The Film That Became a Movement
Saving Lives in Sudan
When President Omar Al-Bashir ordered the relentless bombing of the citizens of his own country in the Nuba mountains of Sudan, Dr. Tom Catena was on the ground, one doctor serving 700,000 patients. When a ceasefire was agreed to and the bombing stopped, Dr. Tom stayed, to serve the people who have put their faith and their hope in him.
Telling the Story
A college friend of Dr. Tom’s, filmmaker Kenneth A. Carlson navigated armed militia in Sudan to tell the story. Internationally acclaimed and award-winning, The Heart of Nuba, is now available through Hulu, iTunes, Amazon, Google Play, Sony, Xbox and in public libraries via Hoopla. It has raised more than $600,000 for medicine, vaccinations, supplies and crucial training of Sudanese staff to support Dr. Tom’s critical, life-saving work.
Recent News:
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...
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...
Annual Amsterdam 5K Run/Walk raises funds for Mother of Mercy
The 8th annual Thanks4Giving 5k Run/Walk and 1 Mile Walk in Amsterdam, New York, was held Thursday, with 246 participants. The run, in Dr. Tom's home town, raises funds for their local hero, Dr. Tom Catena, and Mother of Mercy Hospital. read article
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...