Martin Scorsese Reflects on Seminary Expulsion: A Pivotal Moment Shaping His Iconic Career

New Documentary “Mr. Scorsese” Unearths Director’s Teenage Years and His Unexpected Departure from Priesthood Training

In a revealing look into the formative years of one of cinema’s most revered directors, 82-year-old Martin Scorsese opens up about a pivotal moment in his youth: his expulsion from a Catholic preparatory seminary school. These insights come to light in Rebecca Miller’s new documentary series, Mr. Scorsese, which made its world premiere at the prestigious New York Film Festival on Saturday, October 4. The series offers a profound exploration of Scorsese’s lifelong fascination with Catholicism and how an early deviation from a religious path ultimately set the stage for his legendary filmmaking career.

Scorsese recounts his deep spiritual awakening, tracing it back to around age seven when he first attended Catholic mass at New York City’s iconic St. Patrick’s Cathedral. This early experience ignited a profound interest in religious education, leading him to enroll in a preparatory seminary located on 85th Street during his teenage years.

“I did okay for the first few months, but something happened,” Scorsese shares in the documentary’s inaugural episode. He vividly describes a growing awareness of a rapidly changing world in the mid-20th century, marked by the burgeoning sounds of early rock and roll. This cultural shift, coupled with the onset of adolescent feelings – “Falling in love or being attracted to girls; not that you’re acting out on it, but there were these feelings” – brought a realization that life was “much more complicated” than the insulated world of the seminary. He grappled with the commitment required for the priesthood, understanding it as a devotion to others, but ultimately concluding, “I don’t belong there.”

His internal conflict eventually manifested in actions deemed inappropriate by the institution. “I tried to stay but they got my father in there and they told him, ‘Get him out of here.’ Because I behaved badly,” Scorsese candidly admits, though he refrains from detailing the specific misdeeds. However, childhood friend Joe Morale, interviewed in the documentary, offers a perspective, noting that Scorsese “had a heavy eye for the ladies” as a teenager, hinting at the worldly distractions that clashed with his spiritual pursuits.

Despite his departure from formal religious training, Scorsese’s profound engagement with Catholicism has remained a cornerstone of his artistic vision and personal life. His filmography is peppered with deeply spiritual and faith-exploring works, including the controversial The Last Temptation of Christ (1988), the meditative Kundun (1997) about the Dalai Lama, and the intense Silence (2017), which delves into the persecution of Jesuit missionaries in 17th-century Japan.

The documentary also sheds light on another crucial influence: a Catholic priest named Francis Principe, whom Scorsese describes as a mentor. Principe, he explains, was instrumental in encouraging him to “get an education” and seek opportunities beyond his childhood neighborhood in New York City’s Lower East Side, broadening his horizons and intellectual pursuits.

Mr. Scorsese provides an intimate and comprehensive look at the director’s entire filmmaking journey, featuring an impressive roster of interviews with frequent collaborators and celebrated figures. Among those sharing their insights are actors Robert De Niro, Daniel Day-Lewis, Leonardo DiCaprio, Sharon Stone, Jodie Foster, and Margot Robbie; directors Steven Spielberg and Paul Schrader; musicians Mick Jagger and Robbie Robertson; editor Thelma Schoonmaker; cinematographers Rodrigo Prieto; screenwriters Jay Cocks; and even his three daughters, Cathy (59), Domenica (49), and Francesca (25), along with his wife Helen Morris and other childhood companions.

In a particularly poignant moment, Scorsese reflects on his time as an altar boy, recalling how ringing the bells during mass created a sacred pause, “a moment where the whole world stops. The presence is there,” he says. “The presence of God, right there.”

Following its New York Film Festival debut, Mr. Scorsese is set to begin streaming globally on Apple TV+ on October 17, offering audiences an unprecedented look into the life and mind of a cinematic titan.