Award-winning filmmaker Morgan C. Atkinson uses one woman's life of faith, challenge, and perseverance to provide a lens through which to view changes of the past 60+ years in the religious and cultural landscape of America.

In 1949, when Martha Buser joined the congregation of Ursuline Sisters of Louisville, Kentucky, they numbered almost 600 members. When Sr. Martha passed away in 2023, fewer than 40 sisters remained. Their median age is 85. What brought about the change in numbers of this group, which has contributed so much to the community of Louisville and beyond since their arrival in 1858? Quite simply, it is a trend seen in so many religious communities across America and Europe. Is the vocation of religious sisters, rooted in self-sacrifice and service, outmoded? Is the religious vocation for women in the Catholic Church an anachronism in a post-modern world? If so, how did this happen? What is lost? Is anything gained?

These questions and more are examined in this one-hour documentary, which will be broadcast on public television stations in Kentucky and, in all likelihood, beyond. There will also be many free showings to audiences in schools, libraries, and theaters.

While the primary focus is on the Ursulines of Louisville, the added insights of national figures such as Sr. Joan Chittister, OSB, and Kenneth Briggs, former religion editor for the New York Times, provide a wider view of this cultural and spiritual phenomenon. This is not Atkinson's first look at Ursuline life. In 1987, he wrote and produced a program titled "A Change in Order" that was broadcast on KET. The current project is tentatively titled "In the Company of Change".

Filmmaker Atkinson interviewed Sr. Martha numerous times from 1985 through 2023. The fruits of their conversations provide insight into a life of faith and the significant changes in America's spiritual climate. The program is not a requiem for the Ursulines but rather a clear-eyed look at many faith-filled lives and one in particular. Atkinson has made more than 20 documentaries that have been broadcast on PBS stations across the U.S.