
As the only doctor at a hospital serving more than 2 million people, Dr. Tom Catena works seven days a week and is on call every night — and still makes time for morning Mass. An American Catholic missionary and the only surgeon at Mother of Mercy Hospital in the...
Dr. Tom in the Jesuit Review: I Am a Doctor in Sudan…
by Tom Catena I first met my patient, whom I will call Halima, when she was referred to our hospital while suffering from advanced cervical cancer. In her mid-40s, she initially sought treatment in her home community, in the war-ravaged Darfur region, but the doctors...
FEATURES:
EWTN News: Only surgeon for 2 million, American doctor perseveres in war-torn Sudan
As the only doctor at a hospital serving more than 2 million people, Dr. Tom Catena works seven days a week and is on call every night — and still makes time for morning Mass. An American Catholic missionary and the only surgeon at Mother of Mercy Hospital in the...
Dr. Tom in the Jesuit Review: I Am a Doctor in Sudan…
by Tom Catena I first met my patient, whom I will call Halima, when she was referred to our hospital while suffering from advanced cervical cancer. In her mid-40s, she initially sought treatment in her home community, in the war-ravaged Darfur region, but the doctors...
Dr. Tom at Notre Dame: War zone doctor explains life and service in Sudan’s Nuba Mountains
Dr. Tom spoke at the University of Notre Dame Institute for Social Concerns’ annual lecture in honor of Fr. Bernie Clark this Wednesday. Catena shared an inside look at his past 17 years as the only permanently stationed doctor in Sudan’s Nuba Mountains. He described...
St. Louis Review: American surgeon inspired by St. Daniel Comboni to serve in remote areas of Sudan
In the remote Nuba Mountains of Sudan’s South Kordofan region, Catholic missionary Dr. Tom Catena says that the smallest victories are magnified in the biggest ways. It could be a patient’s unexpected improvement or a good outcome from a medical procedure. Or it’s the...
Word on Fire: Hope and Mercy in Sudan’s Nuba Mountains
By Dr. Maria C. Geba After ten years of medical training, I decided to take a break. A break from the grind of academic medicine, from the constant striving for the next publication, the next accolade, the next prestigious conference. Busyness had distracted me from...
Tom Catena ’86 Names 2024 NCAA Theodore Roosevelt Award Recipient
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. - Dr. Tom Catena, a former All-American football player and mechanical engineering major at Brown, developed a sense of service in his collegiate years. It wasn't until he was driving home from his aunt's funeral shortly after he graduated in...
Newsweek: Why an American Doctor Remained in War-Torn Sudan
Should happiness be the focus of one's life, or something deeper? Tom Catena, a doctor for 14 years in the Nuba Mountains in Sudan — a desolate, rebel-held area that was bombed repeatedly from 2011 until 2018 by the Khartoum government when Omar al-Bashir was...
Dr. Tom Catena Receives Honorary Doctorate from Duke University
One of the highlights of the commencement ceremony is the awarding of honorary degrees to individuals for outstanding accomplishments and service the world. This year, President Vincent Price conferred bestowed degrees upon a medical missionary, a scientist turned...
A Chance to Give Back, by Tom Catena
This coming March, we, at the Mother of Mercy Hospital, will celebrate our fourteenth year of operation. We are located in rebel-held territory in the remote region of the Nuba Mountains in the southern part of the Sudan. Even though there is currently a ceasefire...
Dr. Tom on Events in Sudan
Dr. Tom Catena emailed Kennth Carlson (Director of The Heart of Nuba) today and spoke briefly about the current events, and coup, in Sudan. As usual, he is walking with a steadfast vision forward, to the job at hand, taking changes in stride as he continues to focus...