A new campaign from LA Catholics features veteran journalist, author, and screenwriter Rafael Alvarez.

In an emotional video released Oct. 7 to mark the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary, Alvarez details how devotion to the rosary helped him return to the Catholic faith and overcome a decades-long struggle with addiction.

“It’s easy to tell crazy stories about rock-n-roll, and all the people I interviewed and the parties I went to,” Alvarez said during a scene shot in Lourdes.  “This is so much more personal.”

Alvarez worked for nearly 25 years as a reporter for the Baltimore Sun newspaper, where he established himself as a unique American voice and storyteller, bringing to light a cast of characters and different sides of his beloved hometown that are rarely seen — glassblowers, nightclub bouncers, meat grinders, the last days of a bottle top factory, a pioneering addiction treatment center for the poor. 

After he left the Sun in 2001, he began working in Los Angeles as a screenwriter, writing for many network dramas, and most notably as staff writer on the acclaimed HBO drama, “The Wire,” set in Baltimore. 

With the series creator, David Simon, who he had worked with at the Baltimore Sun, Alvarez wrote a companion book to the series, “The Wire: Truth Be Told.” Alvarez is also the author of several short story collections, and a “People’s History” of the Archdiocese of Baltimore. 

The new video, produced by LACatholics, was shot in Lourdes and in Alvarez’ native Greektown section of Baltimore.

Alvarez credits his return to his Catholic faith to the influence of a religious sister he met at his neighborhood parish, Our Lady of Pompei. When Alvarez told the nun of his desire to reconcile with the mother of his children, she handed him a rosary and said, “Try this.” 

“That led to my rosary journey,” said Alvarez in the video. “There’s a lot of power in those two words ‘Try This.’ ”

LA Catholics chief digital officer Sarah Yaklic said Alvarez’s testimony shows how this ancient devotion still has the power to attract and invite even the most unlikely people to a deeper relationship with Christ. 

“Rafael’s rosary journey,” she told Angelus, “is a story written by redemption and teaches us that no matter where we find ourselves, we are always close to God’s love — and committing to a life of prayer grounds us in his embrace. I hope our Try This campaign will inspire people to try the Rosary and discover the peace and healing it offers.”

The new video and rosary campaign can be found at trythis.LACatholics.org