Martin Scorsese, Priest of the Silver Screen
From an early age, Martin Scorsese aspired to become a priest, considering it a nobler path than becoming president of the United States. In 1953, at just 11 years old, he lived in the Little Italy neighborhood of New York City with his family in a small apartment near his uncle and grandparents.
Outside his close-knit family, the harsh streets of the Lower East Side were filled with tough characters—loan sharks, swindlers, and street toughs constantly watching, joking, and sometimes exchanging violence. Fortunately, Scorsese’s severe asthma limited his time outdoors.
“I lived a life apart. I felt separate from everyone else.”
Watching the world from his bedroom window, Scorsese absorbed every detail. His Catholic parents, with roots in the old country, encouraged him to pursue a religious education by sending him to St Patrick’s Old Cathedral School on Mulberry Street.
“Go around the corner, go to school,” they told him.
It was there that he discovered his true calling, which eventually found expression not from a pulpit, but behind the camera as one of cinema’s greatest auteurs.
Author's summary: Martin Scorsese’s childhood dreams of priesthood shaped his unique perspective, guiding him to practice faith through his visionary filmmaking rather than a traditional religious role.